Did you know? This week our auditorium was used three times for public school graduations. In June we host thousands of people from both Christian and public schools for graduations. In addition, each week the CLA Langley Campus (main building and CLA Center) can host a hundred ministry / community events. Priority is given to our CLA ministries, then public and private rentals and then ministries from other churches or agencies. This is all organized by our Church Manager Neil Muth, Assistant Manager Dana Gabbato, Admin Assistant Mary Phommaviset and coordinated with our Facilities Team Supervisor Kyle Darch. They have a custodial team of seven who are constantly setting up, tearing down and cleaning up rooms. It’s a beehive of activity, day and night. Our rentals allow the building to be used continually, build a bridge to the community and bring in a couple hundred thousand dollars a year in revenue (including parking lot rentals). This is a huge help towards the maintenance and support of our buildings allowing things like Sunbeam and English as a Second Language to run with much lower overhead than other schools. This summer, as part of a five-year plan, we will be replacing the back part of our roof over the north entrance and Kids Ministry at a cost of $120,000.
Thrive Ministry – for the past five weeks I’ve been meeting with our senior’s ministry on Tuesday mornings to teach the book of First John. What a delight. This ministry is quarterbacked by Pastor Lynette Beutel who also coordinates our Langley Care Ministries. The ministry reaches over a hundred seniors, encouraging Christian engagement, mission, fellowship and prayer. It’s a great group who want to use this chapter of life to the glory of God. Next week they end a very strong year of ministry (September to June) with a backyard BBQ. I honour the volunteers, the kitchen coordination by Ray Beutel, and the faithfulness of these saints.
Happy Father’s Day – speaking of honour, this weekend we honour our fathers and grandfathers. Biblically, honour means recognizing and responding to the true worth of God or a person with weight, value, respect, and obedience. The primary Hebrew word for honour is “kavod”, which literally means weight or heaviness—something substantial, valuable, and worthy of serious regard. As a father I can say amen as I certainly feel the heaviness of the responsibilities of being a dad. These would include love, provision, and spiritual leadership. The Greek word for honour “time” means value, price, or esteem. It refers to the worth we assign to someone, shown through respect, generosity, and proper treatment. Today, in a world where fatherhood faces many headwinds, we give respect to the father’s of CLA and hope that families do likewise. Being a dad is a spiritual calling that needs the Holy Spirit’s anointing.
