Communion is a special service that the church has been celebrating ever since its very beginning. And we don’t just mean our church - we mean the very first churches started by Jesus’ apostles almost 2000 years ago!
Before he died, Jesus told his disciples to remember him as they shared together their basic foods: bread and wine. That soon turned into the special service we have today. Christians gathered together to remember Jesus by eating a little piece of bread and drinking a sip of (fermented) grape juice. The bread reminds us that Jesus had a real body that was injured and even killed for us. The ‘cup’ (as it is often called) reminds us that his blood was shed, so that its life could be given to us, who deserved death, for our sins.
Practically, on the first Sunday of the month, at about halfway through our service, we start Communion with a confession of our sins. Then we think about Jesus’ great sacrifice for us, read scripture, sing songs, and then share the bread and juice. We usually pass out the ‘element,’ then each person holds it until we all eat or drink it together.
Communion is for each person who realizes they are a sinner in need of Christ’s forgiveness. If you have further questions about this special service, please speak to one of our pastors.

First off, we realize that God is able to provide all that we need for our church. That means we never want you to give to us unless you are sure that it is what you want to do.
That said, each Sunday, we do take an offering in the service. It is a chance for anyone to contribute to the various costs we have in running the church and in reaching out to others.
The main offering bags that are passed around are for the church’s general fund. Money given there is disbursed by our treasurer at the direction of the Joy Council. There is also the ‘Pennies for Heaven’ jar, usually held by one of our members at the front of the sanctuary. Money given in it (as well as proceeds from the bottles and cans you bring in) goes to support disabled children and adults in four countries around the world: India, China, Kenya and Guatemala.
If you would like a tax receipt for your contributions (only for those in the offering bags, that is), please use the small brown ‘Joy Fellowship’ envelopes available on the table in the foyer. Please do NOT use the white ‘Trinity Baptist Church’ envelopes (that you might find in the pews) for your offerings for Joy Fellowship.

After many events at Joy Fellowship, there are rides home. Our pastors run around dropping people off.
Usually, the person living farthest from the event will be the last dropped off, but if you need to get home earlier for medications or a meeting, please let us know.
Here are the typical times you can expect to get home after these events (notes follow the headings):
• Tuesday Bible study – 8:30~10:00
Since this one is dependent on pick-ups by Handy Dart buses before the drop-offs can begin, they can go quite late.
• Wednesday Bible Study – 7:30~8:30
• Thursday Bible Study – 7:30~8:30
• Saturday Prayer Meeting – 1:00~2:00
Prayer meeting usually ends about 12:30, but sometimes runs later
• Summer Day Trips – 2:00~6:00
These day trips have a wide variety of ending times, so please plan for that. For example, if you need meds by suppertime, please bring them along in case the event goes late.
• Pearson Sunday Service – 4:30~5:30
• Sunday Evening Hospitality – 8:30~10:00
We try to finish supper by 8, but with one driver and many drop-offs, getting home can take almost till 10:00.

Our Vulnerable Persons Protection Program or VPPP is a set of rules that guide our processes at Joy Fellowship.
Vulnerable Persons are those people who–due to disability, age, or other circumstances–are more likely to be victims of abuse than the general population. Everyone else who attends Joy Fellowship is in one of three groups:
❶ Personal Support Workers are trained and accredited by their agencies. They are responsible only for the persons in their care.
❷ If you attend only a few events yearly, you may be an Occasional Attender.
❸ Regular attenders who are not ‘on the job’ (that is: people not in group ❶) are by definition Ministry Personnel. That is because you will typically be seen by Vulnerable Persons as someone who might be asked for help. And for that reason, our VPPP requires us to get some basic information about you, and to offer training in dealing with Vulnerable Persons. Watch at church for periodic opportunities to complete the ‘paperwork’ and announcements regarding training events. Camp volunteers are always included in this group.

We love to celebrate everyone’s birthday at Joy Fellowship! You don’t want to miss us singing to you on the Sunday before your birthday. So if you don’t see your name in the Joyful Noise calendar when it’s your birthday, please let Pastor John know. You can text him at 778-792-8551 or email to johngurn@mac.com, but make sure that informatiopn gets to him!
And just so you know, we sing for each person individually – none of that “Happy Birthday, dear friends” for us!
And we even sing the little-sung extra verse:
God bless you
God bless you
God bless you and keep you
Happy birthday to you
We want everyone to feel the love of God and of our family here: all the time, but especially on their birthday!

Bottles and Cans ✚ Pennies for Heaven
On Sunday, Joy Fellowship has two special collections going. During our regular offering, there is usually someone standing at the front of the sanctuary holding our Pennies for Heaven jar. We know that there aren’t pennies in Canada anymore, but the name hasn’t changed. It is just a jar to hold small change (like the widow’s mite in Mark 12) given from the heart.
You can also bring in your refundable bottles and cans. You can either drop them out in the coat area in the entryway, or–if you have a lot–just outside the Cedars house, on the south end of the church parking lots. Please remember to only bring beverage containers, but no milk-based drinks. And a quick rinse of the container keeps the wasp population down in the summer!
Money from these special offerings goes to support our sponsored children with disabilities around the world.
• International China Concern
• Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission in India
• Abetavu orphans in Kenya
• Treasures of God in Guatemala

We believe that the Bible is important for all Christians. With that in mind, we have several weekly Bible Studies at Joy Fellowship. Currently there are three open to everyone, two that are held at specific care homes, and two aimed at parents and caregivers. They usually run through the fall months, and then again from late January through May.
The general format at most of these events is the same. We usually start with music - and a lot of old favourite songs get sung! The rest of the time is divided into praying time and looking into the Bible. The prayer time reminds us to leave our concerns and worries with God, who is very capable of taking care of them.
Finally, we spend time looking into the Bible. We sometimes have people read aloud portions of the Bible, and discuss them, although in recent times we often use a video (often just a direct retelling of a Bible story) as the material to start from.
Everyone is welcome at these events. We can’t always pick everyone up, so you are encouraged to get your own ride to the study. Many of us come by Handy Dart transit. Watch for current time and location details in our monthly newsletter.