Welcome To Our Website
Services are on Sundays at 11:00 AM
As Senior Pastor and on behalf of the family of the First Baptist Church, I want to thank you for visiting our website. At the First Baptist Church, we believe God calls each of us to be engaged in a passionate pursuit of Jesus Christ. There is no higher calling than to seek the Lord with all your heart, and in so doing, to glorify Him. We welcome you to join us in this pursuit. The fact that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and then rose from the grave is our fundamental belief. He lives today and stands ready to give abundant and eternal life to all those who repent of sin and place their faith in Him. We invite everyone to receive Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.
What a joy it is to introduce you to our church! At the First Baptist Church, our doors are wide open to people from all backgrounds, regardless of where they are on their spiritual journey.
One of life’s most beautiful words is ‘family’. At the First Baptist Church, we take seriously the Bible’s teaching that Christians are the family of God and therefore brothers and sisters in Christ. As a “family of faith” we seek to worship and serve God, share the good news of the gospel message, and provide the spiritual environment necessary for the believer’s spiritual growth.
In short, you will find us to be a God centered, caring community of individuals who are excited about having the opportunity to extend to you the same love, hope and joy we have received from the Lord. We extend to you a cordial invitation to join us this coming Lord’s Day as the family meets to draw near to God through prayer, thoughtful contemporary songs, traditional hymns and inspiring relevant messages from God’s Word. After the worship service we linger over refreshments, so please take a moment to get to know us better. God bless you.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Pastor Keith Axford
Announcements
The sermon for Sunday, November 21, 2021 is posted. This and previous sermons can be played back from the Website.
11:00 a.m. - Live Worship Service at the Church. Virtual Worship Service via Zoom (Zoom is suspended for now.)
Log in for our 11:00 a.m. Sunday Service using this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2401035064?pwd=OUtvV05FK3RpYVVDaEtxbTFYT0YxQT09
ID 240 103 5064 Password: Canmore
This Week in Our Church
Tuesday, 1:00 p.m. – A Bible-based support group at the church, studying the topic "What It Means to Be Chosen". For more information phone Donna at 780-636-3900.
Wednesday to Friday – Three days of Prayer and Fasting for a breakthrough in our church finances. The church will be open for those who wish to come and pray.
Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. – Midweek Service via Zoom. Praise and Worship, Bible Study and Prayer. Everyone welcome.
Thursday, 7:00 p.m. – Alpha online. Contact Ross Whitelaw ross.w@telus.net for more information.
Please Also Note
Thank you to all who contributed in any way to last week's chili meal and bake sale. Great teamwork! Around $1800.00 has been cleared.
For sale: cartons of frozen chili downstairs after church.
Wanted – Volunteers to serve on a Technology Committee for the audio-visual needs of the church.
The deadline for photos for the 2022 church calendar is December 1. Send your photo to Val Whitelaw at val.w@telus.net. if you wish to be included.
To purchase a church calendar @ $20.00, place your order with Val by email or phone (780-656-3532) by December 12.
No extra copies will be available, only those pre-ordered.
A Christmas quilt and a quilted Christmas table runner are among the silent auction items on the church website (on the blog). The quilted items are on display downstairs.
The December/January/February issue of Our Daily Bread is available in the entry. Please help yourself to a copy.
Remember in Prayer This Week
From our Church Family – Greg and Sharene Pritchard
Student of the Week – Tristen Danyluk
Church of the Week: Emmanuel Baptist Church, Valleyview
Pastor – Randy Radke (Joylynn)
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Of Note
November 29th 2020,
News from Yuri:
My Visa approval is now underway and I am making plans to return to Japan in early January. Please pray for God's favor.
Praise item from the Hohns:
About two years into the civil war here in Cameroon (now into its third year), the leadership of the Cameroon Baptist Convention Youth and Students Department (CBCYSD) realized that thousands of their youth had become IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons), no longer able to attend school, were unemployed and traumatized. After a number of prayer and brainstorming sessions they proposed the idea of providing micro loans for small businesses, as well as provide capacity building workshops on various topics. This idea grew and quickly became YEEP – Youth Economic Empowerment Program.
Initial financial support for YEEP came from other CBC youth who were not IDPs, were still in school or still had jobs. Soon, churches, other ministries, and individuals started contributing. Generous donations even started coming in from abroad.
To date, over 400 youth have received trauma counseling, spiritual & personal development training, and small business skills, along with micro loans or grants. A couple of testimonies we’ve heard from YEEP participates are:
“I am once again an asset to my family and no longer a liability.”
“I am now free from the bondage of hate. I can forgive even those who killed my mother and raped me.”
Cameroon has a young population with a median age of 18.7 years and 41.25% of the population below the age of 14. Cameroon’s youth of today are the nation’s leaders of tomorrow. Many have been adversely affected by the on-going civil war. YEEP is making a positive and holistic difference in the lives of tomorrow’s leaders – spiritually, emotionally, and economically.
News from Yuri:
My Visa approval is now underway and I am making plans to return to Japan in early January. Please pray for God's favor.
About two years into the civil war here in Cameroon (now into its third year), the leadership of the Cameroon Baptist Convention Youth and Students Department (CBCYSD) realized that thousands of their youth had become IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons), no longer able to attend school, were unemployed and traumatized. After a number of prayer and brainstorming sessions they proposed the idea of providing micro loans for small businesses, as well as provide capacity building workshops on various topics. This idea grew and quickly became YEEP – Youth Economic Empowerment Program.
“I am once again an asset to my family and no longer a liability.”
“I am now free from the bondage of hate. I can forgive even those who killed my mother and raped me.”
Cameroon has a young population with a median age of 18.7 years and 41.25% of the population below the age of 14. Cameroon’s youth of today are the nation’s leaders of tomorrow. Many have been adversely affected by the on-going civil war. YEEP is making a positive and holistic difference in the lives of tomorrow’s leaders – spiritually, emotionally, and economically.
Alpha
... online course coming soon!
Donate
You can give a one-time or a recurring gift to First Baptist Church from this website using the services of CanadaHelps.orgl, just click on the icon directly below:
Please use the information below to continue your normal offerings until Worship serices resume. Both are ways of ensuring that the church can continue to operate during these trying times.
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Events
Regularly Scheduled Worship Times:
- Wednesday Evenings at 7:00 PM -
- Sunday Morning at 11:00 AM, including Sunday School for the children
Church Family Notices
- Watch for postings of importance in this space
Building Project
Quote of the week
Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you’ll be able to see further.”
—Thomas Carlyle
Recent Discussion Points
Prayer In The Midst of Our Crisis
April 14, 2020 - Pastor Keith Axford
From a article in the Smoky Lake Signal newspaper
For many, Covid-19 seems to produce two opposite reactions: A kind of cynicism that minimizes the actual risk and ignores those who are most vulnerable to the disease; or a kind of panic and fear that results in overreaction and stockpiling items. Neither is the way of Jesus. It was followers of Christ who, in the midst of persecution, would go to the dumps in the Roman Empire and rescue discarded babies from garbage heaps. It was followers of Christ in the midst of the Black Plague who risked their lives to care for the sick and dying. Throughout the history of the church, followers of Jesus Christ have walked right into the dark places of disease, war, famine, and incredible need and created hospitals, orphanages, and other care facilities. This is the way of Jesus. God is already at work in our communities. Covid-19 can be a God-given opportunity to attend to how God is calling us to join Him in His work in our little corner of the world.
We are confident that all our churches will be spending time praying for this global pandemic. If you find it helpful, the following is an example of a prayer that you may use and adapt.
Prayer for a Pandemic
May we who are merely inconvenienced remember those whose lives are at stake.
May we who have no risk factors remember those most vulnerable.
May we who have the luxury of working from home remember those who must choose between preserving their health or making their rent.
May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close remember those who have no options.
May we who have to cancel our trips remember those that have no safe place to go.
May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market remember those who have no margin at all.
May we who settle in for a quarantine at home remember those who have no home.
As fear grips our county, let us choose love.
During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other, let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors.
Amen.
Also pray . . .
– that we might have the courage to care for others
– that we would be diligent in taking precautions
– that we would turn to prayer to a greater degree
– that we would see this as an opportunity to show the love of Christ
– that we find very practical ways to help in our neighbours.
– for people suffering in Canada
– for families that have people who have become ill, or have experienced loss
– for health care workers who are on the front lines
– for the public sector – for protection and wisdom
– The countries of China, South Korea, Iran, Spain, Italy and the U.S.A who have been most affected
– Other countries who are in the developing world who may not have the resources
– for health care leaders worldwide to work with discernment in developing treatments
– global economic implications
– global relationships
– The World Health Organization to act wisely, not spark fear, but help bring containment
We may not know what is in store in the next few weeks and months, but we have a confidence that God is in charge and that He cares for what we are experiencing. Let us join together in prayer for one another and seek to bring encouragement and care to others in the midst of this crisis..