Christmas Update! Facility Renewal, Bill C-9, and More...
Dear church family,
As the snow falls and as the decorations light up, what a time to reflect on the blessings of Christ! And we, as a church family, have much to anticipate and celebrate.
Facility Renewal
We're thrilled to let everyone know that the membership approved the Facility Renewal Plans with an incredibly 98% vote! We praise God for giving us this wonderful gift of unity and a pathway forward. Still, much work is to be done! But now, in the spirit of Acts 15:28, we can say it "seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us" to proceed with this plan. We're excited! May God bless our efforts and even multiply them for His glory. Now, the leadership will be at work in procuring a contractor as well as envisioning a giving campaign to support the work. We hope you will joyfully participate!
Christmas-Time is Here!
We had a blast at the Christmas Wagon Ride last Saturday. I heard from many people that this event has become their family's annual tradition. We love filling up our neighbourhood streets with festive singing and Christmas joy! There's much more to look forward to this Christmas Season. Check in with your ministry leaders, as they may have a Christmas Party planned soon.
On Sunday December 21 and December 24 at 6:30pm, we have our Candlelight Christmas Service, which we have called "Re-Enchanted by Christmas." We're very excited for you to come and bring family and friends to hear the good news of Christmas in a fresh and wondrous way! We have two nights planned so that, if you or your neighbours have plans on Christmas Eve, you still have another great option!
Further, be sure to attend Testimony Sunday on Dec. 28, as we will hear two of our people share their stories of God's faithfulness in their lives. Also! Don't forget our New Year's Day Skate, Jan. 1 from 2-4pm at the Cwench Centre (1120 Martin Grove Rd). Bring your skates! If you can't get your hands on any, we have just a few pairs that you can borrow. If you want more information talk to Bob Fukumoto (bob@richview.org).
Children's Ministry Director Search
The Search Team has been formed and we are planning to begin interviews in January for the future Children's Ministry Director. We are hopeful that God will bring us a candidate that is the right fit, and by that I mean, someone who will experience the joy of Christ as they serve our church with their gifts. As a reminder, Joanne Leggat will be retiring at the end of 2026, but we plan on making this hire before Joanne goes in order to make a good ministry transition. Pray that God causes this plan to succeed!
Bill C-9
Many of you have reached out to me with concern over Bill C-9. What's particularly of concern is the possibility of the removal of the "good-faith religious belief" defence from the criminal code. In other words, should someone otherwise promote "hatred" or "violence" as the government defines it, that person would not be able to appeal to their truly and justifiably held religious beliefs in order to legally defend their actions. I'm sure you see the problem in that. If the government defines what is hate-speech or hateful conduct, and there is no exception for religious belief, then biblical churches like ours could soon be in the legal crosshairs, along with many other expressions of faith. FEB Central has issued a letter on behalf of our associated congregations that highlights our concerns, which you can read here. Please be in prayer for our law-makers and political leaders. I encourage you to inform yourself on the legislation and, should you be so led, express your concerns to your Member of Parliament.
May God so richly bless you this wonderful Christmas season!