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October Special Offering: The local Langley Foodbank is the focus of our giving for the month of October. The Langley Food Bank is a not-for-profit organization and is funded entirely through the support of local churches, organizations, and individuals. With the rise of inflation rates and increased cost of food, the food bank is being utilized more and more by families in need.

You have a few options for giving: Food/grocery items; grocery bags with a list of food items to purchase for the Langley Food Bank are available in the church lobby. Return the filled grocery bags to any of our Sunday or Thanksgiving services. You can also drop them by the church office at your convenience. As well you are invited to donate through the offering plate on Sunday mornings or by clicking here to give through Tithley (Langley Food Bank).

Please give generously to this great cause!

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

Youth: Join us on Sunday October 5th, as we kick off Youth with an evening of dinner, devotion and fun!!!  Youth is for children in grades 8-12 and they meet every Sunday evening here at Willoughby. We welcome our new Youth Leaders, Brooklyn & Josh, as they start this new ministry year!!

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!!!

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!!! 

For our first Teach-It night on Tuesday, November 4th, we welcome Tim Sheridan, Director of Church Planting at Resonate Global Mission. He will be presenting "Why it's hard to be a Christian", especially in today's culture. Join us at 6:30pm for dinner and learning in the fellwoship hall. Sign up below!! Hope to see you all on the 4th!  Click here to sign up for Teach-It Tuesday.

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. 

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

From Your 1Life Learning Hub - Mysteries of Christian Faith, a theology conversation cohort, begins Thursday, October 9, with Pastor Wilma van der Leek. Let’s Talk About It!, a conversation on timely articles in the October issue of "Christian Courier" with university chaplains Neil & Virginia Lettinga, happens online Monday, October 20. For more information or to sign up, go to crc1life.ca

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!

A Rocha: Join us for an evening with A Rocha Founder, Peter Harris! Why Creation is Waiting for the Christians: Wed, Oct 22, 7 - 9 pm ,  DeVries Auditorium at  Trinity Western University The world is facing what has been called a polycrisis, one which certainly implies damage to both climate and all forms of life on earth. But is the good news that Christians believe in, relevant to these times? We will explore how it is, and what it means for some of the most impoverished human communities and the threatened ecosystems that sustain them. Get tickets

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.

Former members/congregants of Ladner CRC: It is with great thankfulness to God that Ladner Christian Reformed Church celebrates her 75th anniversary at Ladner CRC on October 18, 2025. Please join us for light refreshments and a ‘walk’ through each 25-year period from 1950-2025 (2-3pm), a celebratory program (3-4 pm) and coffee/tea and cake (4-5 pm). This event is for high-school aged guests and older, please. RSVP to the church office by October 6, with number of guests attending: email office@ladnercrc.com or call (604) 946-7033.

All are welcome to a service of praise and thanksgiving on Sunday, October 19 at 10:00 am.

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 October 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 October 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:

Servant Leadership: Timmerman to Direct World Renew-Canada On Sept. 29 World Renew-Canada named Peter Timmerman as its new executive director. 

Every Generation: Curious Questions, Honest Answers Behind every Sunday school class lies a rhythm of preparation.

The Banner: Editorial: Hospitality All my carefully laid plans were scattered. This was “gritty hospitality.”

Thrive Faith Formation Tip - Continue celebrating the diverse group we see worshiping God in Revelation 7:9-12 this week as you celebrate All Nations Heritage Sunday. Explore music, prayers, or art from a culture different from your own as a way of recognizing and honoring the global body of Christ. Reflect on how diversity reveals more of God’s creative nature. Brought to you by Thrive: crcna.org/Thrive

Groundwork: Discipleship During Life's Tragedies - What happens to our discipleship while we experience grief, pain, frustration, anger, and the many other emotions we experience during these times? Join Groundwork as we study Job 1:13-22, Psalm 56:8, 1 Peter 5:7, and Job 42:10-11 to stay the course of discipleship during life’s tragedies. 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