Dear New Life Congregation,
Welcome to a new year, 2021! We all wish, or at least joked, that a new year could bring a clean slate to this pandemic situation. Unfortunately, it is still with us. At New Life we keep pressing into God’s calling to work for changed lives, a diverse community, and a radical impact. Admittedly, it does get frustrating to discern exactly what restrictions there are, how they apply to us, and for how long. Through it all, we are still making plans for ministry, and feeling enthusiastic about the opportunities God places before us.
Shifting Focus
Recently, staff discussed moving forward in ministry. We discerned God’s call to a more outward focus in serving the community. In the past year we placed a lot of energy and effort into producing virtual worship experiences and sustaining community through various connections and Life Group meetings. Worship and Community remain important pieces of our ministry, and in addition we want to place our initial focus on serving for the coming year. Many are already serving in various capacities, and we are glad for that. This shift in focus is not an expectation that we just do more, but that we recognize God’s on-going purposes in our life together. Let us know that you are in: 1) send us back a reply here; or 2) comment in the staff video here. We would love to hear your stories of serving too!
Serve Opportunity
This month our “serve” focus will land on the Abbotsford Food Bank. Not only does the food bank require on-going donations of food and money, but especially in this pandemic season, they need people willing to deliver groceries to food-bank clients. New Life deacons would like to provide teams of drivers that could participate on a monthly rotating schedule to make deliveries. If you could serve in this capacity, please contact deacon Mark Heidelberg who will direct you to the scheduler at the food bank.
Ministries
With health restrictions renewed for another month, worship services will continue to be pre-recorded and posted on our website, YouTube, and Facebook. Though we don’t expect it for another couple months, we will be prepared to return to all live worship services when in-person gatherings are permitted for churches. We encourage Life Groups to stay connected by electronic means. A current public health order does allow some children and youth programming. We are exploring how to proceed with this.
Thank you for your encouragement and support to church staff and leaders during this unusual season. And if you are feeling overwhelmed, discouraged, or depressed, or if you need assistance in any way, make sure that you stay connected with us directly, or through your Life Group, and elder or a deacon.
In Christ,
Nathan Elgersma (Lead Pastor)
(604) 743-8001