Good morning!  Thanks for those who prayed for our outreach event with the Junction Neighborhood Group on Sunday.  Our youth group hosted a kid’s drop-in at Paisley Rd. Public School. It was a great opportunity to connect with some families and let our lights shine.
 
 
Oasis@Midweek tomorrow
Our popular children's ministry event Oasis@Midweek happens tomorrow night. Kids JK to grade 6 are invited to join us from 6:30pm to 8pm for an Oasis Camp themed evening of music, games, life lesson and this time a fun 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.
 
 
Announcing our Community Carol Sing
On Friday December 23 at 7pm, please join us for our community Christmas carol sing. We’ll be singing seasonal favorites under the stars (hopefully!).  Please mark the date and think about who you can invite to come with you.  There will be an opportunity to distribute some post card invitations as well coming up. Please pray that we’d have many from the neighborhood and community join us as we lift our voices in praise.
 
 
Thought for the day: What Does the Great Commission Have to Do With Christmas?
Not surprising, I’m going to share some thoughts related to Christmas in the coming month.  To start, I wanted to tie Christmas to the Great Commission.  As a church, we follow the Great Commission Jesus gave us to go and make disciples.  But does the birth of Jesus, the wise men, angels, Mary and Joseph and the whole story relate to this? 
What do you think?
Could it be that the Great Commission is actually a vital part of the Christmas story?
Jesus’ birth was His greatest missionary act that the world has seen. He came to us. God entered our world. He left Heaven to become one of us.  John 1 says: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” 
The theological word for this is incarnation. That simply means God became a human. That is what happened at Jesus’ birth – on Christmas.  What does this mean? Well, that incarnation is what Christmas is all about!
The message of the season has a missional element to it! Jesus modeled what He would later command His disciples to do, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” His coming to earth was the “Go” part.
One of the best ways we can celebrate Christmas is to do as He did. Following His example, we enter the lives of those who don’t know Him. We eat their food, hang out with them, learn their ways of life, beginning to understand (and even experience) their challenges. We demonstrate His presence in relationship. God, in us, shows up in their world. We call this being incarnational. It is what Christmas is all about.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

​Good morning! I hope you’re making this a great week. Welcome to the Friday edition of the Thursday update!  I thought I’d sent it out but it got stuck in drafts. Oops!
Pray for our latest outreach as our youth group leads a kid’s drop-in at Willow Road on Sunday for the Junction Neighbourhood Group.
 
 
Reminder: family potluck and communion service Sunday night
Don’t forget our next evening potluck and communion service happens this Sunday.  The dinner starts at 6, please bring something to share and the communion will start between 645 and 7pm.
People are encouraged to share a scripture, hymn or thought on the Advent theme as noted below.
It's not too late to sign up! You can do it on Sunday or by contacting Dan Chapman. Please indicate what you’ll bring.
 
 
Financial Update:
Here’s the latest update from our treasurer, Ken Finlay.
Our financial position to November 21 is as follows:
Budgeted offerings: $182,471
Actual offerings received: $178,166
Shortfall: ($4,304)
Thank you to those who gave this past week, we appreciate your support!
 
 
Prayer for Transition, Provision, and Mission
We will be hosting prayer for thirty minutes before the service for the next 5 Sundays at 10 am in the Adult Ministry Room.  Prayer will be in-person and online.  There will be a time of praying for pastoral transition, raising funds for the next year, and gospel fruitfulness leading up to Christmas.  Coffee and donuts will be available for those who need fuel before prayer :) 
 
See link for Zoom below and the phone numbers for those who wish to join in online or by phone.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/21216757733?pwd=Z1JkN3dEeE9nTkhXY0tldlhEcWZFQT09

Meeting ID: 212 1675 7733
Passcode: 733870
Dial by your location
        +1 647 558 0588 Canada
        +1 778 907 2071 Canada
 
 
Thought for the Day: How To Be Truly Thankful – Allow God To Use You, Even If It Means That He Will Break You
Next week, not surprising, I’ll be sharing some Christmas-related thoughts. Until then, here is one last idea on thanksgiving before we move on (and before Black Friday hits!).  This may be the hardest one I’ve shared thus far.  The best way to be truly thankful is to walk in the center of God’s will and allow him to use you.  But here’s the thing- that may mean He will do things that are unpleasant and may even break you of things that He doesn’t want for you.
We read this in Isaiah 64:8 “And yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand.”
Have you ever seen a potter give up on a piece of wet clay? No, they will continue to shape it until it comes out in the form they desire.
But there is a breaking point.
Potter’s will give up once the clay is no longer pliable or usable.  The point for us today then is don’t allow yourself to dry up. Stay hydrated in the Word of God and connected to him through prayer.  God will always use us, the clay, for His purpose. He’s the potter  and we don’t get to choose if we turn into a statue, a vase, a jar, or a plate. We can pray that God will use us for His glory, but we don’t necessarily get to choose our path for that glory. Sometimes that glory is seen in our weakness… in our eventual redemption… or even in our battle with disease, with no healing in sight.  Your Father is using you for great things, but they are HIS things, and it’s only through His eyes that we can clearly see our place in His masterful plan.
Can I get an “amen”?
Let’s be thankful for God’s knowledge and purposes, even when we don’t understand it or its not pleasant.  That helps me be thankful no matter what, I hope it is for you as well.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

​Good morning.  The church looks very festive as we get ready for Christmas. Thanks to all who stuck around to decorate it on Sunday afternoon.  We’re starting to decorate at home too and that’s always fun for me.  As Jacob talked about Sunday, what do you do to prepare for Christmas? Whatever it is you do, be sure you’re doing something as we prepare to celebrate the coming of the King!
 
 
Communion Service and Pot Luck on Sunday
This Sunday will our next family pot luck and evening communion service. Starting at 6pm, we will share a meal (please bring something to share- a main, salad or desert) and then transition to our time of communion. 
There will be an opportunity for people to share a verse, prayer, thought or request a song during the service. It will be the first Sunday of Advent, and so in the theme of preparing for the King our focus will be on Advent which anticipates the "coming of Christ" from three different perspectives: the physical nativity in Bethlehem, the reception of Christ in the heart of the believer, and the Second Coming.
 
 
Thought of the Day: How To Be Truly Thankful – Give Thanks for the Hard Things
On Thursday I shared about being humble before God in order to build a spirit of thankfulness.  As I’ve mentioned, I’ve been looking at this in perhaps a different way.  Today I’m going to take it up a notch- give thanks when things get hard!
James wrote this in the first chapter of his very practical look at living out the Christian faith: “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” Really? Do you? Do I????  Honestly, this is a struggle for me and not a default position when troubles come. Rather, I try to figure out how to correct or get through the situation. Rarely do I say, “Gee, thanks God for troubles!”
So, lets work on this together.
Joy isn’t the opposite of trouble, it’s a choice you have despite your trouble.
You can choose joy in the middle of a broken family, memories of a painful childhood, or even your own failing health.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, troubles might actually be your bridge to true thankfulness or a spiritual breakthrough that couldn’t come any other way.  I know this has been the case in my own experience.  Often times we don’t see that until after something is done. This is kind of a ‘theology of hindsight’.  What happens here is it gives something to consider the NEXT time trouble comes. So yes, this is a process, much like our spiritual journey. But when we can have this kind of mindset we can then be thankful no matter what.  In the meantime, as you go through troubles, the key is to remember whose hands you are in.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Good morning. I hope you’re making this a great week!  We’re still out in Edmonton. It’s been great to see the fruit coming out of decisions we made 20+ years ago. That’s the benefit of hindsight and patient persistence.  May God guide the decisions you’re making today!
 
 
Christmas decorating on Sunday
This Sunday after the service we will be decorating the church in preparation for the coming season.  We’ll be putting up the trees and everything else that goes along with it in order to make GBC very festive.  A pizza lunch will be available and then we’ll get down to business.  Hope you can make it!
 
 
Prayer for Transition, Provision, and Mission
We will be hosting prayer for thirty minutes before the service for the next 5 Sundays at 10 am in the Adult Ministry Room.  Prayer will be in-person and online.  There will be a time of praying for pastoral transition, raising funds for the next year, and gospel fruitfulness leading up to Christmas.  Coffee and donuts will be available for those who need fuel before prayer :) 
 
See link for Zoom below and the phone numbers for those who wish to join in online or by phone.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/21216757733?pwd=Z1JkN3dEeE9nTkhXY0tldlhEcWZFQT09

Meeting ID: 212 1675 7733
Passcode: 733870
Dial by your location
        +1 647 558 0588 Canada
        +1 778 907 2071 Canada
 
 
Join us on Sunday in-person or on our livestream as continue our Christmas series: “Preparing for the King”
Are you ready for the coming of the king?  Have you ever thought of Christmas in those terms?  We ware continuing our Christmas series.  This Sunday Jacob will be looking at the idea of Jesus as King from a different perspective than I did last week.
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:  How To Be Truly Thankful – Be Humble Towards God
Tuesday I began sharing some thoughts on being thankful.  I’d like to look at this through a different lens.  God said this in Deuteronomy 32: “Look now; I myself am He! There is no other god but Me! I am the One who kills and gives life; I am the One who wounds and heals; no one can be rescued from My powerful hand!”
Yikes!  Do you read that verse and cringe a little bit?  Do we really believe this?  Isn’t God all about love?  Yes, He is but this is more about God as LORD, as a sovereign king.  Think of it this way: who are we to know better than God? Or how about this: do we honestly think that we could last even one minute on this earth unless it was God’s will for us to remain? Or could we rule the heavens and the earth for 30 seconds (I know I couldn’t)?”
 
That’s kind of discouraging Chris!  And what does this have to do with being thankful? Here’s my point: I read recently, “We would choose the things that God chooses if we had the knowledge of God.”  Really?  Think about it, God’s heart is good because God is good. And God is love. (read 1 John 4:16) He’s weaving us into a grand tapestry, and when he cuts our thread or hides our thread behind others our pride flairs up and we get upset. If we’re honest, like Satan himself, sometimes we think we can do a better job of this “god thing”. We can’t. That makes it pretty hard to be thankful.  We are sinful and have selfish motivations. We want our thread to not only remain in the tapestry but for it to be the star of the show.
We want our lives to be free of trouble.  In times like this we need to remember Paul’s words in Romans 8: “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” 
We would choose the things that God chooses if we had the knowledge of God.
And we don’t, so it’s not on us. That should humble us and cause us to walk our day-to-day lives in humility.  So, when we come before God in humility, as a sovereign king who is in control of all things, how can we not be thankful? The world isn’t on our shoulders, its on HIS (remember that from Sunday’s message?).  I’m thankful for that, I hope you are too.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Good morning. Welcome from snowy Edmonton!  Jennifer and I are in Alberta visiting Isaiah. It’s been great to see him in his element and where he now serves.
If you’re grumbling about the weather I can tell you, it’s WAY colder and there is a lot of snow here. Perspective is an amazing thing!
 
 
Prayer for Transition, Provision, and Mission
We will be hosting prayer for thirty minutes before the service for the next 5 Sundays at 10 am in the Adult Ministry Room.  Prayer will be in-person and online.  There will be a time of praying for pastoral transition, raising funds for the next year, and gospel fruitfulness leading up to Christmas.  Coffee and donuts will be available for those who need fuel before prayer :) 
 
 
Thought for the day: How To Be Truly Thankful- Some Thoughts on Developing Gratitude as a follower of Jesus
We’re getting close to American Thanksgiving (no, I will not be commenting on Black Friday) and I’ve been thinking about being thankful since our own Thanksgiving last month. Plus, I just have a lot of things I’m thankful about this fall so its on my mind.
 
Here's a question, and perhaps a different way of addressing this issue: do you feel pressured to be thankful as a Christian? Have you ever thought about it?  Let me tell you what I mean.  There seems to be an almost unspoken pressure in the realm of Christian social media circles to be thankful for each day you have on earth.  Instagram captions about thankfulness are in style. Even if you’re not on social media, do you ever feel pressure to be grateful? Have you wondered how to be truly thankful? Are these social media posts genuine or are they faking it?
 
Don’t get me wrong- you SHOULD be thankful.
 
If we get right down to it, we all should be thankful every day.  Think about it, we don’t deserve the next breath that we draw apart from the fact that God is gracious enough to give it to us. We do nothing to earn it or the gift of life we’ve been given.  So we should be grateful that He has us on this earth to fulfill some important part of His will.  But the reality is not every moment, or even every day, is Instagram-worthy. It’s definitely a hard line to find, let alone to walk it.  And so, often it’s faked. Have you ever done that? I know I have.  The reality is a truly thankful soul is hard to achieve and hard to keep at times.  So, over the next few updates I’m going to share some thoughts that might help us find our joy in true Christian gratitude no matter the circumstances and in a consistent manner.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris 
​

​Good morning. I hope you’re making this a great week!  Remembrance Day is tomorrow. I’m looking forward to going to an in-person service for the first time in three years.  Please remember to take a few minutes at 11am to remember those who died so others might live in freedom and hope.  Lest we forget.
 
 
GBC Financial Update
This was sent to me by our treasurer Ken Finlay:
Our financial position to end of October is as follows:
Budgeted revenue: $173,644
Actual revenue received: $172,881
Shortfall: ($763)
[This includes revenue from all sources.  Offerings shortfall is ($9,523))
 
We ask that all who call GBC home make a regular contribution towards
the ministry of the church. Information on various ways in which to contribute financially can be found at the following link:
www.GuelphBibleChapel.ca and click on Give
"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."  2 Corinthians 9:7
I hope you will pray and consider how you can help us out.
 
 
You’re invited to the Mission’s Team Sunday Night Potma Potluck
The GBC Missions Team invites us all to enjoy an evening of food, learning and prayer on Sunday, November 13. The meal begins at 5:30pm. Please let Jacob Ginter know what food you plan to bring – main course, salad or dessert. We’re excited that Mark and Gretchen Potma (serving with TEAM in the Czech Republic) agreed to provide an update on the new church planting efforts in Prague, as well as inform us about how our gifts to Ukrainian refugees in Prague have multiplied to impact lives for the Gospel. Don’t miss this opportunity to join our church family in fellowship, celebration, and encouraging our supported workers to continue their efforts on our behalf.
Jacob can be contacted at 519-803-4453 or [email protected]
 
 
Join us on Sunday in-person or on our livestream as start our Christmas series: “Preparing for the King”
Are you ready for the coming of the king?  Have you ever thought of Christmas in those terms?  We will be starting our Christmas series on Sunday.  I will be looking at the idea of Immanuel and how this applies to Jesus kingship from the book of Isaiah.
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 is preparing us for eternity.
On Tuesday I shared a bit about having hope.  So, what have we learned about living with hope in times like this?  We know that God is preparing us for eternity but also helping us each day until that point.  When you really understand this truth, it’ll change everything about how you deal with difficulties. God is using everything in your life—the good, the bad, and the ugly—to prepare you for eternity.

Peter describes this so powerfully in his first letter: “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold”.

You will certainly have trials in the days and years ahead. You may even have a more difficult time ahead than Covid was; not a happy thought! But wait for it, better days are ahead.  1 Peter 1 reminds us that our trials are temporary. They will pass one day.

In the meantime, these trials will help you grow. They’ll test your faith—and strengthen it. You’ll be better because of them and that can give us the hope we need to not only carry on, but let our light shine! I hope this truth encourages you today.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

​Good morning!  I hope you’ve made the adjustment to the time change. I know I don’t like how early it gets dark. Yet despite that, the sun does always rise the next day (and earlier now!). It’s a good thing to remember when spiritual darkness sets in.
 
 
Next Oasis@Midweek tomorrow!
Our popular children's ministry event Oasis@Midweek happens tomorrow night. Kids JK to grade 6 are invited to join us from 6:30pm to 8pm for an Oasis Camp themed evening of music, games, life lesson and this time a fun 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.
 
 
Operation Christmas Child Boxes come back Sunday
Just a reminder, the Operation Christmas Child boxes need to come back on Sunday.  We will be praying over them as well.  While this may seem like a small, and perhaps less significant, ministry opportunity it has great value and incredible impact. I met someone recently who received a box in a refugee camp years ago and is now a believer.   Many will be going to Ukraine as well and in hearing from those involved in ministry in that war-torn country they see it as an important opportunity for encouragement and to share the love of Jesus.  This is giving the gift of hope!
 
 
Thought for the day: God’s power will protect us.
Speaking of hope, we all need it.  When you lose hope its pretty hard to carry on. I’d thought that after the restrictions and fear of Covid there would be more optimism but many still are struggling and find things hopeless. If this is you, may I suggest a shift in focus.
People often ask me, especially when things are unsettled like they are right now, what I think is going to happen in the days ahead. I think back to March and April of 2020 and honestly, I thought I had it figured out.  But then reality set in and I had to admit I had no clue.  That can lead to a lot of discouragement and distraction. It can also lead to a loss of hope.  Yes, during that time, and with many things going on right now, it can cause a struggle. During that time for me I really had to press in to God.
Here’s now how I approach this: no matter what lies ahead, 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 and that gives me a lot of hope. I ‘hope’ it does for you too!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Good morning. I hope you’re making this a great week. The spiritual gifts seminar on Tuesday night was excellent. Thanks Jacob for your work in putting it together. 
Don’t forget the time change this weekend as we ‘fall back’ an hour.  With all the pressures going on around us right now let’s be sure we don’t ‘fall back’ in our faith though (sorry, couldn’t resist!).
 
 
November GBC activity calendar
Our latest monthly calendar is available.  You can use it as a reminder of what’s coming up but also as a prayer prompter for you to raise up in prayer what God is doing here at GBC throughout the month.
 
 
Fall work party coming up
Our fall work party is happening this Saturday. This is an opportunity for us to help our Property Team with some of the things that need to be done to get ready for winter.  There will be a variety of tasks to do. Please come for all or part and pitch in the help out starting anytime after 9am.
 
 
Join us on Sunday in-person or on our livestream as conclude our series on spiritual gifts
We finish our fall theme of ‘One Body, Many Parts’, looking at spiritual gifts Sunday. Patrick will be finishing up and recapping as we look at what is the ‘excellent way’.
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 always treats us with mercy.
Tuesday I shared some thoughts on how God seeks a relationship with us and I hope that was an encouragement.  During it I shared a verse from Peter’s first letter to the early church. In that letter Peter goes on to write: “All honor to God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; for it is his boundless mercy that has given us the privilege of being born again so that we are now members of God’s own family”. In his mercy….did you catch that?  The more I understand grace the more it amazes me. It’s completely undeserved and unmerited, yes, and it’s based on the spirit of mercy that is part of God’s character.
This truth should give us hope even when we blow it (and you will at some point if you haven’t already; I know I have!), when we fail, God doesn’t get mad at us. He always acts with mercy toward us. Why? As a follower of Jesus, you’re covered in his blood and salvation. That’s the truth and hope we have in the cross, that his mercy extends to us even though we deserve his wrath.  No matter what’s in store for you, you can rest completely in that truth.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

​Good morning! It was a great congregational meeting Sunday. I was happy with the positive spirit and sense of optimism at our special meeting to call Dan Andrade as a pastor here at GBC.  What a joy to see how God is moving here.
 
 
Pastoral Transition
So, the vote is done, the search is completed and now the new process of transition to the start of Pastor Dan’s ministry with us begins. Let’s be in prayer for him and his family as they get ready for this. It’s been great to have the Andrade kid’s already participating regularly in our Oasis@Midweek kid’s ministry. You’ll learn to love them as much as I already do!
As was mentioned in the meeting Sunday, we have a part to play in this beyond our prayers.  We have an opportunity here to expand our ministry with both Dan and I serving in a pastoral role.  For a while now we’ve really been maxed out in terms of our capacity as a leadership team so adding him with his unique skills will allow us to do some things we’ve not been able to.
But we need your help to make this happen.
This is going to have an impact on our budget for the next couple of years and we need your financial support in order for it to be accomplished. The attached letter gives us all the details so please read it. I will add that this is a request above and beyond what has already been given. I don’t want to see people shift from giving to the work of the church to this. That doesn’t help. We need people to give more or start giving if they haven’t. May we let our lights shine through this!
 
 
Thought for the day: God chose us before we chose him.
We are to be a people of hope as followers of Jesus.  No matter what’s going on we should be the most hopeful of people.  Not sure that you’re hopeful? Okay, fair question!  Why else should we be hopeful despite everything going on?
How about this?  Even with everything happening and even with all the mistakes we sometimes make, God chose us before we chose him. AND he even knew how we’d turn out!
Peter tells us, “You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be purified by his blood.”. Long before you chose God, he chose you. Your salvation was his idea. God took the initiative. And you were chosen for his purpose—to make you holy and get you ready for heaven and what you’d do in his name until that time comes.
We all know what it’s like to feel chosen—whether you’re chosen for a team, a job, or as a spouse. But the highest honor you will ever receive is this: God has chosen you to spend eternity with him. That’s a big deal and that gives us hope on a cold, overcast day!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris