​Good morning. I hope you’re making this a great week.  While we’re in the calm still of summer there’s lots going on behind the scenes as we prepare for fall. This reminds me of God who is always working, even when we don’t see it.
 
 
Saturday Night Supper coming up!
The next Saturday night supper is scheduled for September 10. There are still lots of opportunities to volunteer either by way of prepping/purchasing a food item, or through a monetary donation. The team at Royal City Mission has communicated that if some of the GBC volunteers wish to stay and help serve the meal they would welcome that. Those interested in participating can reach out to me via email or phone (carroll.chapman@gmail.com or 519-831-9184).
 
 
Financial Update
One of the suggestions that came out of our discussion from our spring general meeting was we should share some form of financial update. Of late I’ve mentioned here, or we’ve done on a Sunday morning, when we’ve been running behind.  Going forward, on the 3rd Thursday of the month, I’ll be sharing an update with actual numbers to help you see where we are at.  Here’s the report for this month:
General Fund offerings: month-to-date August 21
Budget: $12,831    Actual: $11,260
 
General Fund Offerings: year to date
Budget:  $125,980   Actual:  118,322
You’ll see that while we’re doing well month-to-date we’re still behind for the full year. So, a big thanks to those who’ve supported us financially and an encouragement to those who haven’t yet, or haven’t in a while, we need your support to do what God has called us to do.
 
 
Join us on Sunday in-person or on our livestream as we continue our summer series “Hear my prayer, Lord”: Great prayers of the Bible
Sunday we continue our summer series “Hear my prayer, Lord”: Great prayers of the Bible.    This Sunday Patrick will be looking at a different element of prayer than Jacob or I have so far.  What’s he looking at?  Find out on Sunday!
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.
 
 
Summer thoughts to keep you on the journey: Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus!
The author of Hebrews writes, “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who…has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 12:1–2). The Apostle Paul urges the same orientation of mind, “seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Col 3:1). We are encouraged to fix our mind’s eye on King Jesus, who is seated in a position of rest, power, and all authority. Jesus is not pacing back and forth, wringing his hands, and wondering what to do. Our Lord, savior and friend is paying attention to us, the human situation, our needs, and the needs of those around the world. We need to pay attention to him—fixing our eyes, setting our minds, waiting—while we attend to the news, our needs and the needs of those around us. Take this perspective and when you get it, watch things change!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

​Good morning!  We as elders were praying this morning using elements of Proverbs 3 as our base. The words have stuck with me. The idea of trusting or having faith in God, leaning or relying not on our own knowledge, strength or understanding is a good reminder not just today but every day.  May this guide us as HE makes our path straight.
 
 
Changes to our Sunday morning experience
[insert Dan’s letter as an attachment- Sunday morning letter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
As Dan shared on Sunday, coming September 11, there will be some changes to our Sunday mornings at GBC.  The biggest is a change in start time to 10:30am, plus a formal increase in our service length to 1 hour and 15 minutes. There’s a number of other things that go along with this that you can read about in the attached letter if you weren’t out on Sunday.
I’m excited by these natural enhancements to what we’re doing here at GBC as we move forward out of the recent years dominated by Covid.
While I’ll be discussing this more in the days ahead, if you have any questions please let me or any of the other elders know.
 
 
Summer thoughts to keep you on the journey: When tempted to turn inward, turn your gaze to Jesus
Under threat, scarcity and stress we sometimes find ourselves understandably becoming self-protective. We turn inward, we think only of ourselves. And yet, the demands of these days call us outward, to the world around us. The needs of those around us—whether children, aged parents, neighbors, a spouse, those who are sick—require our time and energy. This puts us in a bind. We want or need to move outward in love to others, especially those in greatest need, but our own internal resources feel strained and thin.
 
How should we act as followers of Jesus in times like this?
Paul gives us this advice: “Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus…” (Phil 2:4–5).


It’s important that we remember that we are disciples of the living, ascended, and enthroned God. When Jesus called his followers to go and make disciples, they did not make followers of themselves. Rather, Jesus called them to announce the availability of an ongoing discipleship relationship with himself. Every Christian is currently in an intensive, interactive, discipleship relationship with the person of Jesus, and that school of discipleship is always in session. The Jesus who said, “And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age,” remains with us today by his Spirit. When we are tempted to isolate and turn inwards, we need to repeatedly turn our gaze to the availability of Jesus. Throughout our days we need to develop the habit—now more than ever—of finding encouragement and comfort in the real presence of Jesus’ love. It’s hard to look inwardly when we’re looking at Jesus.  And when we realize this, we then in turn should share it.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

​Good morning!  I hope you’re making this a great week.  As summer starts to wind down there’s still time to grab a good book from our library to read.  There’s a variety of topics, stories and even some books on theology that will help you grow. Take advantage of the quieter times of the season and grow through reading.  Curious? Check our library in the Side Auditorium out or our kid’s library in the Children’s Ministry Wing.
 
 
Join us on Sunday in-person or on our livestream as we continue our summer series “Hear my prayer, Lord”: Great prayers of the Bible
Sunday we continue our summer series “Hear my prayer, Lord”: Great prayers of the Bible.    What do we mean by great prayers and what do they look like?  Find out this summer!
This Sunday I will be looking at Hannah’s prayer, but not the one you may be thinking of!  What does it mean when we pray ‘remember me’?  Find out on Sunday!
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.
 
 
Summer thoughts to keep you on the journey: Facing Fears
Today’s thought has some similarities to Tuesdays.  This was another thing I addressed in ‘Hot Bible Adventure’ at Oasis. 
Despite our society being back to some degree of ‘normal’, there’s still a lot of fear out there- fear for the economy, fear of nuclear war, fear for the environment to name a few.
To find peace in trying times we have to face our fears like King Hezekiah did. If you remember, I talked about him in our summer series on prayer recently.  Fears can be healthy or exaggerated—and sometimes paralyzing. It takes wisdom to admit that there are dangers around us that need to be properly, and fearfully, respected, and it takes wisdom to see through the exaggerations and fear-mongering of those who use the pains of others for their benefit.
Let’s be honest, we will not have all the answers we could hope for, nor will we fully anticipate all that’s going to happen in the coming days. That can increase our fear. Yet despite that, all of us must accept the responsibilities we have in our given spheres of influence where we are called upon to serve and to lead. We must seek wisdom and make the very best decisions we can as we all seek to act generously and selflessly, in ways consistent with all that we believe as followers of Jesus. 
King Hezekiah, when faced by the seemingly unstoppable Assyrian army took his fear and went to God in prayer. That’s the first place we should go in times like that.
God tells us in Isaiah 41- “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  So, face your fears and let your light shine!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris
 

​Good morning. What a beautiful day!  Though we’re now halfway through August there’s still lots of summer days like this to enjoy. Seize the day and cherish the moments God gives us.
 
 
Fall Ministry Launch and ‘Lunch on the Lawn’ coming
On Sunday September 11 we will be having our fall ministry launch. There will be a number of exciting announcements and updates on what’s going on at GBC plus after an absence for a lot of years we’ll be having a Ministry Fair.   The Ministry Fair will feature displays and information from a number of out ministries in the Side Auditorium and will be a chance to find out more about what’s happening at GBC or explore the possibilities of getting involved.
As well, we will be having our always-popular ‘Lunch on the Lawn’, a chance to bring a picnic lunch and enjoy some time of community building.
Stay tuned for more details as we get closer.
 
 
No prayer gathering on Wednesday
Our mid-week prayer gathering is cancelled for this week.
 
 
Summer thoughts to keep you on the journey: May we be People of Hope
Hope has been on my mind a lot this recently. With camp the other week and the aftermath, I have been reminded how huge the need for hope is. Kids (and leaders too!) were hungry for the hope that comes from our MONUMENTAL God.
You may recall that early in Covid I did a series called ‘joy in the storm’ and in some ways that’s what Oasis was- finding joy in the CONTINED storms of life.  With continued talks of future Covid waves and now Monkey Pox (plus everything else going on in the world) there’s still lots of storms on the horizon for us.  Whatever it looks like, in the macro of the world or micro of ours we need to seek the joy that comes from hope.
 
It becomes easy to despair and lose hope.  We must face days of fear and testing since we really don’t have a choice. So, may we not passively accept them or capitulate to them. These can and should be days of renewed worship, rededicated service, care, friendship, work, and love. We must be alert to the stranger among us, and we must love one another and be kind to one another as God has been merciful to us.
To follow Jesus is to be a people of hope. And our hope is not in vain, because it’s invested in the creator God of the universe, who has given us life and hope through Jesus. He is worthy of our trust, and He can aid us in conquering our fears. Jesus said the night he was arrested: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!  I have overcome the world”.  And you know what? He has!  The result is we should be overflowing with hope.  What a great thought to carry us through the week!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

​Good afternoon. I hope you’re making this a great week!  I was talking to someone recently about the need farmers had for rain at the time and now in the past week we’ve had lots.  God’s timing is perfect!  May this be a reminder whether you’re waiting for ‘rain’ or ‘sunshine’ in your life right now!
 
Email protocol reminders
You’ll likely remember we had a scam go out under my name last week. The email address used was close to mine but still incorrect. As a reminder, I will never email you specifically looking for money and especially not gift cards for those in need. These types of things go through our Care Ministry. Any appeal I make will always be of a general nature, to our general fund and to everyone.  So, in the future, if you ever receive an email from me, if you’re not sure, please call me at the church to confirm or ask on a Sunday.
Sadly, we live in a fallen world where people will try to take advantage of the generosity of others. May we pray for the repentance and salvation of those who would seek to perform this kind of fraud.
 
 
Join us on Sunday in-person or on our livestream as we continue our summer series “Hear my prayer, Lord”: Great prayers of the Bible
Sunday we continue our summer series “Hear my prayer, Lord”: Great prayers of the Bible.    What do we mean by great prayers and what do they look like?  Find out this summer!
This Sunday Jacob will continue his look at the Lord’s Prayer.  What does it mean when we pray ‘forgive us our debts’?  Find out on Sunday!
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.
 
 
Summer thoughts to keep you on the journey: Stand strong in God!  Watch out for our enemy.
The devil will tempt us to rely on ourselves and our own strength to get us through. The Bible reminds us that the devil will disguise himself as an angel of light.  Our enemy will do anything to try to lure us away from truth and away from God. He knows our weaknesses and will try to tempt us in our greatest times of struggle. He wants us to fall for his traps and he’ll take any opportunity to kick us while we’re down. Don’t let him!
 
We read in Matthew 4: “The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
How did Jesus fight back? With the Bible!  So, don’t do things in your own strength and don’t try to go it alone.  Get connected to God and the true power source.  Don’t allow the enemy to have a foothold especially in trying days like these.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Good morning!  I’m back. Oasis was another incredible experience and it was a joy to be part of it.  Please pray for the kids we ministered to that the idea of celebrating God’s goodness would be more than a camp slogan but something that helps them move forward.
 
 
Wonderful Wednesdays in Prayer @ 7:30 PM
Come join your fellow believers in praying biblical prayers for one another, for our neighbors, and for the City of Guelph.  Patrick Thornton is hosting prayer at GBC every Wednesday at 7:30 PM and using Paul’s prayers as a guide for prayer. 
Don’t miss out on the privilege of calling upon our Heavenly Father together! 
 
 
Oasis Recap
I could say a lot about Oasis Camp. It was, as always, an amazing time and for me it was, well, an oasis.   Particularly sweet was the number of GBC kids at the camp, our most in many years.  I liked this because it gave me an opportunity to get to know them better and deepen our relationship.  Praise God for all he is doing!
If you missed ‘Oasis Sunday’ I’d encourage you to watch in on demand on our YouTube channel. It was a pretty special service.
If you’d like to see what happened, watch the recap of the week you can find here on our YouTube channel as well:
(74) Oasis 2022 - Monumental - YouTube
 
 
Summer thoughts to keep you on the journey: Answering the ‘why?’ question
You’ve likely heard this all before, you may even be tired of it by now. So please take this as a gentle reminder for those who may still be asking the ‘why?” question these days.  This is not just about the war in Ukraine, inflation or our government’s choices.  There is much uncertainty these days and its natural to ask ‘why’?  That’s a healthy thing to do in changing times like these but when this leads to more questions there are a couple of things we can remember as we go through tough times: 
First off, remember WHOSE you are. Ephesians 2:10 says we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. So, God isn’t surprised by what’s going on, He’s still in charge and He’s working things out for His glory.  As much as it’s nice to know we have purpose, our main purpose is not what we do but who we are in Jesus.  Times of testing show this to ourselves and the world around us, it’s part of our witness.
As we deal with the inevitable and very real ‘why?’ questions it’s good to remember that a disappointment can be God’s appointment based on what you do with it. He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4), He’s working things out.  Those classic words of Proverbs 3:5-6 come to mind: trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in everything you do remember He is the King of Kings and He’ll make your path straight.  Not easy, but straight, and it’ll lead you to a finish line where once crossed there are no more ‘why’ questions. Hope that helps!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris