Online Bulletin

Schaafsma Funeral:  The Memorial Service for Jeff Schaafsma will be on Saturday, June 25, at 10:00am, here at Willoughby Church. All are welcome to attend. Please keep Henry & Trudy Schaafsma and Janet Schaafsma in your prayers at this difficult time.

Church BBQ: On Sunday June 26th after the church service, we will have a BBQ to enjoy lunch and fellowship together.  As a way to celebrate Community and coming together as a Church Family, you are all invited to join us for lunch after the service.  The Church will be supplying the hotdogs, dessert, coffee & tea, and juice for the kids!  We are asking the congregation to bring a salad to share with everyone.  If you are interested in supplying a salad for the BBQ please let Helen Vandenberg, Rose Scholtens or Alice Voogt know.  Hope to see you all there!! 

Text/Email Scam: Recently, congregation members have been receiving a text or email from one of the pastors asking them to help them out and purchase gift cards.  This is a scam, please do not reply to the sender or purchase any gift cards for the church.  If you are unsure about any message you receive from staff, please email or call the staff member or you can always call Tamara at 604-530-5959 or email at tamara@willoughbychurch.com.

 The Bible Tells Me So: Invitation to Join LDN 2022-23   In the middle of all the deep convictions and confusions of the present moment, The BC LDN (now a 1Life Servant Leadership intensive) continues its mandate to foster a deep and deeply relevant Biblical imagination in the leadership of our BC CRCs. To discern if our 2022-23 year of reading the Old Testament and practicing various ministry skills its themes invite, is for you, come to one of our summer on-line information evenings: Monday June 27, Monday July 18, or Monday August 22 from 7:00-8:00 p.m.  You can register here. Also see crc1life.ca for our curriculum and unique application process. Questions?  Email wilma@crc1Life.ca   

Free CRC Leadership Training Course - Register now to take the Thriving Essentials virtual training in July at no cost (limit 25 persons). The two, 2 hour-long Zoom sessions on July 13 and 20 can help get all church leaders on the same page concerning the key concepts of Mission, Discipleship, Discernment, and Leadership. Take the class for yourself, then decide if attendance would benefit your core church leadership. Website: crcna.org/Thrive

Summer Camp: Fleetwood CRC in Surrey is hosting three summer camps this year for a variety of interests and ages. NoteWorthy Music Camp, for ages 7-12, focuses on introducing young kids to music and teaching basic musical skills (June 27-30). Compassion Camp, our VBS for ages 5-10, tells the gospel through games, crafts, and stories (July 18-22). World’s Stage Theatre Camp, for high schoolers aged 12-18, is a week of writing, directing, and acting with a healthy amount of improv thrown in (August 1-5). Registration opens May 22nd. For more information, please visit fleetwoodcrc.org/SummerCamps2022 or email fcrc.interns@gmail.com.    

World Renew Disaster Response Celebration:  2022 is World Renew Disaster Response Services’ 50th year of ministry in North America! Join World Renew at an open house-style celebration at 3rd CRC, Lynden WA on July 19, You are invited to join World Renew at the celebration to learn more about DRS, and reconnect if you’ve served with us, celebrate, and commune together. More information can be found at worldrenew.net/drs-50th-anniversary-tour.  

Hearts Exchanged - is a project of our denomination designed to equip Reformed Christians to engage with Indigenous people as neighbours. The Canadian Indigenous Ministry is now recruiting participants from across Canada. Find out more information on this process ,and let them know you are interested in participating, on their website: crcna.org/hearts-exchanged

World Renew Request:  On November 14-15 last year, large areas around Abbotsford, especially Sumas Prairie, were flooded by a huge downpour – an “atmospheric river” they called it. This flood resulted in a tremendous loss of homes and other building, property and animals. For many folks affected by the flood, things are yet far from back to normal; in fact, there are many folks who are still living without basic necessities like appliances. The Abbotsford Disaster Response Coalition (ADRC) was formed very soon after the flood. Headed largely by Gateway CRC, it is made up of 7 churches and 3 local agencies. The ADRC has been able to do its work because of the support of local agencies and churches, as well as the support of World Renew. Almost 100 households have been supported since the flood; there are more who have not yet been helped, largely because the available funds have been used to help many people. World Renew is now asking for continued support from the folks in the CRCs of Classis BCSE, through individual donations to the ADCR (see here). Any support that can be offered, would be greatly appreciated by those who are still living with the impacts of the flood, well over six months ago. 

Send Us Your Church Life Photos - Send us your photos of the church at work or at worship! If you attend a CRC church and like taking photos, we'd love to see photos of your church in action: worshiping, engaging with the neighbourhood, gardening...anything that brings church members together. We hope to share these photos on our Facebook page, on the homepage of the CRCNA website, on the Deacons' Offering Calendar, and in other ways that showcase some of the many faces of the CRC. (For that reason, please ensure that you have permission from the people in the photo to share it.) Send your photos to Communications@crcna.org

Last Chance to Register for Inspire 2022 - Registration for Inspire 2022 will close on June 30. Don't miss your chance to join hundreds of your fellow church members from across the continent at the Tinley Park Convention Center near Chicago on August 4-6 for a time of renewal, fellowship, and inspiration. Learn more and sign up at https://www.crcna.org/inspire

Ableism Training Hosted by CRC-RCA Disability Concerns - Join us online August 11 & 12 (from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm EDT) for our annual training event. We will unpack ableism and consider ways we can help reduce the impact of ableism in churches. This event is open to everyone interested in learning more about this very important topic. We will continue to release more information about this event on our dedicated website: Let’s End #AbleismAtChurch Register at https://bit.ly/ableismatchurch

CRC NEWS: 

Synod 2022 Summary: Synod 2022 concluded on June 16, 2022. Here is a summary of what happened. Click here for the full article.

Teacher Finds Unique Way to Serve: While schools in Uganda were shut down, one teacher started crafting and ended up teaching crafts to 15 young people.  Click here for the full article.

Controlling Spiraling Toxic Thoughts: So much of our quality of life hinges on the conversations we have with ourselves. Click here for the full article.

Groundwork: Jonah: Praying for God's Deliverance - When we find ourselves in situations that we cannot fix, it’s natural to feel anxious, desperate, overwhelmed, exhausted, and scared. Join Groundwork as we study Jonah 2 to remember that God is ready to hear us, to deliver us, and to offer us his abundant mercy. Listen now at GroundworkOnline.com and subscribe to Groundwork's weekly emails for future episodes.

Faith Practice Reflection Tip - Reflection and Discussion Starter—the Practice of Wonder: Read Revelation 21:1-5 and ponder or discuss the following questions. What do you wonder about the new heaven and the new earth? What will it be like to have God dwelling among us for eternity? What do you long for God to “make new” right now? (For more on faith practices from Faith Formation Ministries, visit bit.ly/FaithPracticesProject)

Grants Available for Churches! - The NewGround Program of Diaconal Ministries Canada offers coaching, networking, and grants to churches seeking to break new ground to start (or grow) a sustainable community ministry. For over 35 years, NewGround (formerly Operation Manna) has helped CRC's across Canada love their community. NewGround has supported teen drop-in centres, community dinners, ministry to newcomers/refugees, art studios, counselling and debt centres and so much more! Applications for our Community Ministry Grants are due by August 15, 2022, so start praying and dreaming with your church and community now. Find out more on our website: diaconalministries.com/newground/ and/or email our NewGround Program Director, Karla Winham, with your questions and ideas: kwinham@crcna.org.

Diaconal Coaches Needed! - Diaconal Ministries Canada is currently recruiting new Diaconal Coaches in British Columbia and Alberta. A Diaconal Coach helps deacons grow in their understanding and capacity as leaders - providing coaching/training, support, encouragement, and accountability for CRC diaconates. Our team of Coaches are well-trained and supported by our Regional Staff. Positions are flexible, part-time, and paid! If you'd like to find out more, reach out to Rachel, Regional Ministry Developer for Western Canada. You can also find out more on our website: https://bit.ly/39eVvPS. Please share this with someone you think would make a great coach, and/or within your CRC networks.

Part-time Reception/Admin position available at Cascade Christian Counselling in Surrey. The position is for two days a week beginning June 27, 2022.  Hours of work day coincides with school hours (6 hours). Responsibilities: Answering phone calls Booking appointments for clients with counsellors for both the Surrey and Abbotsford office in Jane Software General admin duties such as newsletters, mail and organize publications, typing letters Updating website content Skills: Excellent communication and relational skills Attention to detail, strong organizational skills Good computer skills (and willingness to be trained) Ability to manage confidential information in appropriate manner   Please email resume to: info@cascadechristiancounselling.com 

The Banner: The June 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

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