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April Special Offering:  The special offering for April is the Willoughby Church Refugee Sponsorship Fund.  Willoughby 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. Over the upcoming weeks, we will hear from our Refugee Sponsorship Team, celebrating past sponsored newcomers and presenting information about upcoming individuals and families. As always, we are grateful for the generous support that the Willoughby church community has provided for refugees who are seeking a new, safe home country and pray for continued generosity. 

Volunteers Needed: Do you want to serve??  We need volunteers for all areas of the church. If you are interested in being involved in any way including on tech teams, greeting, or in hospitality.  Please see Tamara or email tamara@willoughbychurch.com, thanks!!

Potluck Lunch: We will be getting together as a church and community with a potluck lunch theme of "Ethnic/International dishes" this Sunday, April 16th after the church service.  Bring your favourite International/Ethnic dish that you love to cook, enjoy, or reminds you of your childhood! Please join us for a lunch of different tastes from around the world. Dessert, coffee & juice will be provided. This will be a time for fellowship and to connect with your church community!! See you all there!

Youth Group (Grades 8-12):  Here is the April Youth Group Schedule! 

  • April 2 -  Bible Study at Willoughby from 7 pm to 8:30 pm with Will & Joanna
  • April 9 -  Easter Sunday - No Youth
  • April 16 - Lazer Tag 7 to 830 - bring $10 & a water bottle!
  • April 23 -  20:20 Immanuel 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
  • April 30 -  Youth Dinner 5 pm to 7 pm at Willoughby

Preteen Youth Night (Grades 4-7):  This Wednesday, April 19th @ 7:00 pm here at the church.  A time for pre-teens to get together and celebrate worship through games and bible study! 

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!

  • Tuesday, April 18th, at 10:00 am,  our season’s final meeting will focus on the last chapter of our study on the book of Mark. This will be followed by lunch at Adrian’s at the Airport at noon on the same day. 
  • Friday, April 21st, at 10:00 am, studying Daniel 3.

Jam Session: Do you play an instrument, love to sing are interested in tech or sound? The worship leaders are looking for new recruits and would love to have you join them on Saturday, April 22, 2023, from 10 am - 2 pm for a Jam Session.  Come play or learn how to mic an instrument, use the soundboard, and just enjoy making music with one another!! No sign-up necessary, just stop by anytime between 10 am - 2 pm and be ready to play, sing or learn in the tech booth.

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 it to Rose or Tamara by April 23. You will receive an email prior to April 30, with the address where you will have lunch or how many you will be hosting!  Hope you all join in to build our community here at the church and make new friends!!

Invitation to a conversation on mutual transformation in welcome: Kinbrace Community Society (Vancouver) in partnership with Worn Words Media invites you to a virtual or in-person conversation on mutual transformation in welcome. This event is free and open to anyone, especially those involved in welcoming refugees and newcomers. 

Raising Kids in a Hyper-Sexualized Culture: You are invited to an evening discussion with Marvin Bravo and Faye Martin on the challenges of “Raising Kids in a Hyper-Sexualized Culture.” Langley Immanuel CRC is hosting this event on April 23 at 6 pm. If you want to learn ways to protect and support your child or teen's mind, eyes, safety, and welfare while they are online, this workshop is for you! For more details please visit www.licrc.ca/events/raising-kids This workshop is for all parents, teens, and church leaders. 

Community Meal Share Program: Are you tired of meal prep? Or have extras to give? The community meal share is a 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. 

Coffee Break:  A Bible Study for women along with Story Hour and nursery care for children, ages 0-5 meeting at Langley Immanuel Church has completed their study by Nancy Guthrie, “The Word of the Lord-Seeing Jesus in the Prophets”. We will continue meeting for the next three Tuesdays with some relaxed morning fellowship/studies and end on May 9, 2023, with our closing social. We invite everyone who attended this past season to join us, bring a friend and/or neighbour to any or all of these four sessions as we look forward to another Coffee Break season in the fall.   For more details please connect with Elsa at coffeebreak@licrc.ca or Rose at coffeebreak@willoughbychurch.com 

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 7:30 pm at Fleetwood Christian Reformed Church (9165 160 St, Surrey) https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/gardens-a-sacred-oratorio-tickets-539767116977.  Sunday, April 16th at 3:00 pm 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), and 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 

Conversations on Hopeful Citizenship in a Divided World: Sunday, April 23, 6:30 - 8:30 pm - Fleetwood CRC. Come & join the conversation to discuss mutual respect as salt and light Christian witness in today's political climate. We'll share stories, draw on some CRC Justice and Reconciliation ministries resources and remember that hope is action we take in the community. Mike Hogeterp, the Director of the CRC's Centre for Public Dialogue will be facilitating the conversations. This workshop/conversation is hosted by the Classis 1Life equipping and learning hub. Refreshments will be served. Registration will reserve your spot however drop-ins are welcome!  

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.

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.

CRC NEWS:

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!

Helping Parents Form Faith: A 2019 research study explored how Canadian parents share faith from one generation to the next. The findings from that study are now available.   Click here for the full article.

Discovering Community behind Bars: Over the past decade, Ken and James’s journeys in prison took very different paths, but God brought them back together.   Click here for the full article.

The Bible and Cognitive Dissonance: We are inclined to judge others about how they deal with their “makeup” because they are not made up the way we are. Click here for the full article.

Groundwork: Experience: Jesus and the Women - In the gospels, we read about Jesus’ encounters with his female followers on that very first Easter day. Their experience of him deepened and grew their faith, and it can do the same for us. Join Groundwork as we study their experience in Matthew 28:1-10, Luke 24:1-12, and John 20:11-18, and together come to see and know again that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. Listen now at GroundworkOnline.com and subscribe to Groundwork's weekly emails for future episodes.

Churches Loving Communities - NewGround is a program of Diaconal Ministries that empowers churches to be courageous and creative with ministry opportunities in their communities. (Perhaps you remember it as Operation Manna!) Our partners are stretched across Canada and they are showing and sharing the love of Christ and growing God’s Kingdom in beautiful ways! Sunday, May 7, is NewGround Sunday. Whether your church is holding an offering or not, please prayerfully consider how you can support other Canadian CRCs and ministries by giving generously to NewGround. Visit our website (diaconalministries.com/newground) or our Facebook page (@diaconalministries) for more information. Thank you for your ongoing support!

Your Gift to Resonate Will Go Twice as Far - As we celebrate our Savior who is the Resurrection and the Life, let’s go out with joy in our hearts to join God’s mission! This Easter, you can help Christian Reformed church planters, missionaries, and campus ministers live out the good news by making a gift to Resonate while your gift will go twice as far! Find out how at www.resonateglobalmission.org/Double!

Lend a Hand Campaign: Bethesda's Lend a Hand Campaign is underway! Will you ‘lend a hand’ by joining Bethesda in its efforts to strengthen and extend valuable services to people with disabilities and their families? If you say “yes! I want to support this important ministry,” you have three different ways of donating:

  1. mail your cheque to 2775 Emerson St, Abbotsford, V2T 4H8
  2. go line to www.BethesdaBC.com and click on Donate,
  3. or, if you live in the area, feel free to drop off your donation.

Watch our "Why Donate" video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dqHAaCizbM . Visit our webpage at https://bethesdabc.com/lend-a-hand/ to learn more about the Lend a Hand campaign. If you have questions, please email life@BethesdaBC.com or phone us at 604-850-6604 (locally) or toll-free at 1-866-455-2231. 

The Annual Banner Appeal is underway! - The 2023 appeal for The Banner, the CRC’s award-winning monthly magazine, has started. The Banner is delivered free in print and online, and this annual donation appeal makes it possible. To help keep this community conversation going please give online now at: TheBanner.org/Give

Job Postings:

CRCNA Position Openings - The Christian Reformed Church in North America has the following full-time position openings: Communications Specialist, ReFrame Ministries, and Director of Advancement, ReFrame Ministries. These positions are hybrid positions, working several days per week out of our Grand Rapids, MI, or Burlington, ON, offices. Please visit www.crcna.org/jobs for details or to apply. 

SUMMER CAMPS WORKER (ABBOTSFORD, BC) – Bethesda. Bethesda’s summer day camp offers a world of possibility and inclusion for school-age youth with diverse abilities. No previous experience is needed as you will receive training and be supported throughout. Multiple positions, 35 hours/week, are available from June 19 through August 26. You will be supervised and supported by the summer camp leadership staff. $19.00/hr - $20.00/hr, 35 hours/week. Bethesda’s ability to hire for this position is contingent on receiving grant funds from the Canada Summer Jobs Grant. *Please note that as per current provincial health orders, all Bethesda staff must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19*. Interested applicants may reference posting #817 and apply online at bethesdabc.com/careers by April 28, 2023. 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