On to a New Season

It with a mix of sadness and hope that I write this post.

Springbrook Church has chosen to wrap up. We met as a church a couple of times over this past month, and while we have an AMAZING group of people and we really love doing church together, we've decided it's time to shut down Springbrook in order to really allow everyone to move on to what God has next for each of us.

The reason Springbrook is ending is simply because it's tough to maintain the momentum needed with a small group and we recognize that some of our members have been called to other places. There are no hard feelings and it's been such fun to be part of 'drama-free' church with everyone.

It has been a wonderful 5 years and the true gift has been the friendships and relationships that we've made and the opportunity to do church with such awesome people. It was a delight to collaborate on what church could be over this last season.

It was a true blessing to be able to work on community service projects together and we especially loved all the chances to give our money away!

We have officially held our last AGM and have decided to continue in supporting our students in Rwanda by having families continue the sponsorships. We will be giving any remaining funds away to the charity we discussed.

Some of us have decided to try out some new churches together and we will also be having a potluck this month as well. We're also still planning on celebrating Christmas Eve together at our Christmas Eve service at Milner Chapel.

I can't say enough how wonderful the experience of Springbrook has been for all of us. I am hopeful it will remain a happy and peaceful memory and that we can each take what we learned and loved about it to our new churches.

Summer is FLYING BY.....

Okay Springbrookers, is it just me or is summer FLYING BY?!?! Sheesh!

We have had some big changes and I know lots of you have had too (engagements! pregnancies! babies growing! jobs!) so it's about time to meet for a church event.

I am thinking of setting a picnic for anyone who can come. So the plan is:
Sunday, August 21st at 5pm. Meet on the grass part by the volleyball courts at Crescent Beach. Everyone pack their own stuff and we'll hang out and have some fun and catch up.

Hope to see you there!

Happy 125th Birthday, Milner Chapel!

It's not often I can do a blog post that can be cross-posted on Langley Politics, our wedding chaplaincy site, and our church blog--but that's how important Milner Chapel is to our community.

Milner Chapel, the little white country church near Crush Cres. and Glover Road, is turning 125 this year. On Sunday, Milner will celebrate with a pancake breakfast at 10:30 a.m., followed by entertainment and ringing of the bells at 2 p.m.

The Chapel is a historic piece of Langley. I like to joke that the pioneers built it for $919.50, and 100 years later, it cost a few hundred grand to move it half a block. Moving the Chapel off of Glover was a monumental undertaking, but it completely renewed it.

For Springbrook Church, Milner Chapel has become synonymous with Christmas. Every Christmas Eve morning, we fill the chapel, sing carols, read the Christmas story and celebrate together. Christmas just wouldn't feel the same without Milner Chapel.

I love that little chapel. It's one of my favourite spots to perform a wedding ceremony, and I love telling this story when I marry couples there:

And what a perfect spot to get married—Milner Chapel. The story behind this old building is one of love—and practicality.

You see, in the early 1880s, a Milner farmer named Henry Davis wanted to marry a girl from back east named Elizabeth. Well, Elizabeth’s dad gave his approval, subject to one small requirement—Milner had to have a church of its own. After all, he couldn’t send his daughter to some barbarian town that didn’t even have a church!

So Henry got on his horse, rode around the Fraser Valley, and raised money to build a church. Singlehandedly, he raised $919.50 and a few years later, in 1886, Milner Methodist Church, led by Rev. RJ Wood, opened its doors. It’s been a local landmark ever since. Henry married Elizabeth, and their great-grandchildren still live in Milner. The Chapel was built for love—a perfect place for these two.

Congratulations, and much gratitude to the Milner Community Association, and tireless volunteers (I'm looking at you, Dot Mufford!) for their work to preserve the Chapel.

Creation Sunday Liturgy

For those of you missed Sunday, I thought you might like to take a look at the liturgy we used, and perhaps try it out sometime over the summer. It's pretty self-explanatory, but if you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me.

Creation Sunday, June 12

This Sunday, June 12 is CREATION SUNDAY, where we look at this classic Springbrook value: "We value the adventure of freely connecting with God through His creation, and recognize that God has entrusted its care to us."

Tough to do that value indoors, so we will be meeting at 10 AM SUNDAY at WILLIAMS PARK in Langley (http://tinyurl.com/3zsjs4q). Meet us at the playground near the parking lot. If you have troubles finding us, call us at 604-340-9385.

You will be given some printed stuff (a guided experience that should take about an hour), and a few little things to guide you on a walk through the Park. (It's definitely stroller-friendly, and there's a park for the kids after.)

If you are so inclined, feel free to bring an MP3 player for some personal mood music, and even a chair if you're feeling especially reflective. And a picnic lunch if you want to enjoy the park too.

The walk can be done in groups or individually. It will be kid-friendly.

See you Sunday!

Easter Sunday

This week we will be having church (that's right- back to back weeks!) for Easter Sunday. We'll be celebrating the resurrection, the hope and the life it brings.

Jordan will be hosting and it will have an interactive and creative element and I think it'll be great!

Please join us at Township Hall at 10am.

Spring Schedule

We had a good meeting the other morning and came up with the schedule until summer.
We will continue exploring our values and participating in discussions around them!

**REMEMBER**
We are currently looking for a one day service project or outreach we could help out with. Please pass along anything you think might be a good fit :)


SPRINGBROOK SPRING SUNDAYS

March 20-
Value: We value fun, celebrating life and living it to the fullest: we are real people experiencing a real God.
Worship: Kristen and Andrew
Host: Meghan


April 3-
Value: We value a Spirit-filled journey of experiencing and responding to God, producing joy, peace, rest, revelation, beauty, creativity, safety and authenticity.
Worship: Mike and Trudy
Host: Andy H


April 10- Springbrook Potluck Supper
Hosted by the Caves 5-8pm


April 17-
Value: (#2) We value a Spirit-filled journey of experiencing and responding to God, producing joy, peace, rest, revelation, beauty, creativity, safety and authenticity.
Worship: Chris J
Host: Scott and Heidi


April 24- Easter Sunday
Worship: Kristen and Andrew
Host: Jordan


May- 1
Church Brunch and Prayer 10am


May 15-
Value: We value Scripture and the history of the Church and count it a privilege to build on that spiritual heritage.
Worship: Kristen and Andrew
Host: Grant and Faith




May 29-
Value: We value developing character through a life-long process of learning, teaching and mentoring.
Worship: Vince
Host: Jenn- collaborative service


June 12-
Value: We value the adventure of freely connecting with God through His creation, and recognize that God has entrusted its care to us.
Worship: Chris J
Host: Jordan


June 26-
Value: We value our community of Langley, and want to partner with its commitment to generosity, volunteerism, servanthood, kindness, justice, and respect.
Worship: Andrew H
Host: Sara and Meghan


THURSDAY, June 30- Summer Kick-Off BBQ

Garage Sale Items

I got this message from April Ferguson about an upcoming Garage Sale to support Langley YFC. Please see if you have anything you can chip in!

Doing any spring cleaning? If you have stuff you don’t want we’d love to take it! Youth Unlimited is doing a fundraising garage sale on April 30th and we’re looking for donations of saleable items such as: furniture, toys, books, clothes (kids and adults), household and kitchen items, baby stuff, games, dvd’s, or whatever you’re looking to donate so long as it’s in good condition. Please contact April Ferguson if you have something you’d like to drop off or have us pick up. aprilferguson24@hotmail.com or 604 530 4822. Thanks!

Just a Quick Post

To say that I have updated our blog....

Check out our Facebook Group for some fun photos of volunteering at Bright Nights take down last weekend.

We're back on this weekend and Andrew and Kristen are on worship, Andrew and Sara will be hosting our service.

This week's theme:
> We value being a missional community that serves people and empowers them to be transformed, taught, developed and prosperous.

We're on at Sun at 10am at the Langley Township Hall. Hope to see you there!

Christmas Eve Giving

This Christmas season we raised some money to give away to some great causes. We gave $500 to help a family in Langley who have a daughter who is undergoing treatment for cancer. They were very touched and grateful.

We gave $500 to International China Concern. They sent us this great email and I wanted to share it-


Thank you so much for your church's kind gift of $500 towards International China Concern.

Psalm 27 v10 says ‘Even if my father and mother should desert me, you will take care of me. ‘

Attitudes to disability in China vary greatly. Recently one of our children was travelling to Changsha for cleft palette surgery and he was met with disgust by a member of the public. His International China Concern caregiver burst into tears on hearing the insult spoken to ‘her little one’. She told us how she had cared for him since he arrived at the centre several months earlier. She proudly explained how she had prepared him for surgery and reassured him that he was a very clever boy who would turn out to be a handsome young man. We are seeing more and more Chinese employees being raised up with a heart of love for the children and a genuine concern for their wellbeing.

The compassion of God moves Him to act on our behalf. I believe that He holds and loves these children, speaks words of encouragement and affirmation over them through the hands, heart and words of those He sends.

Thank you for supporting ICC. Please pray that all of our international volunteers and Chinese employees will be the hands, feet and messengers of God’s love and grace.

Our prayer is that you will recognise His touch, hear His voice and know His care in and through those He sends to you in your daily routine today.

God Bless,

Karen Chu
Canada Office
International China Concern
Love, hope and opportunity for every disabled child