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

Good morning. Many have likely heard of the engagement of my son Caleb to his girlfriend, Paige last week. We are obviously pretty excited as she’s a great lady and makes him better.  They’re really good together.  But, you likely have not heard that a good friend of mine who coached with me at my track club died somewhat suddenly on the same day. It was quite the emotional roller coaster but throughout all God was faithful to smooth out the highs and lows for me. God is good.  May he be praised in good times and not so good!
 
 
May calendar is here!
The May calendar is out and available at the back of the Main Auditorium

 
Mary’s Wilson is turning 90
Mary Wilson, a long-time member at GBC, is celebrating her 90th birthday coming up. Though she is no longer in Guelph as she’s in a retirement home she is engaged in what we’re doing here. So, for any of her friends who would like to attend, her family is holding a party for her at the home of the Thornbacks 7451 Sideroad 15, Moorefield, ON N0G 2K0. The date is Saturday, May 20th 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. No gifts please. Your presence is enough to bless her. R.S.V.P. by May 12th to Natalie by text: 647-654-0956 by email: nataliekepe@gmail.com
 
 
Thought for the Day:  What does it mean to be a person of character?
I’m going to be looking at the issue of character over the next couple of weeks.  Lately in the news there have been lots of example of POOR character and we seem to be sinking as a society in this key area.  So, I’ll look at an element of character and then share some practical tips on how to grow in this important area of being a disciple of Jesus.
To start with, character is defined as the attributes and features that make up a person. That’s good, but I like to take it one step further: character is ‘moral excellence and firmness. strength of moral fiber.’ Pastor and author A.W. Tozer described character as “the excellence of moral beings.”
As the excellence of gold is its purity and the excellence of art is its beauty, so the excellence of people is in their character. Persons of character are noted for their honesty, ethics, and charity. Descriptions such as “man of principle” and “woman of integrity” are assertions of character. A lack of character is moral deficiency, and persons lacking character tend to behave dishonestly, unethically, and uncharitably. It’s pretty straightforward but hard to attain!
Here's your first tip on growing in character: Read! 
Let's say you get an e-mail from one of your close friends you haven't heard from in a while. What do you do? You read it, of course!  God wrote several letters to us that address this issue.  When was the last time you read them? We develop character by understanding how God sees it and then applying this to our lives. Make sense?  Good!  But don't take out your dusty Bible and read it from cover-to-cover tonight. No guilt trip here. Instead, find and following a reading plan but also read other books, like devotionals, studies or commentaries that repeatedly talk about and look at the Bible; then you should read chapters of the Bible dealing with the issue in your devotional. We have some excellent resources in our church library in the Side Aud to help you with this. Check it out or ask Elaine Finlay, the librarian, for options.
A good standard of Bible reading time is ten to twenty minutes a day. You can do more if you want, obviously.  Do this and you can’t help but grow in character!
More to come!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Good morning. I hope you’re making this a great week!  I’m wrapping up my thoughts on sharing your faith today. I hope they got you thinking.
 
 
Financial Update from our treasurer
Here is the latest financial update from our treasurer Ken Finlay:
General Fund Offerings - Year to Date end of March 2023
Budget       $42,300
Actual          45,030
Surplus          2,730
(The Budget & Actuals above exclude contributions to the Pastor Fund)
 
Pastor Fund
Goal                                 $65,000
Contributions to date         35,950  (including the $27,550 contributed in 2022)
Still to be raised                 29,050
Thank you to  those who faithfully support us financially. It’s your gifts that allow us to do what God is calling us to in this community. If you are not giving, and would like to, you can drop cash or check in the offering box at the back of the Main Auditorium or give through Electronic Funds Transfer to info@guelphbiblechapel.ca
 
 
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 Jacob will continue to look at Israel’s standing with God and how that relates to us.
Want to prepare? Read the text for Sunday ahead of time: Romans 10.
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: Remember that only God can save someone
I’ve been looking lately at the opportunity we have to share our faith and the Good News of the gospel with the world around us.  I hope it has stimulated some thought and reflection. The last thing I want to share is a critically important thing to remember when you start sharing your faith: only God can save someone.
I don’t know about you, but for many, me included, there can often be a lot of fear surrounding sharing our faith, especially in a post-Christian, post-modern culture.  There can also be a lot of guilt around not doing it or doing it wrong. It’s at times like this that God, as a sovereign King, chooses who he saves and when.
I remember a well-meaning youth leader who told a group of teens that when sharing their faith if they ‘got this wrong it’ll mess up kid’s eternity’.  Honestly, I was pretty steamed by that and it had a negative effect amongst this group of youth. I later reminded them that its up to God who he chooses and when.  We’re tools in his hands so relax and go with the spirit.  We need to remember to be faithful to the call and the opportunities God provides. We do our part, he does his.
In my own experience some of my most articulate, well laid out and passionate gospel appeals have fallen on deaf ears while some of the worst, poorly thought out, inarticulate times I’ve shared my faith have led to someone surrendering their life to Jesus. The key is to be open to being used by God as he sees fit in the way he wants.
So, here’s the parting lesson: God is the only one who can save someone. All I am responsible to do is bravely share what He gives me to share, in the opportunities He provides. The rest is up to Him, and He wants people to know Him far more than I ever could. So, I can trust Him. That takes away my fear.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris

Good morning!  It’s nice to see the sun after some dreary days.  I hope that whatever the weather is like, you’re feeling the presence of the Son!
 
 
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 a camp-related craft from our Kid’s 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.
 
 
Outreach opportunity: Meet your city counsellor event at GBC this Thursday!
As a church we desire to be good neighbours, build relationship with the community and earn the opportunity to share the hope in Jesus we have. With this in mind, in conjunction with the Junction Neighbourhood Group, we are hosting an information meeting with our Ward 3 counsellors.  “Meet your city counsellor night” is a great outreach opportunity and chance for we as a church to shine.  The event will be held this Thursday from 7-8:30pm. Please come out if you’re in this ward to meet your neighbors. If you’re not, you’re still welcome to support this event.  May we let our lights shine!
 
 
Thought for the Day:  You have a testimony
I’ve been sharing of late some thoughts on outreach and sharing your faith.  Here, to me, is the most effective way- share your story! 
I think the best way to share our faith is to share what God has done in our own lives.  But you don’t have to have an “I-almost-died-doing-drugs-when-Jesus-showed-up-in-a-vision” story in order to have a testimony. Your testimony can simply be knowing that God is faithful and knowing how much He loves you and sharing that message of hope.
Most of you know my story of how I came to be a follower of Jesus through the death of our child (if you don’t, let me know, I’d love to share it with you).  But that’s my story. Your story is your story and yours is as valid and as important as mine is. We don’t want to get into valuing our stories based on the content.   Tell YOUR story and let God work with it through the Holy Spirit.
Whether you’ve journeyed with God your whole life or you’ve walked through a whole lot of pain, brokenness and mistakes, you—yes, you!—can testify to what God has done and who He is.  Share your story with the world around you.  I think this is the most powerful way we can share our faith: to share what God has done in our own lives, and talk about our relationship with Him.
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris