Online Bulletin
March Special Offering: Chaplain and Refugee Support Mobilizer: The other Special Offering this month is for the Chaplain and Refugee Support Mobilizer ministry of Dena Nicolai. Through her work, Dena provides a ministry of presence to people who have arrived in Canada as refugees, and partners with supportive communities in extending practical and relational support to these newcomers. These are just some of the ways Dena has served Willoughby Church and other church communities:
- Working with churches to help them learn more about healthy support of refugees.
- Supporting churches in thinking through whether they have the capacity to privately sponsor a refugee or refugee family.
- Helping churches share affordable rental housing information with refugee-serving agencies.
- Advising church refugee teams when a refugee family moves in nearby.
- Helping churches imagine and plan potential ministries such as hosting newcomer potlucks and English-conversation groups.
- Sharing stories of how God is working through Canadians and newcomer refugees.
- Connecting churches to broader kingdom work by working with residents and staff of partner agencies such as the Immigrant Services Society of BC. This ministry receives some denominational support but is also very dependent on local church support.
* The Deacons we will now be doing two Special Offerings per month, Canada Food Grains Bank will run for the first two weeks, with Chaplain for Refugee Support Mobilizer Dena Nicolai for weeks 3&4. You are invited to give to either or both offerings as they will both be available on tithley for the whole month of March! *
Women’s Bible Study: You are welcome to join a Women’s Bible Study that meets at church every other Tuesday at 9:30 am. Please contact Grace Groot at ngroot@shaw.ca if you plan to attend. On March 19th we will be studying Ephesians 4.
Seniors: The Senior's are meeting on Thursday, March 21st at 10am, please come for fellowship and refreshments! We are planning a special Easter Program and hope that you can all join us, visitors are always welcome!!
Women's Bible Study: Women's Bible Study meets weekly on Wednesday, starting on April 3rd at 2pm. We will be studying from Micah 1. Everyone welcome! Please contact Pat Storteboom for more info.
Worship Night: We are having a Worship Night on Wednesday, March 20th at 6:30pm here at the church. This is a combined worship night between 3 churches: Willoughby, Living Word (the church that rents out our building Sunday afternoon), and House For All Nations (the church where Jess is the Pastoral Admin). Please invite your friends and family to join our worship! There will be many nations, but one voice to worship Jesus during this Lent season.
MAID Seminar: Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) has very quickly become a hot topic in our healthcare and society over the last few years, yet we don't often take the time to think through this conversation. Legislation has developed rather quickly that has made MAID more and more accessible. On Saturday, March 16, we will be hosting a morning seminar with a presentation by Pastor John Tsang of First Baptist Church in Vancouver who will walk us through this conversation. Pastor John will touch on the development of MAID in Canada, forseeable legislations, perspectives of healthcare professionals, and some theological and pastoral reflections. There will also be space for Q&A. To register, there will be a sign-up sheet after the service on Sundays in the lobby, or you can email Pastor Jenna. Registration is limited but we still have some spots left!
Tenebrae: Join us on Thursday, March 28th at 7:00pm for our Tenebrae Service as we commemorate Christ's suffering and death through scripture and song. We will also be serving the Lord's Supper during the service. Hope to see you all there!
TWU Presents "O Let Me Rise and Sing": TWU Chamber Choir and Masterworks Chorus will be performing a concert with brass and organ on Friday, April 5th at 7:30pm at Willoughby Christian Reformed Church, 20525 72 Ave, Langley and Saturday, April 6th at 2:30pm at St. Joachim and Anne, 2827 273 st, Aldergrove. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the door (cash only) or through Eventbrite.ca under TWU Choral Concert 2024.
WCRC Library: Did you know Willoughby Church has a library? Find the 'Willoughby Faith Formation Library' through the offices or look online on our website! Whether you are looking for a devotional or a book on reflection, there are books available for all ages. This resource is open during office hours and after the Sunday service. For inquiries, email Natalie at natalie@willoughbychurch.com.
Thank You: Friends at Willoughby, thank you for joining God in all He’s doing through Resonate! All around the globe, God is working through your church’s support for your Christian Reformed missionaries, church planters, and ministry leaders. Together, we are taking part in the way God’s Spirit is moving! I hope you are continually encouraged by the good and fruitful work we are accomplishing together. Your church’s gifts and prayers help make it possible to carry the hope and redemption of Jesus to the ears of unreached people in over 40 countries around the world! Your community’s support is an important way you help make this ministry possible. We couldn’t do it without you! Thank you for using your gifts to partner with Resonate. I hope that you find warmth in knowing that by sending others to share the Good News of Jesus, your church is helping change the lives of individuals and communities for generations to come! Thank you! In Christ, Kevin DeRaaf, Director, Resonate Global Mission
Coffee Break and Story Hour at Langley Immanuel Church will be taking a three week break for the Spring/Easter Break from March 19 to April 2. We begin again on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. We invite women of all ages to come out as we begin a short 4-week study from Global Coffee Break Discover Your Bible Study Guides: Shalom-The Promise of Peace. Even if you’ve never come before or you’ve been away, join us for this last session of Coffee Break of the season. We would love to have more children coming to Story Hour and these last weeks would be a wonderful opportunity to give it a go! This session will end with a closing social on May 14, 2024. Interested? Check with Elsa for more info at CoffeeBreak@licrc.ca
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, March 23 at 7:00 pm in the Oasis Room at Elim Village, 9025 160 Street, Surrey, BC, and on Sunday, March 24 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.
Saturday April 20 2024: Called to Lead: stewardship, leadership & the generosity of God, a 1Life Foundations conference at Fleetwood CRC in Surrey. Goal: Equipping leaders in our BC CRCs to strengthen & embody a culture of generosity in the church. Presenters: Maynard Wiersma (Christian Stewardship Services) & Wilma van der Leek (curator, 1Life learning hub). Registration fees $35 per person, $30 per person for a group of 3 or more. For more info go to crc1life.ca. Registration opens March 1.
THE GATHERING: Date: May 9–May 10, 2024, Location: Regent College, 5800 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC V6T 2E4. The Gathering is an annual event for church leaders and pastors seeking to refresh and build lifelong friendships for resilient pastoral ministry. As a non-conference conference, we focus on encounters over information-exchange. Through worship, prayer, teaching, dialogue, sharing food, and recreation, we will grow our pastoral imagination. Come and refresh with us in the beautiful surroundings of Vancouver, BC.
Festival of Faith And Writing - The Calvin Center for Faith and Writing invites you to attend the Festival of Faith & Writing, April 11-13, on the campus of Calvin University. The Festival features over 70 speakers, including plenary speakers Anthony Doerr, Yaa Gyasi, and Tracy K. Smith. Visit our website to see our full roster of fabulous speakers, purchase tickets, or to learn more. Questions? Reach out to ccfw@calvin.edu.
Christian Stewardship Service: Would you like to learn new ways to support your charities more effectively?
Love to use Cryptocurrency? It is estimated that 1.2 million Canadians own cryptocurrency. Learn about how this currency might be used in donations, how to plan for any that might land in your estate, and more. Christian Stewardship Services is hosting a complimentary open Q& A sessions this winter to answer all of your question on Cryptocurrency Donations and Estate Planning. Explore the topics and register here!
For more information, contact: info@csservices.ca.
Join the Make it Monthly Initiative - CanadaHelps has incentives to give! - For the entire month of March, CanadaHelps will donate an additional $20 to Diaconal Ministries for each new monthly donation of $20 (or more). We want to GROW THE IMPACT of our Diaconal Coach network, allowing them more time to be available for workshops and one-on-one visits with deacons and churches. These new initiatives take extra time and money so we look to generous donors and churches with a diaconal heart to step up and fund these exciting new ventures. For our current monthly donors, CanadaHelps will donate an additional $10 for donations that are increased by $10 or more! Your donations help to ensure that deacons across the country are equipped with the tools that they need to support their congregations and the communities they live in. Donate to Diaconal Ministries today - diaconalministries.com/donate-now/
1Life March Newsletter: 1Life exists to curate a curriculum of resources that equips individuals and congregations to become increasingly whole-hearted, vibrant communities of Christian worship, discipline & mission. Click here for the March 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:
Synod 2024: Church Order Report Available Congregations are asked to review the Church Order Review Taskforce report, which will be presented to Synod 2024.
The Banner: Monologue vs. Dialogue At the beginning of the semester, we were all hesitant to speak up, but by the end of the semester everyone was chiming in about what they did or didn’t like.
Global Mission: Reaching Chinese Hearts in a Changing World ReFrame Ministries hosted an online update event recently about work happening in their Chinese ministry.
Groundwork: The Complete Sufficiency Of The Cross - Christ’s sacrifice is completely sufficient to satisfy God’s wrath, and yet, sometimes we forget. Join Groundwork as we study Isaiah 53:6; Galatians 2:20-21, 3:1-3, 3:24-27, & 6:14-15; and Romans 5:9-11 & 6:1-4 to discuss the source of this truth, how we can keep our fears at bay, and how we can keep a right perspective about our salvation and our deeds. Listen now at GroundworkOnline.com and subscribe to Groundwork's weekly emails for future episodes.
Thrive Faith Formation Tip - What would happen if we all listened to others just as deeply and lovingly as God listens to us? How would that change our family life, our work life, our interactions with our neighbor, or our online presence? Learn more at crcna.org/FaithPracticesProject
Job Postings:
Open Position: Stated Clerk, Classis BC South-East Later this year Classis BC South-East will need a new stated clerk. The current clerk will complete his term in October and will not continue in the role. The position involves preparation of agendas for classis and the Classis Ministry Committee, taking minutes at the meetings, record keeping, as well as communications with churches and denominational offices in Burlington and Grand Rapids. It's a high traffic position with ties to gifted people across the classis and denomination. If you have an interest, feel free to contact the current clerk Len Batterink (statedclerk.bcse@gmail.com) for more information. If needed, a transitional training period is available.
The Banner: The March 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 donating. 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