Until recently, you may have known this church as Langley EFC. The name was changed two years ago, and reflects both the heritage and mission of the church.
“Town” represents the rich history of the church. It was originally known as “Langley Prairie EFC (1948),” after it began meeting in 1947, first in a tent “downtown” in the “town” of Langley. It also reflects the idea of community – that the church, like a town, is about relationships.
“+” represents the centrality and the Cross – our focus and a message of hope to all.
“Field” represents the mission field – to which we are sent as Christ’s Church
We are thankful for this church family, and for their commitment to mission.
In September, Lead Pastor Ryan (Talasi) Guerra began ministry at Town + Field, as did Youth and Young Adults Pastor Darren (Lynn) Bute. SInce then, they and their team have also been joined by Sara Hawthorne, Director of Family Ministries. To learn more about Town + Field Church, please see their website at: https://townandfield.ca/
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This past week, I began reading an article in a Christian journal to which I subscribe. The article was citing details of allegations against a recently deceased Christian leader and apologist.
I chose to stop reading, believing that there was no redemptive value to the article, and I ended up writing the journal to express my disappointment that they would choose to share these allegations when they had not yet been given fair hearing. Whether the allegations be true or not, irreparable damage has been done to the reputation of the leader.
While the article disturbed me, it provided another illustration of the state of leadership today – we have come to “expect” that leaders are ultimately “flawed.” While we do not have to look far to find examples of politicians inconsistency, we sadly also see it among Christian leaders.
As I was preaching at Parkdale Church over this last weekend, I was so taken with the testimony of the Apostle Paul. He is quoted by Luke in the Book of Acts as saying to the Ephesian Elders,
“You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. (Acts 20:18-21).
Paul was not bragging – he simply invited the Ephesians leaders to reflect on how he had lived and served among them – he has been consistent, and he has been faithful. He acknowledges his dependence upon God’s grace, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. (1 Tim 1:15,16).
In an age when we have come to expect duplicity and inconsistency in our leaders, may we, by God’s grace be those who truly “practice what we preach.”
Here are two articles to consider to this end:
Dan Reiland challenges us to take care to nurture our character as leaders. He writes, “competence may get you in the door, but character keeps you in the room.“ why-your-character-is-crucial-and-how-to-develop-it/
Reiland’s second article addresses our confidence as leaders. He states, “The truth is that it is not just skill and experience that produces your confidence in the natural realm: your confidence is greatly strengthened on the inside at the soul level.” 5-core-qualities-of-leadership-confidence/
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Perhaps related to the above articles is another on discipleship. It contends that much emphasis on discipleship today is focused on “self” and “self-fulfillment” rather than upon Christ. J. T. English writes, “One of the greatest challenges facing the church is discipleship that centers around the autonomous self. The West is in the middle of a cultural moment that centers all of reality around the autonomous self.”
Here is the link: the-greatest-discipleship-challenge-facing-the-church
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Please Remember our LPD Missionaries:
Here is the link to their information and how to support them:
Please remember all of our LPD Missionaries (and all missionaries) at this time.
https://www.lpd-efcc.ca/donations
LPD Missionaries:
Dan and Sharon Williams (Osoyoos Project)
Steve and Gillian Sharpe (Missionary of Church Planting Development)
Jonathan and Harmony Ng (Inner City Ministry)
Noel and Lynda Macasaet (New Living Assembly)
Jorge and Emily Lin (Church of All Nations/”new”New West EFC)
Joshua and Nicole Fast (Priceless Youth Ministry)
Allen and Hannah Chang (Steveston Project)
Daniel and Joyce Wong (Steveston Project)
Nathan and Amber Kinsey (Winsome Games)
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HELPFUL INFORMATION FOR CHURCHES REGARDING COVID-19
We in the LPD are here to serve you and your church through this time. Josephine has been continually updating our information, so has the most current information available on resources available to you and your church in this time. Please email Josephine.
Please contact us for:
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Please pray for:
Our LPD Board. Board members are Randy Lemke (Allana) – Chair, Patrick Chan (Sarah) – Property and Finance, Ben Crumback (Anna) – Island Liaison, Charles Labun (Carolyn) – Church Board Liaison, Rob Stewart (Karen) – D.S., Tim Stewart (Emily) – Innovative Ministries, Sang Hyun (Sam) Cho (Eun Young) – Korean Church Liaison; Phil Yung (Grace) – Church Planting, Philip Leung (Karen) – Chinese Church Liaison and Josephine Papp, LPD Office Administrator – Recording Secretary.
