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PASTOR’S PEN

 
BE BLESSED TODAY

2019 – Uncharted Territory

I’m looking at some of the past blogs on here and realized – I don’t blog!  Who knew?!   But here we are – in 2019.  My last blog was a year ago.  It’s like those terrible resolutions people make at the new year and then fail to keep.   But I guess 2019 is no different.
 
This year is definitely going to be a year of uncharted territory for our church.  Our church is alive and growing and out-growing our space.  We need more room – but with that comes a price tag.  We will be embarking on a journey together to discern what God’s will is concerning the future of our home.
 
But there is one thing that is for certain:  God is with us and will provide.  Of that I have 100% confidence.
 
Let’s venture into the map-making territory of 2019 and venture where no one in our church has gone before – more or less – every journey is unique.  I’m looking forward to 2019 and I’m looking forward to seeing God’s hand move miraculously.

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2018 — A year of prayer and faith

2018 has been deemed a year of prayer and faith.  We’re not sure what will happen with our church or its property.  But we do know God is in charge.  This is the year our faith will be stretched and grown.  This will be the year that we enter into the presence of God in a new way and seek God for our futures, our families, our health and learn how to connect with God and the world.  
 
It’s been a journey just to get to the point.  We’ve been through several seasons of prayer and waiting already.  But our hearts are searching for God and for his plan for us.  It’s not really about a building.  It’s really about a community and where we will end up.  When I am tempted to worry about our future I merely remind myself of how much God has done in our community so far and I have peace about whatever comes next.  The lord is good and he will guide and protect – because He always has.  
 
May we rise up as a people and meet God in the air — a people rising up to God’s purpose.  And may we never bring God down and ask Him to  bless our little plans made up of little faith.   We rise up – to the place of faith. 

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Fall Begins and with it New Faith

Our fall small group season is about to kick off.  I’m excited to dig deeper with the men and women in our small groups this year.  In October, I – and three others – will be returning to Manitoba to the Church Renewal Conference.  It’s going to be an exciting time of learning and growing — and hopefully the fire that my wife and I caught will also be caught by the group going.  If it does — we will begin a slow healthy burn that reignite our faith.  Exciting things are coming – and I want them here now — but impatience is the enemy right now.  Flowers bud in their time given the right conditions — and that’s what we are doing — creating the right conditions for faith to bud in a new faith in our faith community.  

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Upcoming!

May 4 Thursday @3:45pm at church Deacon Board Meeting.
 
May 7 @1:30pm.  Fire Safety Training: Pastors; Directors; Ministry Board members; English Core Group; Ushers; GM; Sunday School teachers; VBS director and teachers, please must be attend the training. If you cannot make it to the training, directors will have to go through the fire safety plan with them.
 
May 21 @ 2pm. Ministry Board Meeting: Members are welcome to sit in.
 
May 13 @ 5:00pm-8:00pm. Neb’s Fun World with the youth. $10 to join.  Register by May 7th. 
 
June 17 @ 10:30am-3:30pm.  Church-wide Picnic.  Greenwood Conservation Area, Ajax. 

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New Things Coming!

Pickering Community Baptist Church used to be Pickering Chinese Baptist Church.   That Chinese church was a church-plant of Scarborough Chinese Baptist Church.  It was the hope of SCBC that our church would plant and grow.  Many years later we are now seeing that growth.  Things are going remarkable well, but not without cost.  Our church, and especially its leadership, have undergone spiritual attacks for the last year or so.  It seems the more progress is made, the more the attacks intensify.  Yet, God is bigger than all of this. 
 
It is my hope that our mostly ethnically Chinese congregation would transform and begin to embrace the ethnic diversity that Canada has. If you aren’t member of our church and you happen to read this… know this… you are welcome to belong to our community.  It is my hope and prayer, as well as the hope and prayer of our church that our community would reach our neighbours both from wherever we are and from around church building. 
 
Be Blessed!

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