Breaking News

End of a Beginning

July 20, 2011

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:1-5

This passage in Romans speaks of a number of things common to followers of Jesus. We know joy, we know difficulty, and we know peace in the midst of it all. LifeHouse Christian Church has known all of these and more in the time that we have been working here in downtown Vancouver to create a new community of faith. This church continues to be a strong presence for community (both in the church and in the neighbourhood), for social justice (helping the weak and marginalised), and for telling people of the Kingdom of God through the work of Jesus Christ. I just reread several of our previous prayer letters and I am amazed at all of the things God has done through this church plant.

So it is that much harder to tell you that LifeHouse Christian Church must stop. I told you in January that I would be going to a part time status with the congregation and that Kelly and I would each work with half-time salaries. In March we concluded that this was not enough of a reduction in costs and so I gave up the other half of my salary and Kelly has been carrying on at half-time. Even with all of the things that LifeHouse has accomplished, we were never able to gather a sufficient core of people to support the ministry and join us on the mission. So the responsible thing to do is let you know that this church plant will end. There are sufficient funds to take care of Kelly's half-time salary for the next months. We will live up to our commitments to him and this ministry until at least the end of the year.

Kelly and I will continue to be missionaries to Vancouver with or without salaries. We are both presently looking for other work that would allow us to continue to live in this city and continue to serve. Vancouver is a place to which we both feel called and a place in which there are a great many needs. The night of the riots in Vancouver was a night that further convicted me that this city needs a larger presence of the people of God. The things we do well we will continue to do: we will serve the marginalised, our women's and men's groups will continue to get together mid-week, we will continue to develop relationships with people as they become disciples of Jesus. However, at this point we will not seek to have a weekly public gathering.

Both Kelly and Sarrah and Maureen and I have a number of close relationships with not-yet-followers of Jesus. Two or three of them may soon lead to commitments of faith. We have no desire to leave the area or leave any of these people behind and so as long as we can afford to live and work in this place, we will stay. In fact, you may consider that LifeHouse has ceased to be a church plant and has become a mission to Vancouver. Kelly and Sarrah in particular could use your assistance as Kelly supplements his income from the church with work as a fitness instructor. If you would like to support a couple who are indeed making a difference for the Kingdom in Vancouver and represent the next generation of evangelists for the church, you can still make contributions to the work of LifeHouse that will allow their mission work to continue.

Thank you for your prayerful support and investment in this ministry. I wish I could tell you that this model of the church was embraced by the Christians and secular people of Vancouver and that it was self-sufficient. That vision of the church plant has not come to be at this time. If you have questions about any of this please call or write me at the contacts listed below.

For those who wish to make a financial contribution to the work of LifeHouse Christian Church, there are two ways that you can contribute. All gifts are and will continue to be receipted for tax purposes.

You can mail cheques to "LifeHouse Christian Church Treasurer, 225 - 5 Ave NE, Calgary, AB, T2E 0K7".
INTERAC email money transfer is available at most major banks. This is a secure protocol whereby you can send funds to LifeHouse Christian Church via email. An email address, GenerousLiving@LifeHouseCC.ca, has been set up for this purpose. Ask your bank how you can use email to make a fund transfer to LifeHouse.

With a thankful and peaceful heart,

Keith

Keith Shields

Keith@LifeHouseCC.ca

1401 - 1128 Quebec Street

Vancouver, BC

V6A 4E1

778-839-3215

www.LifeHouseCC.ca

LifeHouse Partnerships

LifeHouse Christian Church is committed to partnering with agencies that are making a difference in Vancouver. We presently work with The Ivanhoe Hotel, False Creek Residents Association, Circles of Support and Accountability, and the Vancouver Police Department Block Watch program. If you have an idea for a partnership call Keith at 778-839-3215.

Christmas in Vancouver

Take a look at this video by Kelly Scruggs.

City Gate Block Watch

LifeHouse Christian Church partnered with four Block Watch teams in the City Gate area of Vancouver to put on a Block Watch Party on Saturday May 1. LifeHouse volunteered the band, the food and some of the volunteers for this event. Thanks to “Tuesdays with Mikey” for volunteering to make music for us. The day was windy and cool but neighbours still had a great time connecting with each other, eating hot-dogs, and listening to a band. The kids had balloons, chalk-art, and bubble wands. In all we probably had 60 or more people come by. Here are a few photos of the event.

Interesting Simple Church Network:

My friend, Bob Logan, leads a simple church called Viacordis based in Hollywood, California. ViaCordis is a growing network of multi-cultural leaders and associated churches who journey together to start and multiply communities of Jesus followers among all people groups. They have a blog where you can follow this interesting simple church network:

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Hug a tree . . . in Madagascar

Between Jan 1 and May 1, 2010 our church, the size of a modest living room, gave money that will result in 80,600 trees being planted in Madagascar.

The tree-planting project, aimed at stopping the deforestation that is devastating the economy and environment of Madagascar, is run through www.edenprojects.org. Their mission statement? “Eden Reforestation Projects recreates healthy forest systems that restore hope, alleviate suffering, empower people, and build local economies in impoverished communities.” At ViaCordis, we are supporting them through our missions giving.

Interesting Blog:

Our friend, Tom Greentree, at Connections Christian Church had a fantastic blog about what it looks like to be the The Body of Christ in a house church context.

by Tom

Allow me to post a glimpse into our life as a house church.

When Jesus said, “I am the bread of life,” he compared our basic need for daily sustenance with our ultimate need for him. It’s not a far stretch to think that in another cultural context, he would have used a different food analogy (though I think it still would have been a food analogy). For those areas of the world for whom rice is central to their daily diet, Jesus would be the “rice” of life. For others, he may have been the potato.

On Sunday evening at our house church, . . . . Read more.

Friends

LifeHouse Christian Church has a number of friends and we informally partner with the following simple church networks. Please visit and lend your support to these communities of faith:

It is impossible to travel faster than light, and certainly not desirable, as one's hat keeps blowing off.
- Woody Allen