Good morning.  Our GBC family picnic is coming up on Tuesday June 20. Mark your calendars and plan to join us for a BBQ dinner, games for the kids and a chance to grow in community. More details will be coming soon!
 
 
Our Youth-Seniors lunch is this Sunday!
As a reminder, our youth and seniors June lunch is happening this Sunday, Sunday June 11.  After our main service, our youth will host the GBC seniors for a lunch that will provide an opportunity to share a meal and build relationship together.
I hope you can make it out.
If you're interested in coming, please RSVP to me so we can ensure food and setup.
I'm really excited about the opportunity to do this again.  I hope you can make it out!
 
 
Baptism opportunity
Baptism through immersion in not only a key element of our growth as believers of Jesus but a great blessing for the church.  So, we are looking to hold our next baptism service in the next month or so. If you are interested in taking this step of obedience, or would like to learn more about baptism at GBC please let me know.
 
 
Thought for the day: What is the fruitful Christian life: Pruning
I’m finishing off today my thoughts on living a fruitful Christian life.  We’ve looked at the fruit of our works and the fruit that comes with perseverance.  I have one last thought to share: the Father prunes. I suspect this might be the least popular one!  Pruning is never fun but it always has a purpose- to grow more fruit.  Our heavenly Father is never nearer to us than when He is pruning us. Sometimes He cuts away the dead wood that might cause trouble, but often He cuts off the living tissue that is robbing us of spiritual vigor.
Pruning does not simply mean spiritual surgery that removes what is bad. It can also mean cutting away the good and the better so that we might enjoy the best. Yes, pruning hurts, but it also helps. We may not enjoy it, but we certainly need it.
At times the Father also prunes us (the branches) by allowing difficult circumstances and situations in our lives such as poor finances, poor health, misunderstanding and conflict with others, difficult relationships, etc. These trials are designed to bring us to the end of our own strength and will awaken in us a need for deeper surrender to the Lord. Remember, you’re never in better hands than when you are being pruned by the Master.  Work with his pruning and watch your fruit grow.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Good morning. I hope you’re making this a great week!  Looks like the heat is here. What a great way to start June with warmth and sunshine.
 
 
Our Youth-Seniors lunch returns!
As a reminder, our youth and seniors June lunch returns this year and will be held on Sunday June 11.  After our main service, our youth will host the GBC seniors for a lunch that will provide an opportunity to share a meal and build relationship together.
I hope you can make it out.
If you're interested in coming, please RSVP to me so we can ensure food and setup.
I'm really excited about the opportunity to do this again.  I hope you can make it out!
 
 
Join us on Sunday in-person or on our livestream as we continue our series, “Firm Foundations”-a study of the book of Romans
The foundation of a building is critically important for the stability of the structure that sits on it. In many ways our faith and relationship with God needs the same thing.  How is your foundation? We continue to look at this idea as we study the book of Romans, perhaps the best book of the New Testament for this kind of thing. 
This Sunday Pastor Dan will be concluding Romans 12 and the idea of what a transformed life looks like.
Want to prepare? Read the text for Sunday ahead of time: Romans 12:9-21.
If you can’t make it you can connect through our website:  
www.guelphbiblechapel.ca  our YouTube channel as well as Facebook LIVE.
 
 
 
Thought for the Day: What is the fruitful Christian life?  Fruitful living by abiding
If we read the entire passage in John 15 where Jesus called His followers to be fruitful, He specifically said that the only way they could carry out this task was for them to abide in him.  What did he mean by this?
 
Abide means to endure or to wait patiently.  The fact that the word “abide” is mentioned eight times in seven verses in John 15 strongly points out how the branch cannot produce its own life, or fruit; it must draw that life from the vine. In other words, it is crucial to abide in Jesus if we are to live a fruitful Christian life.
 
One note, if you’re reading from the NIV or NLT version of the Bible, the word “remain” is used instead of “abide”.  It has the same meaning- stick with it.  Remain is mentioned eleven times in the NIV in John 15. Do we get the point Jesus is trying to make?
 
After Jesus announced to His disciples that He would be leaving them soon and promising the Holy Spirit to abide with them forever, we now come to the seventh and last of the “I am” statements” “I am the vine”.  As Jesus spoke to His disciples in the upper room, preparing to leave for the cross, He uses the imagery of a vine to describe the new relationship which His disciples were about to enjoy with Him and with the Father. For those of us in Jesus, we experience the same thing today. Our Lord is the vine; the believers are the branches, and the Father is the vinedresser (gardener) who tends the vine, removing dead branches and pruning them so that they will become even more fruitful.  I’d encourage you to read John 15 today and reflect on this.  We live a fruitful Christian life by remaining in Jesus and staying connected to the source of life. Do that and watch your fruit grow!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris
 

Good morning!  There’s been lots going on recently. Thanks to all who came out to help Saturday at the Property Team spring cleanup. Also, thank you to the youth who served through Surge helping the Junction Neighborhood Group open their community garden.   These are just a few of the ways we’re letting our lights shine!
 
 
Oasis@Midweek is tomorrow
Our next Oasis@Midweek is tomorrow night.  This event is for kids JK to grade 6 who are invited to join us from 6:30pm to 8pm for an Oasis Camp themed evening of music, games, life lesson and this week our Kid’s Church leads which means a new craft.  O@M is not just for those who went to camp but for all who would like to remember how MONUMENTAL God is and celebrate his awesomeness.
 
 
Baptism opportunity
Baptism through immersion is not only a key element of our growth as believers of Jesus but a great blessing for the church.  So, we are looking to hold our next baptism service in the next month or so. If you are interested in taking this step of obedience, or would like to learn more about baptism at GBC please let me know.
 
 
June calendar is here
The June calendar has been distributed and is available on the info table in the auditorium. As always, this is a way to stay informed on what’s going on at GBC and also can be useful to know how to pray for what’s happening
 
 
Thought for the Day:  What is the fruitful Christian life? The fruit of Good Works
We’ve been thinking about living a life that bears fruit lately. This really is the by-product though of discipleship and being engaged in your faith journey.  Here’s another way to look at it.
The good works that the believer does can also be counted as fruits. We’ve been talking about this lately Sunday’s in our ‘Firm Foundations’ series. So, what might that look like?  When you show even the simplest acts of kindness to Christians and non-Christian alike that you come into contact with, extend a helping hand to those in need or share your time and talent (or money) in support of our church ministry, you are bearing the fruit of good works.
However, I want to emphasize a key biblical truth that good works do not have any bearing on our salvation. We have been saved by grace through faith alone in Jesus and this is not from ourselves. Salvation is the gift of God, not by our works so that none of us can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).  Our works, therefore, flow out of God being in us through the act of salvation and through the Holy Spirit.
The good works we do are fruits, then, of our salvation. In other words, they are evidence of our genuine faith, they show to us that we have received God’s gift of salvation. This is actually what James is pointing out when he said, “Faith without works is dead.” 
We don’t have to prove to God that our faith is genuine; He knows because He sees our hearts. But our good works will prove to others that we are truly saved and we belong to Jesus.  I hope that distinction is clear and the call on our lives to do something with the gift of salvation is even clearer. Time to bear some fruit!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Good morning. I hope you’re making this a great week!  Only 7 months until Christmas Day!  Isn’t perspective an interesting thing (oh, and did I mention lately, I love Christmas?!?)?
 
 
GBC Summer Student Job Opportunity!
Are you between 15 and 30 years old?  Are you looking for a meaningful summer job?  Do you like developing programs for children and doing projects with your hands?
If so, consider applying for a position available this summer.  The role will be focused on delivering our OASIS summer camp, supporting children and youth ministry and doing light duty facility and grounds maintenance work. 
The role will last for 8 weeks and pays $15.75 per hour for a 35 hour week.  Start date is flexible.  Please speak to Dan Chapman for more information. 
 
 
Our Youth-Seniors lunch returns!
Another casualty of Covid was the annual youth and seniors June lunch. I'm happy to share with you the triumphant return of this always-popular event!
On Sunday June 11, after our main service, our youth will again host the GBC seniors for a lunch that will provide an opportunity to share a meal and build relationship together.
I hope you can make it out.
If you're interested in coming, please RSVP to me so we can ensure food and setup.
I'm really excited about the opportunity to do this again.  I hope you can make it out!
 
 
Join us on Sunday in-person or on our livestream as we continue our series, “Firm Foundations”-a study of the book of Romans
The foundation of a building is critically important for the stability of the structure that sits on it. In many ways our faith and relationship with God needs the same thing.  How is your foundation? We continue to look at this idea as we study the book of Romans, perhaps the best book of the New Testament for this kind of thing. 
This Sunday Patrick will be continuing what I started the other Sunday: what a transformed life looks like.
Want to prepare? Read the text for Sunday ahead of time: Romans 12:3-8.
If you can’t make it you can connect through our website:  
www.guelphbiblechapel.ca  our YouTube channel as well as Facebook LIVE.
 
 
Thought for the Day: What is the fruitful Christian life? The Fruit of His Labor
Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He gave this command to His disciples: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” and He promised, “I am always with you to the end of the age.”
We know this mandate was not only for the eleven disciples of Jesus but for every believer in Jesus. We are to GO. That means wherever God sends us and share our faith with others and the hope we have in God.  If they respond by accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives, they become our fruit but also in some ways our responsibility. For we are to MAKE DISCIPLES. That means we make sure they are connected to a good church (like GBC for instance!), they have and are reading the Bible, that they are praying and growing in God. No, it’s not our sole responsibility but we do have a part to play. When we do this we participate as part of the fruit of God’s labor. We also don’t do it alone since Jesus also promised he would be with us every step of the way. I hope that’s an encouragement to go out and bear fruit!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend. I was away at my annual living history event I help organize. Its always fun to make history while living it. I also find opportunities like this a great chance to reflect from a spiritual perspective. Bearing fruit is also about looking back, learning from the past, then moving forward with an eye to the future.
 
 
Spring Work Party
Our property team will be holding the spring work party on Saturday.  From 9am until noon there will be a variety of tasks needing to be done to prepare our church for the coming season. All are invited to come as there will be things to do for all types of abilities. Many hands make light work!
 
 
Thought for the Day:  Living a Fruitful Life- The Fruit of the Holy Spirit
Last week I introduced the idea of living a fruitful life as a follower of Jesus. This allows us to not only let the light of the gospel shine but also live the life God has given us to the fullest.
Here’s our next idea: whenever the Bible speaks of fruit or being fruitful in Christ, it is often in reference to the fruit of the Holy Spirit, as shared in Galatians 5, operating in the life of a believer: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Notice that these fruits are attributes of God-like love, peace, faithfulness, and goodness. It is expected that these fruits will closely resemble the parent plant, which in this case is the Spirit of God. While it’s true that we can’t see in the human heart to know who is truly born again and who isn’t, we can see the fruit of a person’s life or the absence of it.
A person who is truly saved and belonging to Jesus, having already crucified the flesh with its passions and desires, is now living according to the Spirit. And if he is living according to the Spirit then he is also walking according to the Spirit, thereby making the fruits of the flesh less visible which we read about right before in Galatians 5. Fruit, and a fruitful life, is manifest in how we live and what we do.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Good morning. I hope you’re making this a great week!  Since I’ve finished my thoughts on building character I thought I would share some ideas that are more pertinent to spring- growing fruit!  I don’t know about you but its such an encouragement to see everything come alive in the last few weeks. So, for the next little while I’ll be sharing thoughts on growing spiritual fruit.
 
 
Our Youth-Seniors lunch returns!
Another casualty of Covid was the annual youth and seniors June lunch. I'm happy to share with you the triumphant return of this always-popular event!
On Sunday June 11, after our main service, our youth will again host the GBC seniors for a lunch that will provide an opportunity to share a meal and build relationship together.
I hope you can make it out.
If you're interested in coming, please RSVP to me so we can ensure food and setup.
I'm really excited about the opportunity to do this again.  I hope you can make it out!
 
 
Join us on Sunday in-person or on our livestream for a special guest speaker
Our friends from the Guelph Bible Conference Grounds will be here this Sunday as part of their Victoria Day weekend conference. Gary McBride, their speaker for the event, will be teaching.
If you can’t make it you can connect through our website:  
www.guelphbiblechapel.ca  our YouTube channel as well as Facebook LIVE.
 
 
Thought for the Day: What is the fruitful Christian life?
Who doesn’t like to bite into a good piece of fruit?  Regardless of your preference, fruit is tasty, nutritious and is good for you. Have you ever considered this thought in terms of your spiritual life?  …pardon?  My walk with God ‘tasty’?  Say what?
For the next few weeks I’m going to examine some different ways to look at the idea of being fruitful and what fruit our lives produce. I hope that it is a challenge and encouragement!
We find the idea in the earliest book of the Bible.  In the creation story, in Genesis 1, the very first command given to man by God was “to be fruitful and increase in number.” God uses the idea of growing and reproducing.
Interestingly, Jesus gave a similar command to His followers in John 15:16: “to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.”  He talked a lot about fruit in this particular chapter. The key thread is we are to bear fruit which means we are to do something with our faith, with the gift of salvation and with the call on our lives. We’re to live a ‘faith that works’ and be a ‘doer of the word and not listener only as I talked about last Sunday in Romans 12.
But what fruit (or fruits) is Jesus referring to in this passage? What does it mean for a believer to be fruitful? And how are Christians supposed to bear fruit?
There are three kinds of fruits that Jesus can be referring to in this passage: the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of our labor and our good works.  We’re going to look at each over the next couple of weeks and see how we can apply this to our lives.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Good morning!  I’m wrapping up the thoughts I’ve been sharing on building character. I hope they have, well, helped you grow in character!
 
Outreach opportunity: tree planting in Goldie Park
The Outreach Team invites you to participate in “Tree Planting in the Junction Neighbourhood”.  This is the second year for this event and it will be on Saturday, June 10 from 9 am to 1 pm at Goldie Park, 63 Memorial Cres.  The goal is to create a healthy diverse ecosystem for plants and wildlife to thrive and increase the tree canopy...and for kids to explore!  Tree planting equipment is provided (bring gloves, water bottle and wear closed toe shoes). Everyone is welcome, come for the entire time or just for a bit!  Light refreshments will be provided.  If you'd like to participate, please let Andrea Thornton know by email gracehopeheart@gmail.com or cell 905-537-9607.
 
 
Thought for the Day:  Growing in Christian Character means….
We’ve been looking at the traits of Christian character and how to develop them in the day-to-day of our lives.  So, let me summarize this a bit and share one more thought.  We develop Christian character by controlling our thoughts, practicing Christian virtues, guarding our hearts, and keeping good company.  Men and women of character will set a good example for others to follow, and their godly reputation will be evident to all.
As we examine this short list is there anything they have in common?
I believe there is!
They all require us to:
Live!
We all live life in context and some form of community. So, to be a person of character we need to live.  But with that in mind, be different in the way that you live life. Be mature and conduct yourself maturely.  This doesn't mean that you have to look totally different but it does mean that you should be mindful of how you dress and thoughtful in your interactions with social media.  As well, listen to good music with a positive message (based on your taste of course!) and avoid any inappropriate videos. Use your best judgment.
The only way to truly live in a Christ-honoring fashion is to know Jesus. You will never know him completely, on earth, but throughout life, by praying, reading your Bible, getting involved with study, being a disciple, being in community in a small group, you can know him more.  Act the way Jesus did, and that's a life worth living.  Once you know Jesus more than you did at first then you can understand how to live.
Remember those WWJD bracelets that were popular a few years ago?  May that be a reminder: what would Jesus do? It’s hard though to do what Jesus did if we don’t BE what Jesus was. And that was a person of character. Strive to live the best character you can and watch your life change and the lives of those around you.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Good morning. I hope you’re making this a great week!  Have you read any good books lately?  Pastor Dan mentioned several on Sunday in his message, but I wanted to remind you we have an AMAZING library with a wide range of books in the Side Auditorium and ANOTHER amazing kid’s library upstairs in the Children’s Ministry Wing. Why not grab a book, go outside and enjoy the opportunity to grow in faith in God’s creation?
 
 
Giving Update from our treasurer
Here is an update from our treasurer Ken Finlay on our year-to-date giving. Praise God for his provision and for your generosity. Thanks to those who have supported us in this tangible way so far this year, I really appreciate it.
General Fund Offerings - Year to Date end of April 2023
Budget       $61,940
Actual          62,339
Surplus             399
(The Budget & Actuals above exclude contributions to the Pastor Fund)
 
Pastor Fund
Goal                                 $65,000
Contributions to date         41,550  (incl. $27,550 contributed in 2022)
Still to be raised                 23,450
 
 
Join us on Sunday in-person or on our livestream as we return to our series, “Firm Foundations”-a study of the book of Romans
The foundation of a building is critically important for the stability of the structure that sits on it. In many ways our faith and relationship with God needs the same thing.  How is your foundation? We continue to look at this idea as we study the book of Romans, perhaps the best book of the New Testament for this kind of thing. 
This Sunday I will be looking at what it means to be transformed through our relationship with God.
Want to prepare? Read the text for Sunday ahead of time: Romans 12:1-2.
If you can’t make it you can connect through our website:  
www.guelphbiblechapel.ca  our YouTube channel as well as Facebook LIVE.
 
 
Thought for the Day: God desires to develop the character already in us
It’s God’s purpose to develop the character within that He’s already planted in us. We read in Proverbs 17: “The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart”. Godly character is the result of the Holy Spirit’s work of sanctification in every believer. Character, then, in the believer is a consistent manifestation of Jesus in his life. It’s the purity of heart that God gives becoming purity in action. God sometimes uses trials to strengthen character.  The Bible says: “we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope”. God is pleased when His children grow in character.  We read in the Psalms “you test the heart and are pleased with integrity”.  God loves when we grow in character!
While its there to be developed and God helps us through the Holy Spirit, we still need to work to develop it. With that in mind, here’s our next tip:
Learn! 
Once you become more devoted to Jesus, things should become different.  I still remember that vividly in my own life.  Christian musician Steven Curtis Chapman says, "What about the difference? What about the change? What about forgiveness? What about a life that's showing I'm undergoing a change?"
In order to see that change take root we need to learn. We learn about God, about his character, his desires for us and what Godly character looks like. We can do that through doing a Bible study, being part of a small group or reading Christian literature. A great resource we have at GBC is our libraries.  We have an adult library in the Side Auditorium with amazing resources and an excellent children’s library upstairs in our Kid’s Ministry Wing (hey, didn’t I read that somewhere recently?!?). Why not check out some books and use some of your time to learn?  When you do, you can’t help but develop in character!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Good morning.  What a difference a week makes!  I hope you’re enjoying the better weather. I’ve been enjoying watching the colors of spring explode. There is life all around us, all we need to do is look for it and enjoy God’s many blessings.
 
 
Oasis@Midweek is tomorrow
Our next Oasis@Midweek is tomorrow night.  This event is for kids JK to grade 6 who are invited to join us from 6:30pm to 8pm for an Oasis Camp themed evening of music, games, life lesson and this week is our popular drama led by our Youth Ministry team.  O@M is not just for those who went to camp but for all who would like to remember how MONUMENTAL God is and celebrate his awesomeness.
 
 
Spring Work Party
Our property team will be holding the spring work party on Saturday May 27th.  From 9am until noon there will be a variety of tasks needing to be done to prepare our church for the coming season. All are invited to come as there will be things to do for all types of abilities. Many hands make light work!
 
 
Thought for the Day:  Character is influenced and developed by our choices.
As we continue to look at how to grow in Godly character and live it out, I suspect most of you realize that the choices we make have a huge impact on our character. You’ve hopefully also realized that this is not something that happens just in church but rather in the ‘lab’ of life.  We need to CHOOSE each day how we’ll live in the reality of our world and the choices it gives.  Daniel “resolved not to defile himself” while living in captivity in Babylon and that Godly choice was an important step in formulating an unquestionable integrity in his life. Character, in turn, influences our choices. Proverbs 3 tells us: “The integrity of the upright guides them”. Character will help us weather the storms of life and keep us from sin.
Okay, ready to put this into practice? Here’s our next tip:
Fellowship! 
You can’t do this in a vacuum, and you cannot find success alone. You need others in your life; you need fellowship.  That word means a lot more than casseroles and roaster chicken at church get-togethers.  It means conversation. It means praying together. It means talking about what God is doing in your life. It means building up others who feel down. 
Okay, that makes sense, but it also means no gossiping.   Are the things we’re saying building others up or tearing them down?  So, it takes making wise choices and that means you need other Christians in your life to help you out. You need other Christians to give you encouragement and to listen to you. You need advice, too. And you need to give it when you can.  Not sure where to look? Hint, hint: the best place to start looking for some Christian friends, is, of course, church. Choose them wisely though, only the ones that look and act like they really are dedicated and really are following Jesus.  Then you can grow in character!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Good morning. I hope you’re making this a great week!  It looks like we will finally return to more spring-like weather starting tomorrow.  I don’t know about you, but I’ll be glad when these more winter-like conditions are gone. 
Oh yes, one more thing- go Leafs go!
 
 
Beware of Phishing emails!
Yesterday there was an email sent out under Pastor Dan’s name trying to connect with some people from GBC.  It was not from him and is part of a phishing scam.  So, as a reminder, always check the email address if you are unsure or contact by phone the office or the person who was supposed to have sent it.
Also, we will NEVER directly solicit the purchase of gift cards from any member of GBC.  All ministry related spending is done through your financial gifts.
Sadly, we live in a fallen world so things like this are not going to go away. So, be wise and vigilant to protect yourself.
 
 
Repair Café Saturday
This Saturday from 10am-4pm we will again be hosting the Guelph Tool Library in conjunction with the Junction Neighbourhood Group for our second “Repair Café”.  Do you have something in need of repair?  Bring it out and see what the various skilled artisans can do. Or, if you’re just curious, come out and check out this unique opportunity we have to let our lights shine.
 
 
Thought for the Day: Character is built on consistent experience
I introduced to you Tuesday the idea of character, defined it and looked a bit at its importance. So now the natural question might be: how do we gauge character? A person’s character is the sum of his or her disposition, thoughts, intentions, desires, and actions. It’s good to remember that character is gauged by general tendencies, not on the basis of a few isolated actions. We must look at the whole life. For example, King David was a man of good character although he sinned on occasion (and had a few BIG ones). And although King Ahab may have acted nobly once (hint: see 1 Kings 22:35), he was still a man of overall bad character. Several people in the Bible are described as having noble character: Ruth, Nehemiah, and Job, for instance. These people’s lives were distinguished by persistent moral virtue. They stuck with it.  That means they consistently sought to learn from God and follow him no matter the circumstance.
With this in mind, here’s our tip for the day:
Experience! 
You grow in Godly character through experience in the day-in and day-out, in the grind of life.  When you allow this to happen an interesting thing occurs: you can then experience the power of God in your life and know the real happiness which is more than just a religious concept.  There is joy in living the fullness of character that comes through having the Holy Spirit in your life. As you grow in character you can build up your faith by praying as you experience the power of the Holy Spirit.  This takes time though, and it takes consistent effort.  When you do, you’ll experience the joy, power and transformation of Godly character.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris