December 2, 2022 | From Pastor Matt and the Council

This Sunday marks a moment in the history of Renfrew Baptist Church. Renfrew Baptist Church has always been a bit ahead of where people expected it to be. Years ago, when the present building was first built, it was constructed with the thought that one day it would need to be renovated for the future. 

As you drive in each Sunday, you might have driven by the site where the United Church used to be and are reminded that we are still called to the community that God has placed us in. Who would have known those many years ago that we would have an even greater call to be the hands and feet of Jesus, serving in the church family and in our communities?
 
Our church building has served us well for more than 60 years - a legacy given to us by our churches founders - and one we want to build on now.
 
We are renovating not just for our needs in 2022 but for our needs in 2042 - to give us the functionality we need to continue using this space for ministry purposes as they change and shift over the years.
 
The renovations we have planned - including updating the sanctuary, replacing our kitchen, enhancing the fellowship hall, reinvigorating our exterior and replacing our roof, windows and other structural components - will be a gift, both to our current congregation and to the future Renfrew family.
 
This is an opportunity to continue the legacy of our funders - investing in maintaining and improving our building so that it continues to be a space that allows us to be the hands of feet of Jesus, both within and outside of our church family.
 
Over the last four weeks, we have been talking about making a commitment or pledge for the future. This Sunday December 4 is going to be all about that. Some of you might want to fill out the pledge form early if you are not going to be there while some of you who will be with us in church will want to bring along your pledge card. 

Please know that we won’t be asking you to put your name on the pledge card – this is between you and God. The pledge card helps us understand for the future; what will we need to mortgage for the remaining balance. 

In a real high level, we have about $750K ready for this renovation. We still have $200K in our bank account above the $750K. The renovation will cost about $750K more than the original $750K so we together need to raise and mortgage about $750K. Please pray about your commitment over the next 3 years to our building fund.
 
We are going to celebrate our commitments by getting together for a Celebration Luncheon on Sunday. Right after the morning worship service, we will hang out around food and celebrate where God is taking us over the next few years as a church.  Please register simply so we can plan the food accordingly.
 
Thank you for being the church! Thank you for being a church that thinks bigger than itself! Thank you for believing that God is calling us to impact our community. Thank you for being you.

Matt for the Renfrew Baptist Church Staff and Council

May 5, 2022 | From Renfrew Baptist Church Council

Dear Renfrew Baptist Church family -
 
As we begin this month of May, we wanted to take a minute to thank you for your contribution to the ministry of Renfrew Baptist Church. We are continually amazed at our congregation and the way that God has orchestrated you all to be a part of it. We are excited for the last Sunday in May where we will “officially” kick-off our Renovation Capital Campaign with a fun pizza party after the morning service. There will be more details to follow but make sure to book this date off in your calendar!
 
In light of our preparations to be ready to renovate our church, it has become increasingly apparent that our focus needs to be on our church building and not the other buildings that we currently own. We have come to the realization that acting as landlords is not our forte, and that we are at the point where significant financial investment in renovations to our 2nd parsonage (1408 Renfrew Drive) would be required, which we do not believe would be financially prudent at this time. On May 1, we met with Lorie (our current tenant) and informed her that we will be moving to sell the 2nd parsonage within this year. As a council, we shared this at our Community Gathering and Prayer time held on Sunday night.
 
We know that there is a wealth of emotions that comes with a decision like this. This decision was not made lightly nor was it made without personal care. In our meeting with Lorie, we assured her that she will be not left alone to figure out what her next accommodations will look like and we communicated to her that we would be willing to cover some expenses that she will incur as she moves in the fall. Many of our council members have close relationships with Lorie and although this decision is incredibly hard because of the personal connection, we as a council believe that it is the right move to make at this time for the future of Renfrew Baptist Church.
 
Parsonage #2, with Lorie living in it for over 25 years, has been a legacy of Renfrew Baptist Church. Lorie welcomed and cared for numerous people who needed the deep love and care that Lorie was always there with open arms to provide.  We loved that this parsonage was used for something greater than what it was originally bought for. Now those funds can be repurposed into our main church building helping to finance a significant amount of the expected costs of this project. Little did our fore-fathers know what they originally provided us, which we are extremely grateful for today and pray that they would be proud of where we are as a church.

We understand that there may be questions, concerns or comments as you read you this - please feel free to reach out to the council at: council@renfrewbaptist.ca
 
 
Blessings - 
 
Renfrew Baptist Church Council

March 3, 2022 | From Pastor Matt and Council

Renfrew Baptist Church –

Thank you for your commitment to our church, it is both encouraging and humbling. Your engagement through the pandemic has been such a powerful testimony to what God is desiring for us as a church. Over a week ago, we had a congregational meeting where we laid out two decisions that we need to make as a church for our next congregational meeting on Wednesday March 9. In light of that meeting, there was a wealth of information that we shared and we wanted to provide you with time to work through what God is saying to you about our exciting future.

The two PowerPoint presentations with all the information are located online. Contact the church office if you would like access. There are a couple things that we would ask you to do:

1. Pray for wisdom as we work to make the best decision for our church

2. Ask questions of council if you are looking for more clarity - you can reach them at council@renfrewbaptist.ca or click the link to access a form which will be directed to council.

Thanks again - we are so excited to see you this Sunday as well as continue to work together as we look towards the future!

Matt and the Renfrew Baptist Church Council