Message from the Pastor - Ken Radant
It’s still raining outside my window, but today I get to flip my calendar and it reminds me that sunnier days are on their way. In the meantime, the unusually warm weather has been pleasant—though we need to keep praying that we’ll be spared from serious flooding.
As I look over that new calendar page, I’m conscious that February will be a busy month. Lots of things happening here at church, as you will see in the list of announcements in this newsletter. Plenty on the North Shore and in the wider Vancouver community as well, both in Christian circles (for example with Missions Fest) and beyond. Things are ramping up for the Lunar New Year, which will involve travel for some of you and a flurry of activities for others who are staying close to home. In our household, we’ll have several sets of out-of-town guests here to visit (and to get away from the colder temperatures still hanging over the prairies).
It's all good! There will be opportunities to connect with friends and family, chances to learn about ministry opportunities both near and far, presentations to learn from, parties to attend, and more. I’m glad for so many good things to fill our days. And praying for wisdom to know what to engage and what I should leave for another time. I hope you all are anticipating good things in this coming month as well. May your days be fruitful, satisfying, and enjoyable, with just the right amount of activity and not too much stress. (And for those who are carrying extra stresses, may you get some relief, and know God-given joy through it all.)
If you’re reading ahead in preparation for Sunday’s message, this week we’re going to Ephesus in Acts 19:1-20. It’s an entertaining passage, though not an easy one. We’ll be looking at some of the ways that the power of the Holy Spirit was at work as the name of Jesus was proclaimed in that city. I hope the stories will be an encouragement to us all. Whether our days are busy or quiet, we all need to experience the power of God in our lives and our ministries. It’s great to know He is present and working among us.
Richest blessings! I look forward to worshipping together again this week.
Membership Recommendation
The Council warmly recommends the following three people for membership at West Vancouver Baptist Church: Asty Yuan Yuan Ma, Yan (CarrieP Liu, and Xiaoton (Lily) Dai. If anyone has any questions regarding these recommendations, please contact Hilary Blair, Church Clerk.
Tax Time - Year-End Receipts
We are in the process of reconciling your tithe and offerings for your charitable giving to West Vancouver Baptist Church. We will be sending out the official West Vancouver Baptist Church Charitable Tax Receipts for 2023 before the end of February. These will be emailed to you. Please be sure to give us your e-mail address in case we do not have it. You can send it to jthompson@westvanbaptist.com. This saves us the cost of mailing the receipt to you.
Events
Mark your calendars for these great events coming up.
