In his book, The Sacred Journey, Frederick Buechner writes: "The question is not whether the things that happen to you are chance things or God’s things because, of course, they are both at once. There is no chance thing through which God cannot speak … He speaks, I believe, and the words he speaks are incarnate in the flesh and blood of our selves and of our own footsore and sacred journeys … ‘Be not afraid, for lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ He says he is with us on our journeys. He says he has been with us since each of our journeys began. Listen for him. Listen to the sweet and bitter airs of your present and your past for the sound of him.” Esther is a story of “chance" and “coincidence,” and my hope is that this morning, you might pay attention to the chances and coincidences that show up in your own life to participate in the work that God is doing there and for the life of the world! Levi SimpsonKGM Director of Spiritual Care

Every empire in history, no matter how powerful, has risen and fallen. Babylon is not just an ancient city in Scripture; it’s the recurring pattern of human pride that rejects God and worships itself. Yet, in every generation, God preserves a faithful people people who live differently, who resist the beastly ways of the world by embodying His true kingdom ways. Daniel and his friends, though exiled and immersed in Babylonian culture, politics, and power lived fully alive. They heeded the Jeremiah 29 call to work for the good of their captors, seeking peace and prosperity for the city. But with windows open toward Jerusalem, their hope was in the everlasting promise of God’s kingdom. Today, we as God’s people are called to do the same: to live faithfully and fruitfully in a complex world but not by escaping our culture or conforming to it, buy by revealing another kingdom within it. Devan Scollon Associate Pastor of Discipleship

How on earth do you walk by faith when your eyes, brain, and emotions say the opposite?In a few days we will pause as a nation to remember the costs of violence and war. The world today is rocked by realities and consequences of humanity that too quickly forget the horrors that never just stay in grainy black and white films, but impact us still - including people who are part of our church and live with us in our city. As a church we honour Remembrance Day confessing that those in Christ are called to active love and peacemaking. This is central to our faith in Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote the often quoted words, "...for we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). Those pithy words look great on the wall or on this screen, but how do we apply them and live fully alive in the real world where we see so much that can make faith a idealistic dream disconnected from reality? This week we get to know the remarkable courage and faith of the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, who did a remarkable act of courageous real estate faith when war raged around him and everything - and I mean everything - pointed in the opposite direction. You can read it before we gather on Sunday in Jeremiah 32. And, then, get ready to see differently!Phil Wagler Interim Pastor

The normal rhythms of life include struggle, victories, and a whole lot of ordinary moments in between. But in the midst of that normalcy, do we truly notice how God is at work? This Sunday, we’ll explore the lives of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz, and discover what it means to live fully alive even when life feels difficult, or even when it becomes routine. We’ll see how God was actively working behind the scenes to fulfill His promises, and how He continues to move faithfully in our everyday lives today. The book of Ruth is only four chapters long, so I encourage you to give it a read! Grace and Peace, Josh HufemiaCampus Ministry Lead, UCM at UBCO

Have you ever told your kids to clean up before taking out a new toy, only to be met with protests and resistance? They can’t see past the task to the joy that’s waiting on the other side. This Sunday, we’ll explore how the Israelites faced a similar moment at the Jordan river. God had promised them the land—it was already theirs. But they had to cross the river and step into that reality. When Jesus declared “It is finished” on the cross. He wasn’t starting something—He was completing it. Your freedom, your identity, your place as God’s chosen—it’s all already done. Perfectly. Completely. Ongoing. But here’s the question: What Jordan river is God asking you to cross today? Maybe it’s forgiveness. Maybe it’s breaking free from bondage. Maybe it’s stepping into your calling. Or maybe it’s simply believing you are who God says you are. Join us this Sunday as we discover how to stop standing on the riverbank and start living in the reality of what Christ has already finished for us. The land is already yours. It’s time to get your feet wet.Phill Whatman

Have you ever asked yourself how did I get here?  Sometimes we can feel we are in a rut and waiting on God to act. Sometimes we simply go on auto pilot (life with kids can do that to you) and we wake up one day wondering how did I get here? Perhaps you have been seeking God's voice but only hear radio silence. Join us as we look at Moses journey who found himself in a place of waiting.Phill Whatman

We’ve been exploring in John 15 Jesus’ vision for a fully alive people- a fruitful and abiding life. This week we begin looking at biblical stories where God called people to embrace His appointed purpose in the midst of difficult circumstances.We start with Joseph, whose life could have been defined by favouritism, betrayal, and suffering. Yet God was weaving a greater plan, for Joseph’s good and for the life of many. In the same way, the fully alive person trusts God’s larger picture and embraces His invitation to abide, be appointed, be pruned, and to bear fruit that lasts.Pastor Devan Scollon

It’s a try-out season for fall and winter sports? Di you try-out? Were you chosen? Or, perhaps you recall those school days when partners were picked. Were you one of those standing awkwardly waiting? Were you always chosen first? In John 15 Jesus makes a startling declaration to his disciples: you are chosen and appointed (John 15:16)! This might give a warm-fuzzy feeling of belonging, but it’s no participant ribbon! It is a call to a life of high responsibility; a life fully alive and on purpose! We’ve been looking at Jesus’ foundations for the fully alive, fruitful life in John 15: pruning, abiding, friendship with God. This week we round this up with the transforming power of being chosen and appointed. Phil Wagler Interim Pastor

The 1981 Walt Disney classic “The Fox and the Hound” taught me what friendship really was. Friendship, as portrayed in the film, was about loyalty to another, even if it means you have to fight a bear to save your friend or stand in the line of fire to protect them from a hunter. “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” - John 15:13 We know this intuitively, for it’s the very reason that “The Fox and the Hound” resonates with our hearts and is such a moving tale to this day. Join us Sunday to find out what being a friend of Christ means, and how God might be inviting us to deeper obedience in loving one another. See you then, Pastor Joel

Cut flowers. They look pretty, make a beautiful bouquet, but they cannot thrive.   Unplugged computer. It can survive for a time. A good battery makes a difference. But, it will die. The life fully alive as God intended requires remaining in the source. Made in God’s image, human beings can only flourish by remaining, as Jesus says in John 15, in Him. We are not meant to be cut flowers or unplugged devices, but fully alive. Who are you abiding in? What are you plugged into? Embracing with joy the challenges and assignments in our schools, workplaces, relationships, and city and bearing the fruit of God in a world looking for hope is our call and purpose. Exploring how we remain in the Source for such a momentous responsibility is where we’ll plant ourselves this Sunday. Phil Wagler Interim Pastor

My friend stood at the front of the class with the bungee cord hooked to his belt, the other end in the teacher’s hand. "Go ahead, walk forward", Mr. Brown instructed.  We chuckled nervously as he did so, and to his credit, he got a lot further than I thought he would. But as sure as bees make honey when the bungee cord reached its max, Don couldn't get any further. Just like bungee cords, there are things in our life that hold us back from moving forward, from being as productive as we can be. It could be circumstances, relationships, sinful patterns, whatever it is, Jesus promised that his Father, the gardener, would cut it out of our lives. God is not content with fruitful, at least not in our passage from John 15. God wants us to be "even more fruitful" than we already are. Wondering how that's possible? Me too. Let's discover together on Sunday! Pastor Joel  Associate Pastor of Community Life

Snow angels are one of the highlights of a kid's winter. Have you ever tried making a sand angel in the heat of a summer like this? Your body can leave a mark!This Sunday, we wrap up our series, "The Body," with the exploration of the mark the Body of Christ makes! How has the Body of Christ impacted your life? We'll hear some stories of that and seek to spur one another on toward the love and good deeds Jesus intends his body to be about in the world he loves! Phil WaglerInterim Pastor

How is your love for the wideness and wonder of the Body of Christ growing? One of our goals in our series, "The Body," was to invite another pastor to share what the Spirit is doing in another part of Jesus's Body in our city. We're so pleased to welcome Jenny Toews from Willow Park Church - Downtown this week. Here's her teaser for our gathering this week...  Have you ever tried to micromanage God? “Sure, God. I’ll pursue that task, conversation, vocation. …but only if  ___.” Or maybe you’ve simply tried to remind God: “___ isn’t really for me.” These are examples of choosing to play it safe instead of positioning yourself for faith. Most of us would probably say that we want to be used by God, but sometimes, what we really want is to control how God may use us. Our text this Sunday includes Paul exhorting Timothy to “fan [his gift] into flame,” and I wonder… can we fan to flame and play it safe? How has that tension played out in your life? I'm excited to spend time with you and share how we’ve been stretched and shaped by these questions over at Willow Park Church – Downtown. See you Sunday! Jenny ToewsAssociate PastorWillow Park Church - Downtown

The Body of Christ is made up every tribe, language, and ethnicity. The Body of Christ is made up of those with little or much money. The Body of Christ consists of another mixed human reality: those who are married and those who are single. The 2021 Canadian census revealed that 44.3% of the population is married, 12.6% were in a common-law relationship, and 43.1% were single. Single adults are close to outnumbering married people in Canada. This week we’re going to search scripture for how Jesus’s vision for the church he is building is to be the household of God where marriage and singleness are both honoured, celebrated, seen realistically, and intended to point in one great and glorious direction.

There are lots of expectations when it comes to the local church. It has a significant impact on our relationship with God and with each other. Every Christian’s desire is to be part of a healthy church, where Christ is the head of the church and the Holy Spirit is working in the lives of God’s people. But there are times when the church falls short. What makes an unhealthy church? Many of us notice or have experienced things in the church that we know are not in line with what we understand or even believe. It’s challenging. So, what makes a church unhealthy? Sunday, we will begin to unpack 4 signs of an unhealthy church. Each one has a significant impact on the local church. We will look at Scripture to gain God’s perspective and reflect on our current journey as a church.

The church is at its healthiest when every generation is connected, valued, and learning from one another. This Sunday, we will tag-team as we explore God’s brilliant design for meaningful intergenerational engagement within His Body. Drawing from Titus 2, we’ll see how the wisdom and experience of older believers and the passion and fresh perspective of younger believers work together to reflect Jesus and strengthen the whole church. You’ll be encouraged to see your place in God’s story and challenged to invest intentionally across generational lines. - Pastor Devan Scollon & Garth Walker

Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-5:11 & Matthew 6 If I were a rich man...All the things I could do if I had a little money...If I had a million dollars...This life, that's all that everybody care about man, money...I've got everything that money can't buy...Money. We need it. Think about it. Sing about it. Spend it. Give it. Share it. Waste it. Despise it. Love it. Use it. And sometimes, it uses us.The Bible, and Jesus in particular, talks a lot about money. God knows money and the things we treasure have an important place in being human, being a disciple, and being the body of Christ together for the sake of the world.Phil WaglerInterim Pastor

1 Timothy 3; Titus 1 Life is full of health tips. “How do I get healthy?” “How do I stay healthy?” “How do I know if I’m healthy?” and the worst part is, even if we do it all well, we’ll still die eventually. But this should not be the case for Christ’s Body, the Church. When a church is healthy we should see the evidence, and if health continues, the church will live on indefinitely, continuing to fulfill God’s purposes for years and even centuries to come! But what are the systems and practices that make and keep a Church healthy? This week we look at 3 of them together. See you Sunday! Pastor Joel Lise

Have you ever considered how your body speaks up? A pang of hunger just before dinner. A shot of pain when you step awkwardly. A shout when joy moves you. A giggle when something tickles. A tear when sorrow overwhelms. In a way this is similar to prayer - a response from the deepest parts of us to the world around us. This week we continue our series, “The Body”, with the critical topic, “The Body that Prays”. We have two special components to the weekend. A sunday message from guest speaker Dr. Roger Helland, Prayer Ambassador of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and author of Pursuing God’s Presence. The opportunity to practice what we preach by joining others of all ages in prayer walks throughout the city. The world is crying out, let us keep growing as a Body that prays. Phil WaglerInterim Pastor

What do you know about Jews in Kelowna? How do you interact with your Muslim co-worker? How do we live with a neighbour or friend who is opposed to "religion?" How do we seek the common good with those committed to other worldviews?What do the people in our community who do not share our faith in Jesus know about us as Christians? What do they conclude about us? Christians have always lived in a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-religious, multi-opinionated world. The church, the body of Christ, cannot avoid social life, but what does that look like? How can we seek social transformation that reflects the Kingdom of God? Read Paul's letter to Philemon before Sunday if you have just a few minutes, and come thinking about the social life we are part of in this complex world.Phil WaglerInterim Pastor