On March 30th we will be hosting an international service (at the usual 10:05am time), which will be followed by an international potluck (at about 11:15am).

The service will include different voices, languages and cultures. I hope this helps us lean further into our value of radical belonging as we create space to celebrate our unique ways of worship and connection. We hope to many of you will be available to attend!

Following the service we will have a potluck featuring your food, from your ethnic background. Think pierogies,  jollof rice, and delicious dumplings. Plan to bring a main dish and side or a main dish and dessert.

Throughout the season of Lent, Beginning March 12, there will be weekly prayer sessions (over Zoom) each Wednesday evening from 7pm-7:45pm.

If you’re new, ensure you’re signed up to our weekly e-newsletter or email the office closer to March 12th to receive the Zoom link.

Some of you will remember Liz Rees. About this time last year, she led a full-day Saturday workshop to help kick off the introduction of a contemplative dimension to our spiritual journey at West Springs Church. She is organizing three Saturday afternoon contemplative mini retreat at the Living Spirit Centre, 629 -49 Ave SW, Calgary. The dates are Saturday March 8, 1-4 PM, May 10, 1-4 PM and June 14, 1-4 PM.

These series of mini retreats now offered by Liz are an opportunity for those already on the contemplative journey to join with others from elsewhere in our city who are on the same contemplative path. Fresh faces, new people to pray with. Fresh teaching from Liz. Inspirational resources from the world-wide contemplative community. Please come and walk along with us.

Here is a detailed itinerary for each mini retreat: Monastic Saturdays Itineraries.

For more information, contact the office to get connected with Bill Hawley or Gary Teare.

Ebenezer and Pastor Keitha will lead the service on together on March 5th @ 11am as we consider our need for God and the beautiful invitation to be connected and in an intention relationship with God. This service will include worship, a short homily, communion and the mark of ashes put on our foreheads. The ashes are an outward sign that symbolizes death, repentance and renewal.

Meaning:

• Death: Ashes are a reminder of mortality and that our bodies will return to dust. It is also a call to die to sin.

• Repentance: Ashes are a way to humble oneself before God and acknowledge behaviours that have drawn us away from God. A time to turn in fresh ways towards following the way of Jesus.

• Renewal: Ashes are a sign of the journey of renewal from death to life that begins on Ash Wednesday.

See more info about the Book Group here.

Current selection (Jan/Feb 2025): N.T. Wright and Michael Bird, Jesus and the Powers: Christian Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies (2024).

Should Christians be involved in politics? In an age of ascending autocracies, in a time of fear and fragmentation, amid carnage and crises, Jesus is king, and Jesus’s kingdom remains the object of the Church’s witness and work. The critical key is to discern the true nature of Christian witness in fractured political environments. Wright & Bird’s recent book is receiving a lot of attention among thoughtful Christians. Wherever you place yourself on the religious and political spectrums, there’s much  to grapple with in this timely book.

Online Discussion: Wednesday, February 26, 7:00-8:30 pm

 Facilitator: Merlette Schnell

Email connect@westsprings.church for the Zoom link.

On February 21st from 6:00pm – 9:00pm in the church auditorium, Rev. Tony Snow will be facilitating a Blanket Exercise at our church. The Kairos Blanket Exercise (KBE) is an experiential and interactive teaching tool designed to foster understanding about the history and ongoing relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada.

We have room for 40 people, and you can RSVP at this link. This event is open to all age groups!

If you have questions, please contact Lincoln at lincoln@westsprings.church. 

Sunday, Dec. 24th (Christmas Eve) at 5pm:

Join us for our Christmas Eve Candlelight service! Full of beautiful music, the telling of the Christmas story, and a special candlelight ending you won’t want to miss. A great time to come with family, meet your neighbours, and share in the beauty of the Christmas story!

No registration required, just show up! But we recommend you arrive ~15 minutes early to ensure you get a seat.
We expect the service to wrap up by 6:15pm.

Celebration Sunday and Potluck : December 15th, We will come together to celebrate Christmas with a special performance by our Christmas Choir.

After the service, stay and enjoy a festive potluck as we share the joy of the season. Bring your favorite Christmas dish to share with everyone.

For more details or to sign up for the potluck, see Marci in the foyer after the service or click the link below.:

https://forms.gle/C1PbyWL8wBcxvtWn9

WSCRCA is hosting a holiday event with Mr. and Mrs. Claus on Saturday, December 7th, from 1-5 pm at West Springs Church (816 78th Street SW).

Join us for crafts and activities, visits by Santa's elves, outdoor horse-drawn sleigh rides, hot chocolate and cookies, an outdoor petting zoo, and story-time with Santa's elves! There is also an opportunity for a professional digital photo shoot and visit with Santa.

Registration closes November 29th. The cost is $15 per WSCRCA family and $50 for non-member families to attend.

Please see all the details and how to register, here: WCRA Holiday Event Registration

This Halloween, make your neighbourhood stroll extra special!

Stop by the church for candy & treats at the corner of Broadcast & 77th by the stairwell, between 5pm and 8pm.

Warm up with a cup of hot chocolate, take a quick bathroom break, and grab candy bags for the kids.

On Oct 20th following the service from 12pm-3pm we will host our first "Continuing Conversation" with the opportunity to participate in the Kairos Blanket Exercise experience. This will be held in classroom 1 and will be led by Dr. Heather Bensler and Monique Verhoeff.

The Kairos blanket exercise is described like this: The KAIROS Blanket Exercise (KBE) is an experiential teaching tool that explores the historic and contemporary relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in the land we now know as Canada.

If you would like to attend please email office@westsprings.church or speak to Pastor Keitha, Heather, or Lincoln Alexander.

See more info about the Book Group here.

WSC’s Book Group’s next selection is: Paul Chamberlain, Why People Don’t Believe (2011)   (Link to Amazon.ca)

Online Discussion: Wednesday, October 16, 7:30-8:45 pm  (Request Zoom link in advance to participate)

In Why People Don't Believe, Paul Chamberlain identifies seven challenges raised against religious faith, particularly against Christianity. He strives to honestly evaluate the merits of these challenges and to provide understanding about the hurdles to faith in our time. Anyone troubled by “problems of believing” or by the growing antipathy towards religious faith will find Why People Don't Believe a thoughtful and provocative contribution to the conversation.

Paul Chamberlain is a Canadian philosopher and professor. He teaches in the areas of Christian Apologetics, Ethics, and Philosophy of Religion, and is also the Director of the Institute of Christian Apologetics at Trinity Western University.

Email connect@westsprings.church for the Zoom link.

Community Stampede Breakfast - Yahoo!!!!

Sunday July 7th @ 10am - free for the whole surrounding community!

West Springs Church (WSC) is organizing the breakfast this year. Partners are Rainbow Roots and Lara Mitchell.

For those who attend WSD, we will be asking for volunteers for the kitchen, cooking, cleaning, set up and take down – contact Al Chan.

For anyone in the community, just come on out and enjoy some food & music with your neighbours!

There will be pancakes, music, face painting, balloons, book mobile, and kids play space!

West Springs Church’s 2024 Annual AGM (a.k.a. Society Meeting) will be held immediately after the Sunday morning service on June 9th.

While only members may vote, the meeting is open for all to attend.

Lunch will be provided.

Old Testament - Q & A, with Xenia Chan, Ph.D. Candidate

During the morning Sunday service, June 2, 2024.

Submit your questions about the Old Testament by May 27th, to office@westsprings.church

We need to do some Spring cleanup around the church. The more hands, the quicker & easier it will be!

We need to do sweeping, weeding, laying some mulch, and likely some other small jobs.

Please sign-up by emailing office@westsprings.church. If you forget to email, you can still show up and help!

A few Sundays ago, we got to hear from the brilliant Nikayla Reize, as we wrestled with how to read and interpret scripture well. If you missed it, you can watch it on our YouTube page here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9pwcZZd9oU&ab_channel=WestSpringsChurch

On April 28th and May 5th, we are again blessed to have Nikayla speak at our church. You will not want to miss this!

https://nikayla.ca/

https://www.instagram.com/nikaylareize/

See more info about the Book Group here.

Note: April discussion has been moved from Apr.4th to Apr.18th.

Apr. 18, 2024 discussion: Walter Wink, The Powers That Be: Theology for a New Millennium (1999) (Amazon.ca link)

What does evil look like and how does it operate in the world? Can we really change the world? Seriously? Or have we pretty much given up? Walter Wink, influential theologian, Bible scholar, and activist for social change, explains how systems of evil work in our world, and how The Way of Jesus brings real, do-able hope for changing the world.

Online discussion Thursday, April 18, 7:00-8:30 pm.

Email connect@westsprings.church for the Zoom link.

This workshop will give us grounding in the method of Centering Prayer, a practice of silent surrender that deepens our relationship with God.

The workshop includes both learning and practice, drawing deeply on the teachings of Fr. Thomas Keating. The sessions will teach us what to do with our busy mind and the barrage of thoughts we all experience when we move toward interior silence.

There is no charge for this workshop. Everyone is welcome and no experience is necessary. Bring your own lunch.

Details: Please see the full details in this PDF: Contemplative-Workshop.pdf

Presenter: Liz Rees (see PDF above for more info)

When: Sat., April 13, 2024 10am - 3:30pm

Where: West Springs Church

Sign-up by filling out the sign-up sheet at the coffee bar in the foyer, or by emailing office@westsprings.church

Welcome to the 3rd Annual West Side Easter Event!

This is a community event being held at West Springs Church — a day filled with fun, food, and Easter festivities. This in-person event is perfect for families looking to celebrate the holiday together.

Food trucks, free coffee, face painting, games, egg hunting, photo booth, and more! Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to create lasting memories with your loved ones. Mark your calendars and get ready for a day of Easter fun!

Full Details and tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/3rd-annual-the-west-side-easter-event-tickets-851048899167

When and Time: March 30, 2024, Saturday from 2 PM to 4 PM. 

We need volunteers for setup 1-2pm, during the event 2-4pm and tear down 3:45- 4:15pm. Please send the church office a message if you can support, at office@westspings.church

My Little Plastic Jesus

Tim Bratton is a Free Methodist member living in Saskatoon who performs a one-man traveling road show called My Little Plastic Jesus across Western Canada in people's home.  Tim is connected to our congregation in that he's married to Amy Caswell, who is John Lyons's niece, one of West Spring's long-time members.

To quote from Tim's website:

"In this one-man living room show, Tim Bratton finds hilarity and heartache as he unpacks his upbringing in evangelical pop culture, examining its folly and redeeming its faith. "

Alan Chan will be hosting Tim and his show in his living room on Saturday, March 16, at 8 pm.  For the price of the ticket, we will throw in all the pop and tea you can drink and Cecilia's homemade buns! Details and ticketing information can be found at:

https://burntthicket.com/show/my-little-plastic-jesus

March 3 we will be hearing from CCIS (the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society) during our service. They will share some of their work, a bit more about refugee settlement, and the ways our own Asylum Seekers Initiative works with their organization. This will be followed by an international potluck.

Bring your favourite main dish or dessert that represents your cultural and ethnic heritage to share. If you desire, label your dish with its title and country of origin. We look forward to tasting these dishes and getting to know one another through your food and the story it tells!

See more info about the Book Group here.

Feb. 29, 2024 discussion: A classic good-old-books selection: C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce (Amazon.ca Link)

The story about a famous bus ride from hell, written by the author of “The Narnia Tales” and “Mere Christianity.” His short novel explores the question, “Who goes home?” and how we think about good and evil.

Online discussion Thursday, Feb. 29, 7:00-8:30 pm. Email connect@westsprings.church for the Zoom link.

Continuing the Conversation on Truth and Reconciliation

What: Watch the film together and discuss (see below), led by Dr. Heather Bensler (Assistant Dean and Associate Professor, Faculty of Nursing)

When: Feb 25th, immediately after the morning service (around 11:15am)

Where: At the church, in classroom #2

“Doctrine of Discovery: Stolen lands, Strong Hearts” is a film about a devastating decision, made over 500 years ago, which continues to profoundly impact Indigenous and Settler people worldwide. Pope Alexander VI ruled that the lands being discovered by European explorers at the time was “empty” land and its millions of Indigenous inhabitants were “non-human”, thus paving the way for colonization of North America. This film is one of the responses of the Anglican Church’s Primate’s Commission on Discovery, Reconciliation and Justice. The purpose of this film is to respond to the 94 TRC calls to action by helping to provide education and insight into the troubling foundations of many of our property and other laws still in existence to this day.

Join us to watch the film together and discuss how we can respond as Christians to our history and our responsibilities moving forward. 

See more info about the Book Group here.

Jan. 25 2024 discussion: Bradley Jersak, Out of the Embers: Faith After the Great Deconstruction (Amazon.ca Link)

Deconstruction – trendy name for falling away from belief in God? Or a process essential to authentic faith? In the early 21st century the Church in North America is experiencing a mass exodus this author has dubbed “The Great Deconstruction.” Something big is happening here… but what? Unpacking insights of ancient philosophers and great influencers, Jersak helps us understand this significant moment in history that we are passing through and how best to navigate it. What will remain when our faith-houses of wood, hay and stubble are consumed by the flames of deconstruction? 

Online discussion Thursday, January 25, 7:00-8:30 pm. Contact Merlette Schnell at connect@westsprings.church for the Zoom link.

A new kind of opportunity especially for women to connect with each other. A weekly gathering to view this popular film version of the life of Jesus (starting with Season 1), followed by informal conversation.

When: Begins January 10. Wednesday mornings, 10:00am-Noon.

Where: Hosted by Heather Van Normal in her home.

For more details or to reserve your seat, contact Merlette Schnell connect@westsprings.church.  

Sunday, Dec. 24th (Christmas Eve) at 5pm:

Join us for our Christmas Eve Candlelight service! Full of beautiful music, the telling of the Christmas story, and a special candlelight ending you won’t want to miss. A great time to come with family, meet your neighbours, and share in the beauty of the Christmas story!

Please note: there is no regular morning service on Sunday, only this 5pm event!