Online Bulletin

Dear congregation,  Dennis received his last chemo treatment last Saturday.  It has been nine months of living into the grace and goodness of God every single day. We go forward, monitoring things closely with the cancer clinic and living fully.   We are so thankful to all of you for all the ways in which love has been delivered on our doorstep... from soup and bread to flowers and cards, texts and phone calls and so very many prayers.  Holding on so tightly to the One who upholds us. Dennis and Jenny and family

Women's Bible Study: Women's Bible Study meets weekly on Wednesday, on May 1st at 2pm. We will be studying from Micah 4. Everyone welcome! Please contact Pat Storteboom for more info.

Youth Group: Here is the schedule for April/May:

• Apr 28 -  Study with Joanna and Will 7 to 830pm
• May 5 -  Disc Golf meet at 630pm at Passive Park 
• May 12 -  Study with Joanna and Will 7 to 830pm
• May 19 -  Happy Long Weekend -  NO youth
• May 26 -  Youth Dinner 5 to 7pm

Thanks!  The Youth Team - Amanda, Will & Joanna

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 May 1st, we will be studying Ephesians 7.

Preteens:  Preteens will be meeting Wednesday, May 1st @ 6:45pm! If you are interested in joining or want to know more about the program please contact Brooklyn at preteens@willoughbychurch.com.

Seniors: The Senior's are meeting on Thursday, May 2nd at 10am here at Willoughby! They will be going on an outing to the Westminster Abby in Mission.  Father Mark will be giving the group a tour of the monastery. Please be at the church no later than 10am to catch the bus that has been arranged to take you there as we will have to leave right on time! Everyone is invited, please come and join us!

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.

Looking for Accomodation: Young Christian Professional is looking for a one bedroom suite in Langley or Surrey area. Has just graduated from BCIT and is preparing to begin working again starting in May. Please contact konrad.balzer@outloook.com for any opportunities.

Blood Donor Clinic: This month we will be hosting a Blood Donor Clinic on Tuesday, May 7th starting at 1pm. If you are able, please join in saving lives together by donating blood. Appointments are necessary and can be booked at blood.ca.

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.

Thriving Essentials: Thriving Essentials is a new way to get all the ministry leaders in your church (Elders, Deacons, volunteers and staff, newbies and old-timers) aligned on key concepts about Mission, Discipleship, Discernment, and Leadership. These special 2-hour online sessions (2x) offer refreshing insights and can serve as a springboard to deeper conversations about ministry in your local context. Here's the latest one: Two Wednesday evenings - May 22 & 29 at 6:30pm - 8:30 (PST) <<Zoom registration link here>> Please join us for these preliminary learning sessions as we establish a learning cohort with one another. For questions or comments about Thriving Essentials, please contact Elaine May (Facilitator and Thriving Essentials Curriculum Developer): emay@crcna.org For more information about Thriving Essentials:
https://www.crcna.org/thrive/course-overview

Please pray for Synod 2024! - We need everyone to be involved. The theme for synod worship and prayer is God With Us. You can sign up to pray on your own, with your church or small group, or at Calvin University in June. Check out the many opportunities at crcna.org/synod/prayer and join us in humble prayer for God's will to be done in the CRC. Email SynodPrayer@crcna.org with your questions or comments.

Bethesda's Lend a Hand campaign raises funds to provide practical and much-needed support to people with diverse abilities and their families in communities across BC. Please consider a gift of partnership with Bethesda. You have three different ways of donating:

• mail your cheque made payable to Bethesda Christian Association to 2775 Emerson St, Abbotsford, V2T 4H8
• go on-line to BethesdaBC.com and click on Donate,
• 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=nRcA4T0-fB4

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 1-866-455-2231.10

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:

Denomination: CRC Members Gather for Renewal 61 people from five classes met in Minneapolis to study Scripture, share stories, and discover God at work.

Global Mission: Painter’s Tapeand the Good News In addition to coffee, tea, and cookies, the Welcoming Church of Berlin stocks up on painter’s tape every few weeks.

Our Journey: Seventy Times Seventy Blessings What difference can $70 make? A church in Ontario recently found out

Groundwork: Our Hearts and God's Character in Nahum and Zephaniah - Nahum and Zephaniah urge God’s people to examine their hearts and act in ways that honor God and reflect his character. Join our Groundwork conversation as we study Nahum 1-3 and Zephaniah 1-3 to remember that God longs for our repentant hearts and for us to live as his ambassadors bringing justice, transformation, and reconciliation to this world. Listen now at GroundworkOnline.com and subscribe to Groundwork's weekly emails for future episodes.

Thrive Faith Formation Tip - Pastor Rich Villodas observed, “Prayer is not about throwing holy words at God to see what sticks; it is, rather, entrance to a new way of seeing reality, the opening of ourselves to God’s presence, and an act that trains us in love.” 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. 

Job Posting: Eguipping Children & Families Director - Cariboo Community Church in Williams Lake is looking for a fulltime Equipping Children & Families Director. The purpose of the Equipping Children & Families Director is to equip children and families to live missionally through discipleship, community, leadership development, outreach, and worship. For more information please visit their 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 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