Online Bulletin

Church Custodian Position Available: After faithfully serving us for many years, Andy Groeneveld is stepping down from his role as church custodian.  Willoughby Church, therefore, invites applications for the position of Building Custodian, starting on August 1.  We are looking for a qualified person who will take pride in keeping the building clean and in orderly condition.   This will be a 25-hour per week contracted position with a flexible schedule.  More information, including a description of custodial duties, is available at www.willoughbychurch.com .  For further inquiries about the position, please contact Eric Voogt (Building and Grounds Committee) at  eric.voogt@gmail.com, or 604-530-6760.  Applications should be submitted to Peter Roukema (Personnel Committee) at phroukema@gmail.com no later than July 18.   

Living the Call:  Here is the new issue of Living the Call, the ministry report to classis and councils on the work of the CRCNA. This informative report gives you a brief overview of the work that you are a part of as a congregation of the Christian Reformed Church.   In five issues each year, they focus on each of the five callings of the CRC: Faith Formation, Servant Leadership, Global Mission, Mercy & Justice, and Gospel Proclamation & Worship.

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

Safe Church Ministry Series 2022: The Safe Church Basics - Webinar 3: Training Leaders and Volunteers - All church leaders and volunteers should know what constitutes abuse, how to spot it, and what is expected of them to prevent and respond to abuse well. Join us July 20, 2022 at 12pm EDT as we explore ways to train and support our safe church teams. Register at https://bit.ly/SCwebinarJuly22

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

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

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

Sunday Song Selection:

CRC NEWS: 

Overturning Roe v. Wade: Following the United States Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the church is called to continued advocacy and love.  Click here for the full article.

Churches Walk in Reconciliation: Members of three British Columbia congregations joined a walk focusing on reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.   Click here for the full article.

Songs That Stick?: I was leading a class at church a couple weeks ago and left the experience with a haughty thought: The songs we sang when I was a kid were better. Click here for the full article.

Groundwork: Jonah: Doing God's Work - It doesn’t matter who we are, what we’ve done, or how inadequate we feel, God has work for us to do. Join our Groundwork conversation as we study Jonah 3 to better understand how much God cares and to discover the courage to never give up on someone or let our bias hinder our message as we continue to do God’s work and follow God’s call in the world today. Listen now at GroundworkOnline.com and subscribe to Groundwork's weekly emails for future episodes.

At-home Faith Practice Reflection Tip - Reflection and Discussion Starter—the Practice of Remembering: Read Deuteronomy 6:1-9 and ponder or discuss the following questions. If you come from a family that loves God, how did the adults in your family pass along their love of God to the children? If you don’t come from a family where faith was important, how has that impacted your own faith formation? How might your church family help remind each other of all God has done? (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.

Water is Life. Share the Gift of Clean Water. - Water is essential for survival and it has to be clean to help ensure good health. Yet, 40% of the global population does not have access to sufficient water and 31% of schools around the world do not have access to clean water. Join churches across Canada on July 17th for Clean Water Sunday. Through your gift to World Renew, you can help share Christ’s hope and make clean water a reality for communities facing challenges accessing clean water. To learn more, visit worldrenew.ca/resources-clean-water-sunday

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.

Now Hiring: RESIDENTIAL CHILD AND YOUTH WORKER (ABBOTSFORD, BC) – Bethesda. The residential child and youth worker provides support to children or youth who have moderate to severe behavioural challenges. You will be supporting one or more children or youth under 19 years of age in an attractive, home-like setting designed especially for day and overnight respite. The child or youth live at home with their families and come to the home every week. Attending respite gives them stimulation and growth opportunity and their families a break to recharge. The number of hours a child or youth attends respite varies with each family’s needs. You will be working with a team of people, including specialists from community resources, other residential child and youth workers, and an experienced, on-site manager. You will also receive on the job training so that you feel confident in your interactions and decisions. Competitive salary: $23.10-$26.91. *Please note that as per current provincial health orders, all Bethesda staff must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19*. Interested applicants may apply online at https://bethesdabc.com/careers or submit a resume, cover letter, and references to the Chief Human Resources Officer via email (careers@bethesdabc.com)  or mail (2775 Emerson Street, Abbotsford BC V2T 4H8). Applicants should reference posting #842. (Full job description is available on Bethesda’s website.) 

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