In recent days, the Lord Jesus keeps bringing me back to a verse of Scripture in the book of Romans. In Romans 4:20 we read, “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.” It is my prayer that, regardless of the unknowns in life, God will enable me to be strong in faith and give Him all the glory for it.
After being a livestream-only church from mid-March to August, we were able to start renting a meeting room at a local hotel. Our first service in the hotel was September 6. Not only did our location change, but our service times also changed. We are now meeting at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Sundays. British Columbia does have restrictions in place that limit gatherings to no more than 50 people. In addition to this, the same people cannot attend those services. If you come to the 10 a.m. service, you are not allowed to return for the 3 p.m. service. This forced us to divide Anchor Baptist Church into three groups. We rotate the groups through those two services. This means that each week one group cannot come to the in-person service. We are thankful to the Lord Jesus that we have been able to continue our livestreaming. Please pray with us for a more permanent meeting location. The hotel costs $600 per Sunday and is going to increase to $750 on March 1. In addition to this, we are renting a local church for $200 for Wednesday night services. God is in control, and we trust Him!
The work of God advances no matter what is swirling around us. To God’s glory, since moving to our new meeting location, we have seen 8 people saved and 7 baptized. The 7 precious souls that followed the Lord in believer’s baptism are from Iran (2), Korea (3), Vietnam, and Italy. Please pray for spiritual growth for these new believers: Asal, Amir, Julia, Robert, Brad, Ethan, and Yvan.
Thank you for continuing to support the advancing work of the Lord here in Vancouver! We need His power and guidance in order to be strong in faith.
Your friends,
The Turners
Ben, Becky, Brianna, and Emma