We are well into a busy and productive ministry season at Maple Ridge. As the fall season enters November, we are in the run up to one of our more significant outreach events of the year, the Princess Tea. Because of its popularity, we added more seats and on Sat Nov 16th we will welcome just over 350 people to 2 creative presentations of the Gospel. Most who attend this event are people from our community, and we are praying that it translates into more families discovering Christ. Over the last year our outreach ministries have impacted families and our community in a variety of ways. Our staff and volunteers have worked in effective ways to feed and clothe people almost every week, in fact our City Serve Maple Ridge team has just embarked on a new outreach adventure. They are sponsoring periodic pop-up markets in places like seniors’ homes and areas of need in our city. It their first effort they supplied over 60 seniors with access to free groceries.
Over the course of the last year, we have seen partnerships with the Salvation Army grow, hosting their back-to-school backpack event which supplied 500 kids with school supplies. Our kids camp welcomed just under 200 kids for a week of effective ministry in July. Our City Serve Day saw scores of volunteers hit the streets of our city loving people in various ways and as Christmas approaches, we will attempt to sponsor 40 families in need with hampers enabling them to have a meaningful celebration. There have been several other smaller outreaches as well as the campus attempts to maintain and grow its visible community footprint.
Inside the building the congregation has enjoyed a season of spiritual impact and growth. During the last year we have had salvations regularly, multiple baptisms on several occasions and our worship gatherings continue to be marked by God’s presence. We have also had a season of sending. We have commissioned several young leaders to new ministry assignments in various churches. Something we celebrate as a team and campus. Our latest commission includes our Youth and Worship pastors, Garrett and Abigail Markham who have recently resigned and started a new ministry assignment at Comox Pentecostal Church on Vancouver Island. Their impact as leaders has been deeply felt and they will be missed. We are currently in prayer looking to find their replacements and we would be grateful if you would join us in praying for new members to join our team.
The Maple Ridge Campus has enjoyed a season of stability and growth over the past couple of years. Finances and attendance are healthy, life groups have grown in number and size, and the congregation is full of families with young children and youth. Our volunteers continue to be a significant encouragement to the staff team, so many have stepped into leadership roles facilitating various ministries and initiatives beyond the scope of the staff team. Our prayer teams continue to contend for the future of the campus, for the move of the Spirit, for salvations and for God’s favour to lead and direct us into the next season and beyond. God has been good to CLA Maple Ridge!
