Written by Karen Hardy with Shelley Wiebe
District Office
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Phil 4:6
We have all heard God moves through the prayers of His people, but sometimes we overlook the fact that God moves His people to prayer - for very specific things. Shelley and I were amazed - and quickly concluded it was a "God thing!" - when we realized God had us on convergent paths that were leading us to pray for a particular church. For me, it was a burden God had put on my heart that we - at the District Office - should be intentional in our commitment to pray for our churches at our all-staff meetings. And, I was led to begin to pray for Brentwood Park Alliance specifically. For Shelley, she was led to connect with Pastor Don Dyck and encourage him that God was at work and to continue moving forward.
After Shelley spoke with Don Dyck, we found out he and the leadership at the church were praying about an exciting opportunity in their community - CONNECTIONS COFFEE HOUSE. Brenda Mitchell, who attends Brentwood Park Alliance, had God spark a dream in her a couple years ago when their church showed the DVD 'Great Things Running Wild in the Canadian Pacific District'. Her dream was to provide a place in the community where friendships could develop and the church, in keeping with their vision to be "a church without walls," could discover tangible ways to meet the needs of their community. Brenda says it's been her job to obey, and see what God will do in the lives of those who live in the area. To read more about the Coffee House Vision, read here.
Some answers to prayer they've already seen:
-
As the church has been spreading the word about Connections, they're hearing positive responses, and in some cases, people wanting to help out and offer their expertise, talents, and services. One example of this is an interior designer in the neighbourhood has offered his services free of charge. Another example is a recent garage sale that someone from the church organized, raising $1700 in sales, and yet another person from the church donated sales of her artwork and photography towards Connections.
-
A three year lease was negotiated with the owners of the building. After inviting them to partner with the church in making the community a better place with Connections, they reduced the rent by a significant amount and provided the first two months rent-free.
-
A ground breaking ceremony was held where the church wrote prayers, Scripture and encouraging words all over the floor. It was a special moment to see the church come together and offer the space back to God to see His dream unfold.
Ways you can join this exciting adventure in prayer
- Pray that God would prepare the hearts of the community to receive Connections Coffee House and be open to "connecting" with the church and with each other in various ways.
- Pray that the City of Burnaby would receive the plans easily and readily so that we receive the permit to renovate as soon as possible.
- Pray that the vision of a gathering place where relationships can be built and nurtured will always be before Brentwood Park Alliance Church, and that they will own that vision as they serve Christ in their community.
- Pray that financial commitments for this project will be met.
- Pray for more volunteers to help out with Connections in whatever way they can.
It is an awesome experience to see God birth the seedling of an idea in one or two people's minds and then bring in the support needed to allow the seed to take root and grow. It reminds me of what the apostle Paul said about how Jesus works through His followers: "Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow (1 Cor 3:5-6). For us, it has been an honour to support the outreach initiative of Brentwood Park Alliance Church through prayer.
