New Life News
New Life Christian Reformed Church Revised Constitution and By-Laws
A unique item of business on our New Life Live agenda for December 7, 2016 is to approve New Life’s revised Constitution and Bylaws. The Society Act of British Columbia was amended this past year, which requires all registered non-profit societies to revise their Constitution and Bylaws in order to comply with the new act. New Life’s Constitution and Bylaws have not been altered since our inception as a church, so it is high time for an update.
A small task force has been diligently working on revising our Constitution and Bylaws for the past six months. The task force completed their final draft and presented it to the Board of Elders who have reviewed the document on two separate occasions and who now present the final draft to the congregation for our approval. The work of the task force has been supported and guided by De Jager, Volkenant and company: Barristers and Solicitors, as these are legal documents to be filed in Victoria.
These documents are lengthy and detailed and we will have insufficient time to thoroughly review the document at our meeting on December 7th. However, given the importance and significance of our Constitution and Bylaws, the Board of Elders will host a special meeting on November 30th at 7:30 PM in room 303 for those who are willing and/or interested in reviewing our Constitution and Bylaws in detail. This special meeting will be facilitated by Bernie Huizing and Eric Van Egmond.
To view a draft of the recommended Bylaws please click below; If you wish to receive a paper copy to review please don’t hesitate to contact Noeline Borg at [email protected] or the church office at [email protected] or (604) 852-1585.
Giving Thanks, together.
Give thanks to the Lord – His love endures forever!
How good to be reminded. With so much on our plates, it’s possible to by-pass gratitude.
Take a moment and give thanks. For we owe God everything: every breath, every good and perfect gift, every moment, waking or sleeping, thriving or otherwise. For even when we struggle, God is our sustainer.
And, yes, his love endures forever. Experienced in so many ways, yet most powerfully through Jesus. For God so loved that he gave his one and only Son, for us.
This Thanksgiving, give thanks.
We’re joining with the churches of Abbotsford in sharing this short message, giving thanks together!
Praying 24-7
During the week of August 15-20 we are opening a prayer room at New Life for people to come each hour to pray. Then on Saturday August 20th at 7pm we will have a night of worship and testimony to thank and worship God.
24/7 Prayer is a Network of families, churches, and communities worldwide who are committed to praying intentionally for God’s mission, justice, and healing to come to the world. New Life is joining this network of people to pray 24/7 for one week.
We are excited to create a space at New Life that encourages and allows people to pray wholeheartedly for our families, our church, our community, country and world.
Please visit the sign up table in the lobby of New Life and pick the time slot you wish to pray during. You are welcome and encouraged to bring your friends and family to pray along with you. The prayer shifts are intended to be a minimum of one hour but there is no maximum if you want to pray longer. If you are unable to come to New Life to choose your slot, please email Shayna Bruinsma at [email protected] and she will be able to help.
The prayer room will be located at New Life upstairs in room 301. This prayer room will be a place that promotes and encourages creative worship. There will be journals, paints, maps, instruments and more available to you. The prayer room will be a place where you can enter into God’s presence in whichever form you feel comfortable.
We want to celebrate and praise God for the prayer time and invite you to join us for a worship and testimony finale on Saturday, August 20 at 7:00pm at New Life. We are excited to join together in praise to God and to hear what He has done in and through us during this time of prayer.
For more information or to sign up contact Shayna at [email protected].
Update August 15, 2016 8:54am: During Sunday’s worship service (yesterday), we looked at Psalm 27 and learned from the writer about prayer – prayer during the confident times with God and prayer with the desperate times with God. Shayna, Jeff and Kenzie shared their experiences with prayer. Going into the service there was 40 slots of the 144 needing to be filled and after the service there was a crowd around the 24-7 sign up table. By the end of the day there was just two slots left to fill. This morning there is only one left. The first prayer slot began at 7am this morning. Psalm 27:8 “My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.” (MVK)
Update August 16, 2016 7:19pm We are 36 hours into the 24/7 prayer week. We started 7am yesterday and each hour a new person is entering the prayer room to pray. We have seen individuals spend the hour in the room, sibling groups, or husband/wife teams. I had my first expereince 8-9am this morning. When I came there I connected with the person before me and he was surprised how fast the one hour time went for him. The room is wonderfully decorated and very peaceful. I found my prayer time to be a blend of inspiration and peace. I’ve noticed a couple people who have left the prayer room emotional, some amazed. The church building feels a bit different today. (MVK)
Update Wednesday August 17, 2016 1:45pm: We are 56 hours into our 144 hours of continuous 24-7 prayer. We started Monday 7am and today is Wednesday. Our staff at New Life met today and they reported the following. They noticed that the one hour time in the prayer room goes very fast and when the time is up, it is not unusual for a person to be surprised and a bit disappointed that it is over. People are looking forward to their time in the room, anticipating time with God. It has been a place of uninterrupted and peacefilled time with God – a welcome break from a hectic life. It has been inspiring for some to see the entries in the prayer journals, the verses on the wall, the prayers for our missionaries written next to their picture. The flow of people, of all ages and all stages of life is remarkable as people enter and exit the building on the hour. Staff also note they can feel the presence of God more in the building. (MVK)
Update Thursday August 18, 2016 10:05am: We are at 75 hours of continuous 24-7 prayer. It’s a beautiful day today. Prayer in the room occured all last night, reports are that it was “amazing.” Some of the experiences I have heard since yesterday of the prayer room are “This room is a place of inspiration … From the writings in the prayer journal and on the wall I can tell that people pray for different things, for themselves, for others, for confession/forgiveness … I don’t remember a time where I have sat and prayed for 1 hour like this, except in hard times … I am praying for family members that they would see the love of God … Hope we do this again.” Note: We now have an overflow room so that if you want to come and pray but haven’t signup for one of the time slots you can still come. (MVK)
Update Friday August 19, 2016 9:50am: We are currently on the 100th hour of continuous prayer. The scheduling continues until 6pm on Saturday and then at 7pm Saturday we will have worship / testimony night at New Life. All are welcome to come and share the goodness of God with others. I have had the opportunity to be in both the prayer room and the overflow room a few times this week and this has been one of the more profound times of prayer that I have experienced in 23 years of ministry. Thankful. (MVK)
New Life Live – June 8th Recap
New Life Church was invited to gathered on Wednesday, June 8th at 7:30pm for New Life Live. The meeting was held in the auditorium at New Life and hosted by Board of Elder’s chair, Eric VanEgmond.
Eric began the meeting with prayer and offered guidance on the manner in which we communicate at New Life Live meetings. He encouraged openness and honest conversation and noted that when there is evidence of contrary behaviour, it becomes difficult to continue to have healthy dialogue.
Pastor Nathan presented a summary of the previous New Life Live in April where we went through a guided process to help us discern future priorities. There are positive steps forward as the Board of Elders works to create a new strategic plan.
Representatives from the Joshua House gave compelling presentations and testimonies on how God is using Joshua house to bring freedom from addictions.
Pastor Mike gave a presentation on the proposed budget. He walked through each portion of the budget and explained the ministry of the church. He fielded questions after the presentation. The budget financially supports the ministry of our congregation for the next fiscal year starting in September 2016. The budget was voted on Sunday, June 12th and passed with an 88% majority.
Eric then noted the communication that was received from the members of the church and discussed each. We closed in prayer and adjourned. We are grateful to God for his work in and through His church.