To God’s Beloved At Cloverdale Baptist Church:
Valentines Day is coming…and we have a Valentine’s Day challenge for you…
Usually we reserve this precious day for romantic love (please husbands continue to do this with excellence...okay wives as well), but this year we want to use it to remind ourselves to reach out and love in a Christ-like manner.
Our challenge for you this year is to actively obey Ephesians 5:1-2 on this precious day. Obviously we want you to be imitators of God and live a life of love always, but this year we want to use this day as a reminder to us of the importance of loving one another in the bride of Christ.
So…the CHALLENGE is that you would actively love someone in our church family in a way that encourages them. This can be as simple as a note, phone call, or email, or as profound as a full meal. The idea is not to be loved, but to love, so please focus on what you can do to join us in this challenge, and feel free to love more than one other person or family. We are an amazing church (in loving one another), and I think more and more the John 13 pattern of being known for our love is marking us, so this Valentines day…join us in actively loving a family member for God’s glory and our reputation and care. There is always room to grow and we need your help to do it!
Take the challenge!
February 14, I will be a part of the Valentines challenge, and I will actively love someone in our church family….
It is so easy in our church family to find hope and joy in the midst of discouragement if you can stay focused on Jesus and the unity and positivity of our people. We are closing the survey, as we have heard from around 200 of our people, and in that survey we have felt your overwhelming support. Over 90% of us support the churches direction in COVID, and although some of the disagreement people were a little harsh, the vast majority of comments, even from the small group that is disagreeing were gracious and unifying. THANK YOU! Following Jesus in times of crisis is not easy, and it takes all of us being willing to seek to serve God and love His bride, the local church in active and humble ways. You are doing that, and in that I find joy, and hope for His people and the future of His mission in us and through us. THANK YOU! Over 90% of you think we are communicating well, so that means you must be reading this…THANK YOU! Thank you to Elias as well, who is our communications genius, not easy in times like these. Also a huge thank you to Jeff and his great team, who guide us into the presence of God in song, this too has been an amazing unifying ministry and for that I am grateful!
Keep praying that this season would end soon, that we would thrive through it, and that those who are struggling with their own issues and opinions would do so in a Christ-like manner that unifies our church, and builds her for the glory of God! He cares about His bride, and so we pray and struggle for that same value in God’s people, even as we know connecting in COVID adds difficulty!
As a little aside, I have been so blessed by some of you who are struggling with the direction of the church, but doing so with humility and submission. THANK YOU for the way you are handling this in a difficult time!
THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING WITH US, and being a blessing to those who are servant leaders in this family. We truly are overwhelmed with your prayer filled support and the blessing of unity...THANK YOU!
Don’t forget to take the Valentines Day Challenge!
Sunday Is Coming:
It is communion Sunday, and as such we ask that you would prepare your hearts for this celebration that Jesus gave to the local church. This is one of the great gifts from our Saviour that unifies us, and points us to the glory of our salvation and the hope we have in Him of His return!
Title: Getting Into Good Debt
Text: Romans 13:8-14
- Why is love so important to God?
- What does it mean to have a debt of love?
- Read and reflect on 1 John 4:7-12; Ephesians 5:1-2
- One scholar states, “The greatest test of godly love is its willingness to sacrifice its own needs and welfare for the needs and welfare of others, even to the point of forfeiting life if necessary.” How can you pay your debt of love to those in God’s family?
- Why is being impacted by the Gospel so important for one’s capability in understanding and paying this debt?
- How can you love in a practical way this week (take the Valentines day challenge :))
Remember to: INVITE ONE, ENCOURAGE 3
Sunday Evening Study:
We are planning on doing a Sunday Evening Study, it is one focused on the significance of seeing life through the lens of Scripture. So often we respond incorrectly because we have not taken captive every thought, or we have not been transformed by the renewing of our minds. Our goal is to learn to see life through the eyes of Scripture, so we will seek to lay the foundation of what this means and address particular issues that we as a culture are facing. Please join us Sunday evenings at 7:00 online for this time together in study and seeking to apply God’s Word. WORLDVIEW STUDIES: Introduction. Next week, our focus will be on the battle we are called to fight....
Membership Candidates
We celebrate with those who seek to join the CBC family through membership. Stefan and Jana Van der Watt are in process of this; if you have any questions or concerns please speak with a pastor or elder.
Online Bulletin
Please check out our online bulletin that is updated every week:
Keep Informed
cloverdalebaptistchurch.ca/
Sunday School Is On! Join us!
Connection Café Is On! Join us!
We are seeking to minister to you, so take the time to find the resources that can be a blessing to you on our website!
Kids ministry is seeking to serve you, and help in discipling our children and families even though we are not gathering live. Please take advantage of this, and continue to make church a priority that your children can see and taste!
Thanks all for staying informed, and for being a person who has a positive impact for God's glory and the good of His church at CBC.
Invite 1, Encourage 3
Take The Valentines Day Challenge
Have a great week!
For God’s glory, and the good of His bride at CBC,
Pastor Rob