EAT THIS BOOK CHALLENGE

We are in Week 2 of the Challenge and it is NEVER to late to join in.

FAQs

Who is it for?

This challenge is primarily for kids in Grades 1-6 but we’re allowing a little stretch on either side if someone wants to participate!

What is it?

A way to engage with the Bible, read it, consume it, and fall in love with God’s Word. Using a workbook to guide them through the weekly challenges, participants read, interact and memorize scripture accumulating points along the way.

Are there prizes?

You bet there are. Grand prizes will be announced in week 4 (it will be something that the whole family can enjoy)!! Along the way, we’ll be giving out a few other surprises to encourage everyone to keep on ‘eating’!!

Does my child need a workbook to participate?

I’ll be posting the weekly challenge in the WCV Parents Round Table Facebook Group, if you aren’t there you can join us by using THIS LINK.  

However, ALL the extra challenges AND super challenges AND the rules are all posted in there, so yeah, you kinda do need a workbook. You can request one by emailing the church at hello@wcvchurch.ca or lani@wcvchurch.ca.

How do we keep track of points?

The kids have gone home with a ‘scoresheet’ to keep track of what they’ve done that week. This week we’ll hand out the whole set for all the weeks.  Every week they can hand that in AS WELL AS keeping track in their workbook. Parents, you need to initial each completed challenge. We’re going with the honor system, please help your child out with keeping an honest record.

At the end of the challenge, everyone will hand in their workbook, we’ll double-check the points and hand out the prizes.

Why is it called Eat This Book?

In Ezekiel chapter 3, God interacts with the prophet telling him to, ‘Eat this scroll!’ When the prophet had done that and found it sweet like honey and filled his belly, the Lord said, ‘Now go and speak.’ We currently don’t use scrolls, so the nearest equivalent is book. Our prayer is that WCV kids will ‘eat the book’ find it sweet and fulfilling and speak about what they’ve consumed.

Any other questions – don’t hesitate to ask!

We Are Hiring… 2 positions open

We have some exciting news… we’re hiring!

We currently have two positions we are looking to fill (and soon to have a third – stay tuned about that one):

 

Assistant to the Director of Kids and Youth Ministry

Posted April 20, 2022. Application deadline May 16, 2022

 

Administrator

Posted April 26, 2022. Application deadline May 17, 2022

 

 Check Job Descriptions for full details. 

To apply please forward a cover letter and resume to Andrew Chan!

 

 

We Are Hiring…

We have some exciting news… we’re hiring!

If you are an energetic person with a passion to see kids and youth grow in their love for God and a servant heart to serve in our KidMin and Youth Ministry, consider applying.

We invite you to:

  1. Join with us and pray for the right person.

  2. Forward this opportunity to someone you think might be a good candidate, or  

  3. Apply yourself.

 

Job Description – Assistant to the Director of Kids and Youth Ministry

 

>>Applications (resume and cover letter) can be submitted to Andrew via email, or dropped off at the WCV office. Check Job Description for full details. 

 

>>We will be accepting applications for this position until May 16, 2022.

 

 

Choose Your Own Adventure – Kids Church Calendar (October)

Ahoy mateys! We’re about to set sail on a grand adventure!

We’ll be learning this verse with our shipmates this month! CLICK HERE to learn the sign language for this verse.

Navigating life is a tough business, these are the skills we’re picking up this month:

October 3 – Week 1 – I can be wise by not choosing sides (favoritism)

October 10 – Thanksgiving and Baptism (NO Kids Church)

October 17 – Week 2 – I can be wise by choosing my words carefully

October 24 – Week 3 – I can be wise by choosing to do good

October 31 – PUMPKINS AND PIRATES EVENT  – a Sunday morning mainstage event for the whole family, dress up in your pirate-y best, bring your pumpkin and carving gear and strap in for some great sailing!

*Kids Church is available online (live through Zoom) and in-person. If you are planning to visit us in either capacity please contact our office for more information.

Jouth-Youth Activity Calendar for October

It’s hard to believe that the leaves have turned and pumpkin (or apple) season has arrived. Please see the calendar below for Jouth/Youth activities for the month of October.

Due to the small size of our Jouth/Youth team, we’re asking parents to take turns helping out at our Jouth and Youth events. A current Vulnerable Sector Check is mandatory, if you’re not sure when yours expires please check with the office, we’d love to help you get an up-to-date one. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

Jouth – Fear+Busters – God is bigger than our problems, my faith is stronger than my fear!

Youth – We Are One – (wk 1)Diversity was God’s idea! (wk 2)We are ALL equal! (wk 3) Open hearts lead to open doors!

Preparing for Kid’s and Youth in-person activities

We’re excited and getting geared up to be starting in-person Kid’s church on Sept 19. There’s a lot swirling to get this going. At the same time there’s a lot swirling in our world. A few words about that:

First, let’s hold on to love. This is our priority as a church. Please know that you are loved. Period.

Second, we’re not giving in to fear. That isn’t the kind of spirit that God gives.

Third, we’re really excited to open up the doors to kid’s church again.

In order to do all three, AND to respect the restrictions and protocols the government has put in place, we’re going to do our best to provide a safe environment by using the following measures for our in-person gatherings, particularly where we intersect with our more vulnerable sectors:

  1. Masking, social distancing, and sanitization will remain our standard for Sunday morning gatherings, Kids Church, Jouth, Youth, and any other in-person public events.
  2. Rapid tests for anyone unvaccinated 24 hrs prior to working with vulnerable sector individuals – (kids, youth, vulnerable adults). This includes any volunteer who will be serving in close proximity (<2m) to other individuals for a period of time likely exceeding 10 minutes.  Individuals exhibiting a positive result will be asked to refrain from coming to whatever event they were volunteering for and will be encouraged to seek out further testing.  Rapid tests will be supplied by the church.
  3. Temperature testing for kids and youth attending in-person events – anyone displaying a temperature over 38C will be asked to return home.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the above protocols please direct them to our office.

 

Feature image credit: Vultar Bahr on Unsplash

Advent & Christmas

Wait a minute… We’re talking about Advent and Christmas already?! Wasn’t it just yesterday we were walking around in sandals? In this year of incredible disruptions, we now find ourselves at the front end of the season of Advent. Of all the things we don’t know, one thing we know for sure is that this season won’t be like any of the other Christmases we’ve experienced. Yet, the core reason we celebrate remains unchanged. The challenge is to find ways to root ourselves in the beauty of the CHRISTmas season while living in the times we do.

What does it mean for us to wait for the Messiah in this season with many of our regular traditions stripped back? There will be no huge parties, no group celebrations or traditional fanfare and, most likely, no large extended family gatherings. That’s a lot of “no”s! What does it look like for us to say “yes” to Jesus and still prepare to celebrate his coming in a time like this? This year our guiding idea for Advent is “Getting Ready to Celebrate”.

Each Sunday there will be a theme leading us in progression to Christmas Eve – all aimed at helping us get ready to celebrate Jesus’ coming and presence among us: Invitation > Preparation > Waiting > Arrival. Along with each Sunday’s theme there will be an “engagement activity”. These will be fun and simple opportunities to explore the topic in a practical and creative way. Advent packages explaining these activities will be delivered before advent to every household with a child or youth – but this does’t preclude others from participating. As everyone does participate in the activity, we’re encouraging us all to take pictures and post to our Facebook or Instagram using the hashtag: #WCVadvent2020. Instructions will be given online every Sunday morning.

A Ham for everyone: Sadly, we’re not going to be able to gather together as we have in years past to enjoy each other’s company at our annual feast. However… we have purchased a whole hog-load of hams (say that fast 10 times!) and we’d like everyone in WCV to get one. The idea is simple: to bless everyone in the community and provide opportunities for connection. We are going to package up the hams along with some extra supplies for our Christmas Eve service this year. You can watch for these deliveries mid December.

Speaking of Christmas Eve, we’re working on plans and will update you as they are firmed up.

Lastly, if find yourself struggling this season, please don’t do so alone… reach out to your Home Group leader, a member of the Leadership Team, Andy at the office, or a trusted friend. If you know of someone who could use some extra groceries, please contact the office and we can make arrangements to share some food (we will give you an extra ham and you can add to it to make a meal). We are here to help.

Cover Photo by Cristian Escobar on Unsplash

Advent Package Deliveries

Good Thursday WCV,

In the next two days (Nov 27-28) someone will be delivering an Advent Engagement Package to your door! So glad that deliveries are A-okay during Covid! We hope that this will be a fun way for our whole community to engage in Advent activities as we prepare together, while we’re apart.

The theme for this year is ‘Getting Ready for a Party’. We want to engage in all the activities that you normally do as you anticipate gathering together, except that our focus is preparing for Jesus’ arrival. You can expect to engage in some party planning activities throughout the season. 

We hope that you’ll enter into the spirit of the season and enjoy the activities that we’ve put together for you. Please post your pictures on FB or Insta with the hashtag #WCVadvent2020

– Lani (Kids & Youth Ministries Director)

Cover Photo by Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash

Kids & Youth Ministries Director

We are excited to announce that we have hired a new Kids and Youth Ministries Director. After receiving quite a number of applications and conducting interviews with a few very strong candidates, the hiring team felt a strong sense that Lani Wiens was the right choice for us. She brings with her a wealth of experience in both kids and youth ministry, is creative and is ready to go! We are excited to welcome her to the team, and to the community. You’ll be hearing more from her in the coming weeks but in the meantime below is a little bio.

Welcome Lani!

Lani Weins

Hi, I’m Lani Wiens. Kelly and I left our organic farm in Saskatchewan and moved to Winnipeg on my birthday, Aug 24 of this year (we still own the farm but that’s another story). We’re following God’s invitation to start a new ministry called Firerunner under the supervision and in partnership with Multiply through the Trek program, so we’ve been ‘upstairs’ every day for the last two months. The building feels very much like home. One of our fellow Trek participants posted your ad in our group chat and I felt like it might just be for me. I’ve been involved with children and youth ministry for close to 30 years in one way or another.

Kelly and I have six kids (4 boys and 2 girls), our oldest is married and presented us with our first grandbaby earlier this year. The two youngest (and our dog) are with us and the other three are in Saskatoon, Montreal and Hepburn. We are looking forward to getting to know you and serve you. We like swimming in the creative stream through music, writing, storytelling, fabric, paint, renovating things, decorating things and general mayhem. We’re always up for a good board game, too.

Image Credit: Photo by SHOT on Unsplash

We Are Hiring! Kids & Youth Director

UPDATE (Oct 29): Please note the deadline for this position is passed. We are no longer accepting applications for this position.

We have some exciting news… we’re hiring! If you have energy and passion to see kids and youth grow in their love for God and want to inspire volunteers to do the same, perhaps this is for you.

We invite you to:

  1. Join with us and pray for the right person.

  2. Forward this opportunity to someone you think might be a good candidate, or  

  3. Apply yourself.

Job Description – Kids & Youth Director 2020 

 

>>Applications (resume and cover letter) can be submitted to Andrew via email, or dropped off at the WCV office. Check Job Description for full details. 

 

>>We will be accepting applications until October 28, 2020

Planning Meeting for Kid’s and Youth Ministries

Parents, guardians, and those who are passionate about kids and youth:

Please join us Sunday evening September 13th at 7:00 pm at 782 Main St. We would like to consider together how to best come alongside our kids and youth in their walks with God and we need you!

Kids are not the future church, they are the church of today. These years are critical. The majority of people who follow the Lord make a decision at some point between 4 and 14 years of age.  The next decade of their lives is the season where they deepen that faith and make a decision whether to continue this faith into the rest of their lives.

We have put a great deal of thought into the kids and youth ministries. Please consider the following questions that we explore
further on Sunday.

  • What are you longing for in regard to your children’s and/or youth’s spiritual formation?
  • Would you be comfortable bringing your kids or youth to an in-person ministry if chairs were set up to maintain physical distancing? What measures would you feel are important to ensure safety?
  • Are you comfortable with you kids/youth attending an in-person small group? If so, how many people or families would be a reasonable size for you?
  • What priorities would you have for kids and youth ministry in this next season?
  • What do you/does your family have to offer to join in or volunteer in the area of kids and youth?

We look forward to connecting on Sunday.  If for some reason you are
not able to attend, we would still love to hear from you
You can send in your responses to the questions above to the office. You can also let us know if you’d like to speak to someone in leadership directly. Thank you!

Photo by Anna Kolosyuk on Unsplash

CarePortal Heart – by Sara Epp

Here are some thoughts about CarePortal from Sara.

“If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” James 2:16

Anyone else ever have that verse just rankle? As much as I’m learning that prayer really can make miracles happen, sometimes it just feels like a cop-out. “Hey, that sucks – but I’ll pray for you!” Sometimes, we need to be the answer to the prayers that are made. Sometimes, we are the hands and feet of Jesus. 

When I started learning about CarePortal, I just knew I had to do it. Here’s how I can be a part of ministering to our community! Now, I haven’t been called to live in the North End. (Total respect and awe for those that have and do!) But CarePortal lets me see the needs of those around our church, and help be a part of the community that we are trying to create. CarePortal allows people like social workers to identify needs in the people and families they see, and share those needs with us – the church. Just like the classic starfish-on-the-beach story (google it if you haven’t read it!), we can’t help all needs – but we can help some. Sometimes we help because we know we just have to. 

Sometimes, we do just pray. Sometimes, we leave this one to God. Sometimes, we help … because we’ve been helped, because we’ve been loved, because we’ve been in a bad spot and because someone helped us, because Jesus asked us to. 

How does it work? CarePortal requests are generally entered by a social worker, and then shared with the nearest churches to that need. Churches can choose to answer a request, and then work together with the social worker to deliver the item(s) to the individual/family. Strollers, tables, mattresses – right now, sometimes it’s an old laptop and printer for schoolwork. The stories are simple, and the stories are beautiful.

All around us, there’s a broken world. The Kingdom hasn’t come yet. But it’s coming! Every act of helping, every act of love, it mends something – it brings us together and it brings the Kingdom a little closer. Every time we choose to reach out to someone else, it builds some community. It fights the darkness around us by lighting one little candle. 

This isn’t the only way – I hope this is happening all around you, large and small. But if you’re looking for a way to connect with some of the needs around us, some of those who just need a little help: strangers in a strange land, single moms and struggling families who could just use a little boost, a little help when the road is rough – CarePortal helps to connect us all. It’s that simple, and that profound. We (the CarePortal team) are really encouraging you to join CarePortal, not because this is the magic solution that will fix everything, but because it’s a really practical way to connect us to each other, and to those around us – to choose acts of kindness, one choice at a time. Building community, building the Kingdom, one piece at a time.

Reach out to Lillian Poetker if you’d like to be a part of the CarePortal team, and help build community and the Kingdom.