In 1954, Carl Fosmark began a Sunday School ministry in south Burnaby BC. It was a growing area in the post-war years, as families migrated from Vancouver towards the suburbs. The Sunday School grew and became Burnaby Evangelical Free Church. The church impacted the community for Christ.
Over time, the population began to change. As families were raised, people moved, and the church declined in attendance. New people came to the area, many of them immigrants from Hong Kong. In 1991, Burnaby Evangelical Free Church ceased, in order to make way for the birth of Burnaby Chinese Evangelical Free Church.
Over these 30 years, the first generation of immigrants have raised their families, and now the church is reaching to three generations of people and has ministries in Cantonese, Mandarin and English.
Please pray for this church family, our Church of the Week, as they seek to reach out, and like all of us, face the challenges of “re-opening” live services in a congregation that is so diverse.
We are thankful for Pastor Sam (Amelia) Lam, Pastor Grace Chang and Pastor Danny (Erico) Wu, as they faithfully serve and minister to three generations and in three languages
Here are some specific prayer requests:
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Will You Survive COVID? Will your ministry?
Now that things are “opening up,” churches can gather and masks are for the most part voluntary, we are entering another new season of ministry. Though still cautious, we feel more confident that we will both get through and move beyond COVID.
For months, we have not been allowed to meet together for worship. Now that we “can,” will we? How many will choose to? Who is still there? What will we do differently? Will we now minister to both an “online” congregation and a “live” congregation?
Such questions and the uncertainty that they represent are felt by pastors and church leaders. Now that we can “re-open,” we will now discover “where our church is at.”
Pastors have felt the pressure of COVID, and of ministering “virtually” with very little face-to-face interaction, and perhaps little affirmation. It has been hard to measure, both how our church is doing, and how we are doing personally.
George Barna reports that 29% of American pastors have considered resigning over the past eighteen months of COVID. (See Christianity Today article “Has the Pandemic Made Your Pastor Want to Quit? Probably.” has-pandemic-made-your-pastor-want-to-quit-probably.html This is true of leaders in a number of vocations. It is anticipated that many have “hung in there” through COVID, and will now seek to “make a move” as things open up again.
While I do not sense that this is the case in our LPD/EFCC Family, it is good to both acknowledge and be aware of the impact that ministry in COVID has had upon both us and our congregations.
Perhaps our commitment to ministry has been tested in this season – am I in ministry with the conviction of God’s call, or am I simply employed in ministry?
In my ministry with pastors and leaders, I am observing a marked difference in the understanding of ministry and calling among pastors today. Our Asian brothers and sisters speak of a very deep and life-long calling to ministry. They often speak of wrestling with this sense of call before surrendering to it, knowing that there can be no turning back.
Among western pastors, there is a growing sense that ministry may be for a season of life. There is a commitment to one’s current position, but less certainty of ministry being a life-long vocation. This is reflected in the number of Asian-born pastors pursuing ordination versus Canadian-born pastors.
Let’s encourage one another in both life and ministry. While there is never a promise that ministry will be easy, there is always the promise that God will be faithful.
Dan Reiland has recently written an article that speaks of the high calling of Christian leadership. It is a good reminder of all that comes with the calling to pastoral ministry today. He writes:
The article is titled, “7 High Standards of Leadership.” Here is the link: 7-high-standards-of-leadership
On a more devotional side, Oswald Chambers wrote in July 14’s devotional titled, “Suffering Afflictions and Going the Second Mile,” writes, ” When you are insulted, you must not only not resent it, but you must make it an opportunity to exhibit the Son of God in your life. And you cannot imitate the nature of Jesus— it is either in you or it is not. A personal insult becomes an opportunity for a saint to reveal the incredible sweetness of the Lord Jesus… A disciple realizes that it is his Lord’s honor that is at stake in his life, not his own honor.” Here is the link: suffering-afflictions-and-going-the-second-mile
So, will you survive COVID? Will your ministry?
I believe that God has given us a wonderful opportunity to refocus and to evaluate our ministry and ministries as we come out of COVID. Our measure of ministry will not be attendance or giving. It will be faithfulness to our Lord and the transformation that He brings in people lives. As Dan Reiland reminds us, “But, ultimately, the quality of leadership is based on the quality of people’s spiritual lives. It’s not how many; it’s the quality.”
It is a joy to be alongside as an encouragement and a resource to you in your life and calling!
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BC COVID-19 Policy Updates:
To summarize: There are no capacity limits or restrictions on indoor or outdoor religious gatherings and worship services“
Important News regarding the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) program, and the last period will be Period 20 (September 2021). It has been replaced with the Canada Recovery Hiring Program (CRHP)
The government will be wrapping up the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) program, and the last period will be Period 20 (September 2021). It has been replaced with the Canada Recovery Hiring Program (CRHP) and so far, it is extended to Period 22. As a non-profit, churches qualify as employees for CRHP.
This is based on increases or hiring after April 10, 2021. If the loss of revenue is more than 10% in the quality month then CRHP will provide a subsidy equal to the incremental remuneration based on original wages between March 14 to April 10, 2021. It starts in Period 17 at 50% and gradually decreases until Period 22 at 20%.
During the 4 months when both CEWS and CRHP are available, only one can be applied for per period. The new excel calculator will help you enter all the info to determine which program will be greater for that period. If the amounts are the same apply for the CEWS.
For more information can be found at:
recovery-hiring-program/crhp-compare-cews.html
For assistance or to answer questions, please contact Josephine at the district office
