GBC Community Update: Lots of opportunities moving forward!

Good morning!  It was great to see so many of you out on Sunday for our first service back. I had a number in mind and we blew through that. So, it was amazing. I was also happy to see how many still connected through our livestream and took advantage of that. So, many blessings as we start the week!
Still, I’m sure there was disappointment from some about how we came back to church, things we think should have happened or shouldn’t have happened. Like a great book that’s turned into a movie, we have in our mind the ideal translation. In times like this I think of the words of Romans 12- “Live in harmony with one another” and I let this guide me. Remember, in all things grace.  I’m looking forward to this Sunday already!
 
 
Sunday Service Update
Thanks again everyone who came out Sunday for your flexibility and co-operation with our protocols and procedures. It was great to see you all.  Please see the update from the Re-opening Committee for their thoughts on Sunday and some things for moving into this Sunday.
 
 
Service Opportunity at Saturday Night Supper
GBC will once again be providing another Saturday Night Supper at the Royal City Mission on July 4th.  We are blessed with this opportunity to share God's love with the needy through this meal.  We have been asked to drop off food, and the Royal City Mission staff will package it and hand it out to guests outside their church.  If you're interested in providing food or grilling burgers, please contact Andrea Thornton at [email protected] or call 905-537-9607 as soon as possible.
 
 
GBC Mission Focus
Update from Ilir and Kate Cami (Athens, Greece)
Clinic-Office-Baptism
This week we held our first face-to-face clinic since March!
Through the quarantine we helped refugees with Medical Care through phone calls, appointments at the lab, consultations at the hospital and provision of prescriptions.  Thank you for your prayers and financial support!  We were also able to organize virtual 'appointments' with our local doctors, as well as a Farsi-speaking doctor in Scotland.  But we have not been able to organize a clinic for refugees for nearly three months.
This was also the first time we used our new office space for patient appointments.  It was a very exciting day for us, and an answer to prayer.
Our Farsi church also held our first beach baptism in three months.  It was wonderful to celebrate together with our sister as she expressed her commitment to Christ through baptism.  And, after so many weeks of quarantine, it was great to have a small group of us together for fellowship.  We are still waiting for restrictions on indoor meetings to relax enough that we will be able to meet together for church and Bible Study.
 
 
Wednesday Prayer
Jacob and Karen Ginter host a weekly prayer gathering on Wednesday nights from 7-8pm. Join them as they pray through scripture for this current situation and for all of us.  You can connect through Zoom or by phone.   Here are the details:
GBC Wednesday Night Prayer
Time: 7-8pm
 Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/923156764
 Meeting ID: 923 156 764
 To join by phone…
Dial  +1 647 374 4685 Canada and then enter Meeting ID
 
 
A thought for the day: Facing Fears
While our society is reopening there can be a tendency to think that everything is ‘okay’ right now. There’s no more need to be ‘afraid’ of Covid.
Yet there’s still a lot of fear out there- fear of Covid, fear for the economy, fear of the ‘new normal’.
To find peace in trying times we have to face our fears. 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. 
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