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
In this issue:
News from The Bannisters, Our Partners In Mission
This Week’s Babies and Birthdays
Final “Wednesday Worship” Service for September 2
Online Worship for September 6
GriefShare/DivorceCare Start Up
Dr. Keith Bodner’s BODcasts
An Invitation to Visit Our Church Library
Meet Our New Youth/Young Adult Pastor – Charles Millette
Our First Sunday Back – September 13
Mission Update from Leah and Reuben Myles
“Home Church Bubbles”/Building Connections One Home at a Time
September Birthdays
1. From Our Missionary Partners - The Bannisters in Tanzania
Tim and Diane Bannister write:
We are enjoying what we expect to be their last safari in Africa. We will leave Tanzania in late November and isolate in Hamilton, ON, then, the whole family will be together for Christmas. Early in the new year, we'll head back to NB. Please pray for Diane’s mother who broke her hip about a week ago, is doing well, now up walking and might be discharged on Wednesday, September 2 with daily home care. This affirms for us that it is time to return to Canada. We are in talks with our mission. They have asked us each to take on new administrative roles with them, both jobs being right up our alley. We have expressed strong interest and they seem eager. The great thing is that much of the work can be done remotely, so we can be in NB much of the time. As well, my job will allow me to do agriculture seminars in the Fredericton area. So, things are looking up. We will have to renegotiate our income as the cost of living is much higher in Canada. Anyway, things are looking up dramatically. God is sorting this out.
2. Babies & Birthdays
We’re celebrating with David and Leah Steeves on the safe arrival of a new granddaughter, Grace Barbara McKinley, born on Friday, August 28 to Will and Rebecca McKinley or Woodstock. Grace is a little sister for Lyla (4) and William (2) and a great granddaughter for Ross and Marie Wilton. Congratulations all!
We are sorry that we missed a “shout out” to our own Freda Anderson who celebrated her 101st birthday on August 17!
3. Final Wednesday Worship Service @ BSBC
Wednesday, Sept. 2, 6:30 p.m.
This service will be broadcast on Sunday, Sept. 6
Preacher – Pastor Greg Geldart
Traditional Worship Led by Gloria Tranquilla & Chris Graves
Contemporary Worship Led by Jon & Alyse Wilton
How to attend
In order to attend this service, please make a reservation with the church office (receptionist@bsbc.nb.ca/458-8348). Reservations are part of our new normal. However, if you are out and about, you can drop by and see if there is seating available – given that social distancing limits seating in the sanctuary.
4. Worship This Coming Sunday - Sept. 6
This coming Sunday Pastor Greg will be offering sermon-reflections on Psalm 136 – a celebration of God’s faithful love. He’ll be encouraging us to draw strength and encouragement from that love for our life together, this unusual fall, as the BSBC church family. Tune in for this orientation to life at BSBC.
This will be a combined service for this week which features musicians Gloria Tranquilla, Jon & Alyse Wilton and Chris Graves. Pastor Charles will be leading the children’s time and other aspects of the service. Who can you invite into YOUR Home Church Bubble for corporate worship and fellowship?
5. Grief Share/DivorceCare
Two important caring ministries will be starting in the coming weeks.
Grief Share
Beginning Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020 at 7 p.m., on the third floor of the Family Life Centre, Brunswick Street Baptist Church is pleased to offer Grief Share, a 13-week video series by Christian experts on grief and recovery, combined with support group discussions for those who have experienced the loss of a loved one. Please call 458-8348 if you would like more information and to register. There will be limits on group size due to Covid-19.
DivorceCare
DivorceCare, a support group for those going through marital separation or divorce will begin its 13 week session on Tuesday, September 15 at 6:30 pm on the third floor of the Family Life Center with Gloria Tranquilla, Pauline Harvey and Bryan McWilliam as leaders. There will be limits on group size due to Covid-19.
Brochures for both programs are available from the church office (we can mail them to you) or for more information please contact the church office (458-8348).
6. BSBC BODcasts
Dr. B will be taking a wee break from BODcasts, which we can understand as he engages in preparations and engagement in a new term at Crandall University. BODcasts will become a monthly event – the first being offered at the end of September.
7. Your Library
Our Librarian, Sharon Gosselin, doesn’t even require you to be quiet when you visit our church library which you can do any Wednesday between 10 a.m. and noon.
Bring your children for a great selection of faith-based children’s books! Enjoy reading fiction? We’ve got shelves full. Looking for something more serious – no problem, our library has LOTS to offer from discipleship to study materials.
Drop in next Wednesday and have a look around. If it’s your first visit, we doubt it will be your last! Oh, and if you’ve been in before…please have a look around your home for any books you might like to return – we’re a ‘fine free’ library!
8. Welcome Pastor Charles
On Monday, August 24, Charles/Chuck Millette joined our pastoral staff as our fulltime MISSIONARY IN RESIDENCE – with primary responsibility for facilitating worship, instruction, fellowship and service among our youth and young adult members! I am positively thrilled and thankful to God for His provision of this faithful and energetic servant whose charismatic personality will give us a real shot of vitality. I asked Chuck to introduce himself, so please read on and add Chuck and family (if you haven’t already) to your prayer time.
Greetings to all brothers and sisters, young and old!
What a joy for our family to have an opportunity to be and to serve at Brunswick Street this year. In the past decade or so, we have only passed by the church to make sporadic appearances, but all of that is about to change.
In a glimpse, we’ll tell you a little bit about ourselves, and share two reasons why I, Charles, am excited to be the new Youth Ministries Coordinator, and let you know how you can pray for us.
So here we go: we are a Montreal & Fredericton mix! Sarah even spent her first 20 years attending BSBC, but it’s been 17 years since she could call Fredericton home. Our kids; Lucie, the dynamite, Victoria, Mommy’s personal designer and Joseph, the quiet strength were all born in Québec, in three different cities. Together, we like to explore the outdoors, play board games and discover new food, scenery & books. If any of these activities are also one of your favorites, don’t hesitate to tell us so we can organize a little outing with you sometimes this year and get to know you better!
Back in March, we returned unexpectedly from Lima, Peru, which had been home to us since 2015. There we served as missionaries with Sports Friends through SIM Canada. Any language of Spanish, English or French can be heard within the walls of our home!
Looking at the year ahead, I’m thrilled to see how God will…
#1 reveal himself more and more to the youth through the study of his Word, prayer, sweet fellowship and good works.
And
#2 use the youth of Brunswick Street, their bountiful energy, their creative ideas and more, to proclaim the name of Jesus to many others (kids, youth and adults) in and around Fredericton, with words of life and deeds of love!
Want to join me in caring for the youth of the church? Let me know! Trust me, you have much to share and in return, I’m convinced that you will be richly blessed and challenged as you give of your time, your spiritual gifts and your energy!
COVID-19 might have changed our ways of doing ministry but God’s desire to see us all continue to follow His ways hasn’t changed. One of his preferred ways of working in and through us is prayer and here’s how you can pray for us:
1-Pray for our kids’ entry to school. For the first time, they’ll study in French and enter a crowd they are not accustomed to walk with. Pray for good friends, patience with themselves and wisdom for us parents to encourage and accompany them well.
2-Praise God with us for the home He had in reserve for us. Its owners are fellow believers and the house really suits our needs. Pray for our testimony to the neighbors, that we may be quick to serve and show God’s love through kindness.
3-Pray for Charles as he also enters a new working environment and different ministry tasks. Pray for wisdom as he seeks to quickly bond with the youth, the pastoral team and the many volunteers.
4-Pray for Sarah who wants to discern God’s will for her life, now that homeschooling is behind us and that her schedule is freer than ever before.
We look forward to reconnecting with the ones we know and connecting with the many of you that we don’t!
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:20-21)
Bye for now! Au revoir! Hasta Luego!
Pastor Chuck
You can email Pastor Chuck: charles@bsbc.nb.ca
9. “Welcome Back” Sunday – Sept. 13
That’s right, we look forward to a resumption of simultaneous (sanctuary/gym) services on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, 10:30 am.
A majority of your Deacon/Pastor leadership discern that the time is right for us to take a step back toward our normal iteration of worship @ BSBC.
10. Myles on a Mission Video Update
Some months ago we introduced you to Leah Morrison and Reuben Myles and their anticipated mission to Faith Academy in the Philippines. Here’s a video update from the now MARRIED Leah and Reuben Myles. If you would like to make a financial gift you can do so through your church offering by designating the gift “Myles on a Mission” – please indicate if this is a one time gift or a commitment for monthly or annual support. To sign up to be part of their prayer team or two contact them email: reuben.myles@faith.edu.ph – so wonderful to see young people ready to serve!
11. Home Church Bubbles
Tiny bubbles
When I was a kid I remember hearing this song….Tiny bubbles in the slime (?), make me happy, make me feel fine. I am sure those were the words. Whatever the ‘concoction’, these ‘bubbles’ were guaranteed to make you happy and fine!
I want to talk to you about another kind of ‘bubble’ that I’m confident will make you feel happy and fine and connected to your BSBC family — HOME CHURCH BUBBLES.
Finding new ways to ‘do’ church
As the pandemic continues, we must find new ways to ‘do’ church at BSBC. We will continue to offer online services and activities — even as we “open up” for in-person events. We’re confident that some of our church family will reengage with in-person events, while many, for a variety of reasons including personal vulnerabilities to the virus, will not be able to. So how do we ensure that we stay connected, which we know to be an important element of being part of the Body of Christ?
A HOME CHURCH BUBBLE allows our big family to begin to reconnect in safe and consistent ways.
Home Church Bubbles
Home Church Bubbles are a small group of individuals or families who commit to meeting together on a regular basis for fellowship and the weekly online worship service. In this way, you’ll be gathering for worship with your “home church” family. A Home Church Bubble is the intentional joining of individual ‘bubbles’ to create a slice of BSBC community. Bubbles can be an amalgamation of people of the same age or inter-generational groups. Be as creative as you can!
Will you prayerfully consider creating a Home Church Bubble? It’s as easy as inviting others to gather weekly or biweekly to watch the online service in your home or the homes of your bubble members. If you’d like help creating a HOME CHURCH BUBBLE, Alyse Wilton, our Church Family Life Coordinator, is happy to help.
What do you do first?
Prayerfully consider creating or joining a HOME CHURCH BUBBLE.
Talk to those you know and explore the option.
Register your HOME CHURCH BUBBLE with Alyse (churchfamilylife@bsbc.nb.ca).
Want to join a group but don’t know who to ask? Email Alyse and we’ll try to connect you.
HOME CHURCH BUBBLES don’t have to meet on Sunday mornings – they can meet anytime during the week – but at a consistent time. Each week we will make available online resources you can print off for the use of children in your group. And, discussion questions provided for the use of older members of your HOME CHURCH BUBBLE.
When do we want to start?
We want to prayerfully launch our HOME CHURCH BUBBLE ministry on Sunday, September 27 so we’d like you to register your HOME CHURCH BUBBLE prior to that.
Questions?
Email Alyse at churchfamilylife@bsbc.nb.ca. As the pandemic continues, we must find new ways to ‘do’ church at BSBC. A HOME CHURCH BUBBLE is one way for our big family to begin to reconnect in safe and consistent ways.
Thank you for considering a new iteration of ministry at BSBC! Help us stay connected! Experience the Body of Christ in a new way!
Pastor Greg & Your Deacons
12. Celebrating These Folks Celebrating Birthdays This Month
YOUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
Dr. Keith Bodner, Preaching Pastor
Pastor Greg Geldart, Lead Pastor
Pastor Jim McLellan, Pastor of Senior’s Visitation
Pastor Charles Millette, Missionary in Residence
Pastor Steve Patterson, Outreach Pastor
Pastor Changbin Tian, Full-time Pastor to the Chinese Congregation
