April Special Offering Weeks 3&4: Covenant Kids Christian Daycare: CKCD is a Christian faith-based daycare, that was established in 1992, as a ministry of Willoughby Church to provide quality daycare to children and their families in the Willoughby area of Langley. We are a Christian daycare, based on Christian values and beliefs, whose purpose is to provide quality loving care for the child and to be a support to our daycare families.
* The Deacons we will now be doing two Special Offerings per month, Resonate Global Mission will run for the first two weeks, with Covenant Kids Daycare 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 April! *
Women's Bible Study: Women's Bible Study meets weekly on Wednesday, on April 24th at 2pm. We will be studying from Micah 3. Everyone welcome! Please contact Pat Storteboom for more info.
Youth Group: Here is the schedule for April:
- Apr 7 Study with Joanna and Will 7 to 830pm
- Apr 14 Vancouver Canadians Baseball Game
- Apr 21 Youth Dinner 5 to 7pm at church
- Apr 28 Study with Joanna and Will 7 to 830pm
Thanks! The Youth Team - Amanda, Will & Joanna
Nominations for Office Bearers: Willoughby Church Council is once again engaging in a nomination process for selecting new persons to serve in the office of elder and deacon beginning September 2024. For this process to be both meaningful and comprehensive, the council invites and encourages all members to prayerfully consider our congregation’s leadership needs and to suggest people to serve in the office of admin elder, pastoral elder and/or deacon. Submit your suggestions by April 30, 2024 to council@willoughbychurch.com. New Office Bearers Needed: Admin Elders: 2, Pastoral Elders: 2, Deacons: 2. Please click here for the Nomination Process information and form. Hard copies of the nomination forms will be available on Sunday morning, or are available at the church anytime during office hours!
Potluck Lunch: We will be getting together as a church and community for a potluck lunch on Sunday, April 28th after the church service. The theme for our first potluck this year is "Soup & Buns & Salad". Please ensure you bring enough soup, buns or salad to share. There is a sign up below for the dish you will be bringing! Dessert, coffee & juice will be provided by the Church. See you all there!
Drivers Needed: Volunteer drivers are needed from time to time to take members of our church to medical appointments. Please let Evelyn Bouwman know if you could be someone on a list of volunteers for this occasional purpose. Thank you in advance for considering this opportunity, you may email the church office to be put on the list at info@willoughbychurch.com.
Council, Leadership & Staff - Safe Ministries Training: Saturday April 27, 2024-9:30am - Noon: This interactive workshop looks at the Church & Council’s roles/responsibilities in Responding to Allegations of Abuse & Leadership Misconduct in the church, a CRC process, how misconduct/abuse happens, red flags and a case study discussion. Facilitated by Faye Martin – BC CRC Abuse Prevention & Response Coordinator. BC Safe Church Ministry equips & supports churches & leaders in building safe & healthy ministries. www.bcsafechurch.com
Rewriting the Financial Story: Stories and Practical Tips for Navigating Financial Stress, Monday, April 22 - 7:00-8:30pm at Langley Immanuel CRC, 21713 50 Ave, Langley. Money makes things messy. Maybe you're helping a friend through a complicated financial situation, or navigating end-of-life paperwork for a loved one, or overwhelmed managing your own finances. Here's a chance to connect, in-person with expert, Anja Attema, who has 30+ years in the financial advising and problem-solving business. While an introduction on what she's learned over the years, this conversation could shed light on what you don't know, get tips on navigating the CRA or banking institutions, help you move beyond the Band-Aid of handing out gift card after gift card, and more. If anything, come for the coffee and donuts!
Coffee Break and Story Hour at Langley Immanuel Church: We invite women of all ages to come study from Global Coffee Break Discover Your Bible Study Guides: “Shalom-The Promise of Peace —Every day there are countless reminders of the lack of peace in our world and nations; perhaps also within our own families, lives, or minds. Peace is something we all long for. Peace is a significant theme in God’s Word, the Bible. In this study, we invite you to discover together what the Bible says about peace. We will trace the idea of peace throughout the Bible and connect it to our lives, our community, and our world. How does God bring peace to our world—to your life?” This session will end with a closing social on May 14, 2024. Interested? Check with Elsa for more info at CoffeeBreak@licrc.ca
Send in your poems! We want to do a worship series during the summer where we include a poem every week in our liturgy. So if there is a worship-appropriate poem that you know and love, or that you yourself have written, please send it in! Our hope is to have poems from many different cultures, influences, and languages included. Every poem will be reviewed by staff to see where it might fit and if it is appropriate to include in a worship service. Please direct any questions to our worship coordinator, Jamie-Lynn Ravensbergen, and send all poems to worship@willoughbychurch.com.
Ministry of Seafarer's Spring 2024 Newsletter: Please check out the good work Rev. Gary Roosma and his team are doing at Roberts Bank and the Waterfront Center. Providing ministry to all the seafarers that dock here in Vancouver. To read the newsletter, click here!
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.
Thriving Essentials Overview Webinar - April 30 - Thriving Essentials is a training course for elders, deacons, church staff, and any volunteer ministry leader. This one-hour webinar will give you an overview of what the full 4-hour course involves, including discussions on key concepts of Mission, Discipleship, Discernment, and Leadership. Attend this preview on April 30 (11am EDT) to see if the full course is right for your church. Get more info at crcna.org/essentials
Pastor Darrell Delaney Answers Your Questions - Pastor Darrell Delaney, co-host of Groundwork and author of the Today devotions for April 2024, will be answering your questions about how God's word addresses life's practical challenges in a live webinar on May 2, 2024 at 12:30 EDT. Post your question and sign up for the webinar at connect.reframeministries.org/answers
THE GATHERING: BLOOM WHERE YOU’RE PLANTED: We're building a community of pastors and church leaders for connection, learning, and growth. Join us this May! 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.
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:
- mail your cheque made payable to Bethesda Christian Association to 2775 Emerson St, Abbotsford, V2T 4H8
- go online to BethesdaBC.com and click on Donate,
- or, if you live in the area, feel free to drop off your donation.
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.
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, discipline & 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:
Synod 2024: Agenda for Synod 2024 Available The Agenda for Synod 2024 is now available online. The print version will be mailed to churches and delegates soon.
Global Mission: English Lessons and Learning the Gospel While Isaac Hiriart was volunteering in Lithuania, he helped guide Luka to Christ. Now he’s going back to volunteer again.
The Banner: Reimagining Church:Going Slowly Where do we begin to become a countercultural force in this movement and join in what God is doing today?
Groundwork: God's Judgment and Hope in Micah - A contemporary of Isaiah, the prophet Micah is most well-known for the famous verse “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Join Groundwork as we study Micah 1-7 to discuss God’s judgment and hope woven throughout Micah’s prophecies. Listen now at GroundworkOnline.com and subscribe to Groundwork's weekly emails for future episodes.
Thrive Faith Formation Tip - Family traditions create unforgettable memories—and they can form faith! Choose one night of the week (or one day of the month) to be Family Celebration Night. To see how one family does this, check out the video at tinyurl.com/BewleyVideo. Learn more at crcna.org/FaithPracticesProject
Job Posting:
Director of Youth & Young Adults Ministries: Willoughby Christian Reformed Church in Langley is seeking to hire a Director of Youth & Young Adults for 30 hrs per week.
Position available – The Director of Youth & Young Adults at Willoughby Church is called to be an exemplar and spiritual leader who will help to inspire the WCRC young people to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Director of Youth & Young Adults will focus on nurturing the faith of our youth and young adult members (Grades 9-12, and ages 18-30), seeking to support them in developing their love for Jesus and for others.
To apply please contact info@willoughbychurch.com or (604) 530-5959 for more information. A full job description for this position is available by clicking here.
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.
Job Opening: Abuse Prevention and Response Coordinator (APRC) Classis BCSE & BCNW Safe Church Team Ministry (SCT) supports the important ministry work done by the Christian Reformed churches in BC. The SCT is in the process of succession planning and is looking for someone to succeed our current Abuse Prevention and Response Coordinator who is looking ahead to retirement. This position would require on average approximately 20 hrs per week, with certain months having increased hours. The work includes providing abuse prevention and response education and requires travel to the Christian Reformed churches in BC. Applicants must be knowledgeable about the subject of abuse, have related work experience & education. Start date is flexible & training for the position will be provided. For more information/ job description, please see this job posting, and email the SCT executive chairperson – Andrew Van der Leek - avdleek@gmail.com.
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 donating. www.theBanner.org/Donate
Support The Banner! - By supporting The Banner, the monthly magazine of the Christian Reformed Church, you extend the reach and expand the impact of this journalistic ministry. To help keep this community conversation going please give online now at TheBanner.org/Give
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
