? did I say couple of days? or couple of weeks ?

... I have been doing some background checking and research into SBF's people, history and vision / dream / destiny. Quite interesting. Of course, there are all kinds of chunks missing, but what I have learned is rather encouraging.

Anyways, my first week seemed a bit slow(er), but this week sure picked up. Maybe that is my excuse for not posting here for 10 days!?!? I'll try to do better from here on in.

The SBF logo is one of those things that has stood the test of time. The archives have it being designed by none other than the building architect, and founding/original elder David Warner. There is some real intentionality in there with the cross, the arrows and a few other elements. More on that another day. Suffice it to say that the cross IS at the centre, and the arrows, if you can see them, point inwards and outwards. Growing deeper in discipleship, growing broader in outreach and evangelism.

Better run, until next time ...

dlc

: tues 09 sept : sbf things i like :

... okay, so I am now sitting in the 'admin office' having moved the furniture around, and gotten settled somewhat. A week ago this morning was Day #1 for me, and I thought I'd look back over the last/first week and tell you a little bit about what I see, what I like, what's up?

First, I am enjoying my new commute. Over 9 years at Lambrick I got really tired of the traffic on McKenzie, so I like the High Quadra / Pat Bay Hwy / Mt Newton route. Going home I get to see my favourite view cresting the hill north of Royal Oak, daily! Doesn't get much better than that.

Secondly, I really enjoyed Sunday, even though both Dennis and John were preaching over in Vancouver. You made me feel very welcome and I thought Bev's and Alan's and Steve's leadership in worship, teaching and communion was wonderful. I am looking forward to this Sunday when Dennis unpacks Titus 2 with us.

Thirdly, it has been fun getting up-to-speed on families and ministries @ SBF. I have a flip chart in the office which I have titled "SBF people I have met, and need to meet" ... to which I have added a mini-geneology! Feel free to help me make some of these connections ... as in Jill Rashleigh was a Funk ( right? ). Nancy Blenkin is Marguerite Gussman's daughter, and Darlene Oppel is Betty R's niece.

Fourthly, and finally for today, the co-winners of the "coffee with Don" sweepstakes are ... Tara & Dan Cummings ( 1st to give me their info so we can set up an evening to discuss the coffee ministry, among other things ), and Irela & Glen Rhodes ( 2nd to contact me, but 1st actual meeting. We got together last night and had a great visit about PowerPoint and Sound minsitries, as well as the Share Closet ).

Tomorrow evening I will attend my first SBF elder's meeting, and I am looking forward to that. Lots of important ministry matters to be considered, affirmed, supported and released to the people of SBF. Please continue to pray for these men ... Alan, Doug, Kevin, Marc and Dennis ... as they strive to give godly leadership to the SBF faith community these days. I think this is a great time to be part of what God is doing here ...

dlc

ps. if this is your first visit to the 'sbf observation deck' feel free to scroll down to catch my first couple of posts ... they'll give you some insights into my thinking on this piece of the communication puzzle.

: an introduction and a rationale :

Greetings SBF family ... this is Don Crawford, the new guy, the interim admin, formerly of Lambrick pastor. I met a number of you briefly a couple of weeks ago, and I'm looking forward to getting to know more of you starting this Sunday.



I was on the mainland last weekend, taking our two oldest kids to university. Meggan back to TWU in Langley ( Trinity Western ) to begin 3rd year of her BScNursing degree, and her first experience as a Residence Advisor. Fraser was excited to be headed for UBC-Okanagan to begin his post Mount Douglas schooling in the BManagement program at Kelowna. Thankfully, Karen and I have one more still at home, as Colin began Grade 10 at Reynolds Secondary yesterday. We joked last week that Karen's role in Grad Student Advising in UVic's Economics Department was the only stable thing in our family. However she had two dozen new graduate students arriving and orienting and beginning post-grad and doctoral and post-doc studies, so 'newness' was everywhere.

As I mentioned across the page in the "so why an SBF 'blog and why now?" section ... I see a 'blog, in this case, as a potentially helpful electronic journal that will give you some insights, a way to track what I am working on, and hopefully trigger some of your excellent ideas along the way. So I invite any and all of you to join me on this journey, as I have come to believe that Fall 2008 and Winter 2009 are going to be pivotal in the future of SBF as you search for and discern and call a pastor, rally together to look outside the walls to your community, and live out SBF's vision statement of 'existing as a church family to give glory to God, and to enjoy Him both now and forever' ...

I think if you follow the 'clicks' below on SUBSCRIBE you will get the occasional notice that I have updated this 'blog. I am going to try and do so regularly, maybe 2-3 times a week? especially as I ramp up my role here and identify priorities. More on that below. Finally, please feel free to comment in the comments section. I like to hear from you folks, as you have had your hand to the plow in ministry here a lot longer than I have!

Thanks again,

don

: 27 things i didn't know about sbf ... but who's counting :

... I have a distinct advantage in coming to SBF for a season in that, as a staff pastor at a sister church Lambrick Park and an acquaintance of several SBFers, I've followed the ministry here for 9 years now, ever since arriving on the Island in September 1999.

I did not know, however, that if one were to Google SBF you get a list as long as your arm! I know that 3 syllables of "SBF" is far easier to roll off our tongues, and the 8 it takes to say "Saanichton Bible Fellowship" takes longer, but I had no idea SBF was such a wide-ranging, international and eclectic organization!

Here are a few of the SBFs that a Google search produced.

don


SBF Salvo Buon Fine (Italian: reduction in price effects subject to collection)
SBF Scholastic Book Fair
SBF Singapore Bowling Federation
SBF Singapore Business Federation
SBF Single Barrier Failure
SBF Short Back Fire ( antenna )
SBF Skin Blood Flow
SBF Skinless Boneless Filet
SBF Slovak Baseball Federation
SBF Small Block Ford
SBF Social Brain Foundation
SBF Société des Bourses Francaises
SBF Special Beekeepers Fund
SBF Spence Balance Factor
SBF Sport Bike Freaks
SBF Stammtisch Beau Fleuve
SBF Studium Biblicum Franciscanum (Franciscan School Biblical Investigation )
SBF Stoney Brook Fellowship
SBF SuperBikeForums
SBF Support By Fire
SBF Surface Brightness Fluctuation
SBF Swiss Boomerang Federation
SBF Sequential Block Filemanager
SBF Single Byte Font
SBF Spoolfile Block Format
SBF Subtract Floating
SBF Summation Briefcase Format