We are back! After a break for the summer, we are excited to bring you our newsletter for the month of September. This is the month that typically initiates the beginning of a new ministry year. There are lots of updates with this edition so hope you are able to take the time and catch up on all that is coming in September!
SUMMER IN REVIEW
Before we get into the month ahead, we had an eventful summer at Village Green. Here are some of the highlights.
- We were blessed by a host of guest speakers. A big thank you to Rob Fleming, Matthew Burkholder, Ernest Yanful, and Brent Paul. If you missed any of these messages you can go to our website under the “messages” tab, or simply follow the link HERE
- We witnessed baptism and parental dedication. It is always exciting to be a part of people taking significant steps in their walk of faith.
- We held an information night in June to introduce our vision strategy which will help shape our ministries for the future.
- At our congregational meeting in June, we affirmed new members for the Board of Directors and Board of Elders.
- We had 3 weeks of Day Camps. Both Forest Cliff and Adullum Camps use our facility and this year we saw many kids in our building hearing the good news of Jesus Christ.
- We continued featuring our missionary partners on the final Sunday of the month. These have been incredibly inspiring and served as a reminder that God is still at work in the world!
- We actually saw our in-person attendance numbers grow, especially in the month of August, with many new faces.
- Last year, our budget was already approximately $14,000.00 behind (April to August 2022). This year, over the same time period of April to late August, we are actually on budget (as of this writing, all numbers for the last week of August were not in yet). This is simply incredible. So, thank you to those who support the ministry here at Village Green. Let’s celebrate this news. Your gifts and offerings continue to help us touch lives for Jesus!
SEPTEMBER SCHEDULE
September 3 – This is a Communion Sunday and Pastor Jon will be presenting a message, entitled, Come Together, which looks at the three aspects of Communion.
If you are attending in person, please remember to pick up your communion elements at the back of the auditorium as you enter. For those of you who are part of our online community, please have the appropriate elements prepared if you want to participate with us.
We will also be introducing the Elders and the Board of Directors for the new ministry year.
Our coffee ministry starts up again this Sunday so please take time to have a cup and a chat with someone new.
September 10 – Brent Paul, one of the Elders here at Village Green will be presenting a message on the importance of Life Groups.
September 17 – We start a brand new 6-part series, entitled The Awakening (from Sept. 17 to Oct. 22). The promo for the series is below:
We live in a time of great tension culturally. On one hand, there is the negative pull of selfishness that runs rampant in our self-affirming world, while on the other hand, without self-awareness we stifle any growth. How do we biblically navigate the “self” in a way that reflects a healthy view of who and what we are?
Life Groups also begin the week of September 17 and they run until November 19 (10 weeks). Our groups are sermon-based, meaning each Sunday there is material produced from each message that becomes the study guide for the groups.
If you want to join a group you can sign up at the Welcome Center in the foyer, at the back table in the auditorium, or contact the church at office@villagegreenchurch.com. We are also in need of group facilitators as some groups are left without a facilitator or co-leader. Since Life Groups are the primary vehicle for growing people in their faith, imagine the difference you can make by helping a group in need.
We are planning to have the Welcome Tent on the 17th for a Meet and Greet time. This is a also great opportunity to invite someone to a service and introduce them to the ministry of Village Green.
KIDS CONNECTION AND YOUTH STARTUP
Kids Connection – Over the summer, our check-in station was moved upstairs. This new system is working better so we are now checking in all kids upstairs in the main foyer. Check-out will be done downstairs when the child are picked up.
This is for check-in and check-out! As a church, we want to maintain a safe environment for all children entrusted to us, so please be mindful that we expect parents and care-givers to sign their children in as well as sign them out. Thank you for helping to make Village Green a safe space for all.
Youth – The weekly youth night starts again on Monday, September 18th from 7:00-9:00 pm at the church. The Sunday morning youth studies will return on Sunday, September 24th.
SURPRISED BY OXFORD
The Weber family were a part of Village Green for many years before moving to the U.S. Carolyn Weber, wrote a book about her coming to faith while attending the prestiguous Oxford University. The book has now been made into a movie and it is coming to London for two showings.
The movie is coming to Silver City Cinemas in Masonville. The first showing is Wednesday September 27 at 6:30 pm and the second is October 1st at 12:30 pm. You can get your tickets online HERE.
We are also planning a livestreamed Q and A event with Kent and Carolyn Weber at a later date at the church. We will be announcing those details when they become available.
THEOLOGY JAM
We are looking forward to the next season of podcasts with some exciting guests being planned. We were also busy over the summer producing some great content that we think you would really enjoy and find inspiring and helpful. Here’s a summary of the summer playlist.
- A candid discussion with Jared Vaner Meulen from Open Doors on the state of Christian persecution around the world.
- An interview with Rielly McLaren, a pastor and community chaplain to ex-offenders and their families through St. Leonard’s House in Windsor, Ontario.
- Other topics include the rise of Christian nationalism in Canada and the encouraging news about the state of Christianity post-Covid.
To listen, or subscribe, look for Theology Jam on your favourite podcasting platform or simply click HERE. We would also love to hear from you, for potential topics or feedback, you can reach us at theologyjam@gmail.com.
LET’S STAY ON MISSION!
In the cultural upheaval that appears to be swirling all around us, let us keep our eyes on Jesus. It is exactly in moments of social unrest and confusion that the church does its greatest work. Let’s continue to pray for the impact of the Gospel and that Village Green will represent the heart and mission of Christ with love and authenticity.
Finally, thank you to all of you who are committed to Village Green. Your partnership with us allows the church to touch lives and make a difference for the sake of the Kingdom.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
Jon Korkidakis
