Week of February 17 - 23, 2022 | West Vancouver Baptist Church

Pastor's Message

Unamuno, the Spanish philosopher, tells about the Roman aqueduct at Segovia, in his native Spain. It was built in 109 A.D. For eighteen hundred years, it carried cool water from the mountains to the hot and thirsty city. Nearly sixty generations of men drank from its flow.

Then came another generation, a recent one, who said, "This aqueduct is so great a marvel that it ought to be preserved for our children, as a museum piece. We shall relieve it of its centuries-long labor."

They did; they laid modern iron pipes. They gave the ancient bricks and mortar a reverent rest. And the aqueduct began to fall apart. The sun beating on the dry mortar caused it to crumble. The bricks and stone sagged and threatened to fall. What ages of service could not destroy idleness disintegrated. What an encouragement for us to keep serving!

Special Announcements

Identity Statement Discussions: with Gerry Teichrob facilitating. These will be held on Wednesdays in the Sanctuary, and on Zoom, as follows:

Session 1: How did we get here? - March 2 at 7pm
Session 2: Sexual identity - March 23 at 7pm
Session 3: The vote - April 13 at 7pm

A message from Matt Kitchener, Chaplain Inglewood Care Center: I’d like to introduce you to a training program called the Spiritual Care Series. It was designed by Healthcare and Spiritual Care professionals to equip health professionals and volunteers with skills to help older people discover pathways to meaningful aging. This 8 session course provides participants with everything from a realistic understanding of the aging process, communication strategies, and understanding dementia to practical techniques for re-connecting people with their pasts and coping with the losses that come with the aging journey. Some groups that have found this to be helpful are people supporting aging family members or friends, seniors’ ministry volunteers, and visitors in residential care facilities. Multiple denominations, dioceses, and individual churches are using this course to train people.

As a pastor for 20 years and now a chaplain in a Long Term Care facility I have seen the value of people who can provide pastoral/spiritual care for others in their family, neighbourhood and congregation. I will be offering an evening weekly online small group beginning March 8. There is a charge for the course, but I am offering it at cost ($100). For those who choose to volunteer at Inglewood after the course, that cost will be returned. There is also a group discount if more than three people want to take the course together in their home or church. By all means, contact me at 604.346.9952 or Matt Kitchener.

Mission Central - Join us on February 25 and 26 for CREATE: this is a conference for Christian creatives and those who love the arts. CREATE aims to support and be a catalyst for a community of generative Christians, and desires to move beyond passive consumption. We are keen to inspire Christians (artists or not) to live lives of holy creativity. REGISTER

Wyldlife is a pre-teen youth group (9-12 ages) held by Young Life North Shore and Highway Church. The next Wyldlife pre-teen clubs will be held at Memorial Community Center until Spring Break. They are located in the Capilano Room, a large multi-purpose room located on the ground floor of the building. See Michael Ames for more information The next Wyldlife Club is set for this Friday, February 18; the Event Starts at 6:15pm; Event End: 7:30pm. Location Address: 123 East 23rd Street, North Vancouver, BC V7N 2L3. Please note that masks will be worn. RSVP

Sermon Video: The worship service recording from Sunday, February 13 is not available due to issues arising from connection problems to YouTube which were corrected this week. We were thankful to be able to transition to the Mandarin Zoom Service but did have some difficulty with the sound during the scripture reading and sermon. We are thankful for your patience, prayers, and support for those working behind the scenes. Any technical help is appreciated! Contact Don Hill or Judy Thompson.

Year-end Receipts – As you may recall, in June we moved to Tithe.ly for our website and for donations to the church. You may have received an email from tithe.ly about your donations for 2021 or some type of notification. Please note that it only includes your giving from June to December. Please DO NOT use that for your income taxes as we will be sending out official West Vancouver Baptist Church Charitable Tax Receipts for 2021, which have donations from January to December. These will be in an email on Monday, February 21, or mailed if we do not have your email address.