June 26, 2009

Summer has arrived as well as summer school break and the promise of a vacation for many. Lots of our young people are off to camp, much to the relief of their parents, I guess! Our church program will be pretty quiet for several weeks, but Sunday 10 a.m. worship continues. Hope to see most of you regularly when you are at home in Abbotsford. 

Family Worship and Picnic Day

The weather is looking good for our annual church picnic to be held at Delair Park on Sunday. We will commence at 12 noon and lunch will be available at 12.30 p.m. Family Worship will precede the picnic at 10 a.m., and it will be led by our Junior Worship Team along with Corrie and Melissa Franson. If you have not purchased your meal ticket yet, it is important that you buy one in the foyer after the service. Children age 8 and under are free, but they still need a ticket. Remember to bring hats, sun screen, your baseball glove and a blanket or chairs.

Cascade Hikes in Summer!

Throughout July and August there will be an opportunity for us to get some exercise and get to know each other better at the same time. Each Sunday we will meet at 1 p.m. in the church parking lot and then head off to the planned destination for the afternoon. I refer you to the Summer Sunday Hikes flyer at the kiosk or the poster on the foyer bulletin board for the dates and destinations. You can also find the schedule on our website.

Healing Garden – Centre of Hope

A few weeks ago we celebrated the official opening and dedication of our healing garden at the Centre of Hope. Mayor George Peary and MLA John Van Dongen were among the speakers, and it was an inspirational event. The ceremony concluded with a barbecue lunch on our new hotshot barbecue purchased out of the prize money from Home Depot. If you haven’t called in to take a look at the garden, you are welcome to do so!

Corrie and Melissa Franson

This week, our Pastor for Children’s Ministries, Corrie Franson, and his lovely and talented wife, Melissa, will take off to Lone Butte with seven middle school youth in tow for the Grade 8 trip. Please keep them in your prayers for a safe trip and a time of learning from God. Corrie and Melissa, along with Madison and Charlie, will spend much of summer working with children at various camping experiences. Will you pray specifically that God will protect this family and use their ministry to children who live in the Abbotsford community?

Thank you!

As we move into summer break, Agnes joins me in saying thank you for what so many of you do in serving God and others through The Salvation Army Cascade Community Church. Enjoy your rest and come back refreshed for what promises to be an exciting year of new ministry opportunities and outreach possibilities!

June 5, 2009

What a wonderful hot, sunny week in Abbotsford! The winter blues have all melted away and summer has begun early! On Wednesday evening, Agnes and I took advantage of the beautiful weather to attend the first of the summer concert series at Heritage Park, Mission. The featured performers were the students of MEI. We thoroughly enjoyed the concert and impressed by the quality of the music presented by the students of this fine Abbotsford school. I certainly recommend that you get to one or two of these summer concerts over the river in Mission. 

Partners in Mission

Once again I want to say thank you for your generous response to the 2009 Partners in Mission appeal. To date we have raised a bit over $16,000! This means that we are still almost $6,000 short of our goal. It is still possible to contribute to this important appeal if you have not been at church in recent weeks. Envelopes will again be made available on Sunday. We still thank God for the total we have raised toward helping those in developing countries.

ICBC Cheque Presentation on June 4, 2009

ICBC Presentation

Yesterday, Lisa and Keith from the Abbotsford ICBC  visited our office to present us with a cheque for $14,500, the proceeds of the recent fundraising Gold Tournament held at Ledgeview Golf Course. We are very appreciative of the marvelous support that ICBC has given us over many years. Pictured is Andy Kwak receiving the cheque from Keith and Lisa.

Church Volunteers Banquet

If you serve as a volunteer in any way in any ministry at our Delair Road church campus, then this banquet is for you! (please note that Centre of Hope volunteers have a separate appreciation function) The Cascade Community Church Volunteer Appreciation Banquet is to be held this coming Wednesday evening, June 10, at 6 pm in the gym. Please contact our church office and register your name no later than Monday morning. Spouses are invited too. We want to honor you and celebrate the service of our church volunteers. Don’t miss it!

Healing Garden Opening

Next Saturday, June 13, is the opening of our award-winning healing garden at the Centre of Hope. The opening ceremony starts at 11.30 am and there will music, food and celebration. Please come and join in the festivities!

Dr. Jonathan Raymond is our guest preacher on Sunday and his topic is Stewards for Jesus our Lord: Life’s Single Vocation, Ambition and Progression.  Dr. Raymond is the President of Trinity Western University and a member of our church here at Cascade.

See you Sunday!

Ross Hailes

May 29, 2009

On Tuesday night, Agnes and I attended a combined meeting of the local Rotary clubs to hear the members of a Rotary Exchange study team from Western Australia. It was particularly interesting for Agnes and me in that each member, apart from the team leader, was an indigenous aboriginal. We found it informative and inspirational to hear their stories concerning the history and culture of our original Australians. Some of the information was familiar to us, but we learned some new and interesting facts as well. It was also good to talk “Aussie” talk with most of the team members after the presentation. One of them had actually met a good friend of ours! Small world! There are a lot of similarities between the Australian aborigines and the Canadian First Nations people. It is very important that we thank God for the first inhabitants of our countries and reach out in love and understanding!

Partners in Mission

Thank you for your response thus far to our annual Partners in Mission Appeal. At the moment our total stands at just over $14,000. Remember that our goal for this year is $22,000 to support those in other parts of the world who have so very little. It is important that every Cascade member and adherent contributes to this appeal. There is still time to do this. You can contribute on Sunday if you missed last week, or drop by the office next week to make your donation. Please see the ushers or go to the kiosk for an offering envelope. I must mention that the Sunday morning congregation at the Centre of Hope has contributed $1,576 toward this total!  Yes, the homeless and poor of our community have made a great contribution!

Mayor’s Breakfast

The Salvation Army was well represented at the inaugural Mayor’s Breakfast at which Mayor George Peary outlined “the state of our city”!  It was an inspirational event, and one left feeling very proud of our City of Abbotsford, its recent achievements, and the strong hope for the future. We had booked a table for eight, and Mayor George was encouraged by the support and attendance of Salvation Army members.

Emergency Services

The emergency services team, of which I am a member, was called to a large fire just off Sumas Way late on Wednesday evening. This was my first experience of this type of ministry since coming here, and I was really impressed with the attitude of our team members as we prepared food and drink for the weary firefighters from Abbotsford. The firefighters were very grateful. I can’t help but be proud of the magnificent way in which this church serves the people of Abbotsford.

On Sunday we will continue to RUN THE RACE and we will be RUNNING FREE IN THE SPIRIT (Pentecost!) 

See you Sunday!

 

Ross Hailes

May 22, 2009

Last Friday night, Agnes and I were in the small town of Langley on Whidbey Island (WA, USA) to attend a concert given by a group called “The Rural Characters”. One of the group members is a good friend of ours and this is the third year in a row we have attended this performance in the local theatre. What we enjoy each year is the presentation of original songs (written by the members about the local community), good music, humour and the sense of community in this small town. The proceeds from this annual event go toward supporting local artists to develop their skills. It seems to me that in Christian community we need to do likewise, encouraging each other to use the gifts that God has given to each and every one of us.

Partners in Mission

On Sunday we will hold our annual Partners in Mission Appeal altar service. For several Sundays now we have been featuring the needs of the Army’s work in Tanzania. Last year we raised $20,000 to support our brothers and sisters in developing countries and we have set a goal of $22,000 for 2009. The reality is that we are in tough economic times. If it’s tough for us, think how difficult it is for those in places such as Tanzania where food, clean water, medical assistance, and other necessities of life are hard to come by. It is important that Cascade Community Church members give meaningfully and sacrificially when the invitation is given. Please think and pray about your gift before you arrive on Sunday morning.

Walk for Kids

The kids of the church are doing their bit for Partners in Mission with a sponsored walk on Sunday afternoon at Centennial Park, Mill Lake. It’s going to be great weather so come and join us at 1:00 p.m. after church at Shelter #4, Mill Lake! 

High School Graduates

We celebrate with those who have graduated! Stephen Ivany, Ben Lowell, Greg Merkel, Shay Starchuk and Lydja Wagner graduated this week, and we will recognize this achievement in church in a few weeks.

Bringing Transformation to Abbotsford

A letter was received this week by Centre of Hope staff from a former client in which she referred to the help given to  her by the staff as saving her life, and that with God’s help she is now on a journey of healing and restoration. This our vision at Cascade, that more and more lives will be transformed, and more and more people will enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

On Sunday we will continue to RUN THE RACE and we will be RUNNING FOR THE PRIZE!

See you Sunday!

Ross Hailes

May 15, 2009

I know that some of you were in attendance at the opening of our new Abbotsford Entertainment Centre last Saturday night. What a wonderful way to open this new facility – a Christian concert with more than 5,000 people present. Let’s hope and pray that God will be honoured on many more occasions in this new centre and throughout the Abbotsford community.

Associate Pastor – Youth and Young Adults

I was pleased to announce last Sunday that Mike Cumiskey will be taking up this position in early September. Mike is currently teaching in South Korea but will be returning home to Abbotsford with his wife Amy in July. Amy is also teaching, and will be hoping to gain a teaching position in Abbotsford. Mike is looking forward to joining us and is already developing an exciting vision for our high school youth and young adults. Please begin to pray for Mike and Amy. Ask God to be with them in this transition process.    

ICBC Golf Tournament

I’m not exactly Tiger Woods when it comes to golf, but it was fun to join with Julianne Newell, Barb Reynolds and Hugh Allison (DHQ) last Friday to represent our Church at the annual ICBC fundraising Tournament for The Salvation Army’s work in the Abbotsford Community. Although the total raised has not been announced yet, this same tournament last year raised over $14,000. We are very grateful to ICBC for this wonderful event.

Community Services Award

On Thursday evening, our Centre of  Hope ministries were presented with an award for our work with those who suffer from addictions. Frieda deHaan and Robyn Smith received the award, and Deb Lowell and myself were very pleased to attend and give support. It was a very emotional occasion as we listened to stories from people whose lives have been turned around from severe addictions to a newfound life of sobriety and hope. The Salvation Army Cascade Community Church is in the (God’s) business of transforming lives and we are praying that more and more people will be set free from the darkness of addiction to walk in the light of Jesus.

Ed and Marion Wolfe

Anyone who has been associated with Cascade for any length of time will know who these wonderful people are!  Marion and Ed have given a lifetime of incredible service to God through The Salvation Army. Next Saturday, May 23, you are invited to attend an open house to celebrate the Wolfe’s Diamond Wedding Anniversary. They will also be celebrating Ed’s 90^th birthday, Marion’s 85^th birthday and Ed’s 30^th anniversary of his retirement. Wow! The Open House is in our gym from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.! Community Church

On Sunday we will continue to RUN THE RACE and we will be RUNNING WITH POWER!

See you Sunday!

Ross Hailes

May 1, 2009

As I write, the sun is out and we are heading for a maximum of 25°! Bring it on! Is there any place more beautiful than BC…especially on a day like today? Surely not! Summer is on the way, and people are out and about enjoying the sunshine. Sunday looks like being cloudy and showery….so no excuse NOT to be at church!

Visioning and Planning Team

The Visioning and Planning Team met a few weeks ago, and we are now close to having our new vision and strategic direction in place and ready to launch. Dr. Hoyt will meet once more with the Team over summer to put the final touches together. Please continue to pray about this process. We want the outcome to be a clear understanding of the direction our church must take in the next 3-5 years.

Fellowship Groups

Seniors’ Fellowship enjoyed a visit to the tulips at Agassiz during the week! A fun time was had by all. Our newly-formed Adults’ Fellowship group will meet tomorrow night (Saturday) for bowling and then dessert back at the church. It seems that Canucks will be playing Saturday night. If you have changed your mind about coming because of the hockey, please let Rob Studiman or Laura Orsted know!

Community Garden – Centre of Hope

We have just received news that our community garden has gained first place in an international  garden competition sponsored by Home Depot! This is really something to celebrate. Congratulations to David Darbey and his gardening team. No doubt we will be publicizing this achievement in the local media before long.

Young Adults

A Young Adults’ Bible study and discussion has commenced in the Hailes’ home on Monday nights. This week, 12 young adults (18 to 30ish!) met together. There is room for more! Spread the word. Pray for the young adults who belong to our wonderful church! 

Centre of Hope Volunteers

On Friday, we celebrated the service of those who volunteer at the Centre of Hope. We had a great time, and a reminder of how much we rely on volunteers both at the church and at the Centre of Hope. We appreciate the great work of Sylvia Antonescu, our HR Director, in recruiting and mobilizing our outstanding volunteer army!

On Sunday we will continue to RUN THE RACE and we will be RUNNING AS ONE!

See you Sunday!

Ross Hailes

April 17, 2009

There was something really special about our Easter weekend services at Cascade. The solemnity of Good Friday was evident as we worshipped together at the foot of the cross. “The Clown’s Communion” as dramatized by Melissa Franson was extremely impactful and moving. This led us into our own personal time of reflection and communion with God. It’s a Good Friday service I will never forget! “Celebration” was the theme on Sunday, and we truly did this with great worship and real praise for what God has done in raising Jesus from the dead to be our living Lord. I want to thank Ben Lowell and those in the worship teams who worked so hard to get things right for us, not forgetting those who served as audio and video technicians.

Visioning and Planning Team

The Visioning and Planning Team will meet again this weekend under the leadership of Dr. Bill Hoyt. Please remember us in prayer tonight and tomorrow. We want this process to result in a clear understanding of the direction our church must take in the next 3-5 years.

Fellowship Groups

In recent weeks, Seniors’ Fellowship has begun under the leadership of Bill and Linda Plank. On May 2, Adults’ Fellowship will commence with a bowling night. Rob Studiman and Laura Orsted are coordinating this program. The commencement of these groups is encouraging, and I appreciate the initiative of the people I have mentioned. At our Assessment weekend toward the end of last year, we identified a lack of opportunities within our church to get to know each other within smaller groups. These new groups offer this kind of opportunity. By the way, Adults’ Fellowship is for anyone who is an adult!!

BC Division Social Services Conference

Next Wednesday to Friday will see our church host the Divisional Social Services Conference. Organized by our own David Woodland, this conference brings together more than 200 Salvation Army employees and officers involved in the delivery of social services to people throughout British Columbia. Our church centre is extensively used as a venue for education and training for Abbotsford-based organizations. It’s great that we can serve our own movement by providing our facilities for this important gathering .

Go Team!

There seems to be a bit of a buzz in the air – something to do with a team called the Canucks and the NHL playoffs! I will endeavour to continue my “training to be a Canadian” experience by joining in this exciting season.
Go Canucks!And Go Cascade! as we meet for worship on Sunday. Our Sunday morning theme for the next few weeks is Run the Race from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. This Sunday we will look at What Really Matters!

See you Sunday!
Ross Hailes

March 27, 2009

There seems to be a slight hint of spring in the air and that is an exciting thought! I am enjoying the longer days and the fact that people are getting outside in the early evenings. One way of helping to protect and preserve our wonderful God-made planet is to observe Earth Hour 2009 at 8.30 p.m. on Saturday night. Turn your lights off for an hour at that time to save electricity and join the effort to combat climate change.

Vacation Bible School

Last Sunday we celebrated our amazing VBS program. More than 150 kids attended the program and they were cared for by a great team of leaders. During our worship time last week, we heard several of the songs, an overview of the theme and some moving testimonies by leaders. Some children gave their lives to Jesus and we celebrated that fact as well. Congratulations to Corrie, ably assisted by Melissa, for giving wonderful leadership to the program! We’re already talking about next year!

Visioning and Planning Team

Last weekend our team met with Dr. Bill Hoyt as a part of our continuing process in developing our new Vision and Mission for Cascade. We did a lot of work thinking deeply about what we believe based on the Bible. We created some important belief statements from which we developed some value and behavioral statements. We meet again on the weekend of April 17-19. Please remember us in prayer. Every member and attendee at Cascade will be impacted by the outcome of this planning process as we move into communication mode in the next few months.

Deb Lowell

Congratulations to Deb on being elected to the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Deb is involved in the Chamber of Commerce in her capacity as Public Relations Director for The Salvation Army in Abbotsford.

Easter is coming!

We have two important worship services over the Easter weekend which we are advertising. On Good Friday, April 10, we meet at 10 a.m. to remember the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross for our salvation and reconciliation to God. On Easter Sunday, April 12, we meet at 10 a.m. to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, providing us with a certain eternal future. I know that many of you have been denying yourselves in a variety of ways during this Lent season in order to identify with the sacrifice of Jesus.

See you Sunday as we celebrate and worship together.

Our theme for Sunday is “Death by Love – Walking like Jesus”

Ross Hailes

March 12, 2009

As I write, we are into day 16 of the Lent season with 24 days to go. I hope you have been able to get hold of one of our prayer guides. You can access the prayer guide on our church website. I know that many of you are fasting in one form or another as a form of remembering the suffering that Jesus underwent on our behalf. Please pray for a revival in our church. Pray that the Holy Spirit will visit us and revive our hearts and strengthen us to witness to others and serve God with renewed passion. 

Vacation Bible School

Monday sees the start of our annual VBS program. Please pray every day next week for the children and the leaders. It is a big program and has tremendous potential to lead children to know Jesus Christ personally. Pray especially for Corrie as he gives leadership throughout the coming week.

Visioning and Planning Team

Last week, I inadvertently left Nick Toews off the list of team members for our visioning and planning. Dr. Bill Hoyt will be with us next weekend for the second planning phase. Again, I ask for your prayers that God will break through and give us a new and compelling vision for Cascade Community Church.

Centre of Hope

I encourage you to think about a visit to our Centre of Hope to observe the program and the ministries that take place out of this building on Gladys Avenue. This is a ministry of our church that reaches out to the marginalized and homeless of the city of Abbotsford. In the last twelve months we have seen some very encouraging results in terms of peoples’ lives being turned around.  I know that many of you volunteer at the Centre and this is a wonderful opportunity to be personally involved. If you would like a tour of the Centre, phone Andy Kwak or Sylvia Antonescu (604-852-9305). A great way of connecting with the Centre is to attend Tuesday morning devotions at 8.30 a.m. or Sunday Chapel at 8.30 a.m.

Weekend with Jeff Lucas

Please clear your calendars for this special weekend to be held on December 4-6, 2009 at our church. Our special guest will be Jeff Lucas. He is an international best-selling author of 19 books, and is a speaker and broadcaster. He is part of the leadership team of Spring Harvest, an annual conference that gathers some 45,000 delegates every Easter. Jeff broadcasts on weekly radio shows throughout Europe on Premier and UCB Radio in Europe and Australasia. He is a monthly contributor for Christianity Magazine and writes a daily devotional with CWR entitled Lucas on Life Every Day. Jeff holds a pastoral teaching position at Timberline Church in Colorado, a church that has grown to 10,000 in the last 12 years. Jeff will teach us on the theme “A Prodigal-friendly Church”.

See you Sunday as we celebrate and worship together.

Our theme for Sunday is “Real Church – Generous Giving”!

Ross Hailes

March 6, 2009

I always look forward to the first daylight saving day each year when we turn our clocks ahead an hour! It’s this coming Sunday, March 8, in case you are not aware! It means that spring is coming once again in spite of the snow flurries that were falling yesterday and possibly over the weekend! So, don’t forget to turn your clocks FORWARD on Saturday night or you might turn up an hour late for church on Sunday! Well, at least you’d get the sermon!

Commissioners William and Marilyn Francis

On Sunday morning,our special guests will be the leaders of The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda. Commissioner William will preach and Commissioner Marilyn will also participate. The Francises are American Salvation Army officers who have served in the Eastern States of USA and also at International Headquarters in London. Accompanying them will be Majors Bill and Winn Blackman, our Divisional Leaders.

Fight against Human Trafficking

As a result of our recent weekend involving the Seattle Temple Songsters, we were able to raise around $1600 towards the Campaign against Sexual Human Trafficking. Thank you to everyone who purchased pins and made donations. I’ve seen the pins being worn around our city by several of our church members. Thank you to Delaine Milette for taking some responsibility and initiative concerning this important campaign in our community.

Vacation Bible School

Excitement is building toward our upcoming VBS program. We have had a busy week in the office accepting applications. Registration is now closed, with 168 children registered for this annual event! We also have more than 50 leaders signed up! Please pray for this amazing outreach program. Children will be introduced to Jesus for the first time.

Visioning and Planning Team

As a follow-on to our Assessment weekend with Dr. Bill Hoyt last November, this team met last weekend to commence the Visioning process. Team members are: Derland Orsted, Peter Røed, Barb Reynolds, Agnes Hailes, Jason Vander-Hoek, April Atkinson, Andy Kwak, Ben Lowell, Corrie Franson, Bruce Ivany, Fred Jackson, Reg Burks, Corinne Soles and Ross Hailes. We will meet again on the weekend of March 20-22. Please pray that God will guide us and give us direction. Further feedback to the congregation will be forthcoming.

Culinary Arts Accreditation

Last week, a team visited our church to audit and assess our culinary arts school with a view to a re-accreditation for the next 5 years. In the final meeting, indication was verbally given that the team was very impressed with our school and the outcomes being achieved. Well done Reg, Rob and David and everyone associated with this impressive school! We now will await the formal report and notification of re-accreditation. Last Sunday’s graduation was an enjoyable event and a wonderful testimonial was given by one of the graduating students.

See you Sunday as we celebrate and worship together. Remember to turn your clocks FORWARD!

Ross Hailes