Online Bulletin

May Special Offering:  The special offering for this month will be for the South Fraser Pregnancy Options Centre Society in Surrey.  The Pregnancy Options Centre is a faith based organization, that supports women and their partners to explore their pregnancy options and offers practical and emotional support for them.  They are having their annual fundraiser in May this year and hope to raise up to $100,000, which represents 60-70% of their annual operationg costs.  Willoughby Church has supported the Society for the past few years with their Bably Bottle Campaign and at Christmas with gifts for the clients.  Please consider giving generously to this worthwhile cause.

Willoughby Refugee Team: The Refugee Sponsorship Team is excited to announce that the AlRubaye family will be arriving on June 2!  We are so happy for them and we are looking forward to finally meeting them in person.  We are busy preparing for their arrival -- stay tuned for more details in the following weeks.  For now, we have heard that they love to ride bikes!  If you have one to donate, please let Evelyn Bouwman know.   bouplumb@telus.net or 604-910-8859. 

Coffee Break/Story Hour: Reminder that Tuesday, May 10 at 9:30 a.m. marks our Coffee Break/Story Hour closing social – Breakfast-Brunch at Langley Immanuel Church. We’re inviting everyone who attended Coffee Break this past season to join in the fun!  Invite a friend and bring a brunch item to enjoy.  Please let us know (RSVP) if you are coming by emailing the following: Elsa at coffeebreak@licrc.ca or Denise at coffeebreak@willoughby.com Hope to see you there!   

Invitation for Seniors: Seniors of all ages! Come, join us for our annual bus tour on Thursday, May 19, leaving Willoughby church at 9:30 am for Harrison Hot Springs. We will enjoy a small walk around and then have a great lunch together before arriving back at church by 2:30 pm. The cost of lunch is up to each person. More information next week! Please email, by May 17 seniors@willoughbychurch.com to book your seat on the bus.

Covenant Kids Christian Daycare Art Display: In honour of Mother’s Day, children attending Covenant Kids Christian Daycare were asked to create a piece of artwork showing something that their mother enjoys. Over the past two weeks, the children created their artwork as a Mother’s Day gift. The artwork is on display in the foyer of the church for the congregation to enjoy following the service on Sunday. 

Council Announcement: Council would like to thank all of you who attended the Special Congregational meeting this past Monday.  We appreciate your participation in the table groups and thoughtfulness you put into the questions for Council.  As noted at the meeting, Council continues discussions with Classis BCSE and is scheduled to meet on May 10th. For those that could not attend the meeting, we will be communicating further information after the council meeting on May 10th. 

Walk in the Spirit of Reconciliation:   Join us May 27, 28 and 29 for the 7th annual Walk in the Spirit of Reconciliation! We walk on the land between Fort Langley and Mission in lament and solidarity of First Nationspeoples remembering the harm done by Indian Residential Schools. You can choose to do a self-guided walk with family & friends, attend a larger event and walk together as a big group, or do a solidarity walk in your own community. Maps are provided, receive a free t-shirt and read Indigenous stories and info posted online. Check out https://www.reconciliationwalk.com/walk and register today at: https://walkinthespirirtofreconciliation2022.eventbrite.com/. 

Let’s Join World Renew in Celebrating Moms of Hope - A Mom of Hope is a woman who knows she is blessed by God with skills and resources to support her family. She looks to the future trusting in God’s love and abundance.  May 8 is Mother's Day and World Renew's Moms of Hope Sunday. join World Renew to learn how you can help foster Moms of Hope–women who are striving to transform their families and communities. Visit worldrenew.ca/MomsofHope 

Preaching the Sermons to the 7 Churches of Revelation - Friday, May 13, 8:00AM - 5:30PM PST - Dr. Jeffrey Weima, leading New Testament scholar, seasoned preacher, and experienced tour guide to the lands of the New Testament, explains the meaning of the seven sermons of Revelation 2-3 and shows how these ancient messages are relevant for the church today. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3knKUnG

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth - Saturday, May 14, 8:30AM - 2:30PM PST - What is the right way to read the Bible? What are the guidelines that believers should follow in interpreting scripture? Can we know with confidence what God is saying? Join Dr. Jeffrey Weima for an informative and entertaining day on this important topic. Expect to change the way you read and understand God’s word! Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3kkUpnp

May 2022 Safe Church Webinar: Step 2 Making and Revising Policy - Join us May 18 at 12pm (Eastern) for Webinar 2 of our Safe Church Basics Series. In this webinar, Safe Church Ministry staff will highlight common myths hidden within many abuse prevention policies, share a new model policy, and hear from other leaders about ways they have navigated the tedious task of revising and making policies. Register at: https://bit.ly/SCwebinarMay22

ART SHOW and SYMPOSIUM – A CREATURE CHRONICLE: April 22  -  May 21, 2022. This art installation, created by artist Betty Spackman, former art instructor at TWU and Redeemer University, and hosted at Swallowfield Farm (J and D DeGroot) encourages visitors to ask questions of themselves and each other about what it is to be human. Deliberately handmade and personal, the agenda of the exhibition and the symposium is not to prove points but to open up different perspectives in order to see ourselves better and inspire true dialogue.  “It specifically addresses the Christian faith, “ says Spackman, “as this is the only tradition I can legitimately critique, and also one that has held perceived and real tensions with science. I hope this installation might increase curiosity, challenge complacency, and cause us all to celebrate creation in all its forms with wonder.” A CREATURE CHRONICLE is a 15-panel double-sided circular installation approx. 24 ft. in diameter and 8 ft. high. The symposium includes weekly lectures, presentations, talks and performances by guests from around the world. Click here for more information.   

Join us in Praying for Synod 2022 - Synodical delegates, church leaders, and CRCNA members across the continent are praying for Synod 2022. Please join us! Prayer gatherings for synodical delegates are scheduled for May 11 and May 25. We will post prayer guides on the Network each time so that you can pray with us at a time that works for you as families, individuals, church councils, small groups, and others. Need some prayer points to pray through now? Find the April 27 prayer guide at https://network.crcna.org/prayer/prayer-guide-synod-psalm-13

Paul’s Missionary Journeys in Greece (Oct 6-18, 2022):   Travel to biblical sites connected with Paul's missionary journeys in Greece: Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth as well as Meteora and Delphi. Included is a fabulous 3-day cruise to Mykenos, Ephesis, Patmos, Crete and Santorini. Contact Dr. Jeff Weima, Professor at Calvin Theological Seminary and leading biblical scholar at weimje@calvinseminary.edu or 616-328-3110.     

CRC NEWS:

Transitional Canadian Executive Director Hired: Rev. Al Postma has been appointed to a two-year role as transitional executive director for the CRC in Canada.  Click here for the full article.

Building Dedication: More than a hundred people gathered in Byron Center, Mich. to dedicate and bless the newly renovated headquarters of World Renew U.S  Click here for the full article.

Faith-filled Response to Historic Flood: Many churches and organizations are working together to meet needs in communities affected by flooding  Click here for the full article.

Groundwork: Believe: Jesus and the Disciples - Studying Jesus’ first appearance to his disciples and later his appearance to Thomas offers us encouragement for our faith even when believing in Jesus isn’t easy. Join our Groundwork conversation as we study John 20:19-31 to learn why belief in Jesus is a lifestyle, not a one time event, and why Jesus’ promises to his disciples give us hope yet today. Listen now at GroundworkOnline.com and subscribe to Groundwork's weekly emails for future episodes.

Faith Practice Reflection - Reflection and Discussion Starter—the Practice of Prayer: Read Psalm 145 and ponder or discuss the following questions.Of the four components of the ACTS model for prayer (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication), adoration seems to be the part of prayer that is difficult for many people in the Reformed tradition. Is that true for you? If so, why do you think that is? (For more on faith practices from Faith Formation Ministries, visit bit.ly/FaithPracticesProject)

Survey on Faith Formation in the Home - Faith Formation Ministries is partnering with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) on a study about how faith is being formed in homes across Canada. Their research will help our denominational ministries better serve families and churches to meet the discipleship needs and opportunities of children and youth. The survey is open through June 7, 2022. If you are a parent with children under 18 living at home, please consider participating in the EFC's parent survey: https://www.research.net/r/89XWFTB

Scriptoria: An Interfaith Writing Workshop - Morning workshops. Afternoon instruction. One-on-ones with editors. Deep faith conversations. Think boot camp for your writing—whether it’s fiction, nonfiction, or poetry—on June 20-24, 2022 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Scriptoria: An Interfaith Writing Workshop with Gary Schmidt, Hugh Cook, Patrice Gopo, L. S. Klatt, Robert Hudson, Nikki Grimes, Vinita Hampton Wright, and more. Visit scriptoriaworkshop.org

Everything You Need for An Interactive Series on the Faith Practices - Want to try something new (and easy) at your church this summer? We’ve expanded the Faith Practices Project to include everything you need to plan a worship service, series, or gathering on a particular faith practice with people of all ages. Learn more at crcna.org/FaithFormation

Sunday Song Selection:

Donation Requests:

NewGround - “God creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join Him in the work He does, the good work He has gotten ready for us to do - work we had better be doing” (Eph. 2:7-10, MSG). Over the years, the NewGround program of Diaconal Ministries Canada has helped over 100 churches in Canada love their communities! Yet there are still churches that don’t have the resources or expertise they need. Will you help? Your generous donations to NewGround will help even more churches discover God’s dreams for their local community and how they can join Him. We have also added a Youth Justice Project to empower the next generation of justice-seekers! Learn more about this program and donate today by visiting Diaconal Ministries Canada’s website: diaconalministries.com/newground

The Banner: The May edition of the Banner is now available at the church. You can also access a copy online at The Banner.  To support the Banner's ongoing journalistic ministry, consider making a donation.  www.theBanner.org/Donate

Get The Banner Straight to Your Inbox - The Banner, the magazine of the CRC, will send you news, features, and columns straight to your email inbox! Sign up for the weekly e-newsletter by visiting thebanner.org/signup. 

Today Devotion Books: The Today booklets are available at the church.

Contact for Online Bulletin: If you have anything to add to the bulletin, please email info@willoughbychurch.com 

Contact Council: If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email the council at council@willoughbychurch.com