The Gift

Have you received a gift you didn't want? They say confession is good for the soul. So here goes. On Father's Day, a friend walked up the path to my deck carrying a folding lawn chair. This family had a habit of finding "free" stuff and recycling it. I thought this was one of those occasions, and I already had several older deck chairs. I was less than enthusiastic. The gift was new and has become my favourite chair on my deck. The story's moral: don't be quick to judge a gift. It may be a great blessing. Mary received a gift: a baby in her womb who would become known as Jesus. But at the time, this gift would have meant great hardship, much misunderstanding from those around her, and a soiled reputation that hung on her like the proverbial albatross. But she still received it. Her words were, "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." (Luke 1:38). Many things that have come to me seem difficult at the time but later prove to be a gift. What makes the difficult things a blessing is another gift; it is the gift of Faith. I believe God is in charge of my life and makes everything good when I trust him. God gives the gift of faith liberally to those who look to Him.

This is the fourth Sunday of Advent, and we will be lighting the candle of Faith. Our prayer is that faith will arise in each of us as we wait with anticipation for the fulfillment of the promised Messiah's arrival on Christmas Eve.

At our Christmas Eve dinner at the church, we will light the Christ candle, thus completing the Advent Calendar.

Please join us this Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and then again on Tuesday, December 24^th, for our Christmas Eve dinner - Pastor Jim Reimer.

Christmas Events

• ·        Sunday, Dec 22 – Advent service – Faith, Luke 1:26-55 @ 10:30am
• ·        Tuesday, Dec 24 – Christmas eve community Turkey Dinner, 5pm at KCF/ODB (email odb@odboffice.com if you would like to volunteer)

Growth Groups

Our Small Groups will start up again on January 8^th!

General sign ups are now open. Simply reply to this email to express your interest or ask questions. This is a great opportunity to connect deeper with God and each other and enjoy the support, encouragement and joy of one another. There will also be a Jan 2 zoom meeting for those interested in facilitating or hosting so please let us know if you would like the link to join in that as well.

Celebration of Life – R J Warren

Saturday, Jan 11, 2pm there will be a Celebration of R J Warren’s Life held at KCF.

Himalayan Children’s Troupe

Ten children from North India are excited to share an unforgettable performance about how Jesus has changed their lives forever despite living in one of the least reached places on the planet.

Friday, January 31 at 7 pm @ KCF

This will be an informative and entertaining night, but more importantly we will get a first-hand look at the persecuted church in Northern India.

Our Daily Bread

If God is leading you to help someone not be hungry, to have a safe place to go for community, and to experience the love of God, please consider Volunteering or sending Our Daily Bread a financial gift today.

Etransfer: odb@odboffice.com

Here is a video link that captures the heart of ODB. We hope you can take a moment to click on the link and watch it. We also invite you to share this link far and wide. https://youtu.be/BNJbNrIdQkY?si=I5Yip9tu08MoYKvf

Rides to Church

If you can offer someone a ride to church on Sunday, please let us know.

Tithes and Offerings

Those who are wanting to support our Church with offerings (during this time, it is very much appreciated) it can be done by etransfer to office@kcfoffice.com, through our website via PayPal, or by calling in to the office with a credit card or mailing in your cheque. Thank you for your continued giving to the church with your tithes and generous offerings.

Anne-Marie Rasmussen – Administrator