Dear New Life Church Family,

The Board of Elders has a strong desire to keep our church family well informed in regards to the activities of the board and church leadership.

We are in a season of renewal, following 2 years of the pandemic crisis and the many restrictions that have interrupted our  activities as a church, particularly our ability to gather as a church family and to experience community with one another.  It is so refreshing to have regained that privilege.  The pews are slowly filling up, it’s wonderful to sing praises without masks, and we can once again enjoy each other’s company with coffee after the service.  It is a time of excitement and anticipation.

As many of you know, members of New Life have been gathering Monday evenings for prayer for the past year, led by Tim and Rachel Vandenberg and Taylor Visser.  Over the past few weeks, I believe the Holy Spirit has stirred us to an increased focus on this prayer night by inviting Marvin Bravo to partner with the Prayer Team leaders with a four week prayer series focusing on “WAIT” (Worship, Adoration, Intercession and Testimony).  This series has been promoted by the Board of Elders who wish to call our members to pray for New Life during this time of renewal.  What a blessing the first two have been.  While Monday Night Prayer is an on-going weekly event, the next two prayer meetings in this particular series will be on April 25th and May 2nd, 7:30pm in the auditorium.

We are moving forward with filling some staffing positions. This past year we have been blessed with the work of Janessa Gritter and Jacob Visser in youth ministry.  We’ve also been blessed with the work of Esther DeWaal and Michelle VanEgmond in children’s ministries.  We are currently posting for applications for a youth pastor and for a position in children’s ministries.  We also hope to have someone to lead young adult ministry in the fall.  We are excited to see who God will call into these positions and very enthusiastic to see these faith formation ministries thrive.  Please pray for the Lord’s guidance as this process unfolds.

New Life remains on solid financial ground as our giving to New Life remains strong and stable.  We are blessed with church family members who faithfully give back to the Lord through their tithes.  Thank you for your commitment.   Our pews are slowly filling up and we are monitoring that trend via our counting team.  We are seeing some of our members that have left return, and we are seeing more guests attending and people who are coming to New Life for the first time.  One couple, for instance, started watching New Life On-line services and enjoyed Nathan’s series on the Fruit of the Spirit, and are now attending full time.  Pastor Nathan will be leading a new members class this fall and this class is a large class compared to previous years.  This is indeed exciting to see.

The Board of Elders is in the process of selecting new board members through our nomination process.  This is an unusual year in that we will be welcoming four new board members.  Three will be replacing board members Eric Hoogenraad, Heidi VanWeelden and Diane Kampman, whose terms will be ending in June.  We are adding a fourth person to bring us to the maximum number of board members in accordance with our by-laws.  In this time of renewal, another person at the table contributing their wisdom and discernment is desired.  Please pray for our selection process, and thanks to those of you who have provided nominations.

Many of you may have heard that our brother, Bernie Huizing, who is also a member of our Board of Elders and has served previously in that capacity for several terms, is in the ICU in very serious condition due to a sudden illness.  We continue to pray for healing for Bernie, and for Kathy and their children Alex and Moira.  On the board, we will miss Bernie, who serves as treasurer, and faithfully offers so much experience, wisdom and discernment.  Our hearts break for the Huizing family, and pray for God’s grace and mercy upon Bernie and his family.

Eric Van Egmond

New Life Board Chair

Dear New Life Family,

We want you to be aware of the new public health order issued this week by the province.  The new mandate requires mask-wearing in all churches and places of worship. This public health order has been issued to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in a season of increased risk.

New Life Church will be complying with this health order, as we have with other orders. We will require all participants who enter the building to wear a mask.  This applies to everyone age 5 years and older. The order requires that a mask be worn at all times while indoors, including while you are seated throughout a worship service, or while participating in any church ministry on location.

We are asking for your full cooperation on this public health order. We want to be a church that conveys sensitivity and concern for one another’s health, comfort and well-being. This is a call to relinquish our own “ambition …and in humility value others above yourself” (Philippians 2:1-4). If your mask wearing protects others, or even if it just makes them more comfortable, it demonstrates the kind of love that Jesus calls us to; he who washed other’s feet merely for their own comfort.

Let’s do all we can to characterize the New Life community in the light of God’s grace and mercy. Let’s be sensitive to person’s who may be more anxious about the virus, or who may be more vulnerable to contracting COVID-19. And please continue to practice the usual precautions of hand sanitization, social distancing, and staying home when experiencing cold symptoms.

Grace and peace,
Pastor Nathan