Ritskes to Alberta

Former Victoria pastor Jerry Ritskes, and his wife Renee (pictured), will be moving to Alberta soon. They will work with a retreat centre designed to enable renewal for pastors and their families, sponsored by Focus on the Family Canada.

Ritskes stepped aside as pastor of Victoria Pacific Rim Alliance Church a few months ago, to permit the congregation to move into new ministry models.

In the interim, Jerry and Renee, under Focus’s aegis, took in a Son Scape Retreat in Colorado. Re-energized, they accepted the offer to work in the development and operation of a facility southwest of Calgary, on property donated by a Calgary couple.

They will take up the work in the fall; Jerry will lead the faculty and Renee will direct the kitchen operation. Until then, the Ritskes can be reached at 250.381.0156.

Neighbourly history

Church Of Our Lord (COOL), regarded as Victoria’s oldest continuing congregation, has shared what used to be called the Humboldt Valley with landmark St. Ann’s since the 1870s. There will be a celebratory picnic marking that shared interest Sunday afternoon, June 8, on the grounds of St. Ann’s.

The event will include live entertainment with the Rig-a-Jig Band and the Victoria Village Squires. There will be children’s races – and games, including lawn croquet. And there will be actors depicting historic Humboldt Valley characters. The first stage of what became St. Ann’s Academy was built in 1871; Church Of Our Lord came along in 1876.

History buffs can see the juxtapositioning of the two institutions by going  to www.churchofourlord.org and following the links to the May, 2008 Grapevine newsletter. An 1888 photo showing St. Ann’s on the left and COOL at right will provide an intriguing perspective. For newcomers to Victoria, we are talking about the area two and three blocks to the direct east of the Parliament Buildings.

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Teaching prayer

Joy Brewster, a retired professional counsellor, will lead a class entitled ‘Lord, Teach us to Pray’ – based on the Lord’s Prayer – June 4, at New Life Community Baptist Church in Duncan. Info about the event is available by calling the church at 250.748.6521.

Ellers in Nanaimo

Flo Ellers of Global Glory Ministries, a widely-travelled preacher, will be at Eagle Mountain Church in Nanaimo June 13 – 15. Further info is available at 250.741.1550. EMC is a charismatic church closely connected with a variety of prophetic ministries.

For more detail: www.eaglemountainchurch.org.

From humble beginnings

An interesting recounting of the history of St. Columba Presbyterian Church in Parksville can be found at www.stcolumbaparksville.bc.ca. The congregation, numbering around 200, is starting to think about the fact that it will mark 40 years in 2010 – since founding minister Dennis Mahood began services in an a commercial-style modular trailer unit. That unit was later shipped to the mainland for use by a Sunday school in Langley. Robert Kerr, the minister since 1992, has more info at 250.248.2348.

Missional mandate

Missions seem to have a pretty important role to play in the life of Campbell River Baptist Church, a congregation of 600 – whose senior pastor, Randy Evans, is presently completing his ministry doctorate through Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. The church’s website provides some missional detail at www.crbaptist.bc.ca.

Some 20 percent of CRBC’s budget goes to mission, helping support 21 families in such places as Camp Homewood and the B.C. Fellowship Ministry Centre in Vancouver – as well as in Quebec, Ontario, Atlantic Canada, various African and Asian countries, Poland, Colombia, Pakistan, Japan and France.

             Lloyd Mackey

June 2008