​Good morning!  I will be away in Texas at two conferences and some meetings for the next week and am leaving today (actually, I’m already gone!).  As a result, I won’t be doing an update until I’m back. I’ll miss you all and will be praying for you (and Oasis@Midweek) all as I do regularly.  Have a great week!
 
 
New Property Committee Chair
Recently, Bob Chapman, our long-standing head of our Property Committee shared with us his desire to retire from the position after many years of service.  I’m pleased to share with you that Jonathan Preston and Darrell Spencer have stepped up to provide leadership going forward.  They are both members of the team and will be co-chairing.
I want to take the time to recognize and thank Bob for his MANY years of faithful service. He has led through our building renovation and addition and our roof replacement project among many other things. I’ve appreciated his steady hand on the wheel and faithfulness to this role.  Thanks Bob and thanks Jonathan and Darrell for ensuring continuity in this vital ministry.
 
 
Oasis@Midweek on Wednesday!
The final installment of the month for our popular mid-week kid’s ministry Oasis@Midweek happens tomorrow. GBC Kid’s is leading this installment so look for a fun and engaging craft, some great games and a topical message around the theme of “treasured”.  This ministry for children JK to Gr.6 is not only for those who attended Oasis Camp or are part of GBC Kids Ministry but any in that age group that would like an encouraging evening event.
 
 
Thought for the Day:  Jesus’ disciples stay close to Him by making prayer a top priority. 
As we wrap us this look at what it means to follow Jesus there was one other essential ingredient in his ministry with His followers — He prayed.  We have examples of this throughout the gospels but do we ever stop to think about it?
Jesus taught them how to pray in the Sermon on the Mount and also told them he expected them to pray as we read in Luke 22.  He Himself established prayer as a way for his followers to communicate directly with All-mighty God as the writer of Hebrews 4 reminds us.
Prayer proves that His disciples are dependent upon Him — and true disciples of Jesus will be characterized by a vibrant prayer life.
Why does this matter?
Jesus expects His disciples to follow Him, okay Chris, I get that.  This becomes important though in days like this — to learn from Him, talk to Him through prayer and to stay close to Him. That’s what He wanted from His followers during His earthly ministry and that is what He wants from His disciples today. 
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Good morning!  What a beautiful day!  I was struck by the beauty of God’s creation when I was driving in this morning. So, even when its cold, there are still things to praise Him for.
 
 
Letting our light shine
In our fall cleanup we finally decided to do something about the surplus pews we have upstairs.  Bob Chapman, the head of our property committee, found a good home for them. He donated them to College Heights Secondary School for use in their construction technology department. Here’s a note we received from the head of it:
Thank you so much for the delivery of the church pews.
We have started to modify them and refinish them to be used as benches in the school hallways. They will receive a great deal of use once they are in place. Thank you again for thinking of us here at CHSS!
Thanks Bob for taking care of this and for your service through the Property Committee at GBC.
 
 
Thought for the day:  Jesus disciples learned from Him by willingly doing what He said. 
Okay, I have to confess, this is a tough one for me. It’s easy to KNOW what Jesus would have us do, we just read our bibles, but to actually DO what he says is tougher.
So, an important, critical really, aspect of Jesus teaching that He continually emphasized with His disciples was to do what he’d taught them. He expected His followers to put what He taught them into practice in their lives. He wanted His disciples to apply the truth of what He instructed — and He wants His followers to continue that today.
 
This principle too is included in the Great Commission which we looked at last week: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” The word “observe” in this passage does not mean “to see” or “to look.” Rather, it means “to do” or “to implement.”
 
There are several earlier passages in the gospel that underscore this same idea. It’s obvious that Jesus expects His disciples to put what He taught them into practice. Is this an easy concept to understand? For sure!  It’s a lot harder to do, though. It takes effort, purposing and choosing to do it.  Jesus reminds us to ‘take up our cross’ every day. We do that through doing what he says. This takes discipline, which is at the root of what it means to be a disciple.  Give it a try. You will fail at times but keep at it and you’ll find one day, through the power of the Holy Spirit, you’re not just doing it, you’re growing in the process!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Good afternoon! I hope you’re making this a great week!  Sorry for the delay in getting this out.  We had a great night again at Oasis@Midweek. Thanks for those who were praying for it.  We had a new family out, brought by a friend, who was brought by a friend (say that fast 3 times!) from GBC which is exciting.  God is moving in so many ways here!
 
 
Join us on Sunday in-person or on our livestream as we begin our new series “Servant in motion”
Sunday at 11am we’re back to our new winter series: “Servant in Motion”: the book of Mark.  We’ll be looking at the shortest of the four gospels leading up to Easter.
A key theme is Jesus as servant so that will direct our study. This week I’ll be looking at five specific incidents where the religious leaders were criticizing Jesus for being a servant. What was going on? How did Jesus respond?  You’ll have to find out on Sunday as we look at what it means to be a ‘servant in motion’.
Remember, you can join us as we gather in-person or you can connect through our website www.guelphbiblechapel.ca  our YouTube channel as well as Facebook LIVE.
 
 
Thought for the Day: Jesus disciples learned from Him by listening carefully to His teaching. 
The teaching ministry of Jesus was one of the most important aspects of His earthly ministry. It’s interesting to note that immediately after calling His first disciples, they followed Him throughout Galilee listening to Him “teaching” and “preaching” as we read in Matthew 4.  In fact, Jesus most familiar sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, was presented soon after He instructed Peter, Andrew, James, and John to follow Him. Obviously, the Lord’s teaching ministry was one of the most important aspects of how He discipled His followers.
 
And what was part of his final mandate to His disciples?  There was an emphasis on teaching. In Matthew 28, Jesus says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.”
 
We see from these examples that receiving solid teaching is a priority for disciples. These followers of Jesus were students.  Followers of Jesus today must be students as well. Learning from Jesus means hearing, listening to, studying, and applying the written Word of God.  It’s not just listening to my messages on Sunday (though I appreciate it!) but perhaps joining a Bible study or reading a book from our library.  Regardless of what it is, find ways to continually be learning and growing in God through the Bible.  Be sure you’re a student of God’s word your whole life and you will grow as a disciple.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Good morning!  It was nice to start off our new series on Mark Sunday. I appreciate the positive feedback and interest shown already in this idea of being a ‘servant in motion’. I’m looking forward to our journey together.
 
 
Pastoral Job Posting
I appreciate all the work our pastoral search team is putting in. Thanks James for your update Sunday. As he mentioned, while we are posting the position broadly we also know that one of the best ways to look for someone is through personal contact.  So, we want to encourage you to share the posting within any networks you may have or with those who you think would be a great fit for GBC and to work with me.  We want you to help us get the word out about the opportunity.  
The link to the job posting, which you can share, is here:
https://www.guelphbiblechapel.ca/be-our-pastor.html
 
 
Oasis@Midweek on Wednesday!
The first installment of the month for our popular mid-week kid’s ministry Oasis@Midweek happens tomorrow. Youth@GBC is leading this installment so look for the next episode of our drama “Maze Games”, some great games and message around the theme of “God chooses you”.  This ministry for children JK to Gr.6 is not only for those who attended Oasis Camp or are part of GBC Kids Ministry but any in that age group that would like an encouraging evening event.
 
 
Thought for the day:  Practical Implications of Being a Disciple of Jesus
On Sunday during my message I mentioned that if you want to be a servant of Jesus you have to be a disciple.  This means essentially that we follow him.  What does it mean to follow Jesus? There are lots of books written about it, blogs and podcasts too. There’s no lack of information out there. Still, what does it mean to FOLLOW Jesus?
 
As we looked at Sunday, when Jesus called His first disciples He simply said, “Follow Me.”
 
These humble fishermen responded by leaving their careers, their possessions, and even their families to follow Him.  This wasn’t just a part-time project for them where they could change their minds in a few days and go back to their profession as fishermen. They left everything — and by doing so they were making a promise to complete the course and finish this new assignment.
 
By agreeing to follow Jesus they consented to be His students or His learners in the Jewish method of a Rabbinical school of discipleship. They recognized Him as a teacher and a leader, and they made this commitment to be His disciples.  What Does it Mean to ‘Follow’ Jesus? It’s a commitment and a choice and yes, it does cost us but its so worth it.
 
So this is what I’m going to be looking at over the next couple of weeks. For today I’ll add this: being a disciple of Jesus means to learn from Him and to stay close to Him. These two imperatives are the very core of true discipleship. These two requirements were essential for Christ’s disciples then — and likewise are necessary for followers of Christ today.  We’ll go deeper into these in my next number of updates.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris
  

 Good morning. I hope you’re making this a great week!  After yesterday’s snow it looks like a real winter wonderland here.  While I’m not huge fan of winter I do love days like this to marvel at the beauty of God’s creation. I’d encourage you to take some time to reflect on this.
 
 
Join us on Sunday in-person or on our livestream as we begin our new series “Servant in motion”
This Sunday at 11am I’ll be starting our new winter series: “Servant in Motion”: the book of Mark.  We’ll be looking at the shortest of the four gospels leading up to Easter. A key theme is Jesus as servant so that will direct our study as we look to see what it means to be a ‘servant in motion’.
Remember, you can join us as we gather in-person or you can connect through our website www.guelphbiblechapel.ca  our YouTube channel as well as Facebook LIVE.
 
 
Thought for the day: God’s power will protect us.
I’ve been looking at the issue of hope the past couple of weeks and I’ve appreciated the positive comments from many of you.  I can see from it we all are looking for the same thing- answers that will give us hope. 
 
People often ask me, especially in the times we’re in, what I think is going to happen in the days ahead. At the beginning of the pandemic, which I find hard to believe is nearly two years old, I had a lot more confidence that I had it figured out. Now though, I have no clue.  That can lead to a lot of discouragement and distraction. It can also lead to a loss of hope.  Here’s my concluding thought on this subject: no matter what the year ahead has in store, you can always count on God to help. How do I know?  Peter writes in his first letter to the early church: “Through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see” Here’s the key: By HIS power and through OUR faith, we can always have hope since God is not only working out his purposes and plans but he’s also protecting us as we go through all of this.

Sometimes we all feel helpless and powerless.  It even happens to pastors. But when God is in your life, he has mighty power to help you. His power is bigger than anything you will face this year and that gives me a lot of hope. I ‘hope’ it does for you too!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Good morning! It’s nice to see the sun shine and the temperature get (relatively!) warmer. Remember though, after winter comes spring. Life can kind of be like that too!  Hang in there, spring is coming.
  
Prayer Prompter
Though I like to think of myself as a man of action I also know the most important thing I can do is commit what I’m doing to God in prayer and seek to understand his call for me as well by being in regular connection with him. That’s the same for a church.
Attached is our latest prayer prompter.  Please use this as part of your prayers for GBC and the GBC family. Or, if you don’t regularly pray for us, may this be used as a catalyst to begin.  May we, as Paul encourages us to do in 1 Thessalonians, “pray without ceasing”. 
 
Thought for the day: God has secured our future.
“I hope I’m good enough for Heaven….I hope God will accept me.” 
As a pastor I’ve heard things like this a lot over the years.  Even after receiving Jesus as their Lord and Savior many worry about whether or not they’re acceptable to God.  If you’re a believer, you don’t need to worry about your eternal destiny. It’s secure. No matter what else changes in 2022, your eternity won’t shift a centimeter. The Bible says, “Now we live in the hope of eternal life because Christ rose again from the dead. And God has reserved for his children the priceless gift of eternal life; it is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay” Jesus death on the cross secured that for those who believe in him and have surrendered their lives to him.
What does this mean in a practical sense?
In Jesus, you have a reservation in Heaven that can never be canceled. Covid, or whatever else 2022 throws at you, won’t be the end of you. For those in Christ, God has written the final chapter of your life—and you win!  May that give you a sense of assurance and hope today!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris