Church Family Update - May 12, 2020

First, some good news:

Paco and Isabelle informed me last week that they will be launching a fan club! If your children would like to join (all ages welcome) then respond to this email and let me know.

Members of the fan club will receive a laminated membership card in the mail with their name and picture on it and signed by Paco and Isabelle!

You will also receive emails with Paco and Isabelle resources including colouring sheets, activity pages and Bible memory verses for parents and children to do together.

There will also be an ice-cream party for all fab club members once we’re able to meet again!

I’m doing this with the hope of helping to keep our kids active and engaged in church life during our time apart from one another and to promote their spiritual growth in the Lord. I’m also hoping it will be a helpful resource for parents as they continue to disciple their kids at home.

So again, if you would like your kids included in this club, just respond to this email and let me know the names of your children that want to join. And also please send along a picture of your child that we can use on the membership card.

Thanks! Our Ebenezer kids are amazing. And parents, you’re doing a great job. Keep it up! 

A prayer request:

Please pray for people in Ft. McMurray as they continue to deal with problems caused by flooding.

An opportunity to bless others:

We have a great opportunity to support Evergreen CRC in Fort McMurray as they seek to care for their own members and respond to needs in their community. The NADC has arranged to send a trailer to Evergreen church packed full of the most needed supplies.

They will be gathering these supplies from 7-9 PM on Wednesday and Thursday evening of this week (May 13 and 14). The drop-off location is the River Community CRC @ 11520 Ellerslie Road. Donations will then be loaded and transported to Fort McMurray on Friday.

You are encouraged to donate the following items:

Bottled water 

Small bags of chips

Prepackaged snacks

Large ham, turkey, beef, cheese (we have a slicer)

Other non-perishable food

Brand new socks and underwear 

Diapers and wipes 

Cleaning supplies

Gloves (vinyl preferred) assorted sizes

Masks for other volunteers who are working front lines 

Toiletries 

If you would like to donate items but are unable to bring them to the drop-off point then bring them to Ebenezer by this Thursday at 2:00 PM and we will find a way to get them to the drop-off spot in time. 

You may also donate financially to this effort. If you are interested in giving to Evergreen Church's response to the flooding, e-transfer to treasurer@eccrc.ca (or mail a check to the church office). 

Thanks!

A Devotional Thought:

“For the Lord delights in his people!” (Psalm 149:4)

Just let that sink in for a moment. The Lord delights in his people. 

Have you ever been around someone you admire and really wanted to impress? I can think of a few times in my life when someone else’s opinion really mattered to me and I was able to do something that earned their approval. It feels really good. 

But this verse goes beyond that. It doesn’t say that the Lord approves of his people. That would be true but this verse goes way beyond that. It says that God delights in us. 

I think of delight as a kind of childlike joy. A no-holding-back expression of rejoicing. According to this verse, that’s the effect you have on God if you are one of His people. You bring delight to God. 

Do you honestly believe that? If I was writing this verse it might go like this: “The Lord tolerates his people.” So often I feel like I’m such a disappointment to God. I’m thankful he puts up with me but I really shouldn’t expect anything beyond that. 

Or if I was having a better day maybe I would say, “The Lord loves his people.” That is a true statement. God does love us. But you know as well as I do that it’s possible to love someone but not delight in them. I think the use of the word “delight” in this verse is simply staggering. 

It’s not hard for me to see why we would delight in God. But why does He delight in us? I don’t really know. But I know that he does. And that’s amazing. 

So the next time that you’re tempted to be down on yourself about something, pause, take a deep breath, and remind yourself that God Almighty takes delight in you. And no one else’s opinion of you, not even your own opinion of yourself, can take that away. 

Have a delightful day,

Pastor Jason