White Rock Community Church

-our LPD Church of the Week
Seventy seven years is a long time – in the life of a person and in the life of a church.

It was 1944, and while our nation was embroiled in World War Two, some churches remained active in sharing the Gospel. It was then, that under the church planting leadership of Pastor Cliff Dietrich, that White Rock Evangelical Free Church was birthed.

White Rock was then largely a resort community. My grandparents used to travel by train to White Rock from New Westminster, to rent a cabin for their summer vacations!

After the war, returning veterans looked to White Rock as an inexpensive place to purchase a “starter home.” My father and mother were among these. Having served in the Canadian Artillery and later the Canadian Intelligence Corp, my father, after being discharged in 1946, purchased a modest summer cabin on Oxford Street, renovated it, and there my parents began to raise their young family.  They soon joined the newly formed White Rock Evangelical Free Church and became involved in ministry there. My father was a school teacher at the time, and in his summer vacation, assisted in the construction of the church building, still standing, though remodeled several times, on Pacific Avenue in White Rock.

As I was born a few years later, this church became my first church, and it was there that I was encouraged in the faith, baptized and had my first sense of a calling to pastoral ministry.

Many years have gone by. White Rock has transitioned from being a resort community to a mixed community of families and retirees – and much more expensive.

As the community has changed, so has White Rock Evangelical Free Church – now known as White Rock Community Church. We are thankful for their ministry today, as they reach, disciple and send a new generation of Christian servant leaders into our world.

We are thankful for the ministry of Lead Pastor Steve (Jodie) Doerksen, for Youth Pastor Josiah (Martha) Wall, and for a host of volunteers. Please pray for them – and check out their website at: https://www.wrcconline.com/
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Announcement:

Josephine Papp, LPD Director of Church Support

Our LPD Mission is to, “to encourage and resource our growing family of churches to reflect Jesus Christ.” By God’s grace, we serve to this end every day.

I am so thankful for the ministry of Josephine Papp. Since 2017, she has served as our LPD Office Administrator, faithfully engaged in administration, assisting churches in COVID policy and accounting, resourcing children’s ministry personnel,  and increasingly coming alongside leaders and district missionaries in encouragement and support. Investing her gifts, training and skills, and with her heart to serve where needed, her ministry has grown among us. At our district board meeting on October 20, our district board, recognizing and affirming her ministry, has changed her position title and description to reflect this. Josephine is now our LPD Director of Church Support.

As district superintendent, Josephine is an invaluable and faithful servant alongside, who shares our heart and dedication to be an encouragement and resource to our growing family of churches, and I am thankful for her. She is a great asset to our district and will be a great resource to my successor and to our churches and leaders in the years to come. Thank you Josephine!
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Would you volunteer for you?

As we slowly work our way through COVID and are permitted to resume programming in churches, many have struggled to find volunteers. This is especially challenging for children’s ministries. While we have been unable to meet physically, many who have volunteered in the past may have moved on to other things.

We have all had experience as volunteers – some good experiences and some probably not so good. We may have volunteered and found ourselves lacking any clear direction, expectations or training. We may have wondered if our service was really needed or if the leadership had any idea of what the purpose of the exercise was.

Carey Nieuwhof circulated an article this week, titled, “7 QUESTIONS EVERY VOLUNTEER ASKS BUT NEVER SAYS OUT LOUD.” It is a worthwhile read, and begins with the reflective question, “Would I volunteer for me?” It is a good question, and causes us to consider what our expectations might be should we be a volunteer of what we lead. Here’s the link:

7+Questions+Every+Volunteer+Asks+But+Never+Says+Out+Loud

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