It's wild that October is already behind us, what a blur! Along with our ongoing ministries - Youth, YA, RPM Hikes, Ladies Interact, Small Groups, Newcomer's Lunches, Alpha, etc. - this month saw the Marriage Course begin, and 8 couples - some newly married and some married for decades - set aside the time to focus on their relationship; to grow in understanding of each other, and eat delicious pastries.
Many of us also had the blessing to spend sometime learning about Imaginative Prayer with Dr. Dan Heavenor at our most recent Contemplative Prayer night. So often we think of prayer as simply coming to God with our lists of wants and needs - and that is good and necessary - yet God loves us and also wants to spend time with us as friends. Contemplative prayer invites us to sit with him and listen to him. Imaginative Prayer, in particular, helps us to encounter the living Jesus from the pages of the Bible in meaningful and tangible ways; to move beyond information into relationship. We are so grateful to Dr. Dan Heavenor for leading us in this experience.
And speaking of the Bible coming alive, a special shout out to our Kids and Youth Ministry is needed.
Over the last couple of months, our Kids and Jr. High Pastor, Mark, has been handing out Bibles like candy on All Hallows' Eve! As of the time of this writing, 45 Adventure Bibles have been given to kids which is wonderful. And the Jr. Highs... along with the 22 Bibles given to them, they have also been given "Bible Holsters" - little pouches that they wear like a belt that they carry their Bibles in for easy and immediate access. This rules! And the fruit is tangible, with parents telling us stories of seeing their kids carrying their Bibles around and saying "I'm gonna spend some time with the Lord!" because they are feeling a sense of connection to and ownership of the Bible that is in their hands (and on their waists).
Personally, as a parent, I (Shawn) have felt a special delight at helping my Jr. Higher gird themselves with the "Sword of the Spirit" (Eph. 6:17) before heading out to youth. It's so great.
Thank you to Mark's mom who made many of them by hand, and a shout out to those in the Ladies' Interact group who are taking up the crafting mantle. This is such a fun, hilarious, and low-key subversive way to raise a generation to love God's Word.
Many of us also had the blessing to spend sometime learning about Imaginative Prayer with Dr. Dan Heavenor at our most recent Contemplative Prayer night. So often we think of prayer as simply coming to God with our lists of wants and needs - and that is good and necessary - yet God loves us and also wants to spend time with us as friends. Contemplative prayer invites us to sit with him and listen to him. Imaginative Prayer, in particular, helps us to encounter the living Jesus from the pages of the Bible in meaningful and tangible ways; to move beyond information into relationship. We are so grateful to Dr. Dan Heavenor for leading us in this experience.
And speaking of the Bible coming alive, a special shout out to our Kids and Youth Ministry is needed.
Over the last couple of months, our Kids and Jr. High Pastor, Mark, has been handing out Bibles like candy on All Hallows' Eve! As of the time of this writing, 45 Adventure Bibles have been given to kids which is wonderful. And the Jr. Highs... along with the 22 Bibles given to them, they have also been given "Bible Holsters" - little pouches that they wear like a belt that they carry their Bibles in for easy and immediate access. This rules! And the fruit is tangible, with parents telling us stories of seeing their kids carrying their Bibles around and saying "I'm gonna spend some time with the Lord!" because they are feeling a sense of connection to and ownership of the Bible that is in their hands (and on their waists).
Personally, as a parent, I (Shawn) have felt a special delight at helping my Jr. Higher gird themselves with the "Sword of the Spirit" (Eph. 6:17) before heading out to youth. It's so great.
Thank you to Mark's mom who made many of them by hand, and a shout out to those in the Ladies' Interact group who are taking up the crafting mantle. This is such a fun, hilarious, and low-key subversive way to raise a generation to love God's Word.
Celebrating Stories...
Each week we as a staff gather in various configurations and spend time sharing some of the stories we are constantly hearing about the things God is doing in our midst. And friends, God is doing so much... many things are happening in hidden places (often the way that God does his best work) that we can't yet share, but there are also many things happening in full view that we are humbled to bear witness to. Rather than just keeping all of these stories to ourselves we thought that Thanksgiving weekend would be a fitting time to share some of them with you. So, on Sunday, October 13, we had the joy of hearing a trio of stories stemming from the question, "What has God done in your life this past year?"
Larry shared about how the Lord, through the RPM ministry, has been inviting him to move beyond just "checking the boxes" to really knowing and being known by God. Watch Larry's story here.
Torika shared about the beautifully profound and challenging experience of moving deeper into reconciliation with herself and her identity as she spent time in one of her ancestral lands, Fiji. Watch Torika's story here.
In the middle of these two stories we heard about Ray & Eleanor Dunn - two people that over the last year and beyond have exemplified our Redwood value of Hospitality so beautifully. I'm so grateful to them for allowing me to haul all our video equipment over to their house and to spend that time hearing about how and why they tangibly express the love of Christ the way they do... and for the taste of hospitality that I got to receive through sharing a meal with them and their friends. Watch Ray & Eleanor's story here.
Our stories can be such an encouragement to one another. Perhaps you have a story you want to share, or maybe you just want some guidance to see with greater clarity what God is doing in your life. Use the form below to process and give shape to the story that God is currently writing in and with your life.
Larry shared about how the Lord, through the RPM ministry, has been inviting him to move beyond just "checking the boxes" to really knowing and being known by God. Watch Larry's story here.
Torika shared about the beautifully profound and challenging experience of moving deeper into reconciliation with herself and her identity as she spent time in one of her ancestral lands, Fiji. Watch Torika's story here.
In the middle of these two stories we heard about Ray & Eleanor Dunn - two people that over the last year and beyond have exemplified our Redwood value of Hospitality so beautifully. I'm so grateful to them for allowing me to haul all our video equipment over to their house and to spend that time hearing about how and why they tangibly express the love of Christ the way they do... and for the taste of hospitality that I got to receive through sharing a meal with them and their friends. Watch Ray & Eleanor's story here.
Our stories can be such an encouragement to one another. Perhaps you have a story you want to share, or maybe you just want some guidance to see with greater clarity what God is doing in your life. Use the form below to process and give shape to the story that God is currently writing in and with your life.
Welcome Home, Food Bank!
We are so delighted to finally have the Food Bank home in our building. Our volunteers (with a little help from our staff) did incredible work moving into the space, organizing and setting everything up and preparing to welcome clients into our church to offer some help and kindness.
With the first month of operating in this space behind us, we can say with certainty that this has been an immense blessing to everyone. The energy around this place on a Food Bank Thursday is palpable as the team so skillfully does their thing - it's beautiful to see. And so far the team has loved being in this space. They love being on one floor (as opposed to having to move up and down stairs), and the light from the windows in our foyer, the ladies' washroom, and on the whole feeling more connected to and a part of Redwood.
It was a lot of work to make the move but it has been absolutely worth it - and your giving has made this possible! Your giving allowed us to make the necessary renovations, and your giving allows us to purchase the food, the new rolling carts to make caring for our clients easier, and all that is needed to make our Food Bank ministry successful.
Of course, we long for the day when food banks aren't needed anymore; when people aren't experiencing food scarcity and everyone has enough. But until then, we are grateful to have such an amazing team of committed volunteers, and an amazing church community that supports this work.
With the first month of operating in this space behind us, we can say with certainty that this has been an immense blessing to everyone. The energy around this place on a Food Bank Thursday is palpable as the team so skillfully does their thing - it's beautiful to see. And so far the team has loved being in this space. They love being on one floor (as opposed to having to move up and down stairs), and the light from the windows in our foyer, the ladies' washroom, and on the whole feeling more connected to and a part of Redwood.
It was a lot of work to make the move but it has been absolutely worth it - and your giving has made this possible! Your giving allowed us to make the necessary renovations, and your giving allows us to purchase the food, the new rolling carts to make caring for our clients easier, and all that is needed to make our Food Bank ministry successful.
Of course, we long for the day when food banks aren't needed anymore; when people aren't experiencing food scarcity and everyone has enough. But until then, we are grateful to have such an amazing team of committed volunteers, and an amazing church community that supports this work.
A Prayer...
At the Contemplative Prayer Night, Dan shared a prayer/poem with everyone that, in light of the ways that the Word of God is coming alive in our midst, seems like a lovely invitation and summation for this newsletter.
Follow Jesus Around the Scriptures
by Doreen Kostyniuk
Follow Jesus around the Scriptures – be an observer
Watch how he looks
Watch how he touches
Watch how he is present to people
Watch how he prays and takes time out
Let him look at you
Let him touch you
Let him hold you
Let him heal you
Let him be present to you
Then become the look
Become the touch
Become the presence.
Thank you for reading. Peace of Christ.
Follow Jesus Around the Scriptures
by Doreen Kostyniuk
Follow Jesus around the Scriptures – be an observer
Watch how he looks
Watch how he touches
Watch how he is present to people
Watch how he prays and takes time out
Let him look at you
Let him touch you
Let him hold you
Let him heal you
Let him be present to you
Then become the look
Become the touch
Become the presence.
Thank you for reading. Peace of Christ.