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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
In This Issue:
1. Take a SWOT at Our Future
2. Starting Local/Going Global
3. Praying For Those Experiencing Loss
4. NEW: Youth “Greenhouse” Service & NEW: Fresh Start (College & Career)
5. BSBC Scouting: Christmas Greens for Sale
6. New Congregational Directory: The Paper Kind
7. Online Services: Sunday, Nov. 8
8. In-Person Services: Sunday, Nov. 8
9. Vacation: Pastor Greg
10. Ministry Opportunity: Evening Security Volunteers
11. This Week @ BSBC
1. Please, Take a SWOT at Our Future
Dear Church Family,
The month of November is upon us, not only bringing Remembrance Day, but, for our BSBC family, it brings the opportunity to engage in orienting our fellowship for 2021.
What?
You can do this by engaging in prayerful discussions about your understanding of our Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats as you understand them at this very point in our ministry of witness to Jesus Christ.
Given the restrictions of the pandemic, gathering is difficult; therefore, I'm relying on you to help give leadership a ‘snapshot’ of what our members and adherents see as the reality of these days.
How do you do it? I encourage you to gather as family, friends, small groups, teams, committees, or boards, and spend one hour discussing (and recording) your views on our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It’s as simple as that.
How?
(1) Take a piece of paper and make a list of what you determine under these four headings. Here are a few questions to help you get started. (2) Then, email receptionist@bsbc.nb.ca with your findings OR drop your notes off to the church office.
We’ll take the month of November to engage in this reflection. The wisdom you offer will be compiled and reviewed by pastors and deacons with a view of making a detailed ministry presentation at the February annual meeting based on these findings.
Why?
I don’t believe that your elected leadership can operate in a vacuum…we need grass roots input. While we seek to lead this fellowship, we shouldn’t do that on our own. I long for the investment of all members of our congregation in this process. Unusual? Yes. Needed? I would also respond, YES!
We appreciate your prayers
Together, let us shape our future under God. Please pray that many will be inspired to engage in this and include yourself in that prayer. And that this may be an engagement that will begin to prepare us for deeper reflection and sharing in 2021 as we look further down the road.
Each member of the Body of Christ is essential
In late October, I preached a sermon based on 1 Corinthians 12 where Paul teaches about the importance of each member of the Body of Christ. This passage flies in the face of any sense that an individual brother or sister lacks important to the effective operating of the Church. Our church family has been put together by God to fulfill His purposes, from the corner of Brunswick and York Streets and beyond.
As your new Lead Pastor, I ask you to step up, consider what God has put on your heart, and share it for the strengthening of the ministry we seek to do to fulfill the Great Commission.
I need your input. We need your input. Won’t you invest an hour in our future under God?
I thank you in advance,
Pastor Greg
2. Starting Local / Going Global
Have you heard that we are living in “unprecedented” times? Yes, it’s become the watchword of 2020. And so, this year’s Starting Local/Going Global Christmas Campaign will take a different shape as we continue our pattern of blessing others in Jesus’ name…at home…and abroad. Here’s the scoop:
Starting Local
We invite you to share "Christmas love" through this annual event at BSBC. Designating money to the "local" part of our project will help provide ‘gift cards’ for the families of our New Life Ministry AND to some of our benevolent families. This ‘gift card’ initiative replaces the past tradition of the congregation purchasing gifts as we face the new challenges of the pandemic.
If we're able, we will also look to provide a street level offering to our downtown friends. We'll share our financial goal with you in the upcoming weeks, but you can start giving today! You can give to this part of the project by marking your donation “Starting Local.” We thank you for considering this opportunity to be a blessing.
Going Global
Our “Going Global” initiative invites our church family to designate the gift of money to sharing the gospel with the Mising Tribe who are an unreached people in north eastern India. You can give to this project by marking your gift “Going Global.”
3. Praying For Those Experiencing Loss
Please support in prayer Anna Anderson whose brother, Hugh Pitts, of London, Ontario, passed away on Tuesday, Oct. 26. Hugh had been very recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer without the possibility of treatment. Hugh's wife, daughters and family live in Ontario. As you can imagine, it was difficult for Anna not to be with her brother in this hour of need. Many will also remember that Anna and her husband, Al, just lost Al's mother, Freda Anderson, two weeks before Hugh passed away.
We received word from Michael Noak that his wife, Mary Eloise Warnhammer-Noak, passed away on Saturday, Oct. 31, at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, England due to complications from COVID-19. Mary Eloise was the daughter of the late Virginia and Robin Bayley, well-known members of BSBC. Mary Eloise also leaves behind a brother, Dr. Jonathan Bayley and his wife Janet of Windsor, Ontario. Michael, knowing of the Bayley's long connection with BSBC emailed me to advise of her passing and to ask that it be shared with our congregation. In addition to Michael, Mary Eloise leaves behind daughter Erika Polchies and her family in Fredericton, son Jonathan Warnhammer in Texas and daughter Lexie Noak in Wokingham, England.
Prayer provides a powerful comfort to those living under the shadow of grief. Thank you for including these families in your prayer time.
Pastor Greg
4. NEW: Middle & High School Youth Services
What is worship?
Why and how do we worship together as a church?
What is behind a Sunday morning worship service?
How do I worship God with the gifts and abilities He has given me?
These are four of many possible questions that have crossed the minds of those who consider the topic of worship. For many, over the course of their walk of faith, they may or may not have found answers. Wrestling with such questions is key to understanding God’s will for each of our lives when it comes to worshipping Him together as a Church Body.
Starting on Sunday, Nov. 15, and continuing every other Sunday at 10:30 a.m., the youth and their leaders will engage in the ‘BSBC Greenhouse of Servant Leaders,’ a place where Middle and High School students are invited to worship together in the assembly area on the Youth Floor.
Why Greenhouse? Youth, come and discover the answer for yourself! Expect to attend a Sunday service that will spark your growth and your participation, and possibly sit on a comfortable couch to worship God, like you’ve been doing over the past 8 months!
For more info write me at charles@bsbc.nb.ca - thanks!
NEW: Fresh Start (College & Career)
Fresh Start, a ministry geared to the College & Career demographics, was launched last Sunday!
The objective and the method are simple: encouraging one another to righteousness and obedience, as we meet to eat, say, pray and play, according to Acts 2:42.
Place & Time: Sundays on the 3rd floor of the Connections Centre, noon to 3 p.m.
Come and be refreshed thanks to a good meal, expository teaching from the Word of God, a time of prayer and some sweet fellowship!
5. BSBC Scouting: Christmas Greens for Sale
An update from the Scouting program at BSBC
The Scouting program at BSBC is on hold for the fall of 2020. There will be a review of the COVID-19 situation in the new year and a decision will be made to either slowly start the program again this winter or delay until fall 2021. Stay tuned for an announcement in January 2021!
Annual Christmas trees and wreaths
Even though Scouts are not meeting this fall, we're offering our annual Christmas trees and wreaths to the BSBC congregation.
How to order
To order a Christmas tree or wreath, please email 6wilson@nb.sympatico.ca. The Scouting leadership will deliver wreaths and trees while following COVID-19 protocols.
Wreaths: We have 75 wreaths available this year, selling for $10 each — available after Nov. 28.
Trees: Christmas trees will be $30 for trees 6.5 to 8 ft and $40 for trees taller than 8 ft — available after Dec. 5.
More information
Please use the email address above or call Dale Wilson at 458-1402 for more information.
Merry Christmas from 1st Fredericton BPSA Scouts!
6. New Congregational Directory: The Paper Kind!
With gratefulness to our receptionist, Naomi Phillips, we are pleased to let you know that BSBC has a new edition of a printed congregational directory. This update has taken hours to prepare and we’ve tried our best to ensure it will be a help to those who still like a paper family names/phone/address/email book!
How to get your copy
Copies are available at the church office and we’re asking for a donation of $5 to help cover the costs. Contact the church office (458-8348 OR receptionist@bsbc.nb.ca) to arrange for a copy for pick up or we can mail one to you.
7. Online Traditional Service: Sunday, Nov. 8
We hope our online folks will tune in this coming Sunday for the complete service from Nov. 1! We were pleased to have the music ministry of our vocal ensemble and soloist Chris Graves. Debby Kierstead shared her heart with a beautiful word on God’s watchful care over us. Pastor Steve opens the service and Pastor Greg lead us in prayer.
This week, Dr. Keith’s sermon is taken from Acts 17. Of this passage he writes:
When Paul arrives in Athens—after fleeing the violence in northern Greece—he finds himself in the intellectual capital of the ancient world, evidently an idol-producing factory. Debating in the marketplace with Epicurean (who do not believe in an afterlife) and Stoic (who are not sure about life after death, and therefore attempt to live virtuously) philosophers, Paul has an opportunity to address the famous Areopagus.
In this speech, we at TheStreet can notice various strategies for sharing our faith in a skeptical arena: we discern and identify the idols of our age (that is, the images of worldly obsessions and concrete representations of fame, fear, the body, success, power, wealth, status), we make efforts to establish a platform for genuine dialogue, and we winsomely unfold the story of the Messiah with a challenge to change our way of thinking and recognize that we are accountable for our words and our deeds.
8. In-Person Services: Sunday, Nov. 8
As this is the Sunday before Remembrance Day, we will take time to remember, ‘lest we forget’. For this Sunday, the worship team in the gym will be led by Pastor Steve and friends.
Music for the traditional service includes a vocal ensemble accompanied by Gloria Tranquilla and a piano reflection for Remembrance Day offered by Jill Holmes. Cheryl Gibson will be leading as well.
Dr. Keith will be taking us through Acts Chapter 18. Of this text he writes:
Every year, when Canadians celebrate Remembrance Day, it is an opportunity to be thankful for what we have in this nation, and not to take our freedoms for granted. This annual commemoration is also a reminder to the church that we are surrounded by all kinds of battles in our fallen world.
In the turbulent world of the book of the Judges, the character of Gideon affords a chance to reflect on the nature of such battles. Long before he has to face the powerful Midianite oppressors, Gideon needs to first battle against his own cynicism, and then battle against the idolatrous addictions of his own family. Psalm 20 is a prayer before the day of battle, and it outlines a strategy for confronting such battles in every believers’ life.
PLEASE NOTE: In the sanctuary, the two downstairs ‘outside’ sections will be re-tapped to allow for worshippers to sit at a 1 meter distance between “bubbles.” The centre downstairs section and the balcony will remain at 2 meters distance between “bubbles.” This is in accordance with provincial guidelines for seated groups when masks remain on and the other COVID-19 measures are in place. Thank you for noting this change.
9. Vacation
Pastor Greg and Margaret would appreciate your prayer for safe travel as they engage in a fall vacation time. Pastor Greg will be gone from Monday, Nov. 9 and will return to the office on Tuesday, Nov. 17.
While he is away Pastor Steve will be available for pastoral care – simply contact the church office (458-8348 or bsbc@bsbc.nb.ca).
10. Ministry Opportunity: Evening Security Needed
Evening Ministry at Brunswick Street depends on volunteers to meet safety and insurance requirements.
Can you help?
Your Security Team is in need of three volunteers beginning January 2021 to help provide Security duty one weekday evening a month.
Main duties include:
Picking up church keys from the Office before 5 p.m.
Being at the church from 6 to 9 p.m.
Greeting people as they arrive for any evening activity and guiding them to meeting rooms as required
Performing the nightly walkabout checks of doors and lights and signing the Security log book
Training is provided and it's a great way to serve our Church Family and meet new faces! Both men and women are welcome. If you can help in this way, please contact Ralph Graves at sgraves@nb.sympatico.ca or 459-8407.
11. This Week at BSBC
Thursday, Nov. 5
9:30 New Life Ministry (3rd Floor)
1:00 Small Group Bible Study with Mary McMulkin (Family Room)
1:30 MM Bible Study (3rd Floor)
1:30 CB Bible Study (Family Room)
1:30 Ladies Bible Study with Carol Bray (Connections Center)
6:30 Adult Handbell Choir (KidzTown)
7:00 GriefShare (3rd Floor)
7:00 Evangelism Workshop with Pastor Charles (Gym/Zoom)
Friday, Nov. 6
9:30 Seniors Exercise (Gym)
10:30 Seniors Exercise (Gym)
Saturday, Nov. 7
12:30 Youth Group (parking lot of the Scotia Bank South Turf field)
1:00 Worship Team Practice (Gym)
7:00 Just Church (Gym)
Sunday, Nov. 8
10:30 Traditional Service (Sanctuary)
10:30 Contemporary Service (Gym)
Monday, Nov. 9
7:00 Education Committee Meeting (Zoom)
7:00 BSBC WMS (3rd Floor)
Tuesday, Nov. 10
9:30 Prayer Canada (Family Room)
1:30 Quilters for Missions (Quilting Room)
6:30 DivorceCare (3rd Floor)
6:30 Couples Bible Study with Toon Pronk (Choir Room)
6:30 Bible Study with Pastor Steve (Family Room/Zoom)
7:00 Missions Committee Meeting (3rd Floor Conference Room)
Wednesday, Nov. 11
All Ministries Cancelled for Remembrance Day
