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In the river
For Ellen Davis, 90 years young (see above), being immersed in a heated
baptistry in a cool, comfortable church, was not quite right. She wanted to
bear witness to her faith in the Tsolum River, according to Comox Pentecostal
Church associate pastor Mike Bidell. The event took place August 16. Bidell
notes: “It was quite an inspiration.”
Leaders connect
Oaklands Chapel in Victoria will be the site for a Christian Leaders Connection
event put together by The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. Running from 9 am
to 4 pm on Wednesday, October 14, with lunch included, the session is
subtitled, "Being Evangelical in a Complex World: Stats Facts and Trends." It
is especially designed for business and ministry leaders. The preregistration
deadline is September 30. Among the presenters: EFC president Bruce Clemenger,
EFC ministry services vice president Aileen Van Ginkel and EFC Centre for Faith
and Public Life vice president Don Hutchinson. On-line registration at
www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/clc.
Golf, anyone?
At Comox Pentecostal Church’s sister congregation, 200 kilometres further south, the annual GT Golf
Tournament is set for Saturday, September 12. GT refers to Glad Tidings Church
in downtown Victoria. The tournament will be a few kilometres north at Royal
Oak Golf Course. More information, including costs and the shotgun starting
time, is available at www.gtonline.org.
Spare no quarter
At St. Andrew’s Presbyterian, also in downtown Victoria, the Mr. Quarter Fund was started 17
years ago by Marion Stevenson as one small way to help people in need. Mr.
Quarter boxes are placed at the doors of the church on the first Sunday of the
month. The idea is that any loose pocket change – including but not limited to quarters – is welcome. The church website (www.standrews.pacificcoast.net) states: “Requests for assistance come from members of our congregation who know someone
who needs our help, from the ministers and from social workers or others in the
community. We have helped with groceries, electricity bills, bus passes,
clothing, swimming lessons for handicapped children, speech therapy, bicycles,
Christmas gifts for the 23 residents of the Upper Room and many more. We touch
a large number of people with this fund, showing God's love and helping them in
some small way when they are in difficulties.”
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Mission priorities
It is always interesting, when checking a church website, to take note of what
the congregation considers to be its mission outreach. New Life Community
Baptist in Duncan lists several local priorities – Cop Care (serving those who serve), Cowichan Valley Basket Society, Young Life
(building friends for life), Teen Challenge and The Bible League. On the
international level, the congregation helps support Duane and Carin Guthrie in
Bolivia; Dorothy Sowden in Angola; and Paul and Kelly Carline and Andy and
Rebecca DesRoches in Kenya. More details at www.newlifechurch.bc.ca.
They’re still friendly
Whatever happened to Friendship Baptist Church in central Saanich? It is still
there, but is now known, since earlier this year, as Friendship Community
Church, reflecting the congregation’s desire to serve the broader central Saanich community. The pastoral team at
the church is led by Spencer Stadler, the senior minister since 1998. The
church has gone through a number of changes since 2007, including completion of
a new facility, the calling of Byron Knight as associate pastor and the
addition of Katrina Welle as youth ministry director.
What’s a Curesader?
One of the service links on the Friendship Baptist Church website is Curesaders
(not a spelling error). It is a team of people from the church who participate
each year in the CIBC Run for the Cure event, with the stated goal of “a future without breast cancer.” The Friendship team leader is pretty motivated: Kathy Stadler, wife of the
senior pastor, is a breast cancer survivor. Stadler notes that the event is “not a race” and can be accomplished in many ways: “run, walk, jog, bring your dog, push your baby in a stroller – it is your choice.” This year’s run is Sunday, October 4. More info is available at
friendshipcommunitychurch.ca.
– Lloyd Mackey
September 2009
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