We are so thankful for the commitment that our Hillcrest church family has to reaching out to the world around them. We continue to support partners both in our local community as well as into the farthest corners of the world.
jesus project
Christmas is a time when those of us that know Jesus want to celebrate and give back to Him for his generous gift of Salvation to us. The JESUS Project is one way for us to do that.
There are many in our Community that are suffering from the ramifications of the last 2 years …but this year our hearts are pulled to think of the Youth in our church and in our Community and the effects on their lives.
We are excited to announce that we reached our goal with the Jesus Project in December! Thank you so much for your generosity! We were happy to present both the Redcliff Youth Centre and McMan Roots Shelter with a cheque that will be put towards helpful initiatives in their service to teens in our Community.
A big Thank-You to the 19 donors of Handmade items to the Handmade Market, as well as our many shoppers in the Office throughout the weeks of December. Together we were able to contribute over $3,000 towards the JESUS Project goal.
The Redcliff Youth Centre plans on putting this funding towards their Dinner Program which not only provides meals for the kids twice a week but helps them learn how to cook healthy meals and develop skills that will last them a lifetime. Since the ROOTS Shelter isn’t open during the day, they plan on putting this funding towards various resources and supports for the teens that come to them for help.
bridge of hope
Shalom Medical Centre
In the year 2021 nealy 640 people have had their cataract surgery done at the Shalom Medical Centre, Bridge of Hope. In the last 12 years, around 10,000 people have had cataract surgery done. Nealy 6,500 patients benefited from medical care in Shalom in 2021. Canadian Bridge of Hope was able to support the Shalom Medical Centre in purchasing various medical equipment to enhance their quality of medical care and also sponsor medical camps in different locations in the villages around Gotlam.
Water Tank Project
Phoolbagh (Leprosy) colony hosts 60 families affected by leprosy. Most of these victims are not accepted into regular, manual work and therefore earn their living through begging in the market place. Through the generous contributions of our donors, CBOH was able to build a water tank with a bore well pump. This has changed the living conditions of 60 families (around 250 people).
Step Up Program
CBOH was able to provide funds to set up a community hall for the people, kids of the leprosy colony. This enables the kids to gather together to meet their social, spiritual and educational needs. Through 2021 the Step Up Program was able to provide support to 50 children and youth by providing them with supplementary nutrition as well as meeting their educational and spiritual needs.
gideons
Although it is still acceptable to use the word Gideons as we have been know by for over 100 years, our official name has been changed to ShareWord Global both now in Canada and as well with the partnerships we have in more than 20 other countries. Besides the great stories of Scripture distribution in Uganda, Nicaragua, Cuba, Brazil, and China; ShareWord Global has committed to help our partners in Ukraine and Moldova (immediately west of Ukraine) to include a Scripture with each emergency food package given to those effected by the Russian invasion. At Hillcrest Church, our Bibles and magazines are used in the Sunday School, Furniture, and other Hillcrest ministries. Again this past year Covid-19 prevented us from distributing Bibles in schools but we expect to start again in the Fall of 2022. The Medicine Hat Gideons Prison ministry remained active in 2021and and we supply various areas of the Medicine Hat Hospital with Scriptures. Our new Evangelism focus to train Christians on how to share the gospel individually has been encouraging. We were unable to have our annual fund-raising banquets the last three springs, but some of our faithful supporters sent in gifts anyway and we trust more individuals will think of doing the same. Let us all continue to look for ways to share our faith and reflect God’s loves to those around us.
Global worker “s” - restricted access country
Although we are still free to share the Gospel in many parts of the world, there are some places where global workers are not welcome and spreading the Gospel is illegal. We call these areas “restricted access” and in order to keep our global worker safe, we cannot share their last name, the place where they are working or even their picture. We uphold this brave soldier in prayer and ask you to do the same. Pray for an extra infilling of the Holy Spirit to sustain our church family member serving in restricted access areas.
Haske - nigeria project
In 2021, we provided food relief for the 30 widows in February. Some of the windows are from Madagali (Northeast Nigeria)Town, where Boko Haram killed their husbands. Also, our Nigeria team successfully distributed food to 50 families around Miango, and 40 chickens to an orphanage that houses Muslim background believers.
We sponsored a well in a village with no Christians. The intention is to bring the gospel via our local missionary connections. This village has been accessing dirty water about 2km from the river, and there have been several issues with river blindness in that area. Having a well will significantly impact their daily lives, and ultimately it's God's light that will shine in the area.
Nehemiah construction ministries
I thought it would be good to break it down to show everyone that there is a much bigger picture then just Drilling for Water. Nehemiah Construction has drilled over 60 water wells helping to change the lives of thousands of Turkana villagers.
Though the education and community development programs lives are being changed.
One of the most difficult things that we deal with on a regular basis is the severe droughts and lack of food. It is heartbreaking to go into a village to begin drilling and find children and the elderly dying. Whenever possible we always try to have some extra food staples with the drilling team.
Over the years we have always tried to keep a supply of children's clothes on hand to distribute to the most needed. Again Thank you for making a difference.
Nurture pregnancy centre
SERVICES WE PROVIDE INCLUDE:
Pregnancy Tests
Peer Counselling
Maternity Clothing
Infant and Toddler Clothing, Toys, and Furniture
Formula and Diaper
Infant Layettes
Educational Classes
Resource Library
CLASSES WE PROVIDE:
Time Management
Sewing
Anger Management
Healthy Relationships
Kick Butt for Baby
Parenting: Single Parenting That Works
Parenting: New Kid by Friday
Set Up a Registered Education Savings Plan
Cooking Class
ESL Class
Prairie gleaners
Prairie Gleaners is able to operate and do the work that we do because of help from people like you! Our three most valuable assets are our produce, our volunteers, and the financial support we recieve from very generous donors. If you’d like to be involved in the work we’re doing, we have many ways that you can support us.
Produce
All of the produce we receive at Prairie Gleaners is from very generous greenhouse owners/operators and farms in Southern Alberta. Without their donation of produce, whether it be peppers, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, onions, etc. we would not be able to make our dehydrated vegetable mix. They are our first asset!
Volunteers
Every workday, presently Tuesday to Saturday mornings from 8:30 a.m. to noon, the door opens and the volunteers arrive. They come ready to work at preparing the vegetables to be put through the dicer and then spread on pans so it can be put into the dehydrators. Our volunteers are our second asset! Without them we could not accomplish the task.
rescue cambodia
Greetings to all our friends at Hillcrest!
We are so grateful for your ongoing support for our ministry in Cambodia as we seek to obey God’s word and “look after widows and orphans in their distress”. (James 1:27) We couldn’t do it without you!
Rescue founder Marie Ens is now 87 years of age. She has no plans to return to Canada. Rather, she will remain at Rescue with great delight, serving wholeheartedly in the country she has grown to love since she first arrived there in 1961. Her journey of faith and risk continues. God is faithful!
Marie serves alongside a compassionate & capable Cambodian staff who together care for hundreds of orphans, families living with HIV/AIDS, and elderly Grannies.
Please check out our website www.rescuecambodia.org as we highlight our staff this month. “Cambodians Raising Cambodians” will give you a glimpse into the lives of those you are supporting at Rescue.
Blessings on you there in Medicine Hat. Thank you for having a vision that goes beyond our borders and reaches out to a world in need.
the connection
In 2021 we hosted 5 events and were a part of several initiatives.
Events/initiatives included: Summer Splash – July, Recreation Day (collaborative event)– August, Intercultural Ambassador Training – November + December, Kindness Week - November, and Connection Santa – December.
These events were very important for immigrants to connect as many have been isolated and separated from their families over the last couple of years. These events created touchpoints for us to check-in and encourage newcomers, especially during the difficulties of the pandemic.
In November and December, we delivered about 200 Kindness Bags to our community. During delivery of the packages, volunteers have a chance to connect with, encourage recipients, and find out other needs/challenges they may be facing.
Several families in our network have welcomed newborn babies into their families over the last year. We have created care packages to help bless these families who are far away from family and aren't able to have family travel to see them.
We hosted an event in November called Intercultural Ambassador Training. The training helped equipped about 70 participants to understand the cultural dimensions and communication preferences of people from various cultures that can cause dissonance in communities and workplaces. The training was powerful and well received by the community. We will continue to make it a regular event in 2022.
Last fall an international student reached out to us in hopes to meet more locals and get connected. We found out she is a young person and is a believer with an incredible testimony. We have been able to help connect her to local believers, see her faith deepen, and empower her as she gains experience in Canada.
whispering pines camp
The past two and a half years have not looked like anyone expected them to. There have been many challenges which we have faced, and many big disruptions to our plans and hopes. Julie and I are so thankful to be a part of Whispering Pines camp and to get to see God move in our lives and the lives of those touched by the camp.
Despite the circumstances around us in this difficult time of disruption we have been able to start tackling some of the facility projects at the camp. Over the past two years we have renovated our bathrooms, replaced and upgraded our boiler heating system in the chapel, upgraded our water treatment system for the whole facility, and replaced almost all of our cabin roofs. In spite of these many expenses we are still in a very healthy place financially and are looking to the future to see where God is going to take us next.
In 2020 we offered a DIY family camp which was well received. We created a package which we gave to families who were camping at our facility which included craft and activity ideas as well as a devotional written for us by one of our local pastors. In the summer of 2020 over 180 people from 40 families took advantage of this program, many of whom had never been to the camp before. In 2021 we hosted 4 weeks of family camps which included times of worship and teaching as well as many of our regular camp activities. We also invited a number of young volunteers to come work alongside us as part of a leadership training program. Through 2021 we had stable numbers from the previous year, however with a much greater impact because of the times of worship and teaching we were able to provide. This summer we are planning to host our regular schedule of camps for the first time since 2019. We will once again be hosting camps for kids from grades 1-12 and giving them an amazing opportunity to hear the Gospel, build lasting friendships, and spends some time away from the stress of everyday life. We are planning for 500 campers over 6 weeks of camp and three family camp weekends. We are hoping to have a staff team of 20 young people, as well as continuing our Leadership training program for an additional 24 students over this summer.
We have been blessed over the last two years to see God at work providing for every need we have had. Whether it was finances or staff and volunteers it has been so encouraging to see again and again how God supports and cares for Whispering Pines and us.
wycliffe - kent & Brenda royer
We continue to work full time in our HR support roles for Wycliffe. We were able to meet with our HR team in the fall for the first time in two years, the first time we had met most of them face to face! Kent serves as the Travel Risk Manager working with all Canadian members as they make plans to travel and live overseas. Brenda serves as the BC Member Care Advisor assisting about 80 members with their HR needs as they transition to and from the field, as well as the Canada assigned members under her care. She also serves on the Emergency Fund committee, helping Canadian members struggling with unexpected expenses or low financial support.
It was an interesting year as members returned from conflict areas around the world and needed a lot of special assistance and extra time to process and debrief. God was faithful and everyone is safe, with the emphasis now on continuing their work remotely while supporting the national teams they work with.
Like most corporations Wycliffe experienced resignations throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and has some major personnel needs.
Our kids and their families are all doing well, healthy and working at jobs they enjoy. Our 4 grandchildren (and another one on the way for Landon and Katelyn) are growing up too fast and are a special blessing for us. We continue to worship and serve at South Langley Church where Kent leads an adult Bible study and serves as the service host every 4 -5 weeks.
Our financial support level hovers around the 90% mark. We thank Hillcrest Church for your ongoing support and prayers for us and the Bible translation ministry. You are a blessing!
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