PGIMF Worship Services

Karl Brown spoke to us on April 13th, 2025 on "Jesus the Man, Jesus the God".

Heidi Epp, a music educator, choral conductor, and a program director at the Bakerview Music Academy in Abbotsford, spoke on lenting and fasting. Three years before the first adult baptism, what might be the first act of Anabaptist rebellion took place in the form of sausage eating. During lent, several believers broke the law of fasting as a protest against the unbiblical practices of the church...

Janice Kreider highlighted the often-overlooked contributions of women who supported Jesus and his disciples. She explored the discrepancies in the Gospel accounts of the anointing of Jesus and suggested that Mary Magdalene played a more prominent role than is traditionally acknowledged. Janice noted the importance of biblical scholarship in uncovering deeper meanings from accounts of the lives of...

Janet Boldt spoke on “Come and get it, if you want it!” followed by a musical reflection by Ernie Doerksen (“Holy Now” written by Peter Mayer). Specifically, she discussed the parallels discussed in the Bible on repentance and abundance. God is good, but he is not safe. The way he gives and takes may seem arbitrary at times—it does not fit neatly into the reward-and-punishment model we prefer and...

Claire Goodfellow discussed the story of Moses and the burning bush from Exodus 3:1-6, emphasizing the significance of Moses' encounter with God in the desert. She explored the metaphorical and literal interpretations of the "backside of the desert" as a place of isolation and desolation. Claire highlighted the importance of being still and paying attention to God's presence, drawing parallels wit...

Paul Thiessen reflected on the book God's Ghost Writers, Enslaved Christians and the Making of the Bible by Candida Moss. He highlighted the unheralded role of enslaved literary workers like Tertius, who acted as stenographers and co-authors. Paul urged us to maintain a state of vigilance to prevent anyone's contributions from being overlooked.

Shelby Boese (Exec. Minister, Mennonite Church BC) discussed the need for authentic play, which involves lowering walls and unhealthy inhibitions, and contrasted it with pretense and performance. He encouraged the congregation to embrace play as a theological practice that connects to effective prayer and empowers the community through the Holy Spirit. Shelby concluded by emphasizing that play is...

Mari Joerstad spoke to us in person. She is Academic Dean and Associate Professor at VST. She is a biblical scholar, focusing on the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament).

On Sunday, February 16th, Bryana Russell spoke to us in person on "The God Who Sees Us". Bryana Russell is an artist and a mental health advocate who works as the Engagement Manager at Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries. During Covid, she worked on creating a resource titled "when a loved on dies by suicide", which involved her travelling across the UI and interviewing people who lost someone they...

Jesse Nickel spoke on "The Gospel of Peace".

Yohanna Katanacho spoke remotely via Zoom. Yohanna is a professor of Biblical Studies and Academic Dean at Nazareth Evangelical College. He is a Palestinian Israeli evangelical who studied at Bethlehem University (BSc), Wheaton College (MA), and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (MDiv; PhD).

On January 26th, 2025, Jamie Pitts spoke on "Renewing the Anabaptist Jubilee Tradition".

On Sunday, January 21st, 2025, Lydia Cruttwell spoke on "Journeying to Jesus", where she explored just who the wise men from the East were, why they came, and how they knew about the Jewish prophecy. Unlike what the famous Christmas song suggests, there may have been more than three, they probably weren't kings, and they were likely from the Middle East (as opposed to the Orient, which is a differ...

Jeff C. Borden (MA, ICADC, ICCS), Executive Director at Place of Refuge Society, spoke to us about their long-term housing program, which provides a safe environment for men who have successfully reached the second stage of their wellness plan, preparing them to transition into healthy living.

Annika Krause spoke on "The Need to Be Joyful".

On December 8th, 2024, Laura Sportack spoke on "The Joy of Peace".

On Sunday, December 1, 2024, we gathered at Menno Court to hear Laura Eriksson speak on "Seeds of Hope" for 1st Advent.  

Loren Wilkinson spoke to us on the third sermon in a series on creation. The first two sermons discussed worship and science respectively, while the third one discussed art—specifically, art in the form of poetry. He also why there should be something, as opposed to nothing, and why are we "I" as opposed to "its"? As followers of Christ, we are asked to give ourselves, not because we are fallen an...

Loren Wilkinson spoke to us via Zoom as the second sermon in a series about his book, Circles and the Cross: Cosmos, Consciousness, Christ, and the Human Place in Creation (Cascade Books, 2023).

Evan Kreider will give a sermon on the topic of Remembrance Day.

Richard Topping (President, Vice Chancellor, and Professor, Vancouver School of Theology), spoke on “Mercy for Mercy’s Sake”

Loren Wilkinson spoke remotely from Galiano Island on the topic of “What is Creation Waiting For?”

On Sunday, October 20, 2024, we gathered at Menno Court to hear Garry Janzen speak on "The Reign of God". Garry shared about his recent learning trip to Vietnam and tied that in with reflections on God's reign. Jesus spoke of the "kingdom" of God (which his listeners would have understood in contradistinction to the kingdom of Caesar). That kingdom metaphor is often troubling to us nowadays. An al...

We heard a sermon from Gareth Brandt titled “Thanksgiving for Spiritual Blessings”. In it, he showed how spiritual blessings are an integral part of Anabaptist history and what some of those blessings are, even if we don't think about it much. When Martin Rinkart, the author of the song "Now Thank We All Our God", was giving thanks to God, Pestilence, Famine, and War were an ever-present part duri...

On September 29, 2024, Chan Yang spoke about "Sins of Cain".