You are reading the February 2010 E-LINK, a monthly newsletter from Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec (CBWOQ) to all who are interested in CBWOQ's vision and work, and to all who serve and lead on CBWOQ's behalf.
Thank you for sharing the information in this E-LINK with everyone in your church.
Brenda's Blessings
What does it mean to be blessed? Is blessing a reward for doing good, being His, making wise choices, being born into a wealthy country, being disease free?
I, like many of you, have received God’s extraordinary blessing . . . not because of anything I have said, done or professed, but simply because God is good.
The devastation in Haiti, friends who receive the “bad" news of cancer, people who are depressed, lonely and afraid . . . what is our response? I don’t have answers, but my thoughts go to Jesus – His life, suffering, death and resurrection. He has been there and will be there for us as we call to Him. Indeed, the faith of the Haitian people to keep on with God, trusting and being thankful, is an inspiration to us all!
As February – the month of love comes, may we bring His love and compassion to all those with whom we connect. Our world desperately cries out for help and hope and Jesus is our only answer. Edmond Burke has said that "All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good men and women to do nothing." I hope to see many of you at one of the two forums "Buying sex is not a sport campaign" this weekend. (See #1 in the events section that follows.)
Immediately upon hearing of the disaster in Haiti, we sent $4,000 from our Christmas and Emergency Fund to Canadian Baptist Ministries for emergency aid. We have many Haitian sisters and brothers in our CBOQ churches and our prayers are with them and their loved ones. Through NABWU, the women of the Caribbean are our Prayer Partners, and so we lift our voices to God on their behalf.
Thank you, Baptist women. Your gifts give us the money in our budget to quickly send in response to such devastation.
I also invite you to pray for the CBW team going to India from February 25 to March 13. As "Friends of Eva Rose York," do your women want to send a greeting and prayer with one of the team members? If they do, please send them to Catherine Stratton at dstratton2@cogeco.ca.
Hebrews 6:19 and 20 (NIV): We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
Being aware of His blessings in our lives,
Brenda Mann
Executive Director, CBWOQ
PS: We need one more quilt to present to our MacDiv graduating women at our Great Event on June 11. And don't forget our STM to Atlantic Canada and the Czech Republic. Apply now while there is still room.
IN THIS E-LINK:
1. "Buying Sex is not a sport" forums in Toronto - Saturday, January 30 and Monday, February 1
2. Celebrate 400 years of Baptists - Sunday, January 31
3. MissionExpoTo10: i 4 Mission - Friday, February 26 - Sunday, February 28
4. Project of the Month - Matthew Houses, Toronto and Windsor
5. Women's Inter-church Council of Canada (WICC) World Day of Prayer - Friday, March 5
6. Special February E-Link – website launch
7. Mission Personnel Birthdays - March
1. "Buying sex is not a sport" forums in Toronto - Saturday January 30 and Monday February 1
With the Winter 2010 Olympic Games ready to go in Vancouver, human traffickers are also ready. . . are you aware? Michelle Miller, executive director of REED and its "Buying sex is not a sport" campaign is coming to Toronto. She along with other panel members will address issues of human trafficking and prostitution in Canada and what will take place during the Winter Games.
Admission to the forums is free. Forums will be held at 8 p.m. on Saturday January 30 (Walmer Road Baptist Church) and on Monday February 1 (University of Toronto, Health Sciences Building, 155 College Street, Room 610). Bring your friends who oppose the exploitation of women, learn the facts, and discover how you can be part of the modern anti-slavery movement.
Visit www.embracedignity.org for more information.
2. Celebrate 400 years of Baptists - Sunday, January 31
Be part of a historic gathering of Convention, Fellowship, and other Baptists, hosted by Yorkminster Park Baptist Church on Sunday, January 31, at 4:00 p.m. The speaker will be Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin, Adjunct Professor - Church History & Spirituality at Toronto Baptist Seminary and Bible College, and author of at least eight books on Baptist history. The Toronto Children's Concert Choir (TC3) will perform.
3. MissionExpoTo10: 'i 4 Mission' - Friday, February 26 - Sunday, February 28
February 26-28, 2010: David Coffey, president of the Baptist World Alliance, will be the theme speaker at MissionExpoTo10. The event's theme is "i 4 Mission" and it's being sponsored by Toronto Baptist Ministries, Canadian Baptist Ministries, Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec, and Yorkminster Park Baptist Church (the host church). It promises to stimulate missional living in Baptists in Toronto and beyond.
4. Project of the Month - Matthew Houses, Toronto and Windsor
Food, shelter, government assistance, a place to belong . . . just some of the necessities that Matthew Houses offer to women and children arriving in Toronto or Windsor with nowhere to go. We consider Matthew Houses to be homes of hope at the end of the refugee highway. So, for 2009, CBWOQ budgeted a total of $14,000 to give to Toronto and Windsor's Matthew Houses. Your gifts will allow us to continue supporting these homes of hope. Thank you.
5. WICC World Day of Prayer (WDP) – Friday, March 5
For WICC WDP 2010, we are invited to come with respect and openness to see what God will reveal through the worship and Bible studies prepared by the women of Cameroon. Guinea. More information, including resource materials, is available at www.wicc.org.
6. Special February E-Link – website launch
A special E-Link will be sent once our new website is finally live! We are in the middle of our second-to-last step: transferring all of our information to a new hosting service and IP address. Thank you for waiting patiently with us.
7. Mission personnel birthdays - March
ACTIVE: 3 - Dorothy Sowden (Angola), 9 – Jeff Carter (Czech Republic), 18 – Paige Byrne-Mamahit (Indonesia)
RETIREES: 21 – John Easter, 23 – Kathy Janzen, 29 – Charles Harvey
CBM CHILDREN: 3 – Pedro McBeth (Bolivia), 9 - Caleb and Paige Guthrie (Bolivia), 10 - Amy McBeth (Bolivia), 16 – Jonathan Dyck (Indonesia)
For more information about Canadian Baptist Ministries personnel, call Anne Drost at 905-821-3533
To unsubscribe to the E-LINK, contact bwoqelink@baptist.ca. Send changes of e-mail address or contact person to bwoqelink@baptist.ca or the CBWOQ office (below).
BAPTIST WOMEN'S E-LINK
Published by Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec
Suite 100, 304 The East Mall, Toronto, ON M9B 6E2
416-620-2954 or bwoq@baptist.ca
Produced by Renee James, director of communications,
rsejames@gmail.com January 26, 2010
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