Hi everyone! Once again, it’s newsletter day, and time to wish you all a wonderful day and a delightful week. It’s hard to believe we’re into the final days of January—especially when it’s been so sunny!
A very special greeting to all of the Chinese members of our community, whose New Year's celebrations come to a climax today! May you have a blessed and joyful New Year, and a fruitful, Christ-filled next 12 months. It’s a pleasure for us all to worship with you, to walk the path of Jesus together in fellowship and service. And it’s fun for the rest of us to be able to share, just a little bit, in this season which is so special for our Chinese brothers and sisters.
As was mentioned in our Sunday announcements this past week, we’re going to highlight the Chinese New Year this coming Sunday morning. Right now, as I write this note, there are a group of friends busily decorating the church lobby. (Looks beautiful—thanks everyone!) Once again, we’ll all be treated to a veritable feast after the morning service, which is always a delight.
Also, we’ll have a special speaker on Sunday. Over the past six months or so, our Mandarin programs have been blessed by the ministry of Aldo Zeng, who has provided regular teaching during bi-weekly Mandarin worship gatherings and also in Friday evening Bible studies. Aldo is actually an associate pastor at our sister Baptist church in Sechelt, where he leads the Mandarin ministry. Fortunately for us, Aldo’s work in Sechelt is part-time, which has allowed him to serve our community during this season as well. Our Mandarin-speaking brothers and sisters have become quite well acquainted with Aldo, but many in our congregation haven’t had a chance to meet him, so we thought it would be great to have him speak on Sunday. I know you’ll all enjoy getting to know Aldo just a little, and am confident that we will be well-fed in the Word once again.
Between Aldo’s ministry this week and Les Nasserden’s message last Sunday, there is a sense in which we’re getting back-to-back celebrations of WVBC multiculturalism. I’m delighted! As you know, I hadn’t planned that as part of this year’s original schedule, but the flu that was a nuisance in my household proved to be an opportunity for God to highlight this special truth in His household. As always, He knows what He’s doing! Thanks so much to Les for stepping in to preach, especially on short notice! I want to express my more general appreciation, as well, for the wonderful leadership Les brings to our Farsi ministry each week. Many good things are happening there, too.
As you know, West Vancouver Baptist Church has made ministry to our Farsi and Mandarin-speaking communities a point of special focus for a number of years. But of course, more than just 3 cultural groups are represented in our church. It’s a delight to gather and worship with friends from all over the world, who speak quite a range of languages and bring the richness of multiple backgrounds into our life together. It’s a small, but real foretaste of what we anticipate when our Lord returns and gathers His church. John reminds us in Revelation 7:
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…. And they cried out in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Our God, who is Three-in-One, delights in the beauty of diversity expressing itself in unity. He is preparing us to worship Him in that way through the long ages of eternity. And we have the privilege of some small-scale, sneak previews here. It’s a delight to be part of a community like this and to worship together as a united-but-diverse people. Thanks to everyone for helping to make it so!
On the subject of giving thanks, I should add a thank you to Mathilda for stepping in to help this last Sunday, and to everyone whose flexibility made things work so smoothly as well. I’m sorry Diane and I weren’t able to join you, but we’re looking forward to being together again this week. Thanks for your prayers and many expressions of concern while we were stuck at home.
Whether you’re caught up in New Year's events, or whatever this week may bring, may it be filled with blessings. We’ll see you soon!
Pastor Ken