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Hi everyone! Happy October!

It’s that time when the leaves start to turn color, the nights are cooler, we get to wear warm, cozy sweaters, and we enjoy snuggling up with a blanket or fireplace and a warm cup of something in a place where we can look out at the rainy evenings and say, “It’s good to be warm and dry at home tonight!”  I like autumn, though I must say that I’m happier about it after such a pleasant summer and September. I hope you’re all staying warm and dry this week, too.

With the turning of the calendar and of the leaves, Diane and I are sneaking away for one last weekend of camping before we settle in for the rest of the season. So, we’ll miss you this Sunday. It’s always sad not to see everyone and to worship together, though we are looking forward to a few last days before we pack all the camping stuff away until spring.

I mention this, in part, because I don’t want anyone to think I’ve found the most impressive Halloween costume in history when you come to church on Sunday and see someone who doesn’t look at all like me behind the pulpit. I’m really not that good at changing my appearance. (You’ll see what I mean on Sunday morning! It would be quite a change indeed!)

In my place this week, I’m very happy to say that we have a visit from a wonderful friend and former colleague, Dr. Joyce Chan. (Technically, it’s the “Reverend Doctor,” though Joyce doesn’t make a fuss about such things.)  Joyce was a professor of church history and Vice President Academic at Carey Theological College for a whole bunch of years, including most of the time I was there. In fact, she’s the one who hired me to serve at Carey, and we worked in offices next door to one another.

To me, Joyce was a supervisor I respected very much, and she remains a friend I greatly appreciate. In wider circles, both in the world of North American theological education and in intercultural church ministry in the Greater Vancouver Area, she is well-known as a creative, energetic, insightful, effective servant of our Lord with much to offer, whether she’s in the classroom, the administrative office, or the pulpit of this or that church. (She does a lot of guest speaking, though I don’t think we’ve had her here at WVBC before.)

I know our congregation will give Joyce a warm welcome this Sunday, and I’m confident that you will all enjoy and appreciate what the Lord has put on her heart to share. Hopefully, many of you will have the opportunity to chat with her after the service as well. Our Chinese brothers and sisters are likely to find the conversations especially interesting, as Joyce has a long-standing passion for training Christian leaders from Chinese backgrounds. She first went to Carey to launch their Chinese-language programs back in the early 2000s. Since 2023, she has served as professor and Principal of the Canadian Chinese School of Theology Vancouver. So she has a ton of experience and a lot of insight into ministry at the crossroads of Asian and Canadian culture.

Those of you who have a strong interest in art—whether Chinese or not—may also find yourselves in an interesting conversation about art with Joyce, who is an accomplished artist and recently completed a program of study in art therapy.

Well, I suppose I sound like I’m on a promotional campaign. Maybe that’s because I don’t get to introduce Joyce on Sunday morning. I’m sorry about that. My introductory comments would have been warm and a little flattering, and I’d have liked to be there for her message. But I guess I’ll have to rely on the online version. Thanks again to the team for putting that together each week.

In any case, I’m sure that you’ll have a good time of worship and study together. May this be a wonderful week for everyone. Diane and I will look forward to seeing you next week, when we’ll move further into the book of Colossians. I’m excited about that, too. Colossians 1:13-18 is one of the most powerful passages in the Bible, and it will be a delight to walk through it together. But more on that next time.

Meanwhile, richest blessings. Keep warm and dry, and enjoy those colored leaves!

—Pastor Ken