Nominations 2026: The Affirmation Vote for Administrative Elders, Pastoral Elders and Deacon will be this Sunday, September 13th, 2026. If there are any concerns prior to Sunday as to why these nominees should not serve, please contact Joanna Devries or any Council Member.
New Admin Elders: Nominees - Hank Traas & Pieter Jan Ravensbergen
New Deacon: Nominee - Derek Kloet
New Pastoral Elders: Nominees - Evelyn Groeneveld & Len Batterink
Thanks, Willoughby Church Council
Ministry Announcement: North of 60 is the new name for Willoughby’s Seniors group. Any older adults 60+ is welcome to come and try it out. There’s an invitation in your mailbox with more info. The first get together will be Thursday, September 17th at 10:00am for coffee and games! If you have any questions ask Alice Voogt or Mabel Roukema.
Potluck Lunch: It's time again for us to share the table! We will be getting together as a church and community to launch a new ministry year and have a potluck lunch, on Sunday, September 13th after the church service. For this Sunday's potluck, we'll be doing the theme of Soup & Buns! Please make sure you bring enough to share, sign up is available through this link!!
Dessert, coffee & juice will be provided by the Church!
See you all there!
Any questions, please reach out to Tamara at tamara@willoughbychurch.com
Short Term Community Groups: Sign up this Fall to be a part of a short-term community group! These groups will meet every other Wednesday evening, starting on September 16. For 8 weeks (until the end of December), the group(s) will be studying the gospel of Mark together.
These groups are intentionally meant to be self-driven. Once we have all the registrants, Pastor Jenna will organize the groups, give you the resources you need to do a deep dive into Mark's gospel, and then away you go! Click here to sign up!
Digging Deeper: Scripture Study Nights: Join us in the Fall as we study the story of Scripture and seek to find ourselves in it! Starting on September 23 we will meet every other Wednesday for 20 weeks (until the end of June) to dig ourselves deeper into the narrative of the Bible. We will be studying the books of the New Testament, looking at one or two books each week. We will discuss the authors, dating, and context of each book, learn some of the historical background, and engage with the text itself to discover more about the Person of Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit's work in our lives. Each week we will study, pray, and offer our questions and ideas within the safety of one another's company. There is no 'homework' required ahead of time, but there will be suggestions for follow-up Bible reading.
Click here to sign up, which will help determine the approximate size of the group for planning. Each week Pastor Jenna will be sending an email to the whole group to offer the topics for the evening and other ways to help you prepare.
Although there is no expectation to come every week -- and anyone can join at any time -- please be aware that the more you invest into this, the more you will get out of it.
Women's Connect: SAVE the DATE - As we start our new ministry year, the first women's event is happening on Saturday, October 17th from 10am - 11:30am. Sign up starts next Sunday, September 20th in the foyer. Stay tuned for more details!
Garden Sharing Table: Are your vegetable or flower gardens, fruit trees or bushes producing more than you can use? Why not share the abundance? Bring your extras to our Sunday morning Garden Sharing Table, located in the church’s front lobby. Let’s share the bounty of our gardens and enjoy the gifts of the season together. Everyone is welcome to take home items from the table to enjoy! The table will be available every Sunday throughout the summer.
GLORIA DEI CHORALE, a Christian Community Mixed Voice Choir, is excited to start a new season of singing on September 14, 2026, under the direction of Cathrie Yuen. Our fall program celebrates the beauty of psalms and sacred texts through the richness of choral music and keyboard instruments. Beloved works by Fauré, Brahms, Vaughan Williams, Byrd, Rutter, Tom Fettke and Dan Forrest invite us to reflect on the many ways music can express wonder, gratitude, joy, and worship. New and former members are invited to join the choir this fall. If you love to sing, you've come to the right place! We are especially interested in male voices, but welcome all who are eager to sing. Rehearsals are a 7:15 pm – 9:30 pm on Monday nights at New Westminster Christian Reformed Church: 8255 - 13th Ave, Burnaby. Contact Tina at 604-588-6377 or Elaine at 604-271-0283 for more information.
Blood Donor Clinic: For September we will be hosting a Blood Donor Clinics on Friday, September 18th at 12pm. If you are able, please join in saving lives together by donating blood. Appointments are necessary and can be booked at blood.ca.
Hearts Exchanged: A Learning Journey Towards Reconciliation - As a new ministry season begins, consider joining the upcoming Hearts Exchanged cohort to explore God’s call to reconciliation with Indigenous neighbours. Designed to help participants move beyond the headlines, this experience equips Reformed Christians to listen deeply, understand a shared history, and cultivate genuine friendships rooted in Christ's call to peacemaking (Colossians 1). Secure a spot or ask questions: hearts_exchanged@crcna.org
Equipped to Listen Well - Telecare Crisis & Caring Line is offering a 9-week, fully online supportive listening series beginning September 17, 2026. This training helps participants deepen their listening skills, reflect on their approach to care, and grow in confidence when supporting others through difficult struggles. Each week’s session will be 1.5–2 hours. Interested applicants can visit telecarebc.com/training or email admin@telecarebc.com to join.
A Rocha: Summer Shindig Fundraiser - Sep 19 5 - 8pm 1620 192 St Get your tickets quick, you won't want to miss our Summer Fundraiser! Dress in your finest farm chic attire, and join us for appetizers + drinks, live music + dancing, and sharing from our programs. For tickets click here!
RESTORATIVE CONGREGATIONS Learning How to Grow Restorative Churches: Training Opportunity: Friday & Sat: Oct 2 & 3 , 2026. 9am – 4 pm, New Life CRC 35270 Delair Road, Abbotsford. This 2 day training will introduce participants to FaithCARE’s framework & vision for Restorative Congregations. Participants will learn how to design and facilitate proactive listening circles for a variety of topics and occasions, incorporate restorative practices into interpersonal relationships, ministry groups, congregational life & discernment, leadership meetings etc. Tools are given to help restore or make right where harm and wrong has occurred. The training supports churches to become restorative culture congregations which can help to both reduce & address conflict in healthy ways. INFO: RESTORATIVE CONGREGATIONS TRAINING REGISTER ONLINE: Restorative Congregations Training CONTACT FOR INFO: Faye Martin: sfmartin@telus.net COST: $100 Registration is limited to 25 people
Celebrate Life: You’re Invited to Advokate’s Celebrate Life Gala! Come celebrate the lives being saved, the families being strengthened, and the hope being restored through Advokate’s work in our community. Keynote speaker, Victoria Robinson, will share her own powerful testimony highlighting why missions like Advokate’s (Hope for Women) are so very important.
Date: Thursday, October 29, 2026
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Coast Langley City Hotel
RSVP: celebratelifegala.ca
Wisdom in the Age of AI Conference - How should Christians respond to Artificial Intelligence (AI) in church, education, business, healthcare, and the arts? The Wisdom in the Age of AI Conference will be held at Calvin University from October 8-10 and features top keynote speakers and parallel sessions dealing with each of these topics. For more information and register to join the conversation, visit: https://calvin.edu/wisdomAI
Happy Grandparents Day! - As a grandparent on this special day, do you know how to set up a trust or gift a charity in your will and extend your legacy? Have you done it? If not, the CRC has resources to help. Learn more about planned giving by visiting the CRC website at crcna.org/heritagefund
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!
