GBC Community Update: Turn your gaze to God

Good morning! It’s nice to see more of you returning to in-person services on Sundays at GBC, and it’s been great to welcome some new people as well to our church family. God is good and God is moving here.
 
 
Celebration of Life for Joan McQueen
Next Sunday, the 29th, the family of Joan McQueen invite any of you in the Chapel family who knew Joan to join them in celebrating her life at 1pm here at GBC. Joan attended GBC since the family moved to Guelph in 1969 and was an active member touching many lives in the process. Her friends and social life were here as well.  I’d like to encourage anyone who knew here to come out for this opportunity for the sharing of memories along with her favourite hymns and choruses.
We will follow COVID guidelines for the service and refreshments.
 
 
Join in prayer on Wednesday night
Our weekly prayer gathering will be led by Donna Chapman this week at GBC on Wednesdays at 7:30 pm.  The focus continues to be on praying for the gospel to reach people in the city of Guelph, but also allowing for specific requests.  This week we will be praying for upcoming ministry and for God’s direction of our church.  Will you join us in praying?
 
 
Summer thoughts to keep you on the journey: When Tempted to turn inward, turn your gaze to Jesus
“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).

Under threat, scarcity and stress we sometimes find ourselves understandably becoming self-protective. We turn inward. And yet, the demands of these days call us outward. 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?
 
We must 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!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris