our LPD Church of the Week
Thanks to Anna (Ben) Crumback at Sointula Community Church for producing the Church of the Week!
Christ Community Church is located in Ucluelet, and is our most western church. It has a rich history that dates back to WWII, where West Coast believers reached out to a family that was facing discrimination. Their conviction has been and remains to reach out to everyone and anyone in the Name of Christ.
This is reflected in their website, which reads:
We are a community of followers of Jesus Christ, committed to live by faith, to be known by love, and to be a voice of hope… We welcome people from all walks of life, experiences and education regardless of where they are in their spiritual journey… So whether you have moved here or are just visiting for a weekend or a while, we hope that we might encourage you to move a little further forward in discovering not just how great God is but also how great his love for us is through Jesus Christ.
Please pray for Christ Community Church, their leadership and the congregation, as they minister on the West Coast, and as they seek the Lord for the future.
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“Small churches,” like Christ Community Church, in small communities, have special ministries, opportunities and responsibilities.
In large communities, people can choose a church on the basis of music, style, programs and personal preference. Not so in small communities, where there may only be one evangelical church in town. Thus, the church will likely be composed of a cross-section of believers coming from a variety of denominational backgrounds.
The EFCC is well-suited to such churches, as we focus on the “majors” of the faith, and choose to fellowship with those who may differ on issues of secondary importance.
Also, within a small church in a smaller community, the health, reputation and “business” of the church ripples through the community. If the church enjoys a good reputation (Acts 2), then the message of Christ has credibility. If there is disunity or a poor reputation, the community will be put off.
Christian Schwarz, in his study of many congregations globally, found that there are several “quality characteristics” that are true of healthy and growing churches of various sizes and denominations. He likens these to the staves of a barrel, noting that a barrel has capacity to hold water only to the height of the shortest stave.
The “staves” are as follows:
Interestingly, small churches rate very highly in seven of the eight characteristics of a healthy church – in all but, “Inspiring Worship.”
Small churches have big influences in communities – after all where else would 8% of a community’s population attend one church, such as is the case at Sointula Community Church!
Jesus was born in the small town of Bethlehem and raised in the small town of Nazareth – not Jerusalem! Nathanael, upon hearing from Philip that, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph,” scoffs, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Certainly it could!
Here is a link to Schwarz’s article on the Strong Little Church.
The Strong Little Church
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This Sunday will be the Second Sunday of Advent, and is known as the Sunday of readiness or anticipation. A Scripture often read is Isaiah 40:3-5, which states:
“A voice of one calling:
‘In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’”
The German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, imprisoned in Germany for conspiring against Hitler in WWII (believing that it was moral to end the life of Hitler rather to do nothing, and to allow him to kill many more innocent people), and executed just weeks before Hitler would take his own life, reflected on Advent from prison. He wrote,
A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes – and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent
We were once imprisoned and justly condemned by our sin, but our Lord sent his Son Jesus to be our rescuer, to set us free and to welcome us as sons and daughters!
Bonhoeffer also writes of Advent,
‘The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, who look forward to something greater to come. For these, it is enough to wait in humble fear until the Holy One himself comes down to us, God in the child in the manger. God comes. The Lord Jesus comes. Christmas comes. Christians rejoice!’
May our Advent Season be a time of thankfulness, readiness and anticipation – He is Coming Again!
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Your Partnership Is Appreciated!
As we approach year end, both regular giving and special gifts are especially appreciated. Might you consider a special gift to our ministry as we approach year end? As our district serves our Lord, and you and your church in His Name, and it would be a blessing to end the year with our budget met and our missionaries fully supported. We are serving 31 churches, church plants and 7 LPD Missionaries.
Gifts to the LPD should be written to the LPD-EFCC, and mailed to our district office. Please also explore giving online to our district or missionaries through our district website, at https://www.lpd-efcc.ca/, or contact our office for electronic and automatic withdrawal options. Thank you again for your partnership with us!
Please pray for:
Upcoming Events:
LPD Conference
at
Grace Hanin Community Church
March 6,7 – 2020
with Dr. Randy Wollf of ACTS Seminaries.
“The Heart of Discipleship”
Plan to join us for a workshop on Friday, March 6, followed by a fellowship supper, and on Saturday, March 7, for worship, a workshop, and our annual meeting. We will also have a fellowship lunch, and a luncheon for women in ministry and pastor’s wives.
