Hi, my name's Beth.

At our church, it is group sign-up season, and I'd love to tell you a tiny bit of my story and why I am doing life in community. While we attended church at Christmas and Easter in my childhood, my first real introduction to Jesus was when a friend invited me to a small group at SPAC. What I found was a kind of community I had never experienced before.

I was a young mom, and at one point I got very sick. People in my small group brought meals for my family...this kind of caring blew me away. It wasn't long before I hungered for, fell in love with and decided to follow Jesus. Being in a group has been part of my faith journey ever since and much of my spiritual growth is directly linked to it.

Last year, I sensed God wanting to "rock my world" in a new way as He nudged me to take a big step of faith and lead a neighbourhood group out of my home. Did I feel qualified? Absolutely not! Do I feel qualified now? Not a chance! It's a walk of faith - for all of us in the group. It hasn't all been easy, but God is good and we are growing, learning more about Him through His Word, supporting each other in prayer and finding a place to belong.

Being a part of a small group has changed my life and strengthened my faith...if you're not in one, you are truly missing out on so many of God’s blessings!

Part of the Family,
Beth

During this past week, I have had the privilege of participating in Solemn Assembly here at our church. God has been doing amazing things each and every day. While sitting in the auditorium last night, I was reminded that I don’t have to be sitting in a church to hear from God.

Whether we are in a busy office, a classroom, a hospital room or wherever, we are completely surrounded by God’s presence. He has invited us to come into His presence wherever we may be! What a gift…The Lord Most High has requested that we come to Him and sit in His presence. Why? Because He loves us.  

“…Return to the Lord your God, for He is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish.” Joel 2: 13 NLT

It is my prayer that throughout this year, you will find yourself continually seeking the presence of God and immersing yourself in His love.

In Christ,

Fiona Hilkewich

Hey Church Family,

My Bible reading this morning was James 4. As I walked through each challenging phrase about repentance, prayer and submitting myself fully to God, I came to the first part of verse 8 which simply states, "Come near to God and He will come near to you.” That is a powerful, life-transforming invitation to us.

The passion of God's heart is to be close to us. He is steadfast and unrelenting in His pursuit of us. However, what is true about God is often not true about us. We easily fall into patterns of pursuing God half-heartedly. We tend to seek God when it is convenient or as a last resort in times of crisis. The invitation in James challenges us to do life differently.

The language of the text speaks of coming to God not as an appointment to be kept but as a continual, moment-by-moment acknowledgment of God's nearness. When we accept the invitation to come near, it is then that we experience just how close God is to us.

As we approach Solemn Assembly next week, I hope that you see it as one more way to live out the command of James to come near to God. Let’s respond to the invitation together and see what happens when God keeps His promise to draw near to us.

Peace,
Wade