: Advent 2008 @ SBF : O Come, O Come Emmanuel :

... hard as it may be to believe, Advent 2008 begins in less than two weeks.

At SBF we will turn towards our Advent focus beginning this Sunday, even as Dennis begins wrapping up the "Seven Churches of Revelation" teaching series with the second last church, Philadelphia. We will look to a visual, object lesson type reminder of what took place so many years ago. This year November 30th is Advent I ... December 7th Advent II, December 14th Advent III, December 21st Advent IV.

Each Sunday will have a unique focus and emphasis as SBF prepares, as a faith community, for Christmas in the 21st century. This Sunday an introduction, or better put, a welcome to the journey. November 30th ... the first candle, as Dennis concludes with the Church @ Laodicea. December 7th ... communion, and the second candle. December 14th, the third candle, and our kids bring us a pageant. December 21st ... Christmas Sunday, and the fourth candle. Advent culminates on Christmas Eve, as we celebrate "O Holy Night" ...

As we began planning for Christmas 2008, the theme of beautiful, scriptural Christmas carols came to mind, and we will allow them to direct our thoughts these next weeks.

One of those rich, biblical carols referred to above is 'O Come, O Come, Emmanuel' ... "O Come, Thou DaySpring, come and cheer, our spirits by Thine advent here" ... "O Come, Thou Wisdom from on high, and order all things, far and nigh" ... 'O Come, Desire of Nations, bind, all peoples in one heart and mind" ... let's look forward to Advent 2008, letting it shape us, slow us down, direct us and deliver us to December 24/25 prepared, even against the commercialized 'Christmas" many would want to deliver us into.

: one for the 'food-for-thought' category :

"NOT everything that can be COUNTED counts,
and not everything that COUNTS can be counted" ...

Albert Einstein

: a visit from marco faasse :

... Marco just dropped in here, probably to get out of the rain, but wanted to update SBF on developments at his end. A couple of things ... the Shawnigan mobile home deal has hit some snags, but they are proving to be part of the learning curve about permits and all manner of necessary, but frustrating hoops to be jumped through. There are a couple of other options surfacing ... maybe a combo of trailers from N.Van and/or Sooke? Time will tell, but Marco asks us to keep praying. The Faasse family are thrilled to be able to house sit for Tara and Dan Cummings over December-January ( while the C's are visiting family in Thailand ).

Marco is headed downtown Victoria now with four kids from Tsawout, and two from Tsartlip, to do a sort of 'meet 'n greet' lunch and cross-cultural experience in Chinatown. This is Justin, one of the kids going with Marco.

So, while Marco is looking at some options for a Faasse Family First Nations ministry 'blog, here's his 'homeland' website for those of you who can manage the Dutch ...

later,

dlc

: fellowship pot-lunch :

Hi SBF ... wow, time flies. I am just getting my photos from October 6th's Communion and last Fellowship Pot-Lunch and here it is again this Sunday! I did get a few pics of the elders praying for SBF's youth ministry leadership team. Those photos are up on the SBF page on FaceBook.

I only got four, but four good ones, of these three special ladies. I think there is a story behind the sequence of pictures. I'll add my 'hypothetical' running commentary between the pictures as Sybil's and Rosemary's conversation with Betty develops. How does this sound?







Betty ... "do I have a deal for you two" ... note Rosemary and Sybil's 'hands on hips' posture.









Moving in a little closer, Betty says... "no really, look at this brochure, it explains everything! no strings attached, no contracts to sign, no extra fees!"





Betty's pitch completed, Sybil responds ..."Look Betty, I signed up for one of those potluck luncheon deals once, and for 5 years I was the one bringing a cheese tray".

Rosemary seems to be aware of the presence of the paprazzi?






Rosemary pulls it all together for her two dear friends ... "all is fair in love and potlucks, Sybil. Let's go in together and start a new trend, a 3-cheese cheese tray!"



Betty is still not sure whether to trust the photojournalist ( me ) or not.

Probably not.

See you Sunday, for Fellowship Pot-Lunch #2 ...

dlc

: back to salt mine ... just kidding ... back to sbf mine :

... okay, I'm back from our Wednesday to Monday Okanagan trip, and back at it here in the back office of SBF.

Karen and I were at Fairhaven Ministry's retreat centre just north of Vernon, halfway up Silver Star mountain. Rumour has it Glen and Irela Rhodes have been known to volunteer their time and skills up there. They probably helped build or finish decorating one of the buildings ( we stayed in the Vineyard Cottage ). A totally great setting for pastoral leaders and teams to get away, reflect, recharge, re-group sometimes I am sure.

Anyways, working on some big ticket items, and opening up some of those discussions at tonight's elders meeting. Search Committee reports, some teaching ministry planning for Advent and January to March 2009, some logistics, some details, some pastoral care concerns ... Dougans, Johnsons, Adams, Dickinsons ... some devotional time and prayer.

Kevin W. and I have been busy e-mailing, or BlackBerrying for him, back and forth since I got back last night, as he has been in Cranbrook on business today. He may or may not agree with me posting this, but a novelty of his busy day today will be flying home in time for the elder's meeting in a Lear Jet ... his first time in one of those! he even sent me a quick pic he snapped.

OK, I need to run.

Until next time ...

don

: OCT 22 to 27 : DLC MIA or AWOL :

... hey SBF! just home from tonight's semi-annual annual general meeting. It was great, if you missed it, too bad. Lots of good info, discussion, affirmations and dreaming too!

... Karen, Colin and I are on the 0900 ferry tomorrow for our 5 day jaunt into the land of the Okanagan, so I won't see you this weekend. We've got a couple of days at a retreat centre near Vernon, then the weekend in Kelowna at Karen's brother's place, and some time with Fraser ( at UBC-Okanagan ). Then home again Monday, stopping in Langley for lunch with Megg ( at Trinity Western University ). I'll be back in the 'back office' on Tuesday, so look for an update post then?

dlc

: Fall Annual General Meeting : 21 Oct @ 7 PM :

... Saanichton Bible Fellowship's Fall AGM is tomorrow evening ... a well invested couple of hours listening and learning about the 2007-2008 ministry year, some new developments for 2008-2009, and a time of 'Q & A' with discussion.

We want to thank SBF's many, many volunteers, ministry leaders, deacon and elders. Join us in doing so, and helping us take a look back, a look around, and a look ahead.

dlc