outreach + ministries

Lead Pastor

As I think about this past year, I am so grateful to God for the launch of our Aldergrove Campus as well as the many new people who are encountering Jesus for the first time at Alpha! My hope is that all of this continues to be anchored in learning what it means to be a people apprenticed to Jesus.

For the past 5 years, we have been intentionally learning what it means to be His followers, His disciples, His church, His people, His body - His apprentices. This is our one aim as a church: to be led, formed, shaped, and loved by Jesus. And so, it is fitting that we are ending our ministry year in a series on worship called ‘Abide’ - the heart of it all - we are learning to abide in Jesus. Jesus said: Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. - John 15:4-5

This past year we have had the chance to abide in Jesus - we started the year focused on the Joy of Jesus, then the moral revolution Jesus started in our world in the ‘Jesus Revolution’ series, the impact of the coming of Jesus in Matthew 1-2 at Christmas, and Jesus' heart for women to be leaders among His people in our ‘Leading Together’ series. We have been anchored in the life and teachings of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, and we end our ministry year learning to worship Jesus. I hope all of these series, as well as all to come, teach us to abide in Him. “You’re the Way the Truth and the Life. You’re the well that never runs dry. I’m the branch and You are the Vine. Draw me close and teach me to abide.” (Aaron Williams)

I love being on this journey with all of you.

Matthew Price

Executive Pastor

This past ministry year was our first full year of "back-to-normal" ministry since Covid. But God has been surprising us with the increased numbers of people seeking faith, community and worship. By October 2022, NLCC was growing at 3 campuses. It was a joy to see many faces we had not encountered in over 2 years.

CAMPUS NEWS

Due to school closures through Covid, our Yorkson campus worked diligently to rebuild community through the fall, and now many new people from the surrounding neighbourhood gather for worship at Richard Bulpitt each week. Our new Aldergrove campus launched Thanksgiving Sunday, in the middle of a construction zone! But that did not hinder the work of God in drawing people to begin a new expression of the Church in Aldergrove. The merger with the former Bethel congregation is now approaching one year in June, and we are all still in awe of what God accomplished to further the gospel through two churches coming together. The building renovations are nearing completion with the last phase of bathroom upgrades. We cannot overstate how grateful we are for the tireless, capable expertise of four men who have voluntarily undertaken the transformation of the Aldergrove campus building: Gord Bloch, David Goertz, Gord Klassen and Victor Pankratz. We are so thankful for you!

STAFFING UPDATES

After 17 years as NLCC’s Finance Director, Marilyn Winter is planting herself full-time in Port Hardy and has taken a finance job with the Salvation Army, where she will be a huge blessing! We are grateful for Marilyn’s years serving NLCC. We also welcomed Megan Daniels as an admin assistant this past fall, while Kerri Smith recently moved into the role of Family Director for Michelle Epp’s maternity leave. With Kerri’s transition, Marie Wolgram joined the team for the part-time K-Grade 5 director position. Sara Wood has returned to Guest Services at Walnut Grove, and our MOVE Camp director, Michelle Renaud, is sharing the role this year with Suzie Warneke to bring summer kids camp to three campuses! Jon Reesor will finish his “church merger” contract at the Aldergrove campus in June and we are excited to welcome him into a permanent full-time pastoral position as Community Life Pastor (vacated by Spencer Epp) with some of his hours continuing at the Aldergrove campus. Isaac Alstad has concluded his time as an intern and has accepted the role of Tech Director for all three campuses.

GIVING

Thank you for your faithful giving to support 3 campuses at NLCC. While there are increased costs to staffing a 3rd campus and operating a 2nd building, the generous and consistent giving of the church family is multiplying the gospel in countless ways through Outreach Events, Sunday Gatherings, Global and Local Missionaries, Alpha Courses, Meals on the Street, Youth and Kids Ministry, Baptisms, Refugee Sponsorship and many, many other ways the church serves others. Thank you!

Janet Thiessen

Aldergrove Campus

How do you summarize your life's most eventful ministry year in a half-page ministry report? This year we merged with Bethel Mennonite, planted a new campus, did a massive building project and have been running Sunday services and ministries for just under eight months. It sometimes looks and feels like we’re much older, but Aldergrove is still just eight months old.

At Aldergrove, the story I hear more than any other is some version of the following: “I used to go to church. I stopped attending a long time ago because of (insert a uniquely personal reason here). I haven’t been to church since then, but now I come here.” I thought Aldergrove would be a church for new Christians (which it is), but it seems God has plans for us also to be a church to re-engage the de-churched. God is calling people back to Himself and reigniting the hearts and lives of people who’ve been without a faith community for a long time. Praise God!

Our teams at Aldergrove are next-level. The Core Team was the early adopters and the shapers of our DNA. The Hospitality Team has worked harder than anyone guessed was possible. The Prayer Team has faithfully kept us on our knees. The Worship Teams have led us with a quality of worship that’s unheard of for a church plant. The Building Team has worked tirelessly to modernize our new facility and optimize the budget. Our Kids' Team has loved and served our kids with such love. The Kitchen Team has hosted luncheons, done CSM and provided Alpha dinners. The Youth Team does regular Sunday gatherings and mid-week events for our growing youth group. The Local Outreach Team is connecting with local organizations and helped make CSM at Aldergrove a big success. The Alpha Team ran an Alpha where many guests had experiences with the Holy Spirit. It’s hard to believe that none of these teams existed a year ago.

This report only scratches the surface. God has done exceeding more than we could have asked for or imagined. I can’t wait to see what God has for us this year!

Kevin Schultz

Yorkson Campus

Kim Smith

Kids

When I joined the Family Ministries team in April 2022, our programs were still finding their feet after COVID, and families were still getting back into the routine of in-person gatherings. It has been beautiful to watch our kids settle into their classes, build connections with leaders, and engage with the Bible together. In the Fall we made the decision to switch to a new curriculum (Tru by David C. Cook) which provided us the opportunity to reaffirm our values and goals, and reimagine our format. It has been exciting establish new rhythms in our Sunday programs and journey through "The Big God Story" with families.

We have had some fun events, launched some new initiatives and enjoyed some special Family Services but the thing I am celebrating most is the way God has grown our volunteer team this past year. As numbers grew at both Walnut Grove and Yorkson we needed more people to commit to discipling the next generation with us. And while no team is ever full, God generously added to our number to enable us to continue to safely and effectively connect children to Jesus. As Aldergrove launched we needed to establish a brand new team to serve that congregation and were blown away by people who stepped forward to own that ministry. I am so thankful for each person who has a hand in serving with NLCC Kids! Please pray for our team, as we partner with parents to see children across our campuses encounter the life-changing power of Jesus.

Kerri Smith

Middle School Youth

Among many encouraging stories about how God impacted MSY ministry this past year, this grateful story of a student should be shared. (I will refer them as Student A). Student A was a typical middle school boy who was going through lots of questions regarding Christianity and he confided in with me that he once was agnostic. After one Sunday gathering, he came up to me and said that if Jesus is someone who willingly died for him, he wanted to praise Him. I believe this heart that he had was from the Holy Spirit. He then was filled with a desire to join MSY worship band, which he is still a faithful member of. He enjoys praising God through his musical talents and is still seeking God with all his genuine heart.

I praise God for His mercy that He came and met someone in the midst of their doubt and skepticism. Overall, I am deeply grateful for the fruitfulness that God has brought upon this ministry. It is irresistible to confess that MSY ministry belongs to God and He is doing His great works through His people.

Eric Shin

High School Youth

Our team has worked hard in the last year to create a place for our students to feel secure, have fun and grow relationships with each other, all while trying our best to share Jesus' love with them. Thursdays lean towards fun and want students to be able to dig deep into who Jesus is on a Sunday. This all wouldn't be possible without an amazing group of leaders who foster this atmosphere with the students. Youth ministry is an amazing place to see God at work, but it is also challenging as there is such a large scope of things our students are facing. We need people to love our students, but we also need to be covered in prayer, and so as we continue to share the love of Jesus, through fun and relationship, please continue to support us with your prayers. They are so valuable!

In November and January, we went through a Bible Study together called "Experiencing God". I was particularly excited to see how students were intentionally asking questions and how each student in their own unique way was discovering how to encounter God in their everyday life. From this (and in other areas) I have been encouraged by the students who have decided to be more intentional in their relationship with Jesus because of the value they know they will find in those moments.

Dane Smith

MOVE Camp

MOVE Camp is always such a unique event. We open our doors to the kids of our communities, and low and behold, they come! We feel blessed that parents are trusting of us as a church and that we are known and trusted to provide a great week of camp.

We saw 443 kids come to MOVE Camp in 2022 across our Walnut Grove, Yorkson, and Aldergrove campuses! Each child came with their own ideas of God, faith and church. We had many kids come from our church community along with 195 who came that told us they had no previous church experience and were introduced or re-introduced to church and faith in a relevant and fun way. Nothing gets us more excited than that! It was our first time in Aldergrove as the campus started, and it was fun to help build momentum for the community.

To provide a safe and meaningful week for these kids we needed a ton of committed volunteers, and this past year was no exception. From small group leaders, set up, crafts, tech, snack and many more we were blessed with people who had a high level of sacrificial service. We like to say that MOVE camp volunteers are some of the best that NLCC has to offer! In all honesty, if you are reading this and you were one of the people who served at MOVE – thank you. Thank you for sacrificing to come and help provide a place of fun and welcome to every single child. I am always deeply impacted by the quality of volunteers we have.

This year I will be sharing the role of MOVE Camp Director with Suzie Warneke. She has been an instrumental volunteer with camp since the beginning so I know MOVE will benefit from her wisdom, creativity and heart of the un-churched community.

Please join us in prayer as we continue the preparation for this summer. Pray for the communities around us, for open hearts and new relationships formed, for all volunteer positions to be filled, and that the Lord will lead us and our MOVE team as we dream, plan and prepare. We are excited to see another chapter be written this summer, unique from any other MOVE Camp run before filled with amazing memories. Looking forward to MOVE 2023!

With much love and ceaseless joy,

Michelle Renaud

Young Adults

As the pastor overseeing this group of roughly 18-30 year-olds, it has been wonderful serving together with a group of committed, hard-working, fun-loving young adult leaders who love Jesus! I am so grateful for each one of them and their contribution to the ministry. Here are some of the things they shared about their experience and their favourite parts of serving with young adults:

• I have been with young adults for five years now and it has been incredible to see God's hand at work, especially as he raises up new leaders empowering them to do His work. God provided so many strong leaders who loved the young adults, operated as a true team, and glorified God while fulfilling His will. God has been so faithful to this group and I am looking forward to what God has in store for next year.
  
• Christmas party, fun games, and having a space to talk about faith and spirituality with other young adults.
  
• Leading a worship team for the first time!
  
• Being a part of leading a life group has given me a new perspective on my walk with Christ and how it relates to the believers I’m walking with. I’m called not just to coast through life and take care of myself, but also to ensure that I’m doing what I can to facilitate and assist the walk of those around me.
  
• I have learned to study and wrestle with scripture more deeply (having to speak and lead discussion forces me to think deeply about what I don't understand). I have also learned about God's grace and love (since I have found out how hard it can be to love others well, as God loves them). I have learned that caring for someone's faith journey involves caring for the more ordinary parts of their life journey.
  

Our theme this past year was Grey Space – looking at topics where faith and our cultural conversations intersect. We studied topics like climate change, how to read the Bible, science and faith, and more. We also had a number of fun, social events to build our community, like a board games night and our first games night at the Aldergrove campus. We ended the year with a retreat with 22 young adults, with a focus on finding rest in God through various spiritual disciplines.

Ben Frederiksen

“

It is always a joy getting together as “Seasoned Singles”! We get together every 2 months for a time of food, fun & fellowship. Although we have had no unusual happenings we trust that our time together encourages us through the blessings of friendship & togetherness!

Betty Fast

Seniors

Our Seniors Ministry is thriving at NLCC! We had a great year with our bi-weekly Bible Study and Hymn Sing on Thursday mornings. Our theme for the Bible Study this year was the prophets: we learned about the biblical meaning of a prophet as one who speaks God’s Word to God’s people, and delved into major and minor prophets from Samuel to Hosea. We also had several special events this year, including a Christmas celebration, a Movie Morning watching Facing the Giants, an Easter hymn sing, and a beautiful Spring Concert featuring a trio of musical guests: Calvin Dyck on violin, Carmen Hollett on piano, and NLCC’s own Alison Nystrom as a soprano.

Seniors Ministry is run by a dedicated team of volunteers who do everything from setting up the tables, decorating, making coffee, and baking treats, to leading worship and leading the Bible study time. It’s a team effort and we have a lot of fun! We were glad to welcome many new faces this year, including new members from the Aldergrove campus, as well as all of our regular attenders.

In the midst of a rewarding season of fellowship, singing and studying God’s Word, we also experienced the sadness of two of our members passing into glory this year: Don Fox and Hart Walde. They will both be missed. We thank God that they have joined the choir in heaven and are praising Him face to face.

Ben Frederiksen

Binh Nguyen

Alpha

I should stop being surprised when I see God at work in people's lives in the Alpha program. Time after time, God shows up and surprises me again with how He's at work. And truly, it's an answer to the prayers we've been praying all year long.

I think of one guest who spoke of the disdain she felt at hearing any word associated with Christianity. As we wrapped up our 8th week of Alpha, she said she now feels a warmth associated with the name of Jesus. Or another guest who has not quite crossed the line of faith, but says he's well on his way and thinks Jesus is really amazing. Or another guest who felt like he embraced forgiveness (both receiving and passing it along) for the first time ever. Or another woman who prayed to give her life to Jesus only three weeks in! Doesn't get much better than this, and I'm so thankful to be a part of it!

Tanya Price

Marriage Course

We feel so privileged to facilitate the Marriage Course here at NLCC. It gives our hearts true joy when we hear comments like:

• "This was SO needed in our marriage and came at a perfect time."
  
• "I didn't know what to expect and was a bit leery at first...but now I tell my married friends that you NEED to do this to invest in your marriage."
  
• "This was a wonderful 'date night' where we could focus on US and have some intentional conversations."
  
• "The food was great and the video and workbook reminded us how important it is to make time for each other. We are thankful we attended."
  
• "Our marriage and lives truly benefited by taking the time out of our busy schedules to slow down and to discover once again why we chose each other."
  

This course aims to equip you with tools to build a healthy marriage and to strengthen the connection between you as a couple - or to restore connection if you feel you've lost it. We want to encourage you, whether you've been together for a short time, whether you're in a good place as a couple or you're struggling - whatever your situation - The Marriage Course can be a beautiful way to invest in your relationship. We'd love to have you join us this fall! You won't be disappointed.

Rob and Sue Rhea

Living Well

This past year Living Well has been excited to welcome a number of professionals from our community to come and share helpful insight in how to navigate life while also living with a mental health challenge. Some of the topics that we have learned about are trauma, anxiety, self-care, grief and loss. We have also had the pleasure of having a number of people come and share about their experiences of living with a mental illness, and how they have found hope along their journey. In January, we also had the pleasure of hosting our 2nd annual Mental Health Workshop with speaker Jane Born.

Jane talked about the intersection of our faith and mental health. This was an encouraging and informative afternoon. If you missed it, you can find it on the Living Well page on the church website. It’s a must-watch for everyone! This past year we have also been super excited to see another Living Well group start up at a church in Surrey. We are encouraged to see conversations about mental health and mental illness increasing in our faith communities. 1 in 5 Canadians experience a mental illness in a given year. We know the needs for support and community are huge and we are honoured to walk alongside others and journey together towards hope on what can often be a dark and lonely road when walked alone.

Calvin & Suzie Warneke

Divorce Care + DC4K

Divorce Care ran two sessions for a total of 11 participants in 2022. The fall session included a DivorceCare for Kids program (DC4K), which had 5 children enrolled. DC continues to be the only program in the community which offers help and support to families experiencing the trauma of breakup. Our participants, most of whom are not NLCC attendees, consistently express their appreciation for a safe place where they can share their stories and find hope and encouragement. This past year we’ve been especially grateful for Cecilia Lopez who has joined our team as a support to Spanish speaking participants.

Ulla Thomas

Bereavement Journey

While leading the current Bereavement session I have seen how timely and valuable the course is and how it is being used to bring understanding in the grief journey of others. We commented together, recently, how practical and easy to understand, the teaching of Jane Oundjian is. I have joined Denise Nickel on prayer team at Yorkson where she has earned the trust of so many in the congregation. What a blessing it is, to be part of this multicultural community.

Lorna Randa

Langley Street Friends

Every Sunday members of North Langley Community Church and Yorkson Campus prepare a hot meal to be served to the less fortunate in our region. Our team is grateful as all the food and warm clothing is provided by our Church body. Many members of our team enjoy sitting and sharing a meal with our less fortunate friends. It gives everyone a chance to share stories and get to know each other better. Recently a man who had been struggling with many issues informed us that he was leaving as he had found a job. He was grateful for the help he received throughout the year while he struggled through the difficulties he was experiencing. We may not see this fellow again but on the street this can be a good thing as many people move forward and out of their difficulties.

Andy Brintnell

Making Spirits Bright

Lindsay

Global Outreach

With the easing of covid restrictions in 2022, we began to see more movement of our global and local workers. At the start of the new year, Matthew and Kylie Wicker were accepted as new family supporters by the NLCC Go team. In January of 2023 they were officially commissioned by the church as they moved to France for language training, ahead of their long-term move to Cameroon. In June of 2022 we ran a successful in-person Missions Sunday (complete with food!). We hosted missions Sunday again a short 9 months later as we aimed to get back on track the usual missions sundays schedule (having them in March). At Missions Sunday in June of 2022, we asked for support to help build a school through Ruca Rwanda, an organization started by Nicholas and Elsie Hitimana (they visited NLCC in October 2021). Elsie just reported that after several years of delay that have in hand the building permits to begin work on their school. You can learn more information by visiting rucarwanda.com or by emailing hope@hope-international.com.

Over the summer, a number of global workers were once again able to travel and visit us on furlough. We hosted many missions moments at church, as well as opportunities for individual members to connect personally with the missionaries they serve: the Froeses were here from Germany, the Brinks from Malawi, the Favreaus from Quebec, the Hakkolas from West Africa, the Bartch’s from Switzerland, and the Basanolas from Switzerland. In the fall, Nikki White was able to take some of the pastoral staff from NLCC to Colima, Mexico, to reconnect with the Pan De Vida church. Nikki along with our youth pastor Dane are now co-leading a youth trip to Colima, planned for later in 2023. At Christmas, NLCC generously donated to a Nepal project (led by Jessi and Naresh) which has allowed 10 young men to receive professional vocational training and haircutting skills that will help them provide for their families. Finally, with the amalgamation of the Aldergrove campus, NLCC has taken on the support of three additional global and local workers serving in Thailand, Mexico, and with Young Life. Thank you for all of your prayers and support of these global and local workers bringing the Good News of the Kingdom to the world.

Kyle Hendy & Amy Olsen

“

While on prayer team at Walnut Grove, Pastor Matthew preached the "Consent" message, during the "Jesus Revolution" series. It was a profound blessing to pray with someone coming to the prayer room, immediately after the service. I saw firsthand the impact the sermon made on this persons life, and was able to pray into the word of truth heard. There are many who come to the prayer room to be prayed for. Being part of the Yorkson Worship Team has given opportunity to see the serving hearts of many. What an exceptional Volunteer Team!

Lorna Rande

Prayer

This last year has been no less intense than the previous two, and prayer ministry has continued to be a vital ministry. Teams at the three campuses are expanding, with training events well attended. The Aldergrove campus celebrated the opening of a (mostly renovated) prayer room, now filled with those looking to receive prayer or intercede for the service.

Regardless of scheduling, team members are often on the alert. On one occasion, there was a person who did not actually go for prayer, but a team member sensed God was highlighting them to receive a word of encouragement. “I don’t know you,” the team member shared awkwardly, “but when I saw you I had this image in my mind of your hands wrapped around a steering wheel. I feel like God is saying that he trusts you to provide direction and safety for others. I think he wants to give you even more responsibility. Does that mean anything to you?” The look on the man’s face was unforgettable. He was a recent immigrant who was working as a school bus driver, and his church had just invited him to step into eldership. He had been feeling unworthy, and the wonder of being “seen” and singled out by God overwhelmed him.

Some of the needs in these last months have been those of the prayer team themselves, and their families: spinal injuries, concussions, heart irregularities, car accidents… The battle rages. May we stand like the Israelites in Nehemiah: refusing to stop building for His kingdom, armed with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other.

Nikki White

Syrian Friends

This year has been monumental for our church. Our team of 15 welcomed, settled and helped a Syrian refugee family integrate into life in Langley. Don, our team financial officer, recounts a recent experience below: “I would like to share with the NLCC family a recent experience I had with Ziad and Hasan Ahmad. Sadly, on Sunday February 12, 2023, Ziad and Hasan Ahmad received news that their older brother had passed away. Their older brother died of cancer. When someone who is Muslim passes away, there is a traditional mourning period of three days. Family and friends may pay a condolence visits. With the help of the landlady, we were able to obtain use of the clubhouse at the townhouse complex NLCC rents for Ziad and family, for the traditional Islamic traditional three days of mourning. On Wednesday February 15, I arrived at the clubhouse at townhouse complex to extend my condolences to Ziad and Hasan. As I entered the clubhouse, I noticed that there were chairs set around the perimeter of the main room. Immediately, Hasan greeted me and escorted me to a comfortable upholstered chair which was adjacent to a matching sofa reserved for the Imam.

Hasan then arranged for an interpreter, a young university student, to sit next to me. He assisted in explaining to me the “Prayer” service conducted by the Imam. This also included a time of reflection upon the goodness of God and the brevity of life. Following the “Prayer” a traditional Syrian meal, was served on the floor in the traditional Syrian manner, to the sixty plus men in attendance. However, I was escorted to a waiting chair on the opposite side of the room. As soon as I sat down in the chair, a table was placed in front of me, followed by a plate of Syrian food and a cold beverage. At the conclusion of the evening, Hasan escorted me to my car. I am so privileged to be a member of the NLCC Syrian team, which enabled me to have this once in a lifetime experience.” NLCC, cross-cultural connections are being made and lives are being changed. The changes are not just in our Syrian friends, but in us too. We are privileged to journey with this family in their joys and their pain. We are all coming to a deeper understanding of Christ’s love through this experience.

Rebeka Delamorandiere

Quilting

The MCC Quilt-Making ministry at NLCC continues to meet to create beautiful blankets for donation to MCC, who distributes these quilts all over the world. In 2022, our group donated over 150 quilts! We are grateful for all the donated fabric and other supplies that we receive, for each of the women who are in our group who give their time to this effort, and for the blessing that is ours, in being able to be part of this ministry.

It has been very touching and impactful for each of us to realize that our work is tangibly helping families around the globe, such as those in the Ukraine, where so many people have had to flee their homes and now need practical help to survive. It is an honour to contribute to the work of MCC.

Judy Foster