Our pastor is encouraging us in this season to consider each other, Christ’s own body of believers. If we neglect the importance of each other and showing our love for each other, something important is lost in effectively conveying the message of Christ’s love to the world around us. We remember Jesus’ example, “…Having loved His own, He loved them to the very end…” John 13:1 This new year promises to be a fulfilling time as we press into caring for each other. Our pastor encourages us to find ways to be closer to each other and to embrace a culture of Supernatural love.
In addition, we have two pre-teen girls who are being mentored in Sunday School by a woman from our Ladies’ Abide Group, using the “Through the Word” app. We were happy to help send one of our senior couples on a short-term mission trip to Cuba. Jim is an expert in foot care, a pedorthist. Their suitcases of medical supplies and Jim’s use of custom orthotics proved to be a blessing to both patients and doctors. They were also able to pass along some funds from donors back home. Laureen had the opportunity to speak at a women’s event and shared from Psalm 139 about God’s presence in their times of trouble. Being our librarian, she was able to organize a doctor’s book collection, an added bonus for him! Overall, in word and deed, they were a great encouragement, and they are all thinking of another trip soon!
Kristin, our pastor’s wife, led the worship, and various pastors led different aspects of the evening, including prayer for the collective neighborhoods represented, as well as a time of communion. It was interesting to hear how each church reaches out to help their community. The evening represented what needs to happen- churches coming together in unity without a spirit of competition. We are already looking ahead to the next season of the Church calendar, where we remember Jesus’ death and celebrate His resurrection. Our Special Services Committee is waiting in prayer for direction as to how we, as a congregation, can enter into this time in the best way for our learning and God’s glory. I’ll report on that next time. Linda Edwards, Correspondent Countryside Bible Church Meade, KS Jonathan Dale, Pastor countrysidebiblechurch.net "But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all Thy works." -Psalm 73:28 Greetings in the Lord to all of you brethren across the Fellowship Focus family! We at Countryside Bible Church are looking forward to what the Lord has in store for 2026 (and pray that you are as well!), and thank God for another year that He has given us to serve Him, glorify Him, and make Him known! In January, Pastor Jonathan started an in-depth study on the book of Romans, which we will be going through on Sunday mornings. Then on Sunday evenings, Pastor Jonathan has started a series on "Heroes of the Faith". We are also just about to start up Bible/Book studies again for the year. The books we will be going through are: "Disciplines of a Godly Man" by Kent R. Hughes and "Disciplines of a Godly Woman" by Barbara Hughes. We pray that the Lord will be working in our hearts and minds and giving us humble, teachable hearts as we study Scripture together. In late January, several men from our church took part in the Ironmen Summit, a day filled with Christ-centered teaching, fellowship with men from many churches, and great food-all aimed at encouraging men in their walk with the Lord. There are also some who are excited to participate in the Faith Biblical Counseling Conference in Lafayette, coming up in February. Some will be attending in-person, and some virtually. We praise the Lord for opportunities like this to be able to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! 2 Peter 3:18. It has been five years since our church last had a Family Retreat, but on March 20th - 22nd, Lord willing, we plan to gather in Woodward, Oklahoma, for a time of fellowship, teaching from God's Word, fun, and sharing meals. Dr. Michael Grisanti will be sharing the Word with us over the weekend. Abigail Bartel, Correspondent Dalmeny Bible Church Dalmeny, Saskatchewan Dennis Friesen, Pastor dalmenybiblechurch.ca We had two baptisms in December - Ellyce Buhler and Jett Schultz. Over Christmas, the children did a great job performing and singing ‘Not Another Nativity Play’, reminding us once again of the importance of the nativity. One Sunday, we also served our annual peppernuts and apple cider. A New Year’s Eve Party gave an opportunity to celebrate the old and the new. Games and food were enjoyed by all who attended. The men enjoyed an evening of Laser Tag and snacks in January. At the end of January, the ladies went to Living Waters Camp for a weekend retreat of listening to testimonies, relaxing, good food, and fun games. Marilyn Harder, Correspondent Evangelical Bible Church Dallas, OR Troy Bassham, Pastor ebcdallas.org Here at EBC, we wrapped up January with our Annual Business Meeting. We are still looking for our next Associate Pastor and are praying for God's guidance and wisdom in filling that position. This summer, we are sending a team of 9 to MaeSot, Thailand, with Children to Love International to serve with Grace Boarding house and help with their ministries there. Alison Johnson, Correspondent Faith Evangelical Bible Church Henderson, NE Bryan Conrad, Pastor faithebc.net We had 4 baptisms last year and will have 2 more in February, which is very exciting! Our Awana program is bursting with an attendance of about 70 students from Cubbies, Sparks, T&T, and Jr. High Youth Group. Lots of these kids don’t attend our church, so it’s exciting to see new faces every year and to see the numbers grow. We started a new Women’s Ministry in August, and it has had a successful start with large group meetings happening once a month, and 4 new Bible studies for women to attend. Our High School Youth group is seeing higher numbers each year, with our regular attending students inviting friends from school. They are focusing on reading through the Bible together this year, with their theme coming from 2 Timothy 4:12. You can be praying for our leaders as they hope to put together a Summer Missions Trip for the students. We don’t have a staffed leader, so their volunteer work is greatly appreciated and invaluable! Cheyenne Hiebner, Correspondent Grace Church Abbotsford, BC Andrew Martens, Pastor graceabbotsford.com God has been good to us here at Grace Church! This past year has been a productive one under the leadership of our Pastor (& his wife). Their encouragement and leadership have been bearing fruit. There have been several Bible Studies and Children’s Programs that have been revived and are now running smoothly, which means people are engaging in the various ministries within the church. This is due, in part, to having over 15 new members join our church family. There have also been over 10 baptisms this past year. Our youth group has also grown as the youth are faithful to invite their unsaved friends, which has helped contribute to the growth we’ve seen. All of this has given us many reasons to celebrate! But wait…there’s more! We have also been blessed by a lengthy visit from one of our Global Partners (Benny & Esther Goertzen – parents of Anja Gaona, whom some of you may know as well). It is always a delight to have a visit from them and hear in-person what God is doing through their ministries in Paraguay – it is so encouraging. Of course, there have been some sad events over the past year as we said goodbye to some faithful saints who have been part of the congregation for many years, even decades. We miss them but celebrate that they are now with our Heavenly Father, enjoying the reward of their salvation. Pray for us that we would continue to be good stewards of what God has given us. We are grateful for the financial provision that has been brought to us through the faithful giving of the church family and, also, through various ministries/churches that also use our space. Our building is quite large, and they are a great help to us financially. God has been good to send us user groups that fit with the resources we have to offer. Pray for us that we would not grow weary in doing good to others – our community and our own ‘household of faith’; and that we would continue to seek God’s heart & purpose for our church family for the days and years ahead. Theresa Janzen, Correspondent Grunthal Evangelical Bible Church Grunthal, MB Jared Fast, Pastor grunthalebc.ca In December of 2025, our church congregation experienced its first Advent and Christmas Program in the newly renovated sanctuary! Since 2020, Grunthal EBC has experienced significant growth in numbers, a true blessing of a “problem” to have. Throughout the year, we had to have two services on Sunday mornings, which wasn’t ideal, but it was a good temporary solution to allow everyone to enjoy church comfortably while figuring out our next steps. Thanks to great minds working together, we decided we could eliminate the storage room tucked behind the stage, push the stage back, and thus provide more seating in front of the stage. Prior to renovations, we could seat 278 people in the pews. Now, after renovations and exchanging pews for new stackable church chairs, we can now seat 345 congregants! This means we were able to enjoy the remaining months of 2025 with one service on Sunday mornings all together and our congregation was no longer split into two! These successful renovations were truly an answer to prayer! Once a month, we’ve started a “Prayer and Praise Night”. Anyone can come out that evening and enjoy an intimate setting of singing worship songs and listening to a short message. Then we’d break up into very small groups to read Scripture and share prayer requests with one another and pray for one another. It is a wonderful time of fellowshipping and praising God. We’re happy to announce that we have a date for our next Standing Firm Conference. “Worship The King” will take place on April 24th-25th. Let Everything that has breath praise the Lord, Praise the Lord -Psalm 150:5 Grunthal EBC offers something for everyone throughout the week. Men’s Bible Study on Mondays, Women’s Bible Study on Fridays, 55+ coffee & fellowship on Wednesdays, Jr Youth on Thursdays, Senior Youth on Fridays, College and Career, and Sunday School classes for ALL ages—starting at two years of age—on Sunday mornings. All of these get-togethers and classes we offer speak volumes to the number of servant-hearted volunteers we have at church. It’s wonderful to see so many God-given Spiritual gifts at work! We couldn’t do it without each other and God’s provision over these things. Jennifer Preston, Correspondent Indian Head Community Bible Church Indian Head, SK Justin Epp, Pastor The first Sunday of the New Year was a time of celebration at our church, as three individuals testified to God’s transforming power in their lives and were then baptized. Not only do we rejoice to see God’s hand at work in these members, but we also praise Him for growth in other areas of church life. In the fall, midweek Bible study sessions expanded with additional groups meeting to include more people from the growing congregation. Several regular attenders have aged out of the church’s weekly Kids Club program, so a youth group was started. The group has monthly opportunities to engage in fun activities and a brief Bible study. A new triad ministry was also introduced recently. This fosters personal growth as groups of three people meet regularly for fellowship and engage in spiritual disciplines together. Praise God with us for the work He is doing in the church; and pray for continued unity of the Spirit and hunger for God’s Word. Sarah Pacio, Correspondent Martensville Mission Church Martensville, SK Justin Klassen, Pastor facebook.com/martensvillemissionchurch Now that the Christmas season is behind us and we are into the new year, Pastor Justin’s sermon series through Ephesians has resumed. Pastor Justin has taken some much-needed time off for the month of January. In his absence, the Sunday messages were shared between our associate pastor, Brolin Simes, Brendon Johnston, and two guest speakers, Pastor Abe Klassen and Greg Benson, Director of Ranger Lake Bible Camp. Mr. Benson, in addition to the message, gave a report on summer camp and other goings on at Ranger Lake. Each Tuesday night is Bible Study night at the MMC. The focus of the Bible Study is to continue discussion on the previous Sunday’s message, and additional information may be provided. It is an opportunity to ask questions or request clarification on anything pertaining to the message. It is a great opportunity to deepen our understanding of God’s truths. Fundraising for our church addition and renovation project continued in January. On January 23rd, MMC hosted a movie night, complete with a concession selling pizza and snacks. Admission to “The Miracle Season” was by donation, and everyone was encouraged to invite family and friends out for the evening. Upcoming events at the MMC include the Annual General Meeting on February 13th and the Mexico Missions Trip from February 18th to 26th. Brenda Quirt, Correspondent Salem Church Waldheim, SK James VanderVeen, Pastor salemchurch.ca December is a full month for most churches, and Salem is no exception. We had the privilege of welcoming three new members into our membership and one baptism. Our church family also had some rich opportunities to celebrate the birth of Christ and bless others in our community during the holiday season. The Town of Waldheim invited our church to set up a live nativity scene at their annual Light Up the Park event. Many of our church family participated by dressing up as nativity characters, singing carols, and donating hot chocolate and cookies for the event. This was a unique opportunity to be able to share the true meaning of Christmas at a community-wide event. Our Congregational Care Committee organized and distributed 13 Christmas Hampers to families in need in our community. Our congregation generously donated food items to fill these hampers by selecting tags from our “Giving Tree” (a Christmas tree set up in the foyer with paper ornaments on it that had grocery items written on them). People were invited to choose a tag and purchase the item on the tag for the hampers. Young at Heart, our senior’s group, hosted their annual Christmas Banquet where they fellowshipped around good food, had special music, and a guest speaker. This was the last event for Young at Heart as the members of the planning committee have now retired from their roles. We also had the honour of hosting a joint Christmas Eve Service with the MB Church across town. We had just over 300 people from throughout the community attend the service and celebrate the birth of our Saviour with us! Shailey Boehm, Correspondent Vita Bible Church Vita, Manitoba Jonathan Coutts, Pastor vitabiblechurch.com December is always a wonderful and exciting time for us here at Vita Bible Church. Each year, we look forward to our annual Christmas Concert, where our young people bless us with a reminder of the true reason for celebrating Christmas. This year’s program, “Mary” posed a question to an unbelieving man all throughout the telling of the Christmas story, “Do you believe yet?” Many people come out to watch the telling of Christ’s birth each year. We have an encouraging time of fellowship afterwards with people from all over as grandparents, aunts and uncles, neighbors, friends, and community members all join us for this joyous occasion. Our Women’s Ministry group has been busy as well, taking part in this year’s Christmas market at the local arena. They decided not to join as a vendor, but instead, as a presence in our community, handing out free coffee and warm conversation to all who would welcome it. Christmastime for many is a difficult time. It is always such a blessing to encourage others and remind them of Christ’s love for them. In the hustle and bustle of Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, Pastor Jonathan reminded us all that true rest comes from God alone. He brought us to Matthew 11:28, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” If Jesus is the giver of rest, then we must come to Him alone to receive that rest. In our ongoing study of Acts, he drew our attention to Acts 16:14, “…The Lord opened her (Lydia’s) heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.” It is our prayer that God will open all our hearts to receive His message and His divine rest. Tiffany Tuurenhout, Correspondent Not seeing updates from your church?
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2/4/2026
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