Elder Update

“You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.” – Nehemiah 9:6

GENERAL Ministry UPDATE

• God has been so faithful again this year for our Fall Kick-Off. We had wonderful services, with a great reminder of our focus on “The 5G Life”. We are excited for what God will do in and through all of us this ministry season.
• Our Sunday attendance (including Kids) through September has been around 1300-1400 each week – praise God!
• We have seen God at work through our Sunday services and mid-week ministries and have been blessed to hear the testimonies of those who have come to faith in Christ and taken the step of baptism. So far in 2023, we have had close to 50 baptisms!
• Our mid-week ministries have had a great start to the year as well.
  • Our Men’s ministry had a wonderful kick-off and will be studying the book of James.
  • Our Women’s ministry is about maxed out with their morning and evening times and are continuing on with their study in the book of Exodus.
  • Young Adults groups are back in full swing. We have added some new groups, so there are many options for YA’s to be a part of a group in various homes around London and on a night of the week that works best for them.
  • The first night of youth was a night full of excitement and energy, great numbers, and we just concluded a wonderful fall retreat where God was working in many lives.
  • Our Kids ministry never stops, but attendance on Sundays this fall has been more kids than we can handle, at times, and so we again need more volunteers to help out.
• On Sundays for the next two years (aside from a few seasonal breaks), we will be going through the book of Genesis, and we are anticipating that God will work through this book. We are just finishing chapter one and have great feedback. This book of foundations is so necessary for the turbulent times we live in.
• Just a reminder to arrive for services early. Sometimes multiple seats together can be hard to find if you arrive close to when the service starts, so arrive early, and please try to use every seat. Not having empty seats between groups will really help us fit more people in!

A Request from the Elders

One of the expressions of our discipleship in Christ is using the spiritual gifts, opportunities, and finances He has entrusted to us, as His stewards. Our desire is that we all would be continually growing in our walk with Christ, being sanctified by His Spirit, growing in our likeness of Him. This is why we encourage all those who call Redemption their church home, to be a good steward of what God has entrusted to you, by serving and giving. We need more people plugging in to our Sunday services, to help us serve and care for the large numbers of people God continues to bring. Please consider signing up to help in our Kid’s ministry as there are significant needs there, as well as with our security, usher, and greeting teams. Thank you for considering.

FACILITY UPDATE

• There have been some delays with the final projects on our renovations, but let’s be honest – in a building this old, there will always be facility projects happening! We are so thankful for the many who continue to give of their time and skills to help with maintenance and projects in the building, and outside the building.
• As you have likely noticed, work on our vestibule has picked up again, so we are hoping to have this complete by the end of the year.
• Once the vestibule is complete, we will have the final inspection done. There will be a few other side projects remaining, but at that point, the main renovations will be completed.
• The new lobby has been wonderful, but we recognize it can be quite loud on Sundays. Remember – this is a wonderful problem! To have so many people fellowshipping together is something we don’t want to complain about. It can get hard to hear, however, so we are looking at putting some sound dampening features in the room to make it a little easier to hear each other.
• We are also still planning to do some renovations to the washrooms on the upper level, to provide a multi-use Men’s washroom and a new location for an accessible washroom. It will likely be late 2023 or early 2024 before we get to this project, but it’s on the radar. If you would like to help with this, please contact the office and let us know.
• And remember, if you are new to Redemption or are bringing someone new, please stop by the Info Area in our lobby, after services so some of our leaders can greet you and answer any questions you have. If you are not new to Redemption, please refrain from crowding that part of the lobby (north wall area to the west of the new vestibule doors) so it’s open for new guests.

Financial Update

• God continues to do what only He can do. We have been so encouraged as a church by how God has stirred in the hearts of our people to give. We have seen a very encouraging trend in our finances – praise God!
• Our year-to-date giving has been right at or slightly above our year-to-date budget. This is exceptional, as normally this time of year we are running behind and hoping to catch up in December (which we usually do). It looks like we will finish the year strong, Lord willing.
• If you have been around Redemption for a while, you know about our annual Christmas Offering. We are excited for how God will provide for us to be able to bless some other ministries again this Christmas season. Watch for more information as we near December.
• We will be providing an update on a few ways the Lord has allowed us to bless other ministries this past year in one of our services over the next few weeks, so watch for that update.

OTHER UPDATES

GCC Conference

• GCC (Great Commission Collective, gccollective.org) is the church association we are a part of, and we now have 26 GCC churches in Canada.
• Additionally, there are 47 GCC churches in the US, and another approximately 40 internationally located GCC churches in the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Nepal, East Africa, South Asia, and Scotland.
• GCC is holding their annual conference, “Unashamed” this year at Hope Bible Church in Oakville from October 24-26. This is going to be a wonderful conference, and we’d encourage you, if you can make it work to go, register while there’s still time!

Church Planting

• Our partnership with the church plant in Romania remains strong. God has continued to grow this church, and we are excited to be sending a team of six to Romania this fall to help out and participate in the GCC Eastern Europe conference.
• We sent a team to the Belize church plant this past August and are hoping to send another team next summer. Watch for more information on how you can get involved!
• Later in October, we will be giving an update in our services on the Montreal church plant. We are excited for you to see how our Christmas offering last year had an impact!

Heritage College and Seminary Update

• Redemption is a partner church with Heritage, and it has been wonderful to see God at work in many ways through the school and in the executive, faculty, staff, and students.
• Heritage has begun construction on a new seminary building which will allow for continued growth and expansion of the seminary.
• We have been very involved in the school in numerous ways, especially this year. We believe this school is the preeminent Bible college and seminary in our country and we would strongly encourage you to consider taking courses there. Students looking for a Bible college or even just for a one-year program to help prepare you, as a Christian, for study in a secular university, please check out Heritage. For you who are older, they offer so many courses that you can take from home to help you grow in your Bible knowledge, theology, and various ways to serve Christ. https://discoverheritage.ca

Christmas at Redemption

• Mark your calendar! Our Christmas Eve services at Redemption will be on Sunday December 24 at normal service times.
• Watch for announcements about various Christmas events coming soon!

“But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.” – 2 Timothy 1:12

GENERAL Ministry UPDATE

• Spring is here, and we are very excited for Easter. Don’t forget to come early for our Good Friday services on April 7 at 9:00 and 11:00am, and Easter Sunday at our regular service times – 9:00 and 11:15am. We are expecting it to be full, so plan to arrive early!
• This ministry season has been a very encouraging time at Redemption. We have seen God’s provision and working in our mid-week ministries and Sundays. We are seeing lots of new people plugged into discipleship, serving, giving, and worshipping.
• God graciously continues to save many, and the regular baptisms we saw through the pandemic has continued into 2023. We are planning three more baptism services this May and June. With these three baptism dates included, we will have close to 40 people baptized already in 2023!
• Our Soul Care Ministry, which is still a relatively young ministry, continues to grow. We currently have seven certified counsellors, with four more in the process of certification. Since we started this ministry two years ago, we have had close to 100 people receive biblical counselling. We are thankful to God for the discipleship that has happened and lives changed through the Soul Care Ministry. Please pray for faithfulness in this crucial area.
• Our Free Indeed Men’s conference was held in February, and we saw about 260 come out to our London location and be fed from worship and the Word. Our Women’s Conference, Radiant, is coming up June 2-3. We will be simulcasting the main sessions from Oakville, with our own live worship and workshops. Registration opens April 1 at rbclondon.ca/radiant.

FACILITY UPDATE

• Thank you, God, for the lobby! It is such a wonderful sound on Sunday to hear our people gathered together in fellowship. This is just what we had in mind when we started down the path of renovations, and it has been wonderful to see the outcome.
• In recent weeks, we have opened up a new Information area in the lobby, specifically for new guests. If you are bringing someone new out on Easter, or anytime, please bring them by the Information area. We will continue to have an elder at the front of the Worship Centre following each service for any of our regulars who would like to talk about the sermon or ask a question.
• Work on our vestibule has been delayed, and may run into early summer, but it will get done!
• We are also still planning to do some renovations to the washrooms on the upper level, to provide a multi-use Men’s washroom and a new location for an accessible washroom. It will likely be late 2023 or early 2024 before we get to this project, but it’s on the radar.
• If you are eager to get outside this spring, and looking for something to do on a Saturday, we would love your help on our clean-up day, to do some lawn care, look after the gardens, etc. We are still firming up a date, but would love to hear from you inf you are interested. Or, if you’d be interested in joining our regular lawn care team, we’d love to hear from you too. Contact lawncare@rbclondon.ca.

Financial Update

• After seeing a wonderful, miraculous provision by God to close out our fiscal 2022 year, we are thanking Him for a healthy start to 2023. We are falling behind budgeted income, but that is normal for our first quarter. There is not as big of a gap as previous years, so we are thankful.
• In March, we did a one-week Benevolence offering. These funds will be used to help people who have hit a season of suffering and have practical needs we can help with. We are thankful to God for your generosity that brought in over $16,000 to use for benevolence. Thank you!
• Our annual audit is underway. The audit takes several months, but by late May or early June, it will wrap up and our members will receive our audited financial statements.
• Our Annual General Meeting is scheduled for June 11 at 6:00pm and will be open to both members and non-members.

OTHER UPDATES

Knollwood Baptist Church Update

• We asked Knollwood for an update on how things are going, and their Lead Pastor, Nate Klahsen, responded, “God has been and is good and kind.”
• Knollwood is a church in our city that is in a revitalization, and we have partnered with them and provided some support. Although Knollwood is not a GCC church, nor do they have any intention of becoming one, they are a gospel church who we are joyfully aligned with.
• God is at work at Knollwood. They have recently had a baptism service and look forward to another one coming up with four more people who are professing Jesus Christ as Lord.
• Redemption was able to provide support to Knollwood to be able to (among other things) hire a new Associate Pastor, Chris Wood, who started in early February. Chris and his family have been a huge blessing at Knollwood as Chris oversees their Adult Discipleship and Evangelism.
• Chris, has been able to put an increased focus on evangelism as they have started a street evangelism ministry. A few of their Young Adults, including those new to the faith, are expressing a desire to participate and have gone out with Chris.
• Since the beginning of this new year, Knollwood has been blessed to bring in seven new members, and more are coming. Their Sunday attendance averages around 140. They are blown away by what God is doing and are humbled to be used by Him.
• As a church, they continue to pray for us and are thankful for Norm, the Elders, and members of Redemption.

Heritage College and Seminary Update

• Redemption is a partner church with Heritage, and it has been wonderful to see them also having a strong school year. God is at work in many ways through the school and in the executive, faculty, staff, and students.
• We rejoice that Heritage has received approval to start (Lord willing) construction on a new seminary building sometime in 2023 to allow for continued growth and expansion of the seminary.

GCC UPDATE

• GCC (Great Commission Collective, gccollective.org) is the church association we are a part of, and we now have 26 GCC churches in Canada.
• Additionally, there are 47 GCC churches in the US, and another approximately 40 internationally located GCC churches in the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Nepal, East Africa, South Asia, and Scotland.
• GCC is actively planting churches around the world and numerous churches are transitioning in to join our network, including three just in the past month – one in California, one in Michigan, and one in Florida. GCC Canada is in conversation with numerous Canadian churches praying about joining our network.
• GCC is also beginning to train pastors and help churches who are in a revitalization process, which is exciting to us at Redemption London as we have seen this as a key area in the city of London where we could come alongside and prayerfully as well as practically help churches in undergoing a revitalization themselves.
• Our GCC network is healthy and growing and we are especially thankful for the wonderful relationships and partnership we have with other GCC Canada churches.
• This coming October the GCC National/International conference will be held at Hope Oakville, October 23-26. We are expecting a packed building, so watch in the next months for when we let you know tickets are going on sale as we would encourage you to consider attending. There will be some amazing main sessions of worship and the Word, as well as many workshops and a chance to see what God is doing in our association world-wide.

NEW MEMBERS

The following people were excitedly welcomed into membership in the first quarter of 2023:

• Galia Brown
• Tim Brown
• John Champ
• Pamela Champ
• Sara Griffioen
• Andrew Hill
• Clarey Hodge
• Steve Hodge
• Paul Karpovich
• Shira Krieger
• Tim Landry
• Doug Mercer
• Ruth Mercer
• Diana Prokhor
• Robbie Sparrow
• Rebecca Vanderform
• Scott Vanderform

GENERAL Ministry UPDATE

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” – Lamentations 3:22-23

• Happy New Year Redemption! Join us in thanking God for His faithfulness as we look back on 2022 and ahead to what He has in store for 2023.
• We began preaching through 1 and 2 Timothy in the fall and are on schedule to finish these books by the end of May or early June.
• We also have our Men’s Free Indeed conference coming up February 3-4. This is a highlight every year and we have seen God do miraculous work in the hearts of men at this conference. We will be simulcasting the main sessions from Oakville, with our own live worship and workshops. Register now at rbclondon.ca/freeindeed
• Easter will be here before we know it, and our team has already started making plans. We will have two services on Good Friday (April 7), and our two regular services on Easter Sunday (April 9).

FACILITY UPDATE

• We knew the work on our new vestibule would extend into the spring, but some things are still getting done. The following will be done sometime between now and late spring:
  • Steel frame installed
  • Poured cement floor and in floor grates to trap snow and water
  • Windows and new doors (two sets of double doors)
  • Roof
  • Rubber membrane on roof
  • Heating system
  • Siding around top
• In the meantime, we are very thankful for Big Top Tents (bigtoptents.ca) for lending us our temporary vestibule as this helps keep the weather out of our lobby and makes a nicer entrance.
• In the new year, we will also be moving our Welcome area – renamed to “Info Spot” – to our new lobby downstairs. We hope this will allow us to better connect with first-time guests.

Financial Update

• We, like many other churches, had our challenges in 2022, but we are very grateful to God for the many things He continues to do.
• We have seen so many new people coming to our church and join our existing people in faithfully supporting the ministry, which is exciting.
• By God’s provision, through your faithful and generous donations, we were able to finish the year with meeting our budgeted donations. While we still have some expenses coming in for 2022, it’s looking like we will be able to cover all our operating expenses from our General fund donations – praise God!
• Inflation soared in 2022, and there has been pressure on jobs, uncertainty in the markets, housing going crazy, and a financial recession happening. Through all of this, God continues to provide, for which we thank Him and are encouraged by your generosity.
• Aware that we are in a difficult season financially in our country and province and seeing its press on our finances, we decided it would be prudent to seek to reduce our 2023 budget. So, we are bringing in our new 2023 budget with a reduction of 3.5% from our 2022 budget.
• At a member’s meeting in January, we will present our 2023 budget. Our annual audit will be commencing soon, and we will have audited 2022 financial statements available for our Annual General Meeting (members only) in June.
• Not only were Redemption givers very generous to our general fund this Christmas season, but we also saw a wonderful response to our special Christmas offering. Every year we collect a Christmas offering to give to other ministries, outside our church, as we think this reflects the heart of Christ, to be generous to other gospel ministries. We are thrilled to announce that just over $35,000 was donated this year to our Christmas offering and our elders discerned God’s leading that all of this (as we announced before Christmas) would go to the GCC Doxa Eglise Biblique (Doxa Bible Church, eglisedoxa.ca) church plant in Brossard Quebec, which is a suburb of Montreal. We will be sending them this money in the next few weeks, praying it will both bless and encourage their work in the gospel in the wonderful city of Brossard.
• Your 2022 donation receipts will be available in the coming weeks. Watch your email for a notification when it is ready to download.

NEW MEMBERS

We are in the process of reviewing and revamping membership at Redemption. We want to increase the emphasis given to this, as we think membership is both Biblical and beneficial to our congregation and ministry. We will be implementing a number of new efforts related to membership in 2023 and are excited to welcome the following individuals into membership in the last quarter of 2022:

• Tara Attrill
• Vonne Harlette Valeroso
• Helena Morgan
• Cathy Carrier
• Kirsty Ng
• Don Klassen
• Sharon Enwright
• Dan Charbonneau
• Susan Nelson
• Mike Nelson
• Lauren Wiebe
• Camilo Uriza

GENERAL MINISTRY UPDATE

• Fall is here and along with a crisp breeze, there is a lot of excitement in the air about all that is happening around Redemption. After the last three years we have had, we can all agree that it is wonderful to see our ministries bustling with activity.
• We’ve had a wonderful fall-kick off, with many new people coming out and getting involved.
  • Sunday service attendance has been on an upward trend, starting to get closer to pre-pandemic numbers (both services, including Kids Ministry)
  • Our Men’s ministry had a wonderful kick-off with approximately 110 men registered.
  • Our Women’s ministry has just over 200 women registered in total (including morning, evening, and online).
  • Young Adults groups are back in full swing, with six groups meeting each week in various homes around London.
  • The first night of youth was a night full of excitement and energy (and a lot of candy), with 141 youth attending.
  • Our Kids ministry never stops, but attendance on Sundays this fall has been around 150 to 170 kids each week (with more volunteers needed to help out J).
• This is our first full ministry year with the addition of Scott Vanderform to our preaching team. Scott will join Norm and Ian in preaching through 1 and 2 Timothy this year. We are excited about what God will do through the preaching of His Word.

FACILITY UPDATE

• Judging by the flurry of activity in our new lobby on Sundays, you are all enjoying this new space! The lobby, for the most part, is complete. Our HVAC is still to be installed, but that will only affect air conditioning for next summer. We are still finishing up some things on the technology side, but the space is done and many of you are already enjoying it, not only on Sundays, but also in our mid-week ministries.
• This fall, we will be moving our Guest Reception/Welcome area down to the lobby as well.
• Work on the vestibule will continue over the coming months, and it could be completed before Christmas, but it may run into the new year.
• Other projects around the building are on our radar as well – including better Men’s washrooms on our upper level.

FINANCIAL UPDATE

• Through the summer, the gap between our budgeted donations and our actual donations had grown, at one point reaching a double-digit (percentage) deficit. Some shortfall is normal through the year, and we are usually able to catch up in December, however, this is a larger shortfall than normal, and we know finances are tight for everyone, so we are praying about this.
• We are encouraged, however, that the past month has seen an increase in giving.
• We have been able to completely fund our renovations out of the proceeds from the sale of our land on Colonel Talbot a few years ago, and therefore, thanks to the provision from God of both these funds and many volunteers who have done a lot of work, we have not had to use our general budget for the renovations.
• Our total cost for the renovations, to date, is approximately $610K. This includes:
  • $248.3K for asbestos removal (mandatory by the government prior to renovation)
  • $41.5K for the portable (The Market ministry uses this)
  • $51.9K for the folding partitions in rooms 103 and 104 (to make up for lost classrooms due to opening the back of the building for the new lobby)
  • $268K in remaining costs (architectural, mechanical, and electrical drawings, electrical work, flooring, permits, furniture, technology, etc.)
• Many of you are taking advantage of our new option to give via E-Transfer. Just please remember to include your name (and address, if we don’t already have it) in the comments section of your transfer. Several people have a name on their bank account that does not indicate who they are (for example, initials), so we have no way to attribute the donation to you for tax receipt purposes, as we don’t know who the donation is from.
• Giving via online banking, credit card, cash, or cheque is still an option as well.
• We are praying for you all, as we know between the pandemic and inflation, many are hurting financially. We would ask, if you would, to also please pray for us, that God would provide and we would be able to reduce or eliminate our deficit, by the end of the year. Thank you.

CHRISTMAS AT REDEMPTION

Our staff have been making plans for Christmas this year, so we wanted to give you some information.

Christmas Eve Services:

Saturday December 24 at 4:00pm and 6:00pm.

We are looking forward to gathering together for a traditional Christmas Eve service.

Christmas Day Services:

Sunday December 25

A pre-recorded, on-demand service will be available to watch on our website. There will not be any in-person services. Please enjoy this day with your family, celebrating the birth of our Saviour, and enjoying the service we provide for you to watch together at home.

NEW MEMBERS

Our Elders have been praying and discussing our approach to membership over the past year and have determined that we should increase the visibility and commitment to membership.  We think this is Biblical and helpful to our congregation.  We will communicate more about membership in the coming months, as well as revamping the process for becoming a member and for welcoming new members into the church.

The following individuals were approved for membership this quarter:

• Paul Yu
• Vanessa Acevedo
• Tiago da Silva Ferreira

GENERAL MINISTRY UPDATE

• “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven”… we are so thankful that it seems the season of the COVID-19 pandemic may be slowly coming to an end. It has been wonderful to be able to remove all the restrictions and gather together for worship. We pray that this would continue, although the rising case counts in “wave 6” and the increased calls for masking by many are something we are watching.
• As we get back to a “new normal”, please remember that if you would like to wear a mask to services, we welcome you to do that for as long as you need to, but they are not required. Also remember that if you are ill in any manner, to stay home and not come to services or mid-week ministries until you are better.

MID-WEEK MINISTRY UPDATE

Men’s Ministry

• Men’s ministry was hit hard by the Covid restrictions but we’re starting to see more men come out.
• We just started our study in 2 Thessalonians and have ten groups, with nine in-person and one online.
• In all we have over 80 men involved and asking the Lord to bring more!
• We have a Men’s Breakfast scheduled for Saturday May 14.

Women’s Ministry

• 150 women are registered in the spring Bible study session – offered in the morning, evening, and online.
• 160 women attended our Spring brunch on Saturday April 6 – Betty VanRees from Heritage College and the Canadian Biblical Counselling Coalition was the speaker.
• Radiant (our Annual Women’s Conference) is coming up on May 27-28. Invitations have been sent to 28 churches, and over 140 tickets have been sold already for our simulcast location.
• Please pray for Linda, our Director of Women’s Ministry, as she has been asked to serve on a newly formed Women’s Ministry committee with the GCC (our church association).

Small Groups and Discipleship Ministry

• Small Groups up and running: 3 Discipleship Groups, 4 Growth Groups, 5 Language Groups (with 3 potential new Growth Groups starting May 2022).
• Coming Up: “How To Pray with Others” Training Group, Sundays at 1:00pm starting May 15^th.
• Please pray for new leaders for more groups (both finding and training). We’d love to have everyone in our church family connected to others in regular group ministry.

Hispanic Ministry

• There are currently four Hispanic Small Groups running, as well as a Prayer Group, Theology class, and a group doing Biblical Counselling training.
• We had a great Women’s Breakfast with 64 women.
• Please pray for the next Spanish service coming up on May 14.
• Also pray for the many new Hispanic families coming to Redemption.

Soul Care Ministry

• Our Soul Care ministry is developing, and the needs continue to grow.
• We are currently running a consistent waiting list of about 10-15 people waiting for a counselor to be available.
• Please pray for the counselors, counselees, and those still in training.
• We’re asking God to raise up more people gifted in this area.

Kids Ministry

• Our first service attendance is usually between 90 to 100 children (the maximum we can have is about 120 with current volunteers), while second service has been around 50 (the maximum is 54 with current volunteers).
• We have had several ages combined in one classroom during second service, but we have recently opened two new classrooms, which will increase capacity.
• Praise God – we have about 12 new volunteers and some existing volunteers have increased the number of times per month that they are serving.
• Please pray for more volunteers, as we still need approximately 30 more to cover all open positions in this ministry.

Youth Ministry

• We are finishing Colossians, then into our last series, “MythBusters” where we will tackle an issue and answer it with Scripture each week.
• We just had a successful Lock-in (an all-night social event) with close to 100 students.
• The attendance each week is about 105 students.
• We have three special events left for this ministry season: Small Group Night Out, a Prayer Night, and Grad.
• Pray for our existing leaders and for more leaders for the fall.

Young Adults Ministry

• Our Young Adults Ministry will be finishing the year just before the May long weekend.
• We have been hearing a lot of positive feedback from many members and leaders about the new format of meeting in Small Groups on various nights of the week.
• We plan on doing one or two summer events (watch for more details).
• Pray for Jeremy as he leads this ministry, and for more couples to lead small groups.

FACILITY UPDATE

• There has been a lot happening with our building these past six months. The asbestos removal began last fall, and from there, things have progressed, and we are so thankful for where we are at with the renovations.
• For those of you who are new, the end goal is/was to have a nice, big, open lobby on the lower level when you walk in the back doors, which will be used on Sundays for a gathering space but may also be used for special events. This renovation will include the construction of a new vestibule outside the main entrance.
• On Saturday March 12, we had a team of about 30-40 men come and help with the demolition to open up the new lobby space. THANK YOU to each and every one of you who came out to help – you know who you are!
• We are already enjoying having the new lobby opened, even though it still looks a bit rough.
• We have just finalized our drawings (architectural, electrical, mechanical, etc.) and filed for a city permit, which we are hoping will only take a few weeks to get back.
• Our next steps are to complete the electrical and HVAC work, then the ceiling will be painted black, just like in room 104. There will also be a few other minor projects, such as drywall around posts, wall treatment, etc.
• We will then put in new flooring, and do the last touches before finishing the space with screens, furniture, etc.
• The final major phase of this project will be to build the vestibule, which we hope to have done by the fall, but it will depend on when we can find a contractor with availability.
• This has been a huge undertaking and would not have been possible without the help of the many volunteers for countless hours on this project. THANK YOU, to all those giving so generously of their time, energy, and skills.
• Be sure to check out rbclondon.ca/renovations to stay up to date on what’s happening in the building. This page is updated regularly.

FINANCIAL UPDATE

• Our YTD (Year-To-Date) donations are behind our YTD budget by approximately $100,000 (to an annual budget of $1.776M). While it is normal to be a bit behind in the first quarter, this is a little higher than other years.
• We are trusting the Lord in this and are thankful for the healthy financial position we are in but would encourage you to remain generous and regular with your giving. Please help us make up some of this shortfall.
• We are very thankful for the many new people who have been coming to our church (hundreds) and how many of those have started giving already. Praise God for this encouragement.
• If you are new and would like to get set up for giving through online banking, please email give@rbclondon.ca. You can still give by cash, cheque, or credit card, but giving through online banking is the most efficient and secure, especially if you already do online banking.
• Thank you for how you have been so generous towards our special Ukraine Crisis Support fund. To date, we have raised over $20,000! These funds will be routed through GCC (the church association we are affiliated with) to Eastern European churches to be distributed to help those in Ukraine as well as with the care of refugees who are fleeing.
• Our 2021 audit is fully under way, and we have scheduled our Annual General Meeting (AGM) for Sunday June 12. If you are a member at Redemption, you will receive an email in the coming weeks with more information.

CHURCH PLANTING UPDATE

Edmonton, Alberta

• Effective January 2022, we have transferred our financial support from the Red Deer church plant (which is now self-sustaining) to the Edmonton church plant, led by Kyle Hunter.
• Kyle and his family have been staying with his mom, while renovations are taking place on their home. They are hoping to be able to move in May.
• They are very thankful to now have a core group of 31 adults, meeting at a church they are renting from, and this church has been very kind and accommodating with them – praise God!
• Within their core group are three couples who are starting Freedom Groups.
• The launch date is September 18, and they are hoping to have fifty couples by then.

Sibiu, Romania

• God is at work in Romania! The Sibiu church plant has continued to show steady growth, even in this pandemic.
• Their church is currently housing 20+ Ukrainian refugees, mainly women and children, providing food, clothing, and all sorts of practical needs. They also have started translating their services into Ukrainian for these folks and others, almost 60-70 in total as God has opened a huge door for gospel ministry as most of these fleeing the war in Ukraine are not saved.
• The Sibiu church is just celebrating their third anniversary as a church. There is so much to be thankful for, but many needs as the ministry opportunities are plentiful in so many ways.

Belize

• We are planning to send a short-term mission team to Belize this summer (late July/early August). This would be a team of 10-12 people.
• The purpose of the trip will be to help with VBS, church upgrades, home visits, and we’ll try to make time for an excursion.
• We are working on a budget for the trip, but if you are interested in being a part of this short-term team or would like more information, please contact info@rbclondon.ca

Pandemic Update:

• Our government announced on January 3 that the province will be going into a “Revised Step 2” of reopening to help combat the surge in cases due to the Omicron variant.
• Under these new restrictions, religious services are allowed to continue at 50% capacity. Since we have already been adhering to the physical distancing maximum, which for us, is about 30% capacity, this will not change anything for our weekend services.
• In addition, our mid-week ministries, except for Small Groups, will continue as they have been over the fall since they can do so and still abide by the guidelines given to churches.
• Since Small Groups, when meeting in private residences, would better be classified as a social gathering, these need to move to either virtual, or meeting in the church where larger groups for religious services are allowed.
• We’d like to remind all our people, that if you are ill, in any manner, please stay home. Even if you know it is not COVID, please stay home if you are not well.

Mask Reminder:

• Why now? Perhaps you are thinking this – why are we pushing on masks now? We have realized we dropped the ball regarding the importance of mask wearing in our services and we are seeing more and more without one. So, we are rectifying this situation, for the well-being and health of all involved.  
• There are an increasing number of attendees not wearing masks at all or taking them off (or pulling it down) during the service. This needs to be reversed.
• We recognize and want to respect that some have legitimate medical reasons they can’t wear a mask. For some, who we know a few personally, they are able to wear it in and out of the building but cannot sit for an hour and a half wearing it. Others cannot wear it at all. Some have chosen to wear one of the clear face shields instead, due to medically being unable to wear a mask on their face. 
• For those who medically cannot wear a mask (at all or just for the service itself) we want you to know you are always welcome here and we understand. We and our government allow for this. We ask all of you, if you see someone without a mask or taking it off for the service, please assume they have a legitimate medical reason.
• For those who don’t have a real medical issue, but just find them uncomfortable, or don’t think they help or protect, or think they may be unhealthy, or believe this is some government overreach – whatever your reason for not wearing one or taking it off, we require you, as does our government, to wear your mask.
• We are serious about this and will follow up, if necessary, if we do not see this situation corrected. 
• Besides the call to come under our government mandates and our Elder requirement, think about others.  There may be more than you think in our congregation who have been seriously ill as a result of COVID and/or have lost loved ones to this virus. Still others are constantly concerned, understandably so, about the spread of this, so we are asking you to remember that Romans 14 reminds us, out of a love for one another we should wear our masks. As well, remember Paul’s advice in Philippians 2:3 “In humility count others more significant than yourselves.” So for the sake of the many who believe this to be very beneficial and needed, never mind legally required, please wear your mask. 
• Let us be clear – masks are required in all Redemption Ministries. This is mandated by our government, so according to Romans 13:1 and 1 Peter 3:13-14, we must submit to this requirement. Our Elder team is requiring you to wear your mask, so according to Hebrews 13:17, we must submit to this request. Thank you. 
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GENERAL MINISTRY UPDATE

• We had a great fall kickoff, rolling out “The 5G Life”. We would like to remind and encourage all of you to be practicing your God Time, Gather Time, Group Time, Give Time, and Go Time – The 5G Life!
• After a season of rebuilding, we are excited that our Mixed Small Groups will be starting up a small number of groups in January. If you are interested in joining one of these groups, please contact our office.
• We also have our Men’s and Women’s studies starting up again in January, as well as our Young Adult small groups. Be sure to get connected for discipleship and mutual encouragement.
• Our elders gave an encouragement this fall for any of our people who live in the northeast part of London, to consider switching to Knollwood Baptist Church. Knollwood is not a GCC church, but they are a faithful Bible (Gospel/Great Commission) church that we have established a friendship with, and they are growing as God is doing a revitalization work there. We’d encourage you to pray and seek God’s leading, that perhaps He would cause many of you to transfer to Knollwood, plugging in worshipping, serving, helping, praying, and giving to advance the kingdom in that part of the city.
• Remember, with the snowy months approaching, watch our website and social media for any inclement weather cancellations.

FACILITY UPDATE

• Begin with the end in mind! Our facility renovations began this fall, and we are all learning, during the inconveniences, to remember the end goal – a big open lobby for gathering at our back entrance!
• Part of our renovation plan was to move our Market to a portable. As you can see, we have the portable and work is being done to prepare it to house The Market. Once the work is complete and we have the permit in hand, our Market will move into the portable. 
• Another component of our renovations is to add folding walls to the two large classrooms in our lower level. Lord willing, these will be installed in February. This will give us the ability to keep these as two large classrooms or divide them into four classrooms when necessary as we are losing three classrooms to our new lobby.
• The soundproofing in our gym is complete, so this space can be used by Kids Ministry during services, if needed. 
• Our asbestos abatement is nearing completion, with Phase 3 is finished, Phase 4 – our last and smallest phase, started this week. Phase 4 involves our nursery rooms. We are hoping Phase 4 will be done in a few weeks. 
• Our engineers are starting, this month, to revisit our lobby plans to ensure they are up to date. 
• Once the drawings are finalized, we will apply for a permit with the city. 
• We are anticipating that the permit could take four to six months, or more. So, while we would love to see these renovations completed for our September kick-off, it may be year-end or later. 
• We appreciate your patience during this season of renovation and are looking forward to the finished product.
• To stay updated on what’s going on with our facility and the renovations, head to rbclondon.ca/renovations. This page is updated regularly.
• •  

FINANCIAL UPDATE

• While we are still working on our final giving numbers, it looks like we will finish 2021 approximately $12,000 – $13,000 above our budget of $1,781,552. Praise God!
• Our 2022 budget has been approved and is set at $1,776,063, which is a slight decrease from 2021.
• Our 2021 pre-audit is under way. We will set a date for our Annual General Meeting in the coming months.
• We are thrilled that we received just over $44,200 towards our Christmas Offering! Thank you for your generosity towards these other ministries! We are excited to be able to bless other gospel-focused ministries. 
• Please continue with your “Give time” – putting God first in all areas of your life as we begin 2022. The first few months of each new year are difficult giving months.
• Copies of our 2020 audited financial statements are available at the Welcome Desk if you would like one.

CHURCH PLANTING UPDATE

Red Deer, Alberta

• The Red Deer church plant has new families coming each week with current attendance at just over 100!  
• They also have been overwhelmed with God’s provision, finding themselves, less than a year old as a church, being financially independent from outside support, praise God! 
• Therefore, our financial commitment to them ends as 2021 comes to an end. We would ask you to continue to pray for them, for faithfulness, needed staff and elders, facilities to meet in, and gospel fruit. 
• We will be, effective 2022, transferring our financial support to a new church plant happening in Edmonton Alberta. If you would like more information on this plant, please contact our office.

Sibiu, Romania

• God is at work in Romania! The Sibiu church plant has continued to show steady growth, even in this pandemic.
• We have been praying with and seeking to financially help their Planting Pastor, Betuel, and his wife Sanda, as they work toward building their own home (they are currently living with Betuel’s parents).
• Please be praying with us for this need, but also for this healthy, growing, yet still young church. You could pray specifically as they begin the process of praying and working toward their own elder team.

Belize

• The pandemic has hit Belize hard, including the area where this church plant is located.
• They have been locked down, unable to have services since mid-August. 
• Please be praying for the church and their pastor, Pedro Reyes, as this has been a difficult time for this church plant.
• Despite all of this, they continue to see God at work, and they are asking the Lord to allow them to begin meeting together again, as a church, soon. 
• If the Lord allows, we hope to send a short-term mission team to Belize to grow our relationship with this church plant August 2022, so please be praying with us that this would happen.