Online Bulletin
April Special Offering: The special offering for April will be for Willoughby’s Refugee Fund. Willoughby Church has successfully helped to settle 11 families over the past 10 years. We are expecting 2 newcomers this year who will be co-sponsored by their families and we are looking forward to welcoming 2 new families in the next few years. We are grateful for the continual support of this congregation.
Announcement from Council: With the change in the worship coordinator position, Council would like to remind the congregation that any criticisms or concerns regarding the worship component of the service should not be conveyed to the members of the worship team after the service. Instead, it would be appreciated if any such concerns could be put in writing and emailed to worship@willoughbychurch.com for attention. This reminder does not apply to positive feedback and praise that congregants wish to convey to members of the worship team after the service, which is of course always encouraged. We appreciate your love, prayers, and input. Our desire is that worship at Willoughby is a meaningful experience for all, and that God is praised.
Refugee Sponsorship Team: One of our recent newcomers is in need of the following items: Single bed, mattress (good condition), microwave, small dining table and 1-2 chairs, and a small wardrobe. Contact Evelyn Bouwman if you can help with any of these items. bouplumb@telus.net
Youth Group (Grades 8-12): Here is the April Youth Group Schedule!
- April 2 - Bible Study at Willoughby 7 to 830 with Will & Joanna
- April 9 - Easter Sunday - No Youth
- April 16 - Lazer tag 7 to 830
- April 23 - 20:20 Immanuel 630 to 830
- April 30 - Youth Dinner 5 to 7 at Willoughby
Women's Bible Study: The following are all the sessions offered at the church for Women's Bible Study, please feel free to join any session at any time. All are welcome!
- Wednesday, April 5th, at 7:00pm, focusing on the fourth chapter of Philippians.
- Friday, April 7th, no Bible Study - Good Friday.
Preteen Youth Night (Grades 4-7): This Wednesday, April 5th @ 7:00pm here at the church. A chance for our youth to get together and celebrate worship through games and bible study!
Guess Who's Coming to Lunch: Sunday, April 30th following the worship service. To sign up you can pick up a card in the foyer after the services on April 2, 9, 16 & 23, guests bring dessert & hosts prepare lunch. Please fill it out and hand in to Rose or Tamara by April 23. You will recieve an email prior to April 30, on the address you will be having lunch at or how many you will be hosting! Hope you all join in to build our community here at the Church and make new friends!!
Seniors: Come and join us on Thursday April 6th at 10 am as we enjoy a special morning of fellowship which includes an Easter meditation with scripture readings and song led by Jim Vreugdenhil. The morning will conclude with a warm lunch served ar noon. Guests are invited and very welcome. Hope to see you all there!!
Community Meal Share Program: Are you tired of meal prep?? Or have extras to give?? The community meal share is a new program here at the Church and is another way for each of us to bless and be blessed by our community on a regular basis with culinary delights. On Sundays and throughout the week during office hours the church will be open for meals to be dropped off or taken home whenever is convenient for you. This is not charity, it's just community. Grab a meal for no other reason than you want to, or you're having a busy week. Bring a meal just because you had leftovers! Swap a meal if you're dropping off and another meal looks good! Labels to provide the date and any common allergens will be provided, and there will be a space in the freezer for the meals.
Hope Community Church (18625 Fraser Hwy) is hosting an information session about foster parenting on Monday, April 3 at 7:00pm. If you’ve considered doing foster care, respite care, or just want to know how to support those who are doing foster care, please come! Representatives from the Ministry of Children and Family Development, as well as members from Hope who are currently doing fostering and respite will be speaking. There will be coffee, tea, and cake! This is an open event, so please invite your friends and neighbours.
The GLORIA DEI CHORALE, under the direction of Rob Workman, is pleased to lead the Palm Sunday Worship Service, featuring choral selections, readings, and congregational songs, on Saturday, April 1 at 7:00 pm in the Oasis Room at Elim Village, 9025 160 Street, Surrey, BC, and on Sunday, April 2 at 7:00 pm at the New Westminster CRC, 8255 13th Ave, Burnaby, BC. A free-will offering will be received. Contact Tina 604-588-6377 or Elaine at 604-271-0283 for more information.
Concert Announcement: The Trinity Western University Chamber Choir and Klemata Chorale present their final concerts of the year, under the direction of Dr. Joel Tranquilla. Also featuring soprano Alison Nystrom, orchestra, members of the Vancouver Oratorio Society (Saturday only) and the Gloria Dei Chorale. Don’t miss this special presentation of works by Vivaldi, Mozart, and Tawnie Olson, as well as the world premiere of Dr. David Squires’ oratorio, Gardens, a nine-movement work that follows the biblical arc from the first garden in the opening of the book of Genesis to the ultimate and longed for garden described at the end of the Revelation to St. John. Saturday, April 15th at 7:30pm at Fleetwood Christian Reformed Church (9165 160 St, Surrey) https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/gardens-a-sacred-oratorio-tickets-539767116977. Sunday, April 16th at 3:00pm at Central Height Church (1661 McCallum Rd, Abbotsford) https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/gardens-abbotsford-performance-tickets-534029515657. Adults: $25, Seniors: $22, Students and Children: $10.
Easter Pipe Organ Concert: With audience singing by organists, Aart Bijkerk (Chilliwack), Frank Ezinga (Langley). There will be seasonal sacred music by Bach, Bédard, Boelmann and Dupré Heritage Pipe Organ (1912). A concert for the whole family, on Saturday, April 15, 2023 at 3 PM at Maranatha Canadian Reformed Church, 12300 - 92 Ave, Surrey, B.C. Admission by donation (no tickets), wheelchair accessible, refreshments served following the concert. Contact: maranathaorgan@gmail.com
Good Friday Langley City-Wide Worship Service. You are invited to worship at a city-wide joint worship service at Christian Life Assembly on Friday, April 7 at 10 AM. Offerings will be received for both a local ministry and a global initiative: Wagner Hill Recovery Center and Global Aid Network Canada for earthquake relief in Turkey and Syria. If you wish to join online, the service will be live streamed at https://goodfriday.online.church/
1Life Learning Hub Conference w/ Andrew Root - Join us Friday, May 12 through Sunday, May 14 for a 1Life Learning Hub Conference w/ Andrew Root, Will there be Faith? Following Christ in a secular age. Author & cultural critic Andrew Root (Luther Seminary) and jazz musician Mark Glanville (Regent College) will unpack Jesus’ big question at the first ever 1Life Foundations conference at Fleetwood CRC in Surrey. For more info or to sign up, see crc1life.ca. Sign up for the whole conference or for single events.
From Heartbreak to Hope: Changing Refugee Stories - April 2nd is Refugee Sunday. As conflict, violence, and persecution drive people from their homelands in search of safety, many wander from country to country never finding welcome. Compelled by refugee families’ stories of heartbreak, churches across Canada open their hearts and share God’s love through sponsorship – offering refugees the opportunity to find safety and welcome here in Canada. Through your gifts to World Renew’s Refugee and Resettlement Sponsorship program you can help share God’s love and hope with refugees as they journey to rebuild their lives in Canada. Prayerfully consider giving to World Renew’s Refugee and Resettlement Sponsorship program. For more information, visit: worldrenew.ca/refugeesunday
Join World Renew in Sharing Hope with People Impacted by Cyclone Freddy - In early February, Cyclone Freddy developed over the Indian Ocean and made landfall in southern Africa three times. Freddy, the longest-lasting and most-travelled tropical cyclone ever recorded, brought torrential rains and high winds that resulted in landslides and flooding that claimed hundreds of lives and caused widespread damage across Malawi, Mozambique, and Madagascar. World Renew has released emergency funds to provide blankets, food, and tarps to people who have lost homes and loved ones. You can help families impacted by this disaster. Please give online at worldrenew.ca/cyclonefreddy, call 1- 888-975-3769, or mail your cheque, made out to World Renew with “Tropical Cyclone Freddy” in the memo line, to: World Renew, 3475 Mainway, PO Box 5070 STN LCD 1, Burlington, Ontario, L7R 3Y8.
1Life April Newsletter: 1Life exists to curate a curriculum of resources that equips individuals and congregations to become increasingly whole-hearted, vibrant communities of Christian worship, discipling & mission. Click here for the April newsletter.
Do Justice - Justice Prayers: Do Justice is a conversation space for justice in the Christian Reformed Church, from the Office of Social Justice. Justice Prayers is a weekly post addressing justice issues from around the world. Click here to pray and read more!
CRC NEWS:
1. Kingdom Transformation in Cambodia: God is making a big difference in and through a small church in rural Cambodia. Click here for the full article.
2. Students Walk for Earthquake Survivors: Students in Zuni, N.Mex., learned about compassion and used a walk-a-thon to raise money for people in Syria. Click here for the full article.
3. Stepping Up for STEM: In a partnership with EduDeo, Redeemer University's retired microscopes are getting new homes and helping to support science education in Africa. Click here for the full article.
Groundwork: Remembering Jesus' Sacrifice on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday - Christians around the world mark the events of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday with reflection and special worship services. Join Groundwork as we study John 13:34-35, Mark 15:1-15, and Matthew 27:45-50 to discuss the meaning of these holy days, re-examine our expectations, and reflect on Jesus Christ’s example. Listen now at GroundworkOnline.com and subscribe to Groundwork's weekly emails for future episodes.
Summer Service Trips with World Renew DRS - Looking for ways to serve with your congregation or youth group this summer? Join World Renew DRS to repair homes after natural disasters all across the US and Canada! We have sites available in Washington, Kentucky, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, and more! Contact Chris, our Groups Program Manager, at cgibson@worldrenew.net if interested or with questions.
Christian Stewardhip Services: Gain “Peace of Mind” and answers to your charitable giving and estate questions by attending one of Christian Stewardship Services’ upcoming Partner Community Will Clinics! You can learn the basics of getting your documents in place, and learn how to support your favourite Partner Charity and others. Our online Partner Community Will Clinic will be on April 5th as well at 8:30pm EST. Register HERE for the online will clinic. For more information contact Katiev@csservices.ca or 800-267-8890 x213
Job Postings:
Now Hiring: SUPPORT WORKER – INDIVIDUALIZED SERVICE (ABBOTSFORD, BC) – Bethesda. As a support worker for an individualized service, you will support and assist a person with diverse abilities and critical health care needs in their family home. This is a permanent full-time position available immediately $21.63 – $25.19/hr (expected to increase with ratification of collective agreement). **NEW** hiring bonus + leadership development program + exclusive employee discounts through Perkopolis. *Please note that as per current provincial health orders, all Bethesda staff must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19*. Interested applicants may reference posting #847 and apply online at bethesdabc.com/careers. See full job description on Bethesda’s website.
Now Hiring: CHILD AND YOUTH WORKER (ABBOTSFORD, BC) – Bethesda. The 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. $23.10-$26.91/hr (expected to increase with ratification of collective agreement). **NEW** hiring bonus + leadership development program + exclusive employee discounts through Perkopolis. *Please note that as per current provincial health orders, all Bethesda staff must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19*. Interested applicants may reference posting #842 and apply online at bethesdabc.com/careers. See full job description on Bethesda’s website.
The Banner: The April 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