Recently I was at the 50^th Anniversary celebrations forthe Carey Ministry as it met in the Okanagan. I attended these sessions withBrian Stelck and as Brian preached at First Kelowna in the morning, I waskindly offered the opportunity to preach at First Baptist Church Penticton.Callum Jones was away that Sunday and Gail Alcock led the service on her secondto last Sunday. It is important for me to mention, and certainly not in passing,that Gail has served faithfully and with great giftedness both in First BaptistPenticton and in many other ways and through many other relationships. Gail willbe missed at and we pray for opportunities that the Lord will provide in the weeksand months ahead.

Brian and I caught up with each other as Connie Cristall, our BCY Regionalmoderator, provided hospitality for the 50^th Anniversary celebrationwhich was held at the First Baptist Kelowna’s KLO Campus.  We really appreciated Connie’s hospitality,which was shared by several people, including Jack Borchert who did the sound.

The real purpose of this newsletter is to share with you some creativeexamples of ministry that I encountered at First Baptist Penticton, Kelowna andat the KLO Campus. Here are the stories of God’s work in the very creativelives of those that seek to serve Him in these settings.

Warmly,

In Christ

Jeremy

First Baptist Church Kelowna(Connie Cristall)

Mars Hill Music and Arts Cafe

We have Mars Hill Music and Arts Cafe everysecond Tuesday. We average about 50 non-churched college students. We tryto spot light one "social justice" cause each month. We have done"Beads for Life", "World Vision", "Free theChildren" and International Justice Missions. We also try to offer avenue for artists. We have been getting a lot of quality musicians. 

We have another group that meets everysecond Wednesday called "Barrier Busters" and these are folks withvarious physical and mental disabilities. We meetand discuss relevant topics, play games and drink Lattes

Once a month we run a Vespers service (thisis on a Sunday evening) we have contemplative music, prayer, scripture and ashort homily. It attracts a number of people from the surrounding area.

Once a month we have a senior’s lunch. Weaverage about 50 seniors, some from the senior’s home next to KLO, and a numberof shut-ins. We have food and either hymns or a guest speaker

There is an international Students groupthat meets every Friday night (it’s about 40 Korean students). The focus is ESLand fellowship (they usually have a pot luck dinner)

Wednesday morning’s Pam Borchert runs a"Mats and Chats" time which is gym time for young children and theirmoms. This just started up but is going really well with a number of folks fromthe community coming

First Baptist Church Penticton(Clark Taylor)

The Ark Youth Centre

A youth centre was a dream when I came toFirst Baptist just over three years ago. Walking through the basement of the church there was a huge roomprimarily used for storage of old stage props and other discarded items whichneeded recycling or discarding. The room connected to this large storage room was the old youth roomwith worn couches and multi-coloured walls!  Together, these two rooms and two attached washrooms wouldbecome a self sustainable area operating apart from the rest of the churchbuilding to provide a unique place for youth to meet and begin the journeytowards Jesus.

The dream of opening this drop-in centrebecame a reality with the help of the Baptist Union Development Foundation(BUDF) in the fall of 2006.  Agrant of $22,000 was given by the BUDF with the church raising the additionalcosts and doing all the work voluntarily. By early 2007 we had received the grant and begun raising money torenovate this 3000 sq. ft. area. By fall we had installed drywall, a drop ceiling, flooring, painted therooms, and put up new lighting. We officially opened “The Ark Youth Centre” inJanuary 2008.

Every Friday night middle and high schoolstudents come and hang out, play games, watch movies, and chat. Adultvolunteers from the church take the time to build friendships with these youngpeople and everyone has a great time. Our hope and prayer is to see youth come off the street, have a safeplace to spend time together, and encounter Christ in those volunteers whoserve.  The larger of the two roomsis equipped with all the necessities: a Nintendo Wii, Sony Playstation, twopool tables, ping pong tables, and foosball. There’s a projector system formovies and a sound system for bands to come and perform.  The other room has been transformedinto a full service coffee shop with leather chairs, wireless internet, and afull service kitchen serving espresso drinks, Italian sodas and a variety ofsnacks.

In addition to youth ministry in thesefacilities, an after school club for elementary students was started in Marchthis year and runs every Tuesday afternoon for a couple of hours.  As well as these ministries the roomsare used for small group gatherings, Bible studies, movie nights, and adultgatherings during the day. They are also available to the general public for use.  The possibilities are endless, and theproject would not have been possible without the grant from the BUDF.  Thank you for the opportunity to dreambig and see that dream come to pass.

 See our three videos about the transformation and use of theARK Youth Centre at the CBWC website (www.cbwc.ca)or by clicking the links below.

Part I - www.cbwc.ca/content/view/1115/28/           

Part 2 - www.cbwc.ca/content/view/1116/28/

Part 3 - www.cbwc.ca/content/view/1117/28/