Online Bulletin
This is the last Sunday to give to either of the Special Offerings!!!
Offering for weeks 3 & 4 of September:
The special offering for the third and fourth week of September is for the Willoughby Church Refugee Sponsorship Fund. Willoughby Church has successfully helped settle 13 families over the past 12 years. We are excited to announce the arrival of Ibrahim Mohammed who is arriving on October 2nd! Ibrahim is the nephew of one of the families we sponsored several years ago. We are also looking forward to welcoming two new families and another single man in the next few years. One of the families, currently in Kenya, is the wife and children of Richard Kambale, who attends this church!
The Refugee Sponsorship Team will present information about the sponsored individuals and families. As always, we are grateful for the generous support Willoughby Church has provided for refugees who are seeking a new, safe home country, and we pray for continued generosity.
You are invited to donate through the offering plate or click here to give through Tithley (Willoughby Refugee Sponsorship Fund)
75th Anniversary Celebration: We will be celebrating our 75th Anniversary this year on Sunday, October 26th!!! It's an amazing milestone to be thankful for, so, we need your memorabilia to take a walk down memory lane!!!!
If you have any old pictures, directories, flyers or programs from the past or past events please send them our way. You can bring them to Tamara on Sundays or drop off anytime during office hours by October 19th. Pictures can also be emailed to tamara@willoughbychurch.com.
Thanks, Willoughby Church Staff
Refugee Committee Request: The refugee committee is looking for furniture or house hold items for a single male we have sponsored who is arriving in October. If you have any household items that you would like to donate please contact Peter Roukema or Helen Vandenberg.
Request: Helen Agyemang, who has been attending our church for over a year, is in need of cash employment and is available for house cleaning. She is willing to do 'one time' cleans or on a regular basis. She relies on the bus for transportation but it's not impossible to work out other transportation possibilities if needed. If you, or someone you know, would like more information, please text or call Helen at 604-345-6815. Thanks!!!
Guatemala Mission Trip: We are finalizing the trip for next year and need your confirmations!! Our goal is to return to Poptun & San Bernardino, the need is high and there is few teams that make it up there. Dates provided by Bethel Ministries Bethel Ministries International - missions - Welcome are April 16-23. Cost this year will be $3000-$3500 depending on flights of which we are expecting $1000 to go toward projects. If you are interested in joining the crew, please email or talk to Al Vandenberg by October 5th!!! Thanks!!!
Young Adults Dinner: The Young Adults would like to say thanks to the Church!! Join them on Monday, September 29th at 6:30pm for dinner and devotion. They will be hosting dinner for the church body to say thank you to everyone, especially the host families who have had them in their home over the last few years. Everyone is invited and if you are planning on attending, please use the link below to sign up for the event!
Seniors: We will be meeting on Thursday, October 2nd at 10am in the Fellowship Hall. Come join us for fellowship, refreshments and some shared activities. Anyone is welcome! Hope to see you all there!!!!
Thanksgiving Service: Come join us on Thanksgiving Monday, October 13th at 10am in the fellowship hall for a service of gratitude! There will be singing, a homily, and pumpkin pie after the service. Hope to see you all there!!! *As this service will be in the hall, it will not be livestreamed.*
Christmas Decorators: We are looking for 5-7 people to help with decorating the church for the advent season (the more the merrier)!!! If you love Christmas and want to help the staff out this advent season, we'd love to have you help decorate the sanctuary and foyer. Please email, or talk to Tamara (tamara@willoughbychurch.com) or Jenna (jenna@willoughbychurch.com) if you are interested so we can co-ordinate a day and time for the whole group!!! Thanks, The Staff at Willoughby
Weekly Prayer: Starting on Tuesday, October 7, Pastor Jenna will be leading a prayer group that meets at 11:00am. Some days we will pray together in the Sanctuary for our church, and other times we will go out to walk the neighbourhood and pray for our neighbours and for our city. We will seek the Spirit's guidance! The approximate length of time is 30-45 minutes, but you are welcome to come for any length of time. If you're able, we would love to have you join us!
Short Term Community Groups: Book Study - Starting Friday, Oct. 17 Short Term Community Groups are back! This year we are inviting you into a book study on Pete Scazzero's book, "Emotionally Healthy Spirituality." Below is a synopsis of the book.
Pete Scazzero learned the hard way. You can't be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature. Though Scazzero was an experienced pastor of a growing church, his life and faith remained emotionally unhealthy. Like so many in the church, he routinely: avoided healthy conflict in the name of keeping the peace, ignored and suppressed emotions, used work for God as an excuse to run from God, and lived without limits. In this best selling book, Scazzero outline the top ten symptoms of emotionally unhealthy spirituality. He then unpacks core biblical principles to guide you into an experience of lasting, beneath-the-surface transformation in your relationship with Christ.
The group(s) will run every Friday evening from October 17 - December 5. If you are intersted in joining, please use this link to sign up.
Teach-It Tuesdays: The first Tuesday of every month!!! Starting Tuesday, November 4th! More information yet to come, but put the date on your calendar for the first week in November!
Garden Sharing Table: As summer winds down, there's still time to share the abundance from your garden! The Garden Sharing Table will continue through the October Thanksgiving weekend. So if your late-season fruits and veggies are still producing, your contributions are welcome! Bring your extras to the table in the church’s front lobby on Sunday morning.
Hearts Exchanged Learning Cohort: October -May: This 8-month cohort, modeled on a transforming journey of reconciliation, equips participants to build respectful, neighbourly relationships with Indigenous communities. Contact Liz Tolkamp for more information. Online and in-person options available. A ministry of CRC-Canada. crcna.org/hearts-exchanged
Stories in Song: Paraguay Comes to Canada! Stories in Song: Everyone is warmly invited to a concert featuring music, dance, and stories of God's faithfulness from students living in poverty-stricken neighbourhoods in Paraguay. This FREE CONCERT will be in Langley on Wednesday, October 1st at 7:00pm at the Willoughby Christian Reformed Church. No tickets required to attend and there will be a freewill offering to support Christ-centred education for children and youth in Latin America. For more information about the event, please contact Generation Rising at 204-415-6836 or online at www.genrising.org/events.
Worship Conference: You’re invited to a special, one-day worship conference on Saturday October 4th at Langley Immanuel Christian Reformed Church! Join together with other worship leaders, volunteers, and worshipers for a special day of praise and learning shaped around the theme of bringing our entire selves into the presence of God. Sometimes we have heard the message that we must leave our cares and struggles, hardships and challenges, trials and doubts at the door when we enter worship - but what happens when we bring the whole of who we are into the presence of all of who God is? God calls all our inmost being to praise his holy name (Psalm 103:1). Part of that includes shining the light of worship on our fears, sorrows, and tears—along with our hopes, joys, and gratitude. For more information and to register click “Learn More”.
All Nations Heritage Sunday - October 5 - Next week, Thrive invites congregations to celebrate the diverse and multicultural church of Christ. Did you know that a rapidly growing number of CRCs (30%) are multicultural or multilingual? Consider giving to Thrive's translation efforts and discover resources for All Nations Heritage Sunday now at: crcna.org/AllNations
Book Launch: The Invisibility of Religion in Contemporary Art - Please join us at 7 pm on Tuesday, October 7, as we celebrate the release of The Invisibility of Religion in Contemporary Art by Jonathan Anderson, Eugene and Jan Peterson Associate Professor of Theology and the Arts at Regent College. Jonathan will speak about his book, followed by a Q&A session and book signing. Books will be available for purchase through the Regent Bookstore. Please join us in the Regent College Chapel or connect online via rgnt.net/live.
"FAN INTO FLAME” MEN’S CONFERENCE : Registration is open for the 2025 Fan into Flame Men’s Conference on Oct 31-Nov 1 with Aaron Baart. In 2 Timothy 1:6-7, Paul urges Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God”— a reminder that the fire doesn’t keep itself burning; it needs to be stirred, fed, and fueled. It is our hope that through this Men’s Conference, God’s Spirit would reignite our passion, lead us to step boldly into our calling and to strengthen us to stand firm in faith. Come for a time of meaningful teaching, heartfelt worship, and authentic connection with other brothers in faith to be encouraged and equipped to live out the calling as godly men. Visit newlifecrc.ca/fanintoflame to learn more and register. We hope to see you there!
DO YOU LOVE TO SING?: IF SO, THE LANGLEY FIRST CAPITAL CHORUS Invites you to attend our open rehearsals starting in September 2025 and discover the world of 4-part Acappella harmony. We’re looking for new members and our rehearsals are open to guests of all ages and genders, who might be interested in attending either as an observer, or, to participate by sitting in and singing with us to experience the joy that we share every time we sing together. Either way, we would welcome you to join us for an evening in a relaxed cordial environment and to share the fun. If you can carry a tune we can teach you the rest in a fun, inclusive and friendly atmosphere. We’d love to see you on Thursday evenings at 7:00pm, at Willoughby Church.
On October 25, M2W2 will host Raising Hope: A Night of Dignity and Belonging, our annual gala to support individuals transitioning from incarceration into new lives. These are men and women seeking restoration, healing, and connection, and this event makes that possible by providing funding for mentorship, housing support, and employment opportunities rooted in Christ-centred compassion.
Strengthen your ministry's listening skills: On Oct 4, 2025, Telecare is hosting a morning workshop ideal for anyone in your church eager to sharpen their listening skills including pastors, youth leaders, grievance counselors, caregroup leaders, and the like. This professionally facilitated interactive workshop uses ideas, discussion, videos, activities, and roleplays to learn as a group. Register Here!
Paul’s Missionary Journeys in Greece (April 3 - 13. 2026): Travel by motor coach (6 days) and cruise ship (3 days) to sites connected with Paul’s second and third missionary journeys, as well as visit other major sites of biblical, archaeological, and cultural interest. Jeff Weima, professor at Calvin Theological Seminary and leading Pauline scholar, hosts this inspirational tour. For more information, contact Dr. Weima at 616-328-3110 or weimje@calvinseminary.edu.
1Life September Newsletter: 1Life exists to curate a curriculum of resources that equips individuals and congregations to become increasingly whole-hearted, vibrant communities of Christian worship, discipline & mission. Click here for the September newsletter.
Do Justice - Justice Prayers: Do Justice is a conversation space for justice in the Christian Reformed Church, from the Office of Social Justice. Justice Prayers is a weekly post addressing justice issues from around the world. Click here to pray and read more!
CRC NEWS:
Do Justice: Sacred Power September is a good time to reflect on the sacred duty we have to create and maintain safe spaces for those most vulnerable amongst us.
The Network: Employment Essentials Thrive has a new set of resources to help churches support their staff.
The Banner: The Greatest of These is Love The Five Solas can remind us that the Christian faith begins with the love of God made known to us in Jesus Christ.
Thrive Faith Formation Tip - God’s family is beautifully diverse. Revelation 7:9 gives us a glimpse of heaven as a great multitude “from every nation, tribe, people, and language” worshiping together (Rev. 7:9). As you celebrate All Nations Heritage Week this week, ask a Christian from another nation or culture to share with you one meaningful way in which people in their tradition worship God. Or look online for stories about Christians in other cultures and how they worship God. Brought to you by Thrive: crcna.org/Thrive
Groundwork: When Discipleship Growth Stalls - Sometimes the things we do and say are out of sync with the faith we profess to believe. Study Acts 10:34-48, Galatians 2:11-16, James 1:22-27, 1 John 1:8-10, and Philippians 3:12-14 with Groundwork to understand what God does for us in these situations and what we need to continue growing again as Christ’s disciples today. Listen now at GroundworkOnline.com and subscribe to Groundwork's weekly emails for future episodes.
The Banner: The September edition of the Banner is now available at the church. You can also access a copy online at The Banner. To support the Banner's ongoing journalistic ministry, consider donating. www.theBanner.org/Donate
Today Devotion Books: The Today booklets are available at the church.
Contact for Online Bulletin: If you have anything to add to the bulletin, please email info@willoughbychurch.com
Contact Council: If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email the council at council@willoughbychurch.com