The Banner
Seeking to minister in new ways in challenging days!
“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ.” 2 Corinthians 2:14
Praying in a time of radical tension around the world
The text of Pastor Greg’s opening video from this past Sunday morning:
Greetings church. Before we enter into our usual online service of worship I wanted to ask you to pause for a few moments and consider the upheaval in our world over racial tensions in these days. I’m sure we were all scandalized and broken by the tragic death of George Floyd on May 25. I struggled as a pastor to know as a church how we should address this issues of racism and injustice and how we could prayerfully engage yet not wanting my words to be trite or patronizing.
But 2 days ago I received an email from one of our members, Shaune Rodney, a Black Canadian of Caribbean descent, who shared his struggle with understanding how our church should engage in discussions in these days. Shaune’s thoughtful and passionate email included a list of intercessions that we could share together today. These are his words and his thoughts under the Spirit of God and I want us to consider them this morning.
Very few of us can understand what is going on around us in the world in terms of racial tension and racial injustice but we can pray and we can pray specifically for relief through the ministry of the Spirit in this world. And so, today, I invite you, in these next few moments, as I lead you through the intercessions Shaune has provided, to turn our attention and focus off ourselves and on to the racial tension and racial injustice in our country and around the world, that the power of the Spirit of God move in the world and in our midst to sensitize us, to empower us and to change us that we may be agents of justice and kindness as we humbly walk with God.
Thank you for joining me today, let us pray….
Father as we bow before you today we give you thanks that you are with us through all things and that there is nothing that is hidden from your gaze . As we consider Psalm 139 we’re reminded that it doesn’t matter where we go and it doesn’t matter what happens in our world, even though it may seem that you are absent, you are present and your Spirit has power to move in the lives of believers in Jesus Christ to effect change in this world to bring justice and to show kindness as we walk humbly with you.
Right now we pray for the Floyd family as they make their way through the valley of the shadow of death. For that family and their friends and those who are broken by this tragic loss, Father we pray for the words of Jesus to be made true in their lives that those who mourn will be comforted.
We pray for other families for whom this death has brought to the fore grief that they have experienced in the past because of similar losses and we pray for your Spirit’s comfort in their lives.
We ask that you would act on the voices of the oppressed and move the leaders of our nations of the world to acknowledge and to seek to put an end to racism.
We pray, God, that you will call us as Christians to examine ourselves according to your word so we can be more like Jesus. We pray to have a greater understanding of the racial injustices that exist so that we can have a heart of compassion for those who hurting inside and outside the body of Christ.
We pray that we will not become reclusive, unresponsive and unaware of evil in this world. Help us to love goodness and to hate evil. Let be us troubled by injustice and help us to look out for the wellbeing of all people.
We pray, Father, that you would help us to hate sin and evil as you do. We need your help in exposing racism wherever it is evident in the hearts or minds of people we know or in our own hearts.
We pray to become acute to overt and covert expressions of racism. Help us to discern with wisdom from the Holy Spirit to address racism in all of its forms. We pray that justice will be served impartially in our courts according to the law of the land.
We pray that we will not become puffed up and think that we as a nation, a province, a city, a church or as individuals can be any better than any other country or people of the world. We pray that you would help us, your Church, to be salt and light for your kingdom.
We are reminded, Father, that racism has no borders. And so it is that we pray for peace, healing and reconciliation among all people starting in the word in us that we may be ambassadors for such things in the city of Fredericton and around the world, for we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
In the days ahead I look forward to us beginning a dialogue and discussion about how we, as a body of believers, address racism in our city and in our nation so I look forward to your participation in that in the weeks and months ahead. God bless you.
Appreciation event for Jon Wilton
The Board of Deacons and Education Committee invite you to an outdoor appreciation event celebrating the faithful witness of Jon Wilton who has served for two years as our Youth and Young Adult Ministry Coordinator.
Jon will complete his time with us at the end of June. We are borrowing the parking lot of Journey Wesleyan Church on Duncan Lane for our first ever Parking Lot Event to be held on Saturday, June 20 at 6:30 pm. Given that this is a first event, we invite you to plan to arrive starting at 6 p.m. and be patient while we get your car situated. You’ll stay in your cars for the event but will ‘tune in’ on your radio to the events happening on the ‘stage.’ Our youth and youth leaders will be presenting the program.
Love offering
As is our tradition, we are accepting a LOVE OFFERING for Jon. Members of the church family who wish to give Jon a tangible thanks are invited to mark their gift “LOVE OFFERING” when sending in your offering. We’ll collect this offering until Sunday, July 19 to make sure everyone has an opportunity to contribute. The gift will be presented to him at the end of July.
Due to Canada Revenue Rules we are not able to provide a receipt for love offering gifts.
Prayer
Please pray for our youth & young adults as they experience another transition in the life of youth & young adult ministry at BSBC.
Announcing a new weekly audio blog
On Tuesday, May 19, your pastors gathered in retreat to assess our ministry offerings and consider undertakings to broaden our reach and enrich our discipleship offerings. In our discussions, we considered the preaching ministry and Dr. Keith offered that he has been heartened by the follow up emails he receives from the BSBC family with questions and comments on the Sunday sermon. So much so that he offered the possibility of preparing a weekly audio blog where he could answer questions and engage with comments.
Well, the other three of us JUMPED on this as a great idea and one which we would personally look forward to enjoying. And so, on Tuesdays, starting June 16, Dr. Keith will be posting on the homepage at www.thestreetonline.ca an audio recording responding to our questions and comments.
We need your questions
Now, to make this work, he would need said questions and comments. SO, you are cordially invited to email your queries to the church office by Mondays at 4:30 p.m. Then, you can tune in on Tuesday evening to enjoy what I am really tempted to call BSBC’s first “bodcast!” I’m sure we’ll all enjoy this added ministry offering and are grateful to Dr. Keith for his willingness to further engage with us in this way. Since I’m not answering them, I encourage you to make the questions REALLY hard! AND, I assume you can ask medical questions. After all, he IS a doctor!
Pastor Greg
Worship Online: Sunday, June 14
This week we celebrate our High School grads! What a great group of young people and in our service on Sunday you’ll get to hear from them and we know you’ll pray for them as they make their way through a very untraditional graduation time and into an, in many way, unclear future. Please see our grad section below.
This Sunday, June 14, both service will be blessed by the worship leading of the Youth Worship Team with the Traditional service blessed with leadership by Ross and Janice Simonds, graduate Talia Kennedy, Scott and Tara Kennedy and David Steeves. Graduate Ryan Tingley will also give musical leadership in the Contemporary worship service. Sarah Duguid will be speaking to our children this coming Sunday morning.
I feel like I was the “author of confusion” as I inadvertently implied that Dr. Keith was going to the beach for the summer and would be back in the fall with the continuation of the Acts series. Nothing could be further from the truth! For the next three weeks our intrepid Peaching Pastor will be offering a 3-week mini-series on the life of Old Testament Joseph. This first instalment is entitled “Real Adversity” based on Genesis 37-41. He writes: Sold by his brothers as a slave into Egypt, young Joseph has to decide between trust or despair.
So, do gather with us on Sunday (or your preferred time) for services that highlight and celebrate our wonderful youth and the promises of our faithful God!
BSBC Library
We’re open Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon starting June 10. Sorry for the mistake I made in last week's Banner on the day the library was opened.
If you can't come in, but want books or need to return some, phone Sharon at 450-7878 and we'll work something out.
We Need Your Help
At the May meeting of the Board of Deacons we celebrated our various online offerings but also addressed the needs of those who are not online. To seek to be a blessing to these folk, we offer three new ministry offerings:
Paper Newsletter
Starting this week, our office staff will now format the content of the e-newsletter into a printed version that will be mailed out (at no charge) each Thursday. This way, those without online connections can be kept connected to life at BSBC.
Studio Service
On Wednesdays at 2 pm in the Family Room, we’ll be showing the traditional worship video from the previous Sunday. In this way, 8 or less individuals can gather with social distancing to engage in the service. Masks and gloves will be available – all precautions will be taken. In preparation we’d ask that individuals who would like to attend make a reservation through the church office. We’ll be starting these viewings on Wednesday, June 10.
DVDs
Upon request, we’ll make DVDs (at no charge) for those who would like to engage in our services in this way. DVDs can be ordered and then picked up at the church office or we can mail them out (at no charge). Participants can set up a weekly order ongoing or order as required.
Now we need your help
Those who might want to avail themselves of these offerings won’t be reading about it as you are doing now…so, please share this information with anyone you know who would benefit. We don’t want anyone to be outside our family circle but we need your help. You can work out the details with the individual and then submit the information to the church office (bsbc@bsbc.nb.ca) or encourage your contact to email or call the church office (458-8348). Thank you for your help.
Pastor Greg
Supporting the Ritchies
Praise God, Charlie and Betty are safely arrived in Fredericton and now engaged in their 14 day isolation. We praise our faithful God for the provision through his people of everything they need so far: an apartment for 14 days of isolation, a car to use following isolation and an exercise mat and weights for Betty to use!
We are currently in need of a location for them to live after their isolation – one without many stairs for Betty to navigate. If you have a lead please contact Pastor Greg.
Sarah Duguid will be coordinating our care of the Ritchies — she can be reached at sarah.e.duguid@gmail.com. Carol Reimer is arranging meals. To take part in that please click on this link which will take you to the online scheduler with all the details. Thank you and please continue to intercede for Betty’s health concerns.
Christian Sympathy
Last week I received word that our Partner in Mission, André Sibomana, lost his father. I contacted André to express our condolences and this was his reply:
Thanks very much, Pastor Greg, for your comforting words. I am recovering a little bit from my loss of a lovely dad. Really it was not a sudden death. He had a stroke last December, 28, and he was kept in the hospital until end of February. We were advised, as family, to take him back home because many parts of his body were no longer functional, hence the medical staff could not do anything for him anymore. He was 90 Years old. My brothers decided to give care he needed from home in the village, then my role was supporting, remotely, with financial means, as my family lives in the capital city, until he passed away on Saturday, May 23 in the morning. I was lucky to visit and see him 3 times before COVID-19, and I had to ask permission to go for his burial in the village. We thank God for his life, God helped him to endure the suffering in that period of transition from life to LIFE. I will appreciate your prayers to be comforted in the Lord, all of us as family we need that. Some illness still persisting in my family as well for my daughter and my wife. Please pray for healing.
I know that I can count our church family to remember André and his family in these days.
Pastor Greg
Reaching out to our African partners
As we've been following the lives of our Partners in Mission we recognize that the Millettes are in Rumoskie, Québec and we look forward to fellowship with them, here in Fredericton, in the days ahead. In addition, Charlie and Betty Ritchie have returned to Fredericton (June 8) for investigative medical testing for Betty for which we seek your daily prayer. And, Rebekah Sears is currently self-isolating, here in Fredericton for a bit of an extended stay on break from her work with the Mennonite Central Committee in Ottawa. We covet your prayers for these members of God's team of ambassadors in these days.
On the African front we have Tim and Diane Bannister serving in Tanzania and André Sibomana serving in Rwanda with responsibility for Canadian connections with our African partner churches. As we have been in correspondence with these partners God has put two things on our hearts. The first is to seek aid for Tim and Diane who are providing financial support for another local family ($250 US/month) to keep them from starvation. This is not sustainable for the Bannisters and we would like to mobilize the BSBC family to help. In the case of André, he is connected to 290 families in Rwanda and South Sudan who are on the brink of disaster due to the lack of funds currently flowing into church coffers at this time. Since congregations are not gathering, these church leaders are without regular support. André estimates it would take $50 Canadian dollars to support one family for a month. Can we be part of God's provision for these brothers and sisters?
The African Action Campaign
Through the months of June and July we are inviting our church family to make a special financial gift to the "African Action Campaign" in support of our African partners. We may not be able to meet all the ongoing needs but surely we can help in some way. Every "widow's mite" will help alleviate some aspect of their challenge. Every three weeks we will divide what has been given between the Bannisters and André and have it deposited in their ministry accounts. Remember, $250 US can support the Bannister's adopted family for a month. Every $50 given to André will support a ministry family for a month. Can we count on you to partner with us? Simply mark your special gift African Action Campaign and we'll keep you posted on the response. Surely this is a time when our partners can use practical assistance in addition to powerful prayers on their behalf.
High School Grads
What a joy to celebrate high school graduation with 11 of our youth and their families. These smiling faces should beam in response to good work done, obstacles overcome and years of personal growth. Thank you for remembering them in your prayers this week and we invite you to drive down York Street to see the Congratulations Signs on our lawn – one for each grad. In addition, the BSBC family is gifting each grad with a leather bound English Standard Version Single Column Journaling Bible to aid them in their spiritual growth in the years ahead.
News from the Milettes
Last Sunday’s service (June 7) featured a video update from our Partners in Missions, the Millettes. We encourage you to enjoy the video if you haven’t seen it. Subsequent to the video we’ve had an email update saying that we can anticipate them arriving here in Fredericton on June 19 to stay 5-6 weeks. Your church staff look forward to plugging Charles and Sarah into BSBC life and letting you connect (safely) with them as they await a clear indication of God’s leading for them for the fall. Your prayers to that end are most welcome. Please pray for safe travel from Rimouski to Fredericton.
Financial Stewardship (5 Months)
New Missionary Couple: Reuben Myles and Leah Morrison - Soon to be Mr. & Mrs. Myles
Hey there, Brunswick St. Baptist family,
As you may already know, my fiancé Leah and I will be heading to the Philippines this summer (after our wedding) to serve as High School and Middle School Chaplain (Reuben) and Ministry Coordinator (Leah).
Our goal/vision is to equip and empower the next generation of Christ-followers in God’s commandment of the great commission over all our lives. Regardless of what their calling is, we want to be a liaison that helps them discern their future and hear the voice of God clearly. We intend on doing so through intentional spiritual formation of middle school and high school students in direct connection with our unique cultural spread.
By providing opportunities for spiritual gifts and passions to arise through mentorship, preaching, hands on ministry, and forming deep community relationships.
We’re inviting you to give your time toward expanding the kingdom of God in South-East Asia: you don’t even have to get off the couch! Prayer is at the core of our ministry and our faith. We strongly believe God will provide everything we need through faithfulness in prayer. We also believe that partnership is an opportunity to enable individual gifts God has given people, and that it is an active part of ministry. We want to see you grow alongside us!
For us to abide in God’s calling on our lives and His vision for the next generation at Faith Academy, we need to know we are strongly supported. Would you commit to praying for us either once a week or once a month? If not, would you be willing to connect us with someone who has a similar vision for the nations as we do? Please prayerfully consider partnering with us before committing to do so. If God has laid a donation or a pledge on your heart, the decision to pray for us, or someone else who can help us in this journey, please reply to this message!
Many thanks and blessings,
Reuben and Leah (almost) Myles
Meet Leah and Reuben and hear about their exciting calling:
Green Hill Lake Camp is ON!
Great news from our camp – they are gearing up for an unusual summer of ministry but remaining faithful to their call to make Jesus known to the children and youth who will come. AND, we have the blessing of five of our youth serving on this year’s summer staff. So that you can pray for them and possibility support them let us introduce you to these four stellar young people and provide you with the information you need to support them in their ministry.
Learn more about our staff and how you can support them on our GHLC page.
Calling all seniors
Senior’s here’s a way to make your voice heard. This opportunity came to us through our Moderator, Dennis Taylor, who is a member of the Age-Friendly Fredericton Community Advisory Committee.
Social Innovation has partnered with the Council of Aging in Ottawa and would like to hear about your experiences during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. With questions about how you are coping, managing anxiety and staying connected, the information collected can be used to support older adults in the Fredericton area during this and other public health crises. The survey will take about 15 minutes.
BSBC Kidz Klub
Today, we’ve posted the newest edition of our BSBC KIDZ KLUB and it will be up all week to be enjoyed by children of all ages! We’re studying The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and this week we focus on the sixth fruit – GOODNESS.
YOUR INTERIM LEADERSHIP TEAM
Dr. Keith Bodner, Preaching Pastor
Pastor Greg Geldart, Lead Pastor
Pastor Jim McLellan, Pastor of Senior’s Visitation
Pastor Steve Patterson, Outreach Pastor
Jon Wilton, Youth & Young Adult Ministries
