This fall was a fantastic time of year for us at ABC. In September, we started a new ministry year and theme (illuminate). I’m so excited about everything we’ve been doing. We celebrated 64 years of “sharing Christ with our community” this past October, and it was an incredible celebration. We even took the opportunity to recognize the contributions of some long serving members of Agincourt Baptist and the significant role they have played in our history. A few Sundays after that, we commemorated Remembrance Day, and while not a celebration, it was a meaningful Sunday as members of the Toronto Scottish Regiment, my own unit, shared and took part in our service.
Our youth have also been on a roll as they continue to meet every Friday night. They spent a weekend up at Camp Kwasind, joined by two of our sister churches. And they made a significant impact with Trick or Treat for Hope as they collected tons of food donations to help the homeless and marginalized in our community.
Of course it’s never without trials— we survived a massive flood as our baptistery cracked and filled our basement with water.
But God is faithful, and we keep moving forward as He has called us. Christmas in Agincourt is going to be an incredible time to gather with family and friends and celebrate hope, light, and the birth of our saviour. Be sure to go to agincourtchristmas.ca to see all that we have in store for this holiday season, and be sure to join us in worship on Sunday mornings during Advent!
Right after Christmas, we’ll be jumping into a new sermon series called “Let us walk in the Light.” The message of 1 John is the pinnacle of our theme this year (what does it mean to walk in the light? What does it mean to proclaim God’s salvation to all people?). I was inspired by a sermon series that I read online and was very moved by what this epistle has for us, and so I am excited to go through this text as the crux of our ministry year.
The final thing I want to make sure you put on your calendars is our Annual Dinner. Last year we changed the format of our annual business meeting to be centred around gathering together as a church, sharing in fellowship around the table and celebrating what God has done in our church. This year it is on January 27. More details will be coming out soon, but make sure you mark this important event on your calendar.
Continue to pray for our church. Pray that God will make us a light of hope and peace, pray that we can be a gathering place of believers who lift up Jesus’ name in praise. I pray that this will be a place that you will find Jesus and experience His healing.
See you on Sunday!
In HIS Grip,
Pastor Matt Sampson
