Garry Firth, Lead Pastor at The Meeting Place in Nanaimo, BC, knows firsthand the value of Immerse. He graduated from the Immerse program with his MDiv five years ago and now is eagerly anticipating the 2023 graduation of his own Immerse student, Peter Bird. The Meeting Place is a church that champions the development of leaders through actively identifying the next-gen leaders in their context and practicing the art of asking a very good question:

“Would you consider Immerse as the next step in your ministry leadership development?”

As we embrace being BOLDLY FORWARD, NEVER ALONE as Fellowship Pacific, one of the key ways we live this out is through church planting and we are excited to share more stories from our church plants this year!

This month we want to introduce you to Harbour Community Church in Nanaimo, BC!

Standing Still Gets You No Where

Believe this truth?

I am not talking about pausing to catch one’s breath or stopping to enjoy the view or slowing to evaluate one’s direction or recalibrating from failure or resting from energy well spent. I am talking about stopping, and not moving again.

The heart of the gospel is movement. God drawing close to us. Us responding back to Him. Us moving with Him. God does not call us to stand still.

God reveals this movement—His gospel—through church planting.

We absolutely love it when we get to see how our churches are living out boldly forward never alone in their communities!

One example of this has been the partnership among a few of our churches that is bringing incredible love and support to the Lytton community that is still struggling to recover from the fire and other devastating events of the past two years.

On January 30, Fellowship Pacific and Sardis Fellowship Baptist Church had the honour of presenting a Lifetime Ministry Award to Harvey & Beth Peters. Take a minute to read the story of this remarkable couple and their faithfulness in serving God over the years.

For many years, Fellowship Pacific has partnered with our Korean brothers and sisters to see Christ’s love come to our region’s communities. Together, we have pioneered to plant churches, met needs amongst First Nation peoples, and sought to grow into a more multi-ethnic, multi-cultured Fellowship. We are so grateful to the Spirit for this unified partnership.

Emotional Intelligence impacts our leadership, relationships, and ultimately our effectiveness in sharing the gospel. This statement drives the ongoing invitation extended to our pastors, ministry workers, and Immerse students to be a part of an EQ Boot Camp, and we have been privileged to host three of these in 2021!

Earlier this year, we sent out a request for our churches to consider joining us in supporting families who were displaced by the tragic fire in Lytton, BC and within two weeks we had raised over $25,000!

But you all didn't stop there and we are now thrilled to report that we have been able to contribute over $55,000 towards the work being done in Lytton!

Take a moment to read this update on how these funds have been able to love and support families in a very difficult time.

MINISTRY HIGHLIGHT: NEW HOPE COMMUNITY SERVICES

“I would never wish the Mexican border crossing to anyone, but we had no choice. We crossed a river with my baby on my husband’s shoulders – the current was so strong that I thought we would be swept away. One week later, six people died in that same river crossing.”

Can you imagine living years of your life in hiding, afraid to go outside for fear of being hurt or threatened by soldiers? For Gabriela, one of our recent New Hope graduates, this was a daily reality. Gabriela and her family were hunted, threatened, and persecuted for years. With no options left, they were forced to leave the country. After a long journey, they finally arrived safely at New Hope, where they were welcomed to a home with clean beds and cabinets full of food. They were surrounded by a brand new community of people ready to support and encourage them as they began the next step of their journey in Canada. “I cried tears of joy for the blessing I found here.” 

MINISTRY HIGHLIGHT: W.I.NG.S (WOMEN IN NEED GAINING STRENGTH)

“To provide women and children in need the opportunity to gain strength and to live according to their true worth.”

This is the mission of W.I.N.G.S. (Women in Need Gaining Strength), and for 22 years they have been serving the community and caring for the vulnerable women and children who so desperately need the love, hope, and safety that they provide.

UNEXPECTED LEGACY: WHEN THE END IS JUST THE BEGINNING

From death… new life. Sometimes, for various reasons churches come to the end of their lifespan. When that happens, those decades of hard work, faithful service, and sacrificial giving that have sustained it for decades do not have to go for naught. In fact, through the proviso that most of our Fellowship Pacific churches have written into their constitutions and by-laws, if and when a church comes to an end, its assets can be remobilized in various ways to ensure its legacy continues.

MINISTRY HIGHLIGHT: MIGRANT WORKERS MINISTRY

Every year, there are about 6,000 temporary farm workers living in BC during the height of the agricultural season. These workers have left behind the people they love in order to provide for their families, and it’s not easy. There are always challenges—leaving their families behind, those families having to face not having their dad/husband there, language and cultural differences, housing issues, discrimination—and of course, just as with all things right now, COVID-19 has only made it harder.