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Growing Faith, Friends & Families to Serve
In this issue:
1 – “Careful with Covid”: These Days @ BSBC
2 – 5 Year Overview of Pastoral Staffing @ BSBC
3 – Letter to the Congregation from Pastor Steve
4 – Love Offerings
5 – Spring Business Meeting
6 – Around the World with Our Missions Committee – India
7 – The “United Nations” @ BSBC
8 – This Sunday’s Services
9 – New Life Camp Funding Request
10 – Recovery Round Tables – Part 2
11 – “Brunswick Street Cares!” Facebook Ministry
12 – Wednesday Library Openings
13 – June Birthday Calendar
14 – This Week @ BSBC
1. Careful During Covid: These Days at BSBC
This is a difficult time in the Greater Fredericton area. I’m sure we have all been sensitive to the Covid outbreaks around us, but unlike months before, we now know families that have moved at a moment’s notice to isolate because of potential exposure.
Two churches in our city have been identified as places were contact with someone with Covid has taken place. This has resulted in those in attendance, staff/leaders/worshipers going into isolation for up to 14 days. If you review the GNB website listing potential contact spots, you’ll see that the list is long and varied.
What happens if we change phases?
Your pastors and deacons have seriously considered the situation and decided that should a change of phase take place (yellow to orange OR red), BSBC will immediately move to online services only. But, in the meantime, we want you to ‘raise your game’ in terms of observing Covid protocols when attending events at BSBC and to prayerfully consider your own, personal vulnerability in risking exposure.
The importance of physical distancing
We celebrate the faithfulness our church family shows in terms of wearing masks, hand sanitizing, as well as your patience with the screening questions when you come for service. HOWEVER, most of us get a failing grade when it comes to physical-distancing. This is clearly seen on Sunday mornings at the end of services as people leave without observing the 2m/6ft distance that is the standard we are all told to maintain as revealed in the requirements attending large gatherings. This also includes the parking lot and gathering in groups for conversations in the building after the services.
Therefore, in this high risk time in Fredericton, we ask you to be conscious at all times of distancing between your bubble and the next bubble – even if both bubbles are bubbles of 1! There is a danger in you assuming that what is comfortable for you is comfortable for others.
The best expert advice is to relate to others as though you don’t know their Covid status because it’s clear that individuals are not always aware that they are sick and, in good faith, attend events. Think of this as a gift you give to others in case you are the one who feels well but is contagious.
Let's pray for our city, province, country and around the world
This may seem to be an attempt to discourage you from coming to in-person worship but it is not. This is a call for us to sharpen our observance of the things that have proven to keep people safe when they gather. And, it is a call to pray, pray, pray for the current situation in our city, province, country and around the world.
BE WISE: Physically Distance as You Come In…As You Leave…and in the Parking Lot!
Another way we can show Christian love and care!
2. 5-Year Overview of Staffing at BSBC
At the upcoming Spring Business Meeting, planned for Wednesday, June 23, the congregation will receive an update from the Next Gen Search Committee empowered to seek candidates to fill 2 new permanent positions: (1) Community Connections Pastor and (2) Next Gen Pastor. This move followed the adoption last October of a new staffing model for BSBC that includes:
Lead Pastor
Preaching Pastor
Community Connections Pastor
Next Gen Pastor
with some additional lay leadership.
In next week’s newsletter, I’ll provide a reminder about how these positions fit together. Just now, I want to explain how we arrived at this point in our staffing journey.
Five years ago this month, pastoral transitions began at BSBC. Our Senior Pastor completed faithful service and moved to a new ministry opportunity in Ontario. As per the Constitution, a Senior Pastor Search Committee was formed and worked for four years to identify a replacement. Within that period, our Children’s Pastor and Youth and Young Adult Pastor moved on to new opportunities for service.
I’m sure you join me in giving thanks to God for the provision of servants who took up the posts that allowed ministry to continue. We were blessed by the leadership of Dr. Brian McArthur as Interim Senior Pastor; Dr. Keith Bodner, Interim Preaching Pastor; Jon Wilton who served for two years as Interim Youth and Young Adult Pastor, followed by Charles Millette; Jim MacLellan continues as Seniors Visitation Pastor; Dawn McNiven, Denise Mersereau and now, Tina Franca, have headed our Children’s Ministry and, from the start, Steve Patterson became “Pastor Steve” as he joined the team in a full-time capacity, showing a servant heart as he filled in various roles, culminating in his present role as Interim Pastor of Contemporary Worship and Outreach. When I review this array of faithful women and men, it speaks of God’s faithfulness to us in these five years.
With the July, 2020, appointment of Pastor Greg as Lead Pastor, a plan for permanent staffing was top priority. This lead to a Deacons’ Retreat where we prayerfully looked at our needs for the future in light of the opportunities we identified before us. We discussed and eventually agreed to this new pastoral staffing concept which was approved by the congregation at the Fall Business Meeting in October 2020. The process was launched to fill these new positions, empowering the currently serving Next Gen Search Committee to seek to fill both positions.
As with all we do, our Constitution provides direction on how we “do” life at BSBC – including the calling of permanent pastors.:
Item 5.1.2
No member of the Pastoral Staff shall be called by the Church except upon recommendation of a Search Committee as hereinafter constituted.
While the Constitution provides the Board of Deacons with power to engage “interim” staff to fill the gap until an appropriate Search Committee is affirmed by vote of the congregation, as happened in October, 2020 and until they bring a candidate before the congregation for review.
Prior to that Fall Business Meeting, the Deacon’s Pastoral Relations Committee met with both Pastors Steve and Charles and shared with them the staffing plan that was to be presented to the congregation. Both were invited to apply for either position if they felt called to do so. Neither did, so, as explained to them at the time, neither were considered for either position.
I share this with you as we begin to orient ourselves to the summer and fall of 2021. Pastor Charles has shared with the BSBC family that when his contract ends at the end of June he will return to his missionary calling with Sports Friends/SIM, and continue in fellowship with us as the Millette family settle in Fredericton. Pastor Steve’s contract also ends at the end of June and he too has decided not to renew for an extended period, but to be free to pursue new avenues of ministry. We are, and know you too, are grateful for Pastor Steve's servant heart and love for the BSBC family and ministry here. It has been a privilege, through these years, to have been able to support him as he worked toward ordination, culminating in his Service of Ordination in the fall of 2019.
As the Next Gen Search Committee prepares to offer its report this June, we wanted you to review how our journey has brought us all to this place and to ask you to pray for Pastor Steve as he considers new opportunities of service and for Pastor Charles as he returns to his ministry. Both Steve and Charles have shown themselves to be humble and committed servants of Jesus who we know will continue Kingdom-building in the months and years ahead.
Church family, we encourage you to join us in prayer, for Pastor Steve, Pastor Charles, their families and for the Next Gen Search Committee. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God has a plan. And, when we look back over five years we clearly see how faithful God is to His children. And we all move forward in that confidence.
Peace and Grace,
Pastor Greg & The Board of Deacons
3. Letter to the Congregation from Pastor Steve
Tuesday, May 24, 2021
Dear Church Family,
It is hard to believe that I am in my tenth year of service here at Brunswick Street Baptist Church (BSBC)! I have been privileged and blessed to have gained so much experience and growth under a large umbrella of ministries! Initially, I came to Brunswick Street as part-time Contemporary Worship Coordinator. I was able to continue to pursue my pastoral calling to enrol at Acadia Divinity College while God provided additional part-time work, a supportive church, and my wonderful wife and family to help encourage me in this endeavor.
During these past five years, I have been given additional opportunities to serve in full time pastoral capacity which has afforded me the pleasure to serve in preaching, senior’s visitation providing in-service nursing home worship, hosting of the senior’s luncheon, sitting at the benevolence table, participating at third Sunday supper, and most recently, serving as outreach pastor while engaging closely with the homeless population and other agencies who support the homeless in our community. I have also benefitted from sitting in as the pastoral liaison on the Social Action Team and on the Music Committee.
A highlight that I will always cherish is my ordination into the Canadian Baptist of Atlantic Canada Churches. This church community surrounded me with love, support and encouragement on that journey, especially on the evening of celebration in October of 2019!
Throughout these years, I have learned much and appreciate the grace and teaching that has been extended to me through Pastor Greg and other pastoral and church staff, and through many of you, my brothers and sisters in Christ. You have all contributed something of unique gifting that has enriched my own Christian walk.
Although I am not fully certain of what God has planned for me, I am quite certain that the time is now for me to take the next step in faith, as my current interim contract concludes at the end of June. I will take some time to pray and prepare for God’s call to a new avenue of ministry. So it is with a sense of gratitude, excitement and prayerful discernment that I step away from my time at BSBC. I sincerely pray God continues to faithfully shape the future of Brunswick Street Baptist Church in meaningful ways to bring glory to Him.
With great appreciation and love,
Pastor Steve
4. Love Offering
As is our tradition, the church family is invited to contribute to a Love Offering for Pastor Steve and a Love Offering for Pastor Charles. This allows individual members of the congregation to have the opportunity to give a financial gift as an expression of thanks for faithful service and as a sign of love. Each gives as he/her/they feel led. In the weeks ahead you can use any means to give (drop off/mail your gift at the church office, put it in the Sunday offering box or make an e-transfer.
In this case, it will be very important to clearly label your gift “Pastor Steve Love Offering” or “Pastor Charles Love Offering” to ensure that your gift gets to the correct account. Any gifts that come in after Wednesday, May 26, marked “Love Offering” will be divided between these pastoral accounts. Thank you for seeking to make your donation by the last Sunday in June.
Please note that the Canada Revenue Agency will not allow us to give a charitable gift receipt for gifts that are designated to specific individuals. Thank you for your understanding.
5. Spring Business Meeting
The Moderator gives notice of the Spring Business Meeting on Wednesday June 23, 2021 at 7 p.m. The delay is due to the Covid-19 situation in Fredericton and so the meeting date is subject to change if public health notifies us of a change in public meeting restrictions.
The meeting will receive reports from the Board of Deacons, the Board of Management, the Chinese Congregation and the Search Committee. Also there will be a motion to approve the 2020 Financial Review. Reservations can be made by clicking the link below.
Dr. Calvin Smith, Moderator
6. Around the World with our Missions Committee: India
Your Missions Committee hopes you’ll find blessing in this update on India from Suraj Komaravalli, who serves with Canadian Baptist Ministires (CBM), our national Baptist ministry that serves in many ways around the world.
About Suraj
Suraj serves as Team Leader for CBM’s ministries in India, helping to develop integral mission strategies in CBM’s priority areas of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Nagaland. He manages CBM’s partnerships and ministries, including projects for kids at risk, food security and community development, leadership training, evangelism and church planting.
Suraj is committed to shaping a more contemporary and contextual approach to church-based transformational ministry in India. He initially joined CBM’s India Strategy team in 2008 as a Theological Education Consultant. He lives in Hyderabad with his wife Prasanna, and two daughters, Selina and Mounica.
Suraj’s Update to BSBC
CBM’s overarching mission is to develop a culture of Integral Mission, that is, to bring hope, healing and reconciliation through word and deed whereby making anew the worlds of the poor and needy. As such, CBM works in partnership with local Indian churches in the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam and Nagaland with plans to expand to other States.
Some of the missional projects are children and youth at risk, food security and community development, leadership training, evangelism, church planting, health care initiatives, human trafficking, faith and work initiatives, as well as relief especially during flood and Covid.
Through these projects, CBM hopes to accomplish that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is shared and people respond in faith and discipleship; the lives and communities of the most vulnerable are improved; leaders are developed and equipped for missional engagement; impact is increased for common mission with partners; and local churches do impact and transform the society through Christ like behavior.
While walking with local churches, CBM also strives for Partners’ sustainability to self-reliance so that they could continue to ministry through word and deed, and preserve and celebrate faith in God and his blessings through next generations.
7. The 'United Nations' at BSBC
Many know that head office of the United Nations can be found in New York city. BUT, did you know that there is a mini-UN meeting weekdays on the second floor of the Family Life Center? Yes, it’s quite something! Let me tell you the story…
Gospel on the Web
Ragnar Oborn, from Grace Memorial Baptist Church, operates a ministry called “Gospel on the Web” where he uses the free “Google Credits” that churches like ours sign over to him to host websites which offer a presentation of the gospel in a variety of languages, targeted at people groups from nations closed to missionary presence. For our part, we’ve entrust these free “Google Credits” to Ragnar and, for four years now, these credits have hosted a Gospel on the Web website in Mandarin.
As of January 2021, Ragnar is operating websites in 50 languages, including: Punjabi, Hindi, Mandarin, Farsi, Arabic, Tamil, Telugu, Vietnamese, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, German, Nepali, Marathi, Russian, Ukrainian, etc.
Expanding the ministry
Now, enter Deacon Charlie Ritchie, who was seeking to develop an outreach video in support of ministry to the Vietnamese. So, Charlie and Ragnar prayed about how to improve/enlarge this ministry and “came up” with the idea of partnering with local churches in applying for provincial and federal summer student grants. These grants called for students with language and website skills. Amazingly, they were awarded a total of 17 grants!
Did you catch that? Summer student grant programs are funding the expanding presence of the gospel…on the web! The churches partnering in this project along with BSBC are: Grace Memorial, Hanwell Community Church, The Drive, Jemseg Baptist, Millville Baptist, and Mactaquac Baptist.
How do we come into this partnership?
Twelve of these summer students, including our own Tina Fraca (Portuguese), are working, Monday to Friday in KidzTown, observing all Covid protocols. It is a great blessing to offer these students a place to work. The individual students represent the following languages: Portuguese, Hebrew, Punjabi, Vietnamese, Mandarin, French, and Farsi and it is interesting to note that only one of the students is a professing Christian. What a remarkable situation!
How you can help
On Wednesday morning, May 12, I had the privilege of Charlie introducing me to the team assembled that day. Bright and engaging students who seem genuinely happy in this important work. This leads me to consider how to pray over this ministry this summer. So, I invite you to pray for the students working through the summer at BSBC:
please pray for their safety during this time of pandemic;
pray that, when we have contact, the BSBC family will be amazingly loving to them;
for the gospel to be powerful in their lives and for their work to be anointed for powerful ministry in the world.
I’d like to say thanks to the members of our Board of Management for agreeing to share what would be, largely unused space, for gospel purposes this summer.
As we seek to “join God in our neighbourhood” – here’s a new way for us to serve a neighbourhood of international proportions!
To God be the glory,
Pastor Greg
8. This Sunday's Services
“Testimony Time” (Acts 21:27-22:22) - Dr. Keith Bodner
This week we continue our look at Paul’s challenges upon returning to Jerusalem in Acts 21, as a group of troublemakers create a stir with some false reports that go viral, and eventually cause a riot in the precincts of the temple. Yet despite the violence, there are some acute and helpful points of application for BSBC as we seek to be ambassadors for Christ in a divided age.
Through this passage we are granted the opportunity to think about complicated situations and stressful issues that require political wisdom and tact; we are reminded about the need for interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence that complement our love for the Lord; and we are encouraged to patiently work toward cool-headed justice rather than cast our lot with a hot-tempered mob of our own particular choosing. Furthermore, as an angry crowd is aggressively calling for blood, Paul is surprisingly granted permission to speak by the Roman officer in charge of the temple area.
Already in the book of Acts Paul has made some great speeches—from the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch all the way to the Areopagus of Athens—but now he gets to address his own people in the city closest to his heart and tell them exactly how the long-promised Messiah has personally changed his life: he explains who Jesus is, what Jesus has done, and testifies about the capacity of Jesus to forgive.
All of us at BSBC can receive great comfort and practical advice from this passage that stresses the power of our stories, and as we share how God has worked in our lives in whatever platform we are given, we too have an opportunity to share the love of the Lord Jesus with an increasingly angry and frustrated world.
Worship leaders
In the sanctuary, musical leadership will include David Steeves, Gloria Tranquilla, one of our wonderful vocal ensembles and duet offering from Maureen & Peter Steeves. Jon and Alyse Wilton will be the worship leader in the gym service. Sarah Duguid provides the children’s time.
9. New Life Camp Funding Request
The leaders of the New Life Ministry would like to thank the congregation for their very generous response to the request for grocery items to meet the needs of the ladies in the program. This was much appreciated.
We would also like to bring to the congregation a current need for financial assistance to send 4 children of ladies in the program to Green Hill Lake Camp this summer. Two of the children would like to attend a full week program while the other two children wish to attend a 2-3 day mini-camp program. Total cost of the children’s attendance would be in the vicinity of $2,100.
If you would like to help these children have the life changing experience of attending a Christian camp, please make a donation to BSBC and designate the funds to the “New Life Camp Ministry.”
Next Wednesday we’ll update you on how the fund is growing. All gifts are appreciated.
10. Recovery Roundtables: Part II
Here’s the last opportunity for your voice to be heard through our Recovery Roundtable session to be led by Deacon Cheryl Gibson. To register, please click the button below.
Thursday, May 27, 7 pm, Third Floor Assembly Area
Led by Deacon Cheryl Gibson
The Deacons will be holding a retreat on June 5 to consider the input from these sessions. We need your input as we plan for Fall 2021. Thank you.
11. Introducing "Brunswick Street Cares!" Facebook Ministry
Visit the BSBC Facebook page on Sunday and Wednesday evenings at 8 pm for Brunswick Street Cares!
Life is meant to be shared and we are excited to introduce a new way to experience prayer and fellowship together! In Acts 2:42, God’s people are encouraged to devote themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer.
Denise Mersereau, Host
12. Wednesday Library Openings
Your librarians invite you to visit the library the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month from 10 a.m. until noon. Come and engage with our huge collection of books – there’s something for everyone!
NEXT OPENING: Wednesday, June, 9
13. June Birthdays!
Check out the full list by clicking the button below.
14. This Week at BSBC: May 26 to June 2
Wednesday, May 26
9:30 Senior Exercise (Gym)
10:00 Library Opens
6:00 Vocal Ensemble (Sanctuary)
6:30 Youth Bible Study (3rd Floor Assembly/Zoom)
7:00 James Bible Study (Teams)
8:00 BSBC Cares! (FBL)
Thursday, May 27
9:30 New Life (3rd Floor Board Room)
1:30 Ladies Bible Study with Carol Bray (Family Room)
1:30 Bible Study with Mary McMulkin (3rd Floor Boardroom)
7:00 Chinese Hymn Practice (Choir Room)
7:00 Recovery Round Table (3rd Floor Assembly/In-Person)
Friday, May 28
9:30 Senior Exercise (Gym)
6:00 Friends Are Us Puppets (2nd Floor Kidztown)
7:00 Youth Groups (3rd Floor Assembly)
Saturday, May 29
1:00 Contemporary Worship Team Practice (Gym)
Sunday, May 30
10:15 KidzTown
10:30 Traditional Worship Service (Sanctuary/thestreetonline.ca)
10:30 Contemporary Worship Service (Gym/Facebook Live)
12:00 Refresh Lunch (3rd Floor Assembly)
2:00 Chinese Worship Service (Sanctuary)
8:00 BSBC Cares! (FBL)
Monday, May 31
7:00 Chinese Bible Study (3rd Floor Assembly)
Tuesday, June 1
12:00 Chinese Prayer Meeting (2nd Floor Boardroom)
1:30 Full Staff Meeting (Family Room)
1:30 Quilters for Missions (Quilting Room)
2:45 Pastoral Staff Meeting (Family Room)
Wednesday, June 2
12:00 Prayer Time CM
6:00 Vocal Ensemble
6:30 Youth Bible Study CM
8:00 BSBC Cares! (FBL)
