Pastor's Message - Chris Kibble
Gregory of Nazianzus once said; ‘The deity of the Holy Spirit ought to be clearly recognized in Scripture. Look at these facts: Christ is born; the Spirit is His forerunner. Christ is baptized; the Spirit bears witness. Christ is tempted; the Spirit leads Him up. Christ ascends; the Spirit takes His place.
What great things are there in the character of God which are not found in the Spirit? What titles which belong to God are not also applied to Him? He is called the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, the mind of Christ, the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of adoption, of truth, of liberty; the Spirit of wisdom, of understanding, of counsel, of might, of knowledge, of godliness, of the fear of God. This only begins to show how unlimited He is’.
A Special Day - Fall BBQ, September 11: Many thanks to those who helped with the Fall BBQ - everyone agreed that it was a great occasion for us to meet in person and eat together. Special thanks to our organizer - Toni Pankratz.
Another Special Day: In 2020, the Canadian Government, via our CBWC head office, offered West Vancouver Baptist Church two refugee ‘slots’. In December 2020, Pastor Axel Schoeber asked Pastor Chris to help Veda Jamshidi of our congregation to organize the immigration of Veda’s son, Navid, and daughter-in-law Sepideh.
The church needed to guarantee $25k for first-year refugee support and a member agreed to do this on the church’s behalf. Navid and Sepideh, both Christians, had fled from Iran to Turkey to escape persecution. Veda, Pastor Chris, and Ashley Sharifi spent a lot of time in the form filling! And Veda saved sufficient funds through very hard work to support Navid and Sepideh in their first year.
Last Tuesday, September 13, after 21 months, Navid and Sepideh arrived at Vancouver airport. It was a time of much rejoicing. You’ll meet them on Sunday.
Dusty Sandals: you’re cordially invited to a complimentary Indian dinner at 5.00 p.m. on Sunday, September 25 to see a presentation by the Dusty Sandals society. They reach out to the ‘untouchables’ of India. You can sign up under EVENTS on our website. Call Shaku on 604.442.9815 if you have any questions.
H20: We’ll be starting a 10-week course called H20 on Wednesday, September 28 at 7.00 pm in the Fireside room. What is H20? Well, water of course. It’s an opportunity for those unfamiliar with the gospel of Christ to openly consider – or maybe even drink of – the Living Water, Jesus Christ. It’s also an opportunity for Christians to reaffirm their basic beliefs. You can sign up under ‘events’ on our website. If you have any questions, contact Pastor Chris at 778-987-8102.
Living Single Again (LSA) started this week; however, it's not too late to join the online Zoom class, Wednesday evenings at 7:00 pm. You'll be able to catch up on the missed session online. LSA was originally intended as a post-divorce or post-grief recovery resource; however, it is now regarded as a course for every single person to guide them through the maze of new relationships. It's also valuable to those who don't wish to marry again, as what is covered in the program is useful in ALL relationships. Registration is $15 and is on the website's Home Page, and also under EVENTS.
Small groups: if you would like to join a small group at the church, Debra Ames will be in the foyer for the next two weeks after the service to discuss small groups with you. If you’re not in a small group, why not consider joining one?
WVBC Choir: People of all ages are invited to join a WVBC casual choir. We want to bring the church community together with our love of singing praises to God. We will begin simply and learn songs in different styles to sing occasionally on Sunday. Meet in the Fireside Room from 11:30 to 12:25 for rehearsal, starting Sunday, October 2. If you have questions, please email wvbcChoir@outlook.com.