​Good afternoon everyone.  What a beautiful day!  You can really feel spring in the air. Hope you are doing well and resting in the sufficiency of God. A great verse to remember in these days is "God's 911", Psalm 91:1-Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Here's what I'd like to share with you today:

'Like us on Facebook
Our Facebook page is a place for not only updates but encouragement. You can also watch our archived service livestreams as well. Please feel free to share with your friends as well as an outlet with a positive message. Our hope is in Jesus! Let's share that message.

Sunday's Livestream
I hope you'll join us for our livestream on Sunday. I'll be continuing my series on the Hope of Easter and will be looking at the topic of forgiveness. Please pray for my preparations as I intend to share the gospel message of the hope that comes from forgiveness through Jesus. Hope to 'see' you at 11!

Closing Thoughts:
I've been thinking about this whole situation a lot lately (hardly surprising!).  None of us have been trained to do this. We’ve never gone through an epidemic like the COVID-19 before. Fear is everywhere. I’m sure many of you are wrestling with this new reality. Over the course of my regular updates I'd like to share some truths with you that I hope will be an encouragement and help to to trust in God and not fall to our enemy's lies. Here's the first one:
Not everything you hear is true. 
Not everyone with an opinion on the Internet, television, and social media knows what they’re talking about. You need to be selective with who you listen to during this time. Many people in the coming days will have their own agendas—financial, political, etc.—for this crisis.  The Bible says in Proverbs 13:16, “The prudent man always acts out of knowledge.” In other words, act out of knowledge and not fear. Make it a priority to get your facts from people who are trustworthy. That's why we have a link to the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health Unit website on our home page. We want you to have a source of proper information.  

May God flow in you and flow through you!

In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Good morning everyone!  I hope your day is off to a good start. I'm glad to see the snow gone and the sun back shining. I've been mediating lately on Proverbs 3:5-6. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight." I'm not certain I truly realized how important this piece of wisdom was until dealing with this situation. Let's trust in God and allow him to straighten our path.


Prayer Gathering Tonight
Jacob and Karen Ginter are again leading a virtual prayer gathering tonight from their home. Why not join in and pray for our church family, community and world as we go through this situation.
Time: 7pm
Join Zoom Meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/923156764

Meeting ID: 923 156 764
NOTE: you can dial in with your cell phone!

1. Dial one of the numbers below

2 Enter 923 156 764 when asked for “Meeting ID”


Open Altar on Sunday
As you know, the last Sunday of the month is open altar prayer time where you have the opportunity to pray with me after the service. Well that'll continue this Sunday with Virtual Open Altar.
After the service I'll have a time of prayer for those who want to stick around and will take your prayer requests over the 'comment' option.   If you're not comfortable with that you can send me your prayer requests and I will pray for you during this time. Just because the medium has changed doesn't mean the message does- prayer is powerful!


Need any help?
If you need someone to run an errand or help you in any way we're here to help. Our Care Ministry team is available to give assistance where we can. Contact Helen Martini or Pastor Chris


Financial Update
Thank you to those who arranged to give to our church's financial needs on Sunday.  We have ongoing financial commitments we'd like to be able to honor so if you can help us that would be appreciated.  The ways you can support us financially are:
1. Through the office: Put the donation in your offering envelope and drop it off at the church

2.  Sign up for Pre Authorized Debit/Donations: This deducts offerings directly from your bank account.  It is run once a month on the Monday following the first Sunday of the month. This is done through the church office and can be conveniently arranged

3.  Donate online using CanadaHelps: this is the easiest way is to continue to support us financially right now. To use it, simply go to the GBC web site and click on "Give" or go direct to the CanadaHelps site. Here is the link:
Donate Now

Donate Now
Closing Thoughts

Not knowing when this will end is probably the hardest part of this right now. Thankfully God knows and is working.  So let's trust him, take it one day at a time and follow his path.  If you're having troubles with this, find yourself struggling, or feel alone, reach out to me and lets talk. Don't go through this alone.
I'm praying for you all!

In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Good morning GBC family!  So what a change from one day to the next- sun then snow?? Like I hear from so many- these are CRAZY times!!  I'm so glad God is in charge and working out this mess into a message!  Here's a few things I'd like to share with you today. 

Sunday Service Recap
Thanks to everyone who tuned in yesterday to our live stream. I was deeply touched by how many tuned in.  In the end it actually was a lot of fun in many ways. I appreciate all the comments and feedback I got. You may have heard that Facebook crashed (that's why there was no Live feed) with all the traffic from churches. It just shows that people are looking for HOPE.

Video replays of the service, if you missed it, will be posted on our Facebook page and our website soon.

We'll continue to do this until we're able to join together in person. Here's a GREAT opportunity though to invite people to church.  If anyone you know is looking for a message of hope let them know about our service on Sunday via live stream.  This is a great time for outreach.


A Call to Pray
Yesterday Jacob shared through the prayer chain a worldwide call to pray.  He and I talked about this and we'd like to encourage all of us to continue this prayer at noon every day until this is over (Sorry, a bit late for today!!). Here are the details:During this time of concern, we see many turning to God in prayer. Indeed, as we receive news from all over the world, in most cases concerns that we have no influence over, our response is to act in line with Hebrews 4:16: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
We will pray – Please join us!
CHRISTIANS TO UNITE AGAINST COVID-19
A world day of prayer is called on Sunday 22 March at 12 noon local time. All Christians are asked to pray at home at 12 noon covering the globe in 24 hours. Pray for:
1. The stop of the spread of the virus
2. The recovery of those already infected
3. Peace for the families who lost loved ones
4. Restoration of the economies of the world
5. Wisdom for the governments who have to manage the outbreak.
6. That many would find their hope, salvation, solace and joy in Jesus Christ.
Never before has there been a reason to call ALL Christians around the world to a global day of prayer against a threat that affects the entire world.

So what do you think, GBC family, are we up for it? OF COURSE! Let's pray!


Telephone Call-Out Team
This morning we launched a call-out team to keep us all connected. A number of our elders and leaders here are going to be calling you on a weekly basis to check in and say hello. It's chance to chat, share anything you might need, and pray together. Let's stay connected.


Closing Thoughts
That's all for today.  I'll be in touch again to keep you updated on what's going on.  I heard a quote from someone I wanted to share:
"Don't be glued to your televisions, be glued to your bible!"  Great counsel.
Let us remember the words of Proverbs 3- Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

I'll be doing my own call-outs during the week but if you need anything or just want someone to talk to, reach out, I'd love to connect.  We're in this together.

God loves you!

In His grip,
Pastor Chris

​Good morning everyone!  Rather than go through the prayer chain, with the help of Elaine, I've put together an email contact list so we can stay connected.  I'll be using this going forward for regular updates.

Pretty crazy times, huh? We're certainly experiencing something we've never seen (or likely expected) before.  It's easy to become distracted or despondent. Now is the time for us to let our lights shine and bring the gospel to the people around us.  As I said on Sunday, when we're afraid, remember God's words in Isaiah 43:“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine."  We are in God's hands, he knows our name and he's got this.

With that in mind, here are a number of updates so you know what's going on and what we're doing to keep us all connected during this time of trial:

Sunday Service
As you'll likely be expecting, we won't be meeting physically on Sunday. There will be some form of online or live stream option as an alternative this Sunday. Details are still being worked out and I'll share likely tomorrow

Staying Connected
i'd like to set up a phone team that will be given a group of people to call on a regular basis. This is not just for people who don't have email, this is for all of us.  A good, old-fashioned, phone call can be a great encouragement when we're feeling isolated.
If you're interested in being part of this going forward, let me know.

Another way we can stay connected is through our new Facebook page. If you are on this social media platform this is a way to connect with your church family. There will be regular scripture posts and readings to encourage you as we go through this time of trial.  Here's a link to it:
Guelph Bible Chapel


Guelph Bible ChapelGuelph Bible Chapel. GBC's vision is to see God changing lives!




Need help?
Our Care Ministry is ready to help you out! If you are short of something and can't get it, have an errand to run and you're in self-isolation we can help with that. Let either Helen Martini or myself know how we can help.


Are you struggling or feeling stressed?
Are you feeling anxious or stressed right now?  Overwhelmed? These are tough, challenging times. Don't go through it alone. In this time of social distancing and self-isolation don't keep yourself isolated from people, find ways to connect either by phone, video call or in person if you're feeling well.  And if you need someone to talk with, pray with or would like a visit, I'd love to connect with you. Just reach out.  Let's stay connected. 


Our Library is open
While the public library is open, and there are lots of great online options available, if you'd like a good book to read, a DVD or resources for your kids, the GBC library is open. Elaine is happy to help you from 9am-12pm Monday to Friday


Closing thoughts for now....
This was REALLY long, I know but I had a lot to share! Going forward I promise they'll be shortly.  One last thought-   I was praying last night with the Ginters and we were praying through Psalm 27.  The last two verses say this: " I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."
It's time like this our faith is put to the test. Hang in there and press into your relationship with God.  We WILL see the goodness of God, we're experiencing it right now in fact, but may we be strong, take heart and wait on the Lord!

In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Just a short post and not my regular one but rather I wanted to share some thoughts in these stressful days that I hope will be an encouragement for you.

As we continue to wrestle with the implications of the Corona Virus and what it means for us as a church and as followers of God I wanted to connect with you all.  As we get used to terms and practices like social distancing and self-isolation I want to encourage you though to not isolate yourself from God and from your church family. We need each other in times like this! I also wanted to remind you to hold on to your faith and hold on to God. 

Believing in God, though, doesn't negate common sense practices. Be aware and be smart as you go about your lives that are still continuing.  Follow reliable sources for information as you stay informed. 

So, as we take this day-to-day lets find ways to connect as a family and maintain our relationships. That may be a call, text, video chat or even getting together face-to-face.  I will also add that if you're feeling stressed, anxious or alone talk to God about it. You can also talk to me as well if you'd like to connect for any reason.

May we use this scary situation to be lighthouses in the darkness and share the message of hope found in Jesus Christ.  God is still on the throne, he's not surprised and he's working out his solution right now. May we keep our eyes fixed on him.

Trust God, keep calm and carry on!

In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Isaiah 43:1- “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

​Every year I share the content of my report for our annual report and this year's I think is particularly timely.  As I sit and write this report we are in the throes of the growing fear over the Corona Virus, the concern over blockades throughout the country and the noise of the upcoming US election. There seems to be lots of fear and lots of things to fear. Then we look at the state of the church in Canada. The recent report from the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada in regards to not only shrinking church attendance but also interest in what we do is sobering. Closer to home, we’ve seen a dip in attendance here at GBC and struggles to meet our budget.
 
Lots of things to fear….
 
Then I read these ancient words, spoken to Isaiah, in another time of turmoil, tension and upset: “fear not”.
 
It’s easy to get distracted by everything going on and the question: ‘what is our future?’ arises.  How do I answer?  Our future is the one that God has chosen.  He has a purpose and plan for you and me, he has a purpose and plan for GBC.  Our job is to quiet ourselves from all the white noise around us and in the media and seek to understand what that plan may be.
 
We need to listen for the voice of God.
 
We’ve been doing this through our 100 Days of Prayer initiative going on as I write this. So, we pray and listen.  Still, its good to remember what God has done since there is much light behind the clouds we may be currently experiencing. 
 
We experienced MANY blessings in 2019 as a church. We continue to watch God use our Oasis ministry, we see lives touched in our study groups, our youth ministry grows, especially with many coming from our community, our Oasis@Midweek monthly children’s ministry event grows as a genuine outreach with those we’re connected with and on and on. Yes, there is much to be encouraged by here.  
 
Still, we have a part to play in this process.  Israel entered the Promised Land God had taken them too but it was a different group of people then the ones who’d been on the threshold 40 years earlier. This is a reminder that we need to LISTEN for the Lord, TRUST he is moving in our circumstances and have COURAGE to do what he is calling us to do. We are people with Good News, we have lots to share and lots of love and grace to distribute. May this be our focus.
 
So, we have lots to be encouraged by despite the challenges we face. Yet challenges are also an opportunity to grow in our faith as we trust God and take steps of obedience towards our own Promised Land. Until the Lord reveals himself, let us press on and fear not.
 

​I’m one who makes New Year’s resolutions and am quite unashamed of it. I find the chance to look back at the previous year and then look to the new one to come helpful.  Goal setting is a useful tool not just for life but for spiritual growth. By this time though, many have given up on their goals and resolutions which is a mistake.  Lately I’ve read a number of articles speaking against this practice. Some are tongue-in-cheek decrying the inability of the writer to follow through so why try. Others speak to a lack of necessity.  There’s a sense almost that we don’t need to concern ourselves with such things, that God will take care of it.
 
I would disagree.
 
Our walk as disciples is one that should be purposeful and not random. When Jesus enters us through the Holy Spirit our life is changed.  We are a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come (2 Cor.5:17).  What this means is we begin a process which is called sanctification where we become more like Jesus and less like ourselves.  God provides salvation, it’s by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. That’s His part. But after that we have to do something with this amazing gift. Paul encourages us to work out of salvation (Phil.2:12) while James exhorts us to be doers of the word and not listeners only (James 1:22).
 
That means we have a part to play.
 
When Paul was mentoring a young pastor named Timothy he used the analogy of an athlete.  As a track coach I like that but the point is the same whether you’re an athlete or not: train yourself to be godly (1 Tim 4:7). We have spiritual muscles that need to be used and challenged to grow. If not, we can fall into spiritual sloth. How do we train ourselves? How do we even know if we’re growing or not? We set goals and then assess how we’re doing, adjusting along the way. There’s no magic to this or ‘secret sauce’ missing, there’s only purposefully doing it.
 
That’s where it gets tough.
 
We have to fight our tendency towards apathy and spiritual laziness all the time fighting an enemy who doesn’t want us to grow in God. If we don’t, well, our relationship with God will dwindle, our light will be dull, and there will be little joy in our Christian experience.
 
While there are lots of great goals to make here are a couple of questions to ask yourself at the beginning of the year (or your birthday, spiritual anniversary or some milestone):
-What’s one thing you can do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?
-In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year and what will you do about it?
-What’s the most important way you will, by God’s grace, try to make this year different from last year?
 
There are dozens of questions you can ask. The point is to take some time at some point in the year and look at what progress you’ve (hopefully!) made during the time period and then look to see what steps you can take to continue to grow. Jesus talked about a tree that doesn’t bear fruit in its life being cut off while those that do are pruned (John 15:2). That can be (and should be!) pretty sobering.  How do you know if you’re bearing fruit? By looking at what you’ve done. How do you prune? By looking at your life and making the changes needed to grow in Christ.  It’s not just a command from the Lord, it’s actually pretty practical and has a transformational impact on your life. 
 
God has given us a tremendous opportunity to impact our life and the lives around us.  So why don’t you consider setting some spiritual goals for yourself after doing an assessment along the way to having a great 2020?  Train yourself to be Godly!

​Luke 2:10-11 I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord
 
Okay, so this message is about Christmas.  Would you have expected anything else? In my defense, I LOVE Christmas so this is not a big stretch. I love presents, decorating, eggnog, the tree, cider, our family traditions…
 
Wait a minute….aren’t you missing something Chris?? 
 
No, I was getting to that. I also love the time to reflect on the birth of Jesus and what it meant.  Why didn’t I put that first? Some may say: you’re supposed to be a Christian and a pastor, what gives?  I’d like to say lighten up and enjoy the season but I won’t since I’m, well… a Christian and a pastor. 
 
I bring you good news of great joy
 
I became a follower of Jesus Christ as an adult right at Christmas time (December 17 to be precise-how’s THAT for a guy who loves Christmas!?! –what a GREAT gift) and many things changed for me.  I have to confess I became quite uncomfortable with many of our ‘worldly’ habits and traditions at this time of year and I struggled.  I wasn’t sure how we were supposed to act.  In our first year as Christians we had a big birthday cake for Jesus. We tried REALLY hard to do it ‘right’ and yet something was missing despite all the good Christian stuff we did.
 
I bring you good news of great joy
 
God became flesh to be a reconciliation to the world (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).  The WORD itself, God Himself, became flesh (John 1:14) so that we might live in right relationship with Him. That’s why Jesus was born, that through His death we might be set free from sin’s price and by His resurrection we can live a life triumphant until we meet Him again in heaven.  We couldn’t do it ourselves so Christmas becomes a celebration of our helplessness and His antidote.  What an AMAZING present!
 
But I still had to reconcile the two paradigms in my own life and practice. Then Jesus words hit me: I have come that they may have life and have it to the full (John 10:10). This is a time to celebrate, to pull out the stops-joy to the world the LORD has come!
 
I bring you good news of great joy
 
You know what? I found they can peacefully, and even joyfully, co-exist.  This is Good News so you can have the trees, presents, traditions and on and on and still keep Christ in Christmas.   The two can live in harmony, it doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition.  It’s about the heart, what’s in it and what fills it….great joy.   So stop feeling guilty about what you do or angry about what I do, Jesus came to build a bridge between fallen man and a Sovereign God. Do you love the Lord? Have you given Him your life?  Do you seek to honor Him in all you do?  Then Christ is in Christmas, the rest is gravy. Speaking of which, I don’t know about you, but I’m going to celebrate that.  Hey, where’s the tinsel?
 
From my family and I to you, have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year. I can’t wait to see what He has in store for 2020!

​Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13
 
I spent this past November 11th morning in the snow at my local Cenotaph remembering and paying tribute to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. I find myself getting choked up by the imagery and idea of what we are remembering. But I sometimes ask myself why I get such a reaction.  I spent a few days pondering this until the furor over Don Cherry’s comments interrupted my thoughts. I’d intended on writing about the act and importance of remembering and wondered if I should change the thrust of my writing because of the all controversy and emotions on both sides of the issue.
 
But then I thought, no, I will continue on because at times such as this we need to be reminded of the importance of remembering (no pun intended!).
 
We remember so we can continue. In times like this it’s easy to get scared, angry or fall into the gridlock of too much information. But when we remember we can carry on. We remember that Jesus told his disciples, and we as his church by extension, that we would experience betrayal, wars, false prophets, disaster, abandonment, and attacks like we saw in France (Matthew 24:1-14).  This can be very discouraging; we may want to give up or even question God’s power and goodness. But then we can also remember Jesus words: “I have told you all these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!  I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
 
Take heart, I have overcome the world!
 
There will be trouble in the world and increasingly for the follower of Jesus Christ that is becoming more pronounced. Here is Canada we are misunderstood, discriminated against and increasingly being treated with suspicion. But that’s nothing considering the persecution of Christians in places like North Korea (yes, there are Christians there!), Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria and so many other places.
 
You will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world!
 
Notice the exclamation mark? That’s for emphasis, as if to say, ‘this really has happened and you really can tap into that power source. This is the peace Jesus talked about earlier.  While we will likely never have total physical peace on this Earth we can experience peace with God through Jesus and what he did for us.  His death on the cross signaled that sin had been defeated and his resurrection that death had been defeated.
 
So while terrorists may strike, while wars may rage, we can have peace because of what Jesus did for us. This is worth remembering.
 
I am very thankful for our veterans who went to fight so that others may live and so I remember then by wearing a poppy and attending a November 11 service at my local cenotaph.  I am very thankful for Jesus who paid a price I could not so that I might live forever. Greater love has no one than this……
 
This is worth remembering in troubled and turbulent times like this.  Take heart, Jesus has overcome the world.  Lest we forget.  Do you?

​This may seem a little late since we’re a few weeks past Thanksgiving but the idea of being thankful is still on my mind. In addition, its too easy to focus on a day or weekend and then think we’re done and can move on.  Yet the idea of being thankful is something that we should be constantly.  So, here’s some thoughts.
“Give thanks with a grateful heart” goes an old chorus, the Bible says give thanks to the Lord (1 Chron.16:8). We do that here in Canada in October and our American friends do it in November. That usually means getting the family or some semblance of family together to eat too much turkey. We’re thankful for a good spread and that people could make it and then we move on to the usual pace of life and forget. A brief pause in an otherwise petal-to-the-metal existence. But that’s not where our focus should lie.
When you look at the origins of Thanksgiving, going back to an agricultural society where it was tied into the harvest, it had a lot more immediate significance. They were thankful for the food that would keep them going through the depths of winter and more importantly for the God who provided it. Today we are thankful when we find a good deal on a turkey at Zehrs but often forget the same God who gave us the abundance of choice. 
Has the idea then of Thanksgiving become unfashionable? Is it, dare I say, even redundant and in need of being jettisoned to the scrap heap?  Can we connect anymore with the intent like our forefathers did?
I think we can.
Though we no longer hunt for or grow our food that doesn’t mean each year we can’t pause to give thanks for the bounty we have. We have so many things to be thankful for, so many blessings. We have not only the opportunity of food choices but even more, peace and prosperity in this land. Though we fear many things it seems (hurricanes, terrorists, politics) little of them become reality in our lives here. Instead we enjoy a stability of life many in the world cannot even imagine.
Count your blessings, give thanks.  In fact 1 Thessalonians says: give thanks in all circumstances. (1 Thes. 5:18) seeming to raise the stakes.
What about those who are suffering right now?  …who’ve experienced economic difficulties…who’ve suffered tragedy and loss…who’re wracked with pain or disease?  What can they possibly count as a blessing? 
A few things.
One, that there’s a purpose even in their suffering and loss. We may not understand it but there’s a God in charge who will use these things for His glory, eventually revealing the purpose. Daniel was a man well acquainted with the mysterious ways God works.  Taken into slavery, elevated to high office, falsely accused and imprisoned, he still had a spirit of thanksgiving.  He wrote: “He (God) reveals deep and hidden things, he knows what lies in darkness. I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers… there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.” (Daniel 2:22-23, 28).
 Still not enough? In the end He will make it right, everything will be sorted out, what has happened was not random, was not unnoticed and will be remembered.  At the name of Jesus every knee will bow (Phil 2:10 ), the dead will be judged according to what they’ve done (Rev. 20:12) and there will be no more death,  mourning, crying or pain (Rev.21:4).  How can you not be thankful with that in mind?
If you didn’t already, take time, stop, ponder, maybe even meditate, on the blessings in your life, count them, name them and then give thanks for them.  Doing this may not only make your day, but it could change your life!
Psalm 126:3 says the Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.  Give thanks, with a grateful heart, because He’s given Jesus Christ the son. This is more than a catchy tune but something that could change your life! Yes, give thanks.