Elder Updates
As we look back on each season, we give thanks for God's faithfulness and the work He continues to do among us.
Latest Update
Q3 2026 Elder Update
Philippians 4:19
And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Latest Update
Q3 2026 Elder Update
And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
General Ministry Update
- What a blessing this past year has been as we worked through all that Revelation teaches and reminds us! Not only did we learn good interpretive strategies and the principles of hermeneutics, but we were also encouraged to heed Christ’s warnings, stand ready for His return, and find comfort in His promises of walking with us through all of life’s events and the promise of eternity with Him. It is our hope and prayer that this has been a year of reflection and growth for you as well.
- While there is no absolute certainty on many of the interpretations, we’ve done our best to walk faithfully through the text and recognize the main interpretive approaches and how they differ. We are grateful to have maintained our unity as brothers and sisters who agree on the primary issues and can humbly discuss our differing positions on secondary issues. Thank you all for your patience and diligence; digging into the text and discerning what God is teaching you.
- We encourage you to share your story of how God has been working in your heart through this sermon series – please do not think your story is too small to share. It is such an encouragement and blessing to be reminded of all the ways God is working in our people’s lives: God at Work Stories
- As we transition to our summer schedule, we will enjoy several one-off sermons. We are particularly looking forward to having a few friends of Redemption come as guest speakers, namely Stephen Yuille in July and Ken Gentzler in August.
- We are excited to announce our next book of study for the fall. We’ll be diving into Colossians, taking a slower approach, and looking at key themes such as new life in Christ and practical Christian living.
- We look back on the past ministry year and marvel at how busy, productive, and fruitful this season was. Praise God for His providence, strength and goodness in allowing us to be His workers.
- God also richly blessed our women who attended Radiant. It was a beautiful time of study, worship and fellowship. We’ve heard from several women that it was their favourite so far!
- This spring, we just completed a five-week women’s (ages 15 and up) study entitled, “From Hurting to Hopeful: A Biblical Study on Anxiety”, led by one of our Biblical Counsellors, Karen Plantt. We saw about 60 participants in this class where they studied the general concept of anxiety, learned about godly concerns, sinful worry, and covered a number of practical situations and case studies. We may look at running this class again in the next ministry season, as the feedback from those who participated was very positive. We are thankful for the many ways God was at work, instructing, encouraging, helping, and healing. If you are interested in this class, should we offer it again, please contact the office so we can notify you if this is offered this coming ministry season.
Succession Plan Update
- With hearts full of gratitude, we announced at our AGM on June 14, and in our Family Chat on June 28, that the next Senior Pastor at Redemption will be… Scott Vanderform!
- While this announcement will not surprise many, we are very thankful for God’s provision of a wonderful, gifted leader and preacher to take on this role. Here is the timeline for the transition period:
- Scott will join staff as Associate Pastor in about January 2028;
- Late winter to early Spring 2028 – Norm moves to Associate role, Scott moves to the Senior Pastor role;
- June 2029 – Norm retires, looking forward to serving here at Redemption in a volunteer manner, as the Lord allows.
- God has done remarkable things through many people, but we would be remiss if we didn’t give a special thanks to Norm for his faithfulness, commitment, and love of the Lord as he’s led through this process. We can celebrate many milestones of ministry and spiritual growth as a family because of how God was working through Norm. We now eagerly watch for all that God has yet to do here at Redemption throughout this transition period and for years to come!
Multiplication Focus
- As we focus on kingdom advancement, we say a bittersweet good-bye to Ian. He will officially be on staff at Forest City Bible Church (FCBC) as of early August.
- This has been a timely reminder that we serve a God who is not tied to congregations, buildings or denominations. He does not tire from new challenges, step away from meeting needs or narrow His vision to maintain the status quo, and we must do likewise. We magnify the name of our Lord when we step into his kingdom work beyond the scope of our comfort zone.
- What an encouragement it has been to witness Ian, Amy and their children as they take this step of obedience. We have also heard from a number of individuals and families who will transition to FCBC, putting their hands to the plow as they follow the Lord’s leading to FCBC. If you have felt God stirring your heart, please do not hesitate to accept His invitation to go and be a part of this revitalization effort. There is a wonderful congregation at FCBC to join, if God is calling you.
- We are also excited to announce that Paulo Gomes will also be going to work at FCBC as their part-time Music Ministry Leader.
- It is not easy to watch many of our faithful congregants go – there will be holes here now with their departure – but we put all our confidence in what God is doing and trust Him alone to provide. While many of us feel called to remain at Redemption, we would ask that you prayerfully consider whether you might be the answer to our prayers to fill the spots vacated by those who move with Ian.
- Please be praying for Ian, Paulo, David (their current Senior Pastor who is moving back to Australia), and their elders and church during this transition.
- If you’re wondering who will be helping our Small Group leaders in the interim, God has taken care of that too – Colin and Stacey Heise have agreed to temporarily help out by caring for our group leaders until we are able to bring someone on staff. Colin is one of our elders and he and Stacey have led their own small group for several years. Thank you, Lord, for this provision.
Financial Update
- Our Annual General Meeting took place on June 14 and gave us fresh eyes on the Lord’s gracious provision of both finances and people.
- Every year, we work with third-party auditors whose unbiased review ensures our funds are handled transparently with full accountability. The financial statements from the audit were reviewed at the AGM, and we looked at the 2026 budget. Our members received the audited financial statements by email. We were able to cover all our operating expenses for 2025 – Praise God!
- It is abundantly clear that God is moving you to be generous towards treasures of eternal value. We thank God for every dollar that not only met the needs of our people here at Redemption but also
allowed us to bless many other churches and organizations. This is only possible because of your willingness to give back to the Lord from what He has given you – thank you! - Donations have been steady and healthy to date. We are about $30,000 behind budget, but that is normal for this time of year. If you have felt called to give, please click here to see the various ways you can partner with us to advance the Gospel.
Romania Update
- In just a couple days (July 3-15), our team of 14 people will head to Sibiu, Romania to lead 3 day/night youth camp and a two-day kids camp. In addition, our leaders will be connecting with their leaders to do some training and to continue building relationships and connections between our churches.
- Please pray that the Gospel will be on full display, that all planning and preparations would be fruitful, and that the seed of truth would be planted in many hearts – and take root for salvation. Pray also for unity within the team on both the Canadian and Romanian side, for encouragement, support and training for future ministry. Finally, we also ask for prayers of protection, health and endurance as they seek to accomplish much in little time.
- We were overwhelmed by the outpouring of support – both in prayers and financially, as we closed our Romania Fund having collected $50,476.55! God is good again and again, it never ceases to amaze us! Thank you for being a part of this incredible work.
- We are eager to hear from the team when they return with their stories of God @ Work
New Members
The following individuals were accepted into membership this past quarter:
- Marissa Oudman
- Laura Platt
- Jordany Herra Canon
- David Black
- Ben Kettlewell
- Russell Putnam
- Ashli Michael
- John Bartos
- Adelaide Klassen
- Melina Rodrigues Bellini
- Karla DeVries
- Jessica McAllister
- Caleb McAllister