2023 Annual Report

granville chapel’s god’s timeline

January

Vision&Values Review

March

tepsdownwithDon joiningstaffasour sitionalLeadPastor

February

FarewelltoMikeBennet&MaxJanssen steppedinasYouthPastor

April

PotluckLunch

May

Farewellto DavidMorgan

June

Vision&Values Launch

July

SonRockKidsCamp

Picnicinthepark

August

FarewelltoDanKim

September

FallLaunch

SamuelVoojoinedstaff asourLeadPastor

October

SamuelVoo’s InstallationService

November

PrayerforPeace (Gaza/Israel)

December

ChristmasDrama

February‘24

JasonLeongjoinedstaffas ourCommunityLifePastor

January‘24

SharonWangjoinedstaffasour Bookkepperand AdminAssistant LeidyCalderóndeVilatransitionedas our ExecutiveAdmin FarewelltoDonCrawford

Reflecting Jesus

PRAYER

We call on God through the presence and of the Holy Spirit through prayer, both individually and corporately

GRACE

vision & values

A Community

and spiritual gifts in our community and around the world.

ENGAGEMENT

We extend welcome, kindness and care to all people, acknowledging our shared brokenness and our mutual transformation into the image of Christ.

PEOPLE

We embrace that all people are created in the image of God and we are a diverse community, woven together for His purposes

We intentionally participate with God’s reconciliation of all things, being attentive to the people and places to join His work.

changes in the church family

InheeAndrez

JeanChristopheAndrez

SusanCoburn

14

New Members

ConnieLeong

JasonLeong

RojiniKathiRavel

NatashaSeminutin

LiCao

HayleyTse

SamuelVoo

GraceVoo

YijuanWang

JimWoo

GraceYang

1

Baptism

DebbieWalford

JimCochrane

IreneSawshuck

GeorgeAgnew

EmilySiemens

GerardoOrtigozaJr.

5

Deaths

STAFF & LEADERSHIP

SamuelVoo

Pastor

SusanRobertson MaxJanssen

Pastor Children, Women & ESL Ministry

TiagoWilliams

JonatánVila SharonWang Worship Coordinator Bookkeeper & Admin Assistant Media Assistant

JasonLeong Community Life Pastor

Custodians: Behzad Mohammadi (Nov - current), Luke Mulder (Jan-Nov), Merhawit Beyene (May-Oct)

Board of Directors

Steve Hankinson – Board Chair

Rebecca Janke – Board Vice-Chair and Chair Personnel Team

Merrill Leung – Treasurer (Jan – Sept)

Matthew McColl – Treasurer (Sept – Dec)

Jan Quiring – Board Secretary

Andrea Corbett – Chair, Facilities Management Team

Charlene Kane – Chair, Search Team Task Force

Edith Rae – Chair, Preaching and Teaching Team

Michael Zhu – Finance Team

Vivian Chow – Chair, Nominations & Membership Team

Wayne Elderton – Chair, Policy Team and Chair, Vision & Values Task Force

Lead

Youth

LeidyCalderón Executive Admin

EXECUTIVE ADMIN

- Liaises with staff and volunteers

- Administrative support

- Facilities operations

- Leads church comms production

- Manages payroll staff’s structure at a glance

LEAD PASTOR

- Leads the staff

- Oversees all ministries

- Preaching and Pastoral Care

- Liaises with the Board

- Long-term planning with Board

CHILDREN/WOMEN ESL PASTOR

- Leads Children's Ministry, K-Gr. 5

- Leads Women's Ministry

- Leads ESL programme

- Pastoral Care & Community Meal Support

YOUTH PASTOR

BOOKKEEPER & ADMIN ASSISTANT

-Manages donations records

- Expensing and cheque

- Admin Support

-Leads Youth Programme, Gr. 6-12

- Leads volunteers and Youth

- Pastoral Care and Discipleship

WORSHIP COORDINATOR

- Sunday worship planning

- Worship Team coordination

- Media Team coordination

MEDIA ASSISTANT

- Creative media production

- AV Support

COMMUNITY LIFE PASTOR

- Oversees small groups ministry

- Supports small group leaders

- Provides opportunities for discipleship

lead pastor

Overall, Granville Chapel has bounced back from a period of change and loss remarkably well: attendance on Sundays has stabilized, finances are on track Since September, the church has been abuzz with activity as we moved through the Fall and Advent seasons on through to the new year, Lent and Easter. I invite you to read this Annual Report to find out some of the details of those activities. Here are a few of the highlights from my perspective as Lead Pastor:

STAFF TRANSITIONS

After my arrival, the staff situation has continued to evolve. Don Crawford transitioned from TLP to his next assignment; Max moved to full-time as our Youth Pastor, Sharon Wang was hired for a part-time bookkeeping role, Leidy Calderon de Vila took on a more active administrative role, and finally Jason Leong was hired as our part-time Community Life pastor Each of these changes meets specific needs at Granville and, all together, position us well for future development.

PREACHING AND TEACHING

Throughout this period, we embarked on several preaching series, most notably, “Ancient Words Giving Life,” our Advent series, "Heavenly Hope for a Heavy World," and beginning the new year with “Rediscovering the Good News of Jesus” –aka “The ‘Sweet Spot’ of the Gospel.” It is my hope that this focus on the good news of Jesus will lay a solid theological foundation for years to come Granville is also blessed with a strong team of lay preachers who are being supported to grow in teaching and communicating God's word

BOARD PLANNING

The Board has been undergoing a major review of its Ends Policy, in consultation with Fulwell Leadership. Guided by our Vision and Values statement, the Board and staff together are currently formulating a high-level policy designed to give guidance to all ministries in the church. This is challenging but exciting work and we look forward to its completion in 2024.

A PERSONAL NOTE

Allow me to end this report on a personal note Since I began my role at Granville Chapel as Lead Pastor on September 5th, 2023, I’ve felt graciously welcomed into the church and strongly supported by Steve and the Board. My family has been integrating smoothly into the various ministries and groups of the church. Daily, I’m grateful for the Lord’s guidance in leading me and our family to Granville for this next chapter, and I’m very excited and hopeful for all that God has in store for us.

I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the whole church, the staff and all the volunteers for their tremendous support and dedication to the Lord. Together, we embark on the next phase of this journey with great anticipation

Dr. Samuel Voo Lead Pastor

the board

2023 was a unique year in the life of Granville Chapel. It is infrequent for a church to refresh its vision and values and search for a Lead Pastor (Granville’s Lead Pastor search was only the third in its 73-year history). The Lord led our Granville community throughout this significant work in 2023: the creation and adoption of the new vision and values was completed in June; in July, Dr. Samuel Voo accepted the call to be our new Lead Pastor beginning in September.

The Board is deeply grateful to the Lord for guiding our steps and we thank the people of Granville for your prayerful support and encouragement We also thank Don Crawford who joined us in March as the Transitional Lead Pastor - for His wisdom and leadership during our transition The Lord is good

Members of the Board serve on various subteams and task forces of the Board These teams provide support in key areas including finances, personnel, building, policies and procedures, communication, nominations and membership, and special projects

The scope of Board work falls into five categories. We approach our work prayerfully seeking the Lord’s plan and direction. We rely on His gifts of wisdom, discernment, grace, and unity.

Pray for the community

Establish the vision and general direction for Granville Chapel

Encourage and provide accountability to the Lead Pastor

Demonstrate spiritual support and leadership to the church.

Fulfill the legal requirements and responsibilities of the Granville Chapel Society.

This year there were two special task forces which included members of the community

The Vision and Values team was led by Wayne Elderton, and the Search team was led by Charlene Kane. These teams worked diligently over many months and we are so thankful for their leadership and work.

Vision and Values Team Search Team

Wayne Elderton (Chair)

Rebecca Janke

Edith Rae

Matthew Kloeble

Charlene Kane (Chair)

Rebecca Janke

Jan Quiring

Eric Miller

Don Crawford Matthew Thiessen

Steve Hankinson

Don Crawford

Steve Hankinson

The Lord has directed our path throughout this eventful year of transition. The “year of extensive changes” required Board members to commit more time and energy than is typical.

finances

God’sloveandfaithfulnesstoGranvilleChapelwasonceagainevidentin2023. Inayearfilledwithso much change and uncertainty, the Lord provided – including financially through your faithful giving andgenerositywhichsupportsouroperationsandministriesincluding:

Our amazing staff team who oversees worship services, children ministries, youth ministries, adult ministries,administration,operations,andoutreachtonamejustafew Opportunities to partner with missionaries and mission & outreach organizations locally and globallythroughtheoversightofourMissionsTeamandMeettheNeed Day-to-daychurchoperationsincludingheat,light,buildingmaintenance,servicesandsupplies. “Andthepeoplecontinuedtobringfreewillofferingsmorningafter morning.Soalltheskilledworkerswhoweredoingalltheworkon thesanctuaryleftwhattheyweredoingandsaidtoMoses. Thepeoplearebringingmorethanenoughfordoingtheworkthe Lordcommandedtobedone.”

Exodus36:3b-5

2023: In our fiscal year ending Dec 31, 2023, revenue of $786,617 (donations, church rentals, investment interest, etc) exceeded budgeted revenue, while actual expenses of $717,173 were lower than budgeted – resulting in an excess of $69,444 in our General Fund. Praise God! This overage will aid cash flow during the first months of 2024 when donations are historically lower,willhelpcoverdeficitsfrompreviousyears, and will shore up our cash reserve fund Our Restricted Funds increased by $17,391 after expenses (mainly Refugee Fund and Meet the Need) Thedetailedfinancialstatementswillbe sent out prior to and reviewed at the upcoming AnnualGeneralMeetinginApril.

2024: Our approved General Budget for the current fiscal year ending Dec 31, 2024 is $729,300 In both developing and operating within the approved budget, we strive to thoughtfully and prayerfully steward our resources well. For the first quarter ending March31,2024,revenueof$174,835islessthan budgetedandexpensesof$217,920arehigher thanbudgetedresultinginadeficitof$43,084 PleasekeepthefinancialhealthofGranvillein yourprayers

I would like to thank Jan Quiring and Leidy CalderóndeVilafortakingcareoftheday-todayfinancesin2023,andI’dalsoliketothank Sam Voo, Jan Quiring, Merrill Leung, Michael Zhu, and Liz Becker for their work with me on theFinanceTeam

MattMcColl BoardTreasurer andonbehalfoftheFinanceTeam

building updates

In spring/summer 2023, a significant change occurred on the grounds. An abandoned playground, surrounded by a decaying fence, was transformed into a vibrant patio for

The Facility Management Team works to maintain and enhance the building, ensuring its continued use for the glory of God for

The kitchen at Granville Chapel is an important part of our church community as many of our gatherings involve food and drink It is used every Sunday to serve coffee/tea after the morning service and the occasional celebration/farewell cakes. A big thank you to our hospitality teams to make this possible. It has been used for some Sunday potluck lunches and community meals Wearegratefulforthemanyvolunteerswhopitch intohelppreparethefoodandclean upafterwards

The kitchen is a shared space, used by many groups It is expected that at the end of an event, thekitchenisleftclean,tidyandreadyforthenext grouptouseit.

gathering together

AsIreflectonthepastyear,I'mdeeplygratefulforthe dedication,passion,andsupportofourworshipministry team.Ourvolunteershavetirelesslyservedinvariousroles, whetherthroughsound,visuals,orleadingfromthestage. Together,they'vecraftedanenvironmentthatinvitespeople toencounterGodmeaningfullyeachSunday;introducing newsongstoourworshipsetliststokeepourworshipfresh andvibrant Theteamhasgrownto26individuals,who faithfullyservethecommunitythroughtheirtalentsandgifts

IsteppedintotheroleofbeingaworshipcoordinatorinMay of2023,afterDavidMorgan’sdeparturefromtheroleasthe worshippastor Wewereblessedbyhisleadershipfor5years Iamsothankfulforthecountlesshoursofguidanceand mentorshipthatDavidhasgivenmethroughoutallofthe yearsthatI’veknownhim Inthemorerecentyearsof workingalongsideDavid,hededicatedhimselftodeveloping measaleader IknowthathiscontributiontoGranvillehas beeninvaluable,andIamgratefulfortheopportunitiesand encouragementDavidhasgiventome.

Sincethepandemic,wehavecontinuedlivestreamingour worshipservicestoourconsistentviewersonyoutube,with anaverageof22perSunday.Withnewvolunteersjoiningo team,wehavebeenabletoimprovethequalityofthe stream

Sundaysareatimewherewecometogatherinworship,to praiseandglorifyJesus Ourworshipbandshaveledusina varietyofsongs,practicingmidweekandearlyonSunday mornings,ensuringasmoothserviceeveryweek The productionteamplaysanoftenhiddenbutcrucialrolein supportingthoseonstageenablingustojointogetherin worship,inpersonandonline

Oneofmyhighlightsfromthepastyearhasbeenthe opportunitytoleadworshipfortheyouth Specifically,the youthAlphaweekend,andtheyouthwinterretreat Our Christmasplaywasalsoahugesuccess,withtalented peoplefromourcongregationputtingonagreatshow.

TiagoWilliams WorshipCoordinator

worship & media

Thank you to all our volunteers for all your hard work, passion and commitment each week. It is a privilege to lead this team!

AllanLarson,DanSittler,DavidMorgan,ElisabethAnderson,EmilyLawrance,EricMiller,Francesca Turner,InheeAndrez,JanQuiring,JaneLoy,JanelleXie,JennyTai,Jonatán,VilaGómez,Jonathan Sterling,KiaraJanssen,LeidyCalderóndeVila,LuizaWilliams,LyonLin,MattThiessen,Megan Lawrence,PaulCorbett,PeterLawrance,SharonWang,SimonAnderson,TreahBennett

Prayer

PrayeristhefirstofGranville’sarticulatedcore Values,andisakeyactivityunderpinningallofthe church’sministries,fromthosethatruninthe backgroundtothoseatthefront,andeverywhere inbetween Thevitalityofachurch’sspirituallifeis oftenreflectedbyitscommitmenttoprayer,and atGranville,prayerhascontinuedtobeastrong focusthisyear.Therewereatleastfiveorganized formsofprayerministriesatGranvillethisyear

TheWednesdaymorning7amPrayerGroupledby MikeManning,hascontinuedtomeetonlineevery weekthisyeartoprayforeachotherandforthe needsofthechurch

ThePrayerChaincoordinatedbySusanRobertson, communicatescloselywiththePastoralCareTeam andregularlydistributesbothurgentandnonurgentprayerrequestsasthey’rereceivedormade known,tothosewho’vevolunteeredtobepartof thischain

InNovember,NgocDayinitiatedandcoordinated aprayerweekendforthewarinGaza,startingon Fridayevening,continuingovernightintoSaturday

Inourworshipservice,wecontinuetohavepreworshipprayermeetingseachSundayprayingfor theserviceandforthoseinattendance Wehave alsobegunatraditionofsettingasidetimefor prayerministrytooccurwithintheserviceeach weekforthoseinneed.

Finally,thestafftaketimeeachWednesday afternoontoprayforeachotherandthechurch afteritsregularweeklystaffmeeting

Thereare,ofcourse,inadditiontotheseorganized prayeractivities,prayerthathappensatGranville inalmosteverygathering,aswellastheprayer thathappensspontaneouslyinallsortsof occasionsconnectedwiththecommunity.Again, tomethisisareflectionofthespiritualvitalityof thecommunityatGranvilleandwethankGodfor hiscontinuedfaithfulnesstous

SamuelVoo

children’s ministry

we do

In Children's Ministry at Granville Chapel, we provide a safe, nurturing environment in which children are introduced to Jesus Christ and grow in their journeys with Him. Our goal is to support and encourage parents in their roles as primary spiritual guides and leaders of their children.

For children nursery-aged to grade 5, we aim (through the power of the Holy Spirit) to guide children in understanding the "big picture" of God's love for them personally, in learning about and understanding the Bible and its truth and relevance to them, and in understanding what it means to follow Jesus.

In KingdomKids we enjoy small and large group gatherings on Sundays, which include a Bible story, singing, prayer, offering for a ministry, a creative task, and snack time In the Nursery, toddlers are cared for by volunteers, and are provided opportunities to hear a Bible story and sing some songs.

Highlights

A couple of highlights, apart from our regular Sunday gatherings, from this past year were: Summer Fun Kids Camp at Maple Grove Park (July 4-7), and taking part in our special Christmas Drama on December 17th.

We have two wonderful teams in KingdomKids and in the Nursery - each made up of Youth and Adults

Thank you to all of you who contribute to this ministry by committing to spend time with children - you are awesome!

Susan Robertson Children’s Ministry Coordinator

kids attend to KingdomKids on average 22

organizations supported with Sunday School offering 3

youth ministry

FirstYouthretreatin2yearsatSqueah-35kids

Wewerereallyabletogrowasawholeyouthfamily, encounterJesusagainorforthefirsttime,play somewildgames,andseehowGodmighthave beenworkingthroughoutourlives.Itwasareally beautifultimeofconnection,worship,andgrowth asacommunity.

youth

GC Youth is a place where students can be seen, loved, and known. We seek to foster a family of youth that are rooted in God’s love, engaged wholly in scripture, and actively discovering what it means to follow Jesus in our context.

At its most basic we are a family of youth seeking to follow Jesus together in Vancouver by: Abiding in Him, Becoming like Him, and Partnering with Him in His restoring of all things

This year we continued to seek out what it looked like to not just be a youth group but a youth family, working out how we can partner with the Holy Spirit in the lives of each other to be one who gets close enough to know and loves at a cost! We walked through topics such as fear, doubt, grief, identity, purpose, belonging, anxiety, anger, beauty and more as we sought to discover the depths of God’s goodness and love and the life of transformation and joy He invites us into.

In both Jr. & Sr. High we continued to look at the wonder and beauty of prayer that can only be discovered and not learned. We made space for stories of God’s loving presence to be shared amongst our group, and really sought to cultivate a community built on grace and truth We have looked at what it means to put Jesus as our Lord and King and not just our Savior, and also what the incoming Kingdom looks like that we are invited to participate in!

10 junior&senior

This Winter we ran Youth Alpha, a video and small groups based program that seeks to foster a space for the curious, confused, skeptical and seeking to gather, share a meal, learn about God, and openly share their thoughts Through this program our youth were able to share the good news with friends, practice hospitality, and ask their big questions in a no judgment environment. Alongside Alpha we also had our first Youth Retreat in two years which saw new levels of vulnerability, engagement, and response to Jesus’ pursuing presence amongst our group as we lived life alongside each other for a weekend!

For our whole youth family this was a year marked by strangers becoming friends and friends becoming family as we churned through what it looks like to grab on to Jesus’ invitation to life to the full together. Through our weekly gatherings, retreats, Alpha, and outside of program hangouts, our youth family have continued to encounter and follow Jesus alongside each other amidst some tough times through prayer, scripture, service, and community, and I could not be more proud to call them family!

Pray for:

Youth and their friends, that God would captivate them and open hearts to new depths of His love

Leaders as they pour themselves out for the sake of the youth through presence and prayer

Parents as they navigate these formative years alongside their children

Max Janssen our youth pastor as He seeks God’s will for the direction and movement of the youth family at Granville Chapel

Max Janssen

Youth Pastor leaders

32

youth gathering weekly

42

students

RyanManning

MacyLarson SethLynch

LyonLin

FranTurner

JanelleXie

KiaraJanssen

JoannaMiller

JoanaHill

GraceVoo

attended to Alpha Youth & friends - out of request from kids wanting to bring their friends!

neighborhood church

It’sourjoytobeyourmissionariestotheJacksonNeighbourhoodinFresno,California Yourmission extendedthroughourfamilyenabledustosharetheloveofJesusamongthemostvulnerable residentsinthecity.Hereare5thingswhichmakeusunbelievablyproudofwhatJesushas accomplishedthislastyear:

Jacksonhasablightedopenspacewhichhas succumbtohomelessencampments,drug abuse,death,andviolence Weare determinedtocreateacommunitypark!We havesecuredsomefundingfromthe governmentandresidentshaveworked togethertorecapturethisspacewithanew visioncoupledwithparkamenitiesforour residents Thislastyear,regularparkcleanupshavebecomeasignofrenewal

InAprilwehostedanEasterpartyatJackson Elementary Over500residentsattendedand Heidisharedthegospelwith100neighborhood kidswehavebeenprayingforoverthelast year,manyofwhoattendourafterschool GoodNewsClub.

Thereisastretchofbusyroadwaywithouta sidewalk Pedestrianswalkinginthestreetand childrenwalkingtoschoolhavebeenhitby cars WeworkedwiththeCityofFresnoto addresstheseissuesandwerecentlywere invitedbytheMayortosharepubliclyabout whatorganizingresidentscandotoaffect change Joegottheopportunitytotalkpublicly abouttherenewalthatJesuspromisesthe JacksonneighborhoodbecauseofHisgreat loveforus!

Ourlocalelementaryschoolcontinuestoinvite ustopraythroughtheschoolandoverevery classroomearlyinthemorningsbeforeanyone arrives Theyopentheschoolforustopray andevensomeChristianteachersjoinusas weprayerwalkthroughtheschool!

HudsonSwaim,alongtimeGranvillekid,joined usasaninternandjoinedourmissionin Fresno!Hehasbroughtmanynewyoung peopleintoourchurch,manyofwhomarenow usingtheirgiftsinourchurchcommunity!

going deeper

refugee ministry

JG* family sponsorship

*The family’s name has been abbreviated for their protection

After five years, we continue to wait for the final processing of the family’s sponsorship application. As a result, JG, his wife and four children (ranging in ages from 14-26), remain in limbo in India.

To understand the reasons for the extraordinary delays in processing, and to possibly move things along, various letters were sent to the Member of Parliament for Granville Chapel’s Riding this past year In March 2024, Shahram, and various members of our team met with our MP to plead our case Our MP has since contacted the Minister of Immigration asking him to look into this application We are hopefully and prayerfully awaiting a response.

In the meantime, Shahram continues to do well in his work assembling high-end chandeliers sold to commercial properties He has become a well-loved and important member of the GC community He continues to miss his family and maintains regular contact with them. Nonetheless, he has settled well in Vancouver and will be wellpositioned to help his family to integrate into life in Canada when they arrive

Members of our team have, with Shahram’s help, connected with Shahram’s mom to let her know we are all praying for her and her family’s timely and safe arrival Others have connected with Shahram’s brothers to encourage them as well

Please continue to pray that Shahram’s parents and siblings will be granted entry visas as soon as possible for the family to be reunited

Hiwotfamilysponsorship

On a positive note – Hiwot (Yodit’s sister) andhersonMinas,havebeenapprovedto come to Vancouver in late April or early May They will be staying in Vancouver with the help of team members and family We give thanks for the relatively speedyprocessingoftheirfileandprayfor their smooth integration into Canadian life

SuzanneBarclayonbehalfofthe SponsorshipTeam

community groups

AtGranvilleChapel,ourcommitmentistobuild avibrantcommunitythatisreflectingJesusas we nurture spiritual growth on this life journey together. The highlight in early 2024 was the Spring into Community launch of Community Groups held in the fireside area at Granville Chapel It was a resounding shared success withballoons,snacksandrobustconversations filling the air Group leaders stepped forward and introduced the diverse range of groups thatformtheheartofourcommunity,followed byameet&greettimeforfurtherdiscussions

In a tech-savvy twist, the event was livestreamed onto Youtube and recorded for future reference for those who would like to replay the event Also, a new online sign-up processviatheChurchAppcomplementedthe physicalbrochuresandsign-upforms.

In total, 12 active community groups participated and among these, 3 were newly formed groups – CareCubs Collective, Life Together,andSanctuaryCourse.Thesegroups serve as hubs for connection, support, and shared faith journeys and their diverse focus areas, from caregiving to discipleship, enrich ourcollectiveexperience

TheLivingRoom

group provides faith-based support for those living with a mood disorder (Eg Anxiety, Bipolar, Depression, etc) It's beneficial to have a safe place toshareourstruggleswithothers whounderstand

Wecontinuetomeetinpersononceamonthand on the other weeks we meet on zoom which has allowedevenpeoplefromoutsideVancouver to be included. We have members from Alberta, MontanaandKelowna

After the launch event, we witnessed an encouraging response: 15 individuals eagerly signed up and were thoughtfully placed into these groups. We are deeply thankful to God forHisfaithfulnessatGranvilleChapeloverthe years and continue to seek wisdom & discernment for the future as we desire to followJesusmoreclosely

JasonLeong CommunityLifePastor

Mental health issues are on the rise and some in the group suffer tremendously It is hard to seetheminsuchdifficultcircumstances but,theyhaveexpressedtheirappreciationfor a group like this where there is support and understanding.

PleasecontinuetoprayforLivingRoomtobea supportforthosethatneedit. FormoreinformationpleasecontactJaniceat: janiceelderton@gmailcom JaniceElderton

women’s ministry

Wesharedlifetogether,

laughed, cried, saw answered prayer with young women joining, walked through great loss, learned about, and supported the beautiful work of Inner Hope at our outreach Christmas event, and rejoiced to learn of CrisisPregnancyCentresecuringnewspace

-SusanCoburn

Morningside

On Friday mornings, a gathering of women from a variety of backgrounds comes together. Our focus is the Bible, and we enjoy conversation, prayer, and friendship. We are spurred on in our faith walks, enjoy building community, and are encouraged through praying with and for each other

The Bible studies we have focused on from January 2023 until February 2024 have been:

Eveningside

1. May- June 2023:Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit (C J H Wright) - a study based on Galatians 5:22 23

3.

January-April 2023: Finished Ephesians w Darrell Johnson sermons and his book: “The Wonder and Walk of Being Alive in Christ”

2 September 2023-Feb. 2024: Genesis (with Tim Keller sermons and Guide)

We have been encouraged this year with a large group - 15 to 20 participants.

Small Group Leaders for Morningside during this season have been: Rachel Woods, Claire Westlake and Susan Robertson

A highlight was our December 13th special invitational event for women: “Light in the Darkness” with Jenny Shantz from Inner Hope as our keynote speaker. Thanks to Edith Rae for leading this endeavor.

Thank you to all the Leaders for your time, preparation, facilitation, prayer, and leadership!

We are each thankful for God’s Word, which is alive and active in each of us.

Susan Robertson

Imagine what God can do when a group of women gather to study the bible and pray, week after week, rain, or shine, tired from work, stressed because of a pending exam, exhausted after a day with the kids, or excited to be out with other Christians after a day alone Then add superbly written study guides by sound biblical teachers, or captivating podcasts tackling tough questions like: What does it really look like to walk and be alive in Christ? Why would it be important to know how to grow in Christlikeness? What were we put in the world to do?

Finally imagine a safe, holy place where the Holy Spirit nudges and helps us wrestle with questions of the Christian faith, worshiping in song, earnestly praying to be transformed into the person God wants us to be and how we can bless the world around us.

Eveningside Leaders have been: Edith Rae, Petra Anderson and Susan Coburn.

This has been Eveningside in 2023:

From January – April, we finished Ephesians with our self-written guide to Darrell Johnson’s book, “The Wonder and Walk of Being Alive in Christ.”

In May and June, we journeyed through Galatians 5:22-23 with “Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit,” by Chris Wright

July saw the irresistible gathering of “God’s Gang” and summertime fellowship.

September launched our fall season with 24 women hungry to tackle the great stories in Genesis with Tim Keller’s study guide inspiring us to dig deep into understanding God’s great mercy

God is good, all the time All the time, God is good.

Susan Coburn

in the community

PastoralCareatGranvilleis...

being the hands and feet of Jesus, caring for people in our community, under the headship of Christ. Our God is our Good Shepherd, who lovesusandtakescareofus.

A new Pastoral Care Team “emerged” in November 2022, and now has about 23 members Wecontinuetoworktogether,grow, andcarefortheneedsofourcommunity

It’sajoytobeonthisteam!Weareeach thankfultobeabletopray,andplanandwork together!TheLorduseseachofusindifferent ways,andthatispartofthepleasureofbeingon thisteam:toseethediversearrayofgiftsand talents,andtospureachotherontowards blessingandcaringforothers

“...Likeashepherdhefeedshisflock;inhisarmshegathersthelambs,carryingthemin hisbosom,leadingtheeweswithcare.” Isaiah40:10-11

EnglishPlus

English is necessary for life in Canada! We are thankfultobeabletoshareourEnglishlanguage with others ESL classes have been running at Granville for more than twenty-five years; our current program, English Plus, has been running since 2016 Our goal is to offer newcomers to Vancouver and those who do not yet feel comfortable speaking English the opportunity to learn English and to build friendships with each other and with their teachers. We are also intentional about building a bridge to the broader community of Granville Chapel and an opportunity to hear the good news about Jesus Christ Currently, students are connected to our community in various ways such as: attending our church services and monthly Community Meals,volunteering,andworkingatthechurch

Thispastyear,thePastoralCareTeamhas…

Provided meals, practical help, visitation and prayer supporttomanyfacingstrugglesofvariouskinds.

Provided emotional and spiritual support to members astheywalkedwithfamilythroughsicknessandloss.

Helped practically with Celebration of Life services at Granville.

Prepared Christmas and Easter baskets and delivered themtoourelderlyorshutinmembersaswellasthose inneedofsomeextraencouragementorcare.

Organized community potluck lunches to encourage connectionand“community”.

Continued offering prayer or practical support via careandprayer@granvillechapel.com.

–SusanRobertson (onbehalfofthePastoralCareTeam)

Our students are from many countries and backgrounds We thoroughly enjoy interacting with them! This year we are offering Beginner and Intermediate Level classes, plus “extra” English-speaking opportunities through “Table Topics”, “Pronunciation Plus”, and English Bible Class. We are particularly thrilled that so many are interested in attending our new (Jan. 2024) Bibleclass.

Team members are: Susan Robertson, Sharon Pasivirta, Dawn Sasges and Ava Yip. Others join us for various programs and events. We each have something to share with newcomers, and sharing our English language is a very enjoyable waytoallowJesustoworkinandthroughus

–SusanRobertson EnglishPlusCoordinator

meet the need

We would like to celebrate these things from the past 14 months:

Thanks to the generosity of our Granville Chapel community, we were able to meet our monthly financial commitments to each Ministry over the past 14 months, and ended 2023 with a surplus! As a result, we were able to give a financial end-of-year bonus gift to each of our ministries.

Each of our ministries had encouraging stories to share about how God has worked in their communities during this past year

We were able to provide 29 Christmas care packages, consisting of gift cards and cookies, to individuals and families in need (in our Granville community and beyond). We were also able to include gifts for 26 children as part of these care packages.

We participated in an Operation Baby Bottle fundraiser last spring to support the Vancouver Crisis Pregnancy Centre

We welcomed two new members, Laura Campbell and JC Andrez, to our Meet the Need committee.

Wesupported6differentlocalministries overthepast14months:

$5,600 Kinbrace

$3,500 CityGateLeadershipForum(TimDickau)

$4,200 VancouverCrisisPregnancyCentre,

$2,100* JustWork

$2,100 Jacob’sWell

$2,800 GranvilleChapelCommunityMeals

ThefocusoftheMeettheNeedministryison ExtendingGod’sKingdominourcity Our mandateistoadministerthedonationsreceived forMeettheNeed,andtoencouragethe congregationinservingthoselessfortunatein theVancouverarea

We have also cared for and connected with these ministries by:

seeking to know more about each ministry’s blessings and needs, and praying for each ministry. inviting ministry leaders to attend a monthly MTN meeting to provide updates on their ministries.

We are thankful to everyone from our Granville Chapel community for generously donating to the Meet the Need offering, purchasing gifts for the Christmas care packages, contributing to Operation Baby Bottle, and continuing to pray for the ministries that Meet the Need supports.

From the Meet the Need Committee, -Claire Tweeddale (chair), Debra Barnes, Sally Law, Yardley McNeill, Nellie Seeto, Karen Harmel, Laura Campbell and JC Andrez

community meals

DoyouwanttoknowwhattheGranvilleChapel CommunityMealisallabout?Pleasereadabout thiswonderfulendeavorthatGodhasledusin since2015,granvillechapel.com/meettheneed

2023 was our first full year back typically meeting together as before. We did have to get creative in February as some of us were sick or away so thanks again to those who helped cook and deliver ‘CommunityMealEats’!Haha

In September we sadly said goodbye to one newcomer family who after a year in Vancouver found thatMontrealwasmoresuitableforprofessionaldevelopmentandhousing Wehavesincewelcomed othernewcomerfriendsthroughourGranvilleChapelESLprogram

Our8monthlymealsatthechurchand4atparksareajoyandblessingtoallwhoparticipate.Ittakes a crew each month and we are so appreciative of all the ways others come alongside us; meal preparation, dishwashing, prayers, special gifts, and in June some meals for a single mom who’d undergonesurgery Weevenreceivedonationsofexcellentqualitychildren’sitemsabouttwiceayear fromaGCmembersneighbour

Three families happily attended family camps last year due to qualifying for UGM’s sliding scale funding AndthankGodwithusthatthreefamilieswereabletosecureBCHousingin2023

Thankyouforyourprayers

BethHankinson,onbehalfoftheCMTeam (SusanRobertson,ClaireTweeddale,JoanaHill,DebraBarnes)

630+

Meals served at Granville Chapel in the past 14 months (Jan 2023- Feb 2024)

daybreak point bible camp

AboutAnvil

We had a great 2023 camp season with a total of924campersincluding116sponsoredcampers (eg through partnering with UGM and Youth Unlimited) with 19 baptisms at camp! This was also made possible through the support from our Granville Chapel community and by 791 volunteersstaffservingatcamp!Pleasecontact me, Holger, anytime if you are interested in volunteering at Anvil - serving at camp is an amazingexperience!

Campisauniqueexperienceforthecampersto encountertheloveofChristduringafunweekof amazing activities including tubing, water trampoline,slide,hiking,crafts,beachvolleyball, kayaking, sports, and wide games Chapel and cabin times including worshiping, teaching, sharing, group discussions and lots of opportunitiesfor1on1timewithcabinleadersor campleaders.

As many of you know, Granville Chapel was one of the founding churches of Daybreak Bible Camp,alsoknownas“Anvil” GranvilleChapelis a member church and has a longstanding, supportiverelationshipwithAnvil.

Our mission at Daybreak Point Bible Camp is to encourage campers to encounter the love and lifeofJesusChristthrough:

Christ-centredteachingandprograms

ChristianCommunity Personalrelationships

Asafeandfuncampexperience

Many thanks to all of you for supporting Daybreak Point Bible Camp on Anvil Island in 2023 through your prayers, donations, and volunteerserviceatcamp!

HolgerJanssen,Trustee/MemberRep

NewDiningHall

Daybreak Point Bible Camp is excited to get to work on replacing our aging Dining Hall We have launched a fundraising campaign, and a donor has come forward who will match every dollar we raise up to $3,000,000.00! Please prayerfully consider this opportunity to double the impact of your giftincreatingafoundationforthefuture.

Our2024AnnualFundraisingBanquetwillbe on onMay11celebrating85yearsofcamps!

2024Campsarefillingupfastandmanycamps alreadyhaveawaitinglistbuttherearestillsome openingsforcampers.

missions team

For this year’s report, given the number of new folks at Granville, we thought we would present some background on the Missions Team so folks understand who we are, what we do, and where wearegoing

TheTeam is comprised of 8 servants, across a variety of ages, and all with experience in the mission field as missionaries (or kids of) Most have served on the team for over 10 years, some much longer This dedicated team never missed a beat through Covid as we were blessed with Zoom technology.

TheWork

The team meets once per month, on a Saturday morning for 3 hours We have a continental breakfast,prayanddoadevotion,thenmeetone or two mission workers in person or by Zoom

During this time, we hear reports, ask questions, and through this encourage, advise if helpful, and lay hands on them in prayer. These are always inspiring times for them; and us. Then we do business by way of planning, budgeting, problemsolving,andpraying

We are also individually in contact with the missionaries on an ongoing basis, we organize evening events, assist in organising and supporting short term missions, and act as a catalyst for new missional ideas that emerge in theGranvillecommunity.

Finally, the Team has been blessed with large funddonationstobeappliedformissionsoneoff project initiatives Each year we carefully select worthy initiatives with our mission partners to give a lump gift of between $3-10,000 towards a project

Our work is guided by: our 3-year plans, overall missionpolicies,agiving/supportframeworkthat helps us decide how much to support a missionary/mission, and importantly the Holy Spirit.WehavesharedGranville’sMissionsmodel withover6churches

The3YearPlan

This is created by the team and provided to Granvilleleadershipeverythreeyears Theplanis connected to Granville’s Vision, and outlines the focus areas through goals and actions to guide theteamanddecisionmaking.

For the next three years the team is leaning into thefollowingareas:

Transitioning with missionaries we have been working with for many years as they age out/retirefromtheirministries

Working with The Way/Canadian Church Leaders Network to build up and foster the nextgenerationofChurchleadersinCanada Supporting actions and ministries reaching indigenouspeopleshereandabroad; Consistent communication of the work of our many gifted, wonderful missionary partners (we are thankful for Sam providing the time on a Sunday for us to feature our Global Partnervideos)

OnBehalfoftheMissionsTeam, TerryRobertson

TerryRobertson(Chair)

EdithRae

JoanShannonJung

SharonMacIntosh

BillKent

EricMiller

JoannaMiller

JennyTai