Get to Know Our New Members
There are lots of joys in a pastor’s life. For me, one of them is welcoming new members
to the BSBC family.
These people have decided to formalize their relationship with the church family by requesting to become members of the BSBC family. As a church family, we welcome people to come and join us on a journey of faith and loving with no commitments. Yet, we encourage those who have chosen to be regular attenders to consider becoming a full member of the church family.
What does it mean to be a member?
These new members are formalizing their relationship with the existing members, saying that they will pray, give, serve and guide the ministry of BSBC. Members have the privilege of directing the work of the church by attending meetings and voting on motions that direct our life together. Members have the privilege of serving on Boards and Committees to focus their attention on the practical expressions of our work for Jesus. Members are saying, “You can count on me as someone who wants to help this church family be all Jesus wants it to be.”
How do I become a member?
Perhaps you’ve been attending BSBC for weeks, months, years or decades and have not taken the step to become a member of BSBC. Perhaps you’d like to consider formalizing your relationship with this church family. The criteria for members includes having Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord and having followed his direction to be baptized as a testimony of your personal faith in Him.
I’ve got some questions….please contact me
Your pastors would be so pleased to answer your questions and help you decide if membership is something God wants for you at BSBC. For more information on having Jesus as your Saviour and Lord, what baptism means/being baptized and/or the possibility of you becoming a member of BSBC — please fill out the form below and one of the pastors will be in touch with you for a gentle discussion about any of these topics or more!
Meet our new members
Meet our most recent new members. During the days of the pandemic, we’ve taken to extending the “elbow of fellowship” (instead of a handshake!) at the homes of our new members. Chairman of the Deacon’s Board, Ron McMullin, myself and our wives have found such blessing in meeting these wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ, presenting them their membership certificates and praying with them. Enjoy “meeting” these eight new members of our church family.
Pastor Greg
Dave & Gwyn Schellenberg
Gwyn and Dave have been married almost 38 years. They have three grown children spread out in Yarmouth, Ottawa, and Waterloo and three grandchildren. Gwyn and Dave are both former provincial public servants: Gwyn with Horizon Health as a Public Health Nurse and Dave with Department of Environment. They are both currently off work on Long Term Disability.
Gwyn’s hobbies include her three grandsons and singing. She has been a longtime member of the BSBC choir and also sings in the Fredericton Ladies Choir. Dave has taught adult Sunday School at BSBC, is a big NFL football enthusiast and likes all things Tim Keller.
Lei Yang
Lei was born in a small city named Xiantao of Hubei, China on Feb. 10, 1989. He spent most of his early years between the two cities Xiantao and Wuhan of the Hubei province. After he finished his undergraduate study and obtained a bachelor’s degree in Information and Computation Science, he moved over to Toronto, Canada to pursue further education in 2012. Two years after, Lei obtained his graduate certificate in Wireless Networking and got a job in New Brunswick. His professional background is in computer networks and systems and has been working as an IT professional since 2014. He is currently working for LuminUltra as a Systems Administrator.
Lei is currently living with his wife and young son in Fredericton. He likes to go fishing with his young boy and enjoys travelling with family and friends. The most cherished time he remembers is the two week visit by his father from China in 2019. They finished the landscaping project for his new home in a limited number of days.
Lei started to accept the values from Bible and God in 2018 and he actively contributes to the BSBC Chinese congregation as an IT personnel and a member of the choir. In August 2021, Lei became a member of the BSBC.
Veronique Dumais
I am a third-year nursing student at UNB Fredericton. I grew up in Northern Quebec, and I spent most of my life in Montreal. I like to be involved in teamwork and to encourage people in their strengths.
As for hobbies, I like baking and cooking. I try new recipes or create something with only a few ingredients and also enjoy sharing my French culture with typical traditional Quebec recipes. Another hobby that I have is playing the flute. In the past, I was involved with a local orchestra as a semi-pro. Playing the flute is a means of mental escape for me. I love blues and jazz music.
Being involved in my community is also very important for me. Firstly, it helps me focus on others instead of myself. Secondly, it keeps me grounded by reminding me that life is fragile and nothing is guaranteed. I am grateful, and I feel privileged to be part of a community.
I take life as it comes, and I welcome new challenges as positive experiences to help me grow and gain wisdom. I trust that life will not give me a challenge that is above my strengths because I rely on the Holy Spirit to direct me in any problems I face. Believing in God provides me hope and enables me to rise above situations where I might otherwise feel powerless.
Shengli Yang & Liang (Louis) Tian
In her early years, Shengli lived in a small city in Hebei province. She has 3 older sisters. Shengli came to Beijing with her parents in 2002 and studied in Beijing for elementary and junior high school. Her high school and university education went back to their hometown of Hebei to study. In university she majored in Early Childhood Education. After graduating from university, she returned to Beijing to work as a kindergarten teacher. Shengli likes walking, reading books and cooking. In 2019, she immigrated to Canada with her husband, Liang and their young daughter. She believed in Jesus after coming to Canada and is a preschool teacher.
Louis was born in Beijing, China. He is the only child in his family. At age of fifteen, Louis went to Perth, Australia. He received his accounting certificate in 2009. In 2012, he went back to Beijing, China and in 2019, came to Fredericton with his wife Shengli and his young daughter, Angela. Louis is currently studying at NBCC in Information Technology: Programmer-Analyst (ITPA). He loves riding his bike, playing basketball and snowboarding. Louis was baptized on Nov. 19, 2006. He’s a member of Chinese Ministry Committee and actively contributes to the BSBC Chinese congregation as an IT specialist and as a member of the choir.
Erik Dunfield
Pictured above with his mom, Kari, sister, Alexandra and dad, Dwight, Erik is the fourth member of his family to join the BSBC family. Erik is a high school student who loves the Lord and seeks to follow Him. One of his favourite bible passages is Psalm 23 — a reminder of how God cares for us and walks with us through our lives. You might see him helping to lead worship or volunteering at Vacation Bible School or Kidztown. He is part of the puppet ministry at BSBC and was instrumental in the development and presentation of the PHQL Puppet Outreach, which, from the early days of the pandemic, provided puppet video skits to our children. Erik likes to draw and read and loves the church library.
Vivian Fei
“We are so glad to join the BSBC church family.” Vivian and her family — Diamond Xu (husband), Paul (son) and Mary (daughter) — have come from Shanghai, China. “We thank for God for building our sweet family. I married my husband after he believed in Jesus. We are different people from different families, yet, through God's love, we came to accept each other, forgive each other and support each other. We all think marriage is the best way to build each other. God has given me two lovely children just as He answered Hannah's prayer. I came to believe in Jesus in 1999. Then, fortunately, we immigrated to Canada in 2016, which we believe was God’s leading. This is a good place to live and to rest. We have more time to get close to God, that’s why we are happy to join this big family.”
