Dear CLA Family
This weekend we’re encouraged to celebrate mothers. As Mother’s Day approaches, some anticipate it with joy, but others are reminded of losses and sorrows too great to carry into public celebrations. We, the body of Christ, who are called to bear suffering as Christ did, can, with the strength of the Holy Spirit, hold a space of worship for all. So, we celebrate our moms – we all have one, after all; they are a gift from God. And we hold a space of care and compassion for women who are longing to become mothers, for women who have lost children in miscarriage, stillbirth, complications during or after birth, to overdose, and to untimely death. Motherhood is about all of this because it’s a call to love. So, this day is a day to celebrate love. Love, the apostle Paul tells us, “…bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:7-8). So, everyone: Happy Love Day!
This Sunday at the Langley Campus we’re also celebrating Pastor Jenni Colwell’s six years of ministry to the children and families of CLA at all campuses. She is shifting her care and concern to extend to all the churches of the BC and Yukon District of the PAOC, as she assumes the role, Director of Children and Families Ministries, at our district office. She will remain working one day per week at our Maple Ridge Campus. Thank you, Pastor Jenni for your excellent work, your beautiful heart of love for children and families, and your legacy to us. We can move forward with confidence because of the foundation you have built.
Speaking of moving forward, CLA Kids and Families want to welcome Pastor Peter Lindstrom to the role of Assistant Family Life Pastor. Peter has recently graduated from Summit Pacific College, has served CLA as a summer intern in kids ministry and has also most recently served our Maple Ridge Campus as an administrative assistant. The CLA Kids Staff work onsite at our Langley Campus but serve all the campuses to inspire vibrant and inspiring ministry to children and families. When you see Peter, welcome him, and introduce yourself – he has a lot of names to learn!
The future of CLA Kids and Families is bright because it’s built on love – God’s love, that calls children to be his disciples, parents to be partners in the ongoing growth of devotion to God in their children’s lives, and the web of care that an extensive volunteer team provides on Sunday mornings, kids camp, and various programs/outreaches throughout the year.
Let’s eagerly look forward to what God has for us in the coming months.
