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Hi everyone! Happy Thursday! I trust your week is going well.

This week I’ve found myself reflecting again on how blessed I am to be able to serve here at WVBC. This really is a wonderful community. And I get to work with a wonderful team of staff, which makes coming into the office a delight each week. It occurs to me that I probably should have included a paragraph dedicated just to them when I was recounting blessings not long ago in my Thanksgiving newsletter note.

I am so grateful for each team member.

I think everyone is aware of the rich mix of gifts that Neil brings to his role as he leads us in worship each week. You may not be as conscious of the many hours he puts into preparation and organization to make things happen. I’m thankful for all he does to serve us.

It’s been a delight to have Aldo on the team this year. He is obviously able to serve our Chinese community in ways that I can’t, which has been a blessing; but he has also expanded our capacity to move ministry forward in a variety of areas, and of course we are all enriched by his sense of humor and friendly way of engaging.

As the months go by, I observe more and more people getting to know Fiona as you come through the office or interact with her on ministry events and projects. I’m glad. Fiona is somewhat quieter than some others on the staff, and it may have taken a little while for you to get acquainted with her. But she, too, is a delight to visit with and a source of joy and laughter, in addition to being a quiet powerhouse in the office, bringing a rich selection of tools and skills to her work and helping us all to stay organized and effective.

Moving beyond the office, I’m so grateful for the dozens upon dozens of ways that Liz keeps our whole facility in good order, faithfully managing all the regular stuff that needs to be done (and there’s more than any of us realize!) and attacking those special projects that are always coming up in an almost-60-year-old building. It’s a never-ending task, and I fear that it’s all too easy for the rest of us to overlook all that’s done behind the scenes to ensure that we have a comfortable and safe place to worship and learn and serve together. I’m grateful for Liz’s servant heart, skill, and the energy she puts into things, while still finding ways to connect with the people who cross paths with her along the way.

Speaking of working behind the scenes, I’m also grateful for the quiet, diligent, upstanding work Rong does to keep our books in order, making sure that the church’s financial affairs are healthy. Here again, we generally don’t notice the work because it’s done so smoothly. But that’s a very good thing. No one wants to hear about the problems with church finances, which too often is reported through the newspapers. I’m grateful for Rong’s skill and faithfulness there.

Those are the folks on the regular payroll. Of course, our team also includes a number who serve regularly on an as-needed basis, or who just show up and invest their time and energy out of a love for the Lord and for the church without holding formal staff titles. That list of names is long, and I’ll inevitably miss some if I start naming them (for which I apologize in advance!). I’m so thankful for Judy and Toni and Brian and Cam and Don and Les and others besides, who all help to keep the wheels turning here at West Vancouver Baptist.

And I’d need to write another longer newsletter to express my appreciation for all the folks who serve our Lord together here on Council, in various committees, in ministry teams and as ministry leaders, and in so many other wonderful ways. I’ve said it before quite a few times, but will keep making the point:  the church is us, and the church serves our Lord through the investment of time and energy and gifts of the members of our community.

I know our Lord sees every contribution and values them all. I want to follow His example, recognizing all the ways you all contribute to the life of the church, and expressing my gratitude. I want to do it all the time, not just around Thanksgiving. I’ll try to do it more.  Thanks so much to everyone (and this week, especially to my staff colleagues) for “being the church” together so faithfully. It’s a privilege to walk with Jesus and to serve Him together with you.

Changing the subject slightly, once again I’ll offer a quick preview of what’s coming on Sunday for those who like to read ahead. We’re continuing our journey through 1 Peter, and this week we’ll be looking at 1 Peter 3:8-18a.

You’ll notice a slight overlap with the end of last week’s passage. That’s intentional. This letter tends to flow from one section into another, and it’s useful to have the transition verses in view.

Verse 8 could be a sermon all on its own, as it gives a very good prescription for the character qualities we need in order to live well together as a community. I encourage us all to spend a little time just reflecting on its admonitions. But we need to keep moving or this letter will take us all the way through 2027! So this week we’ll go through the larger section. The key theme that will pull it together is “blessing”—highlighted in verses 9 and 14 but present all the way through. If you’re reading ahead, you may want to think about ways God blesses us and how He uses us to bless others.

It may sound odd to finish with verse 18a. But I’m deliberately waiting to tackle the (quite challenging!) section that begins in the latter half of verse 18 until the following week. Feel free to read ahead to the end of the chapter if you want—but if you do, don’t be surprised if you find yourself scratching your head a bit.  More on that as we get into November.  J

Meanwhile, have a wonderful week. Enjoy those fall colors while we have them, and may God bless you richly in every way. See you soon.

—Pastor Ken