NEW! Bible Study Group: Colossians & Philemon

Begins September 24, 2025 

What to Expect:

• Grow in your knowledge of the Bible and sharpen your study skills by engaging personally with the text through an inductive study and group discussion focusing on these two New Testament books. (Inductive study emphasizes personal discovery of a text’s meaning through careful reading, observation, and interpretation, letting the text speak. An emphasis will be given to life application of what is learned.)

When / How Often:

• 8 Wednesday evenings, 7:00-8:30 pm

• Online, with in-person possibilities

• September 24 -November 26 (includes two “break weeks” = no group meetings Oct 15, Nov 12)

• Weekly homework (~ 1 hour)

Leader:

Merlette Schnell is part of WSC’s Spirituality/Discipleship Team. Contact Merlette for a detailed study description or to sign up. connect@westsprings.church

The Grand Opening of West District’s most exciting new outdoor destination — Radio Park (kitty-corner to West Springs Church) is happening on Saturday, Sep. 20th, 10am - 4pm.

Visit https://hellowestdistrict.com/radio-park/ for all the information.

Live music, family activities, food vendors, and local entertainment will fill the park for one unforgettable day.

Radio Park’s Grand Opening will be a day of fun including:

• Live music from DJ Rob, Calgary Fiddlers, Chris LeBlanc, and Hayley Isabel

• Paw Patrol and Transformers roaming characters

• Balloon and Hula Hoop Artists

• Calgary Wild FC

• Calgary Surge

• Bark Side Dog Show

• Inflatables

• Magic Show

• Playground, Dog Agility

• Food trucks & free giveaways!

… and so much more!

See more info about the Book Group here.

The Summer selection for the WSC Book Group is John Mark Comer's Practicing The Way. (Amazon Link)
 “The question isn't 'Am I a disciple?" It's, Who or What am I a disciple of? If we are not being intentionally formed by Jesus himself then it's likely we are being unintentionally formed by someone or something else. Who are you following?”

If you interest in a conversation about this book with others, you are invited join an online discussion. 

Online Discussion: Wednesday, August 27, 7:00-8:15pm.

Facilitator: Merlette Schnell

Email connect@westsprings.church for the Zoom link.

Yahoo!!! Free Stampede Breakfast & Community Info Fair - July 13th, 9:30-11:30am!

Join us on July 13 at 9:30 am for food, music, face painting and more! This year, come learn about some cool things happening in our community and how to get involved. Be loved. Be love.

See more info about the Book Group here.

The Spring 2025 selection for the WSC Book Group is Tyler Staton's Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools: An Invitation to the Wonder and Mystery of Prayer (2022).

“This is a book for our desperate times. There is something here for everyone”.

“One of the best books on prayer that you will ever read”. 

If you interest in a conversation about this book with others, you are invited join an online discussion.

Online Discussion: Wednesday, May 28, 7:00-8:30 pm

Facilitator: Merlette Schnell

Email connect@westsprings.church for the Zoom link.

Volunteer Appreciation Sunday - May 25th!

Everyone is welcome to stay after the Sunday morning service for ice cream sundaes — Yes, a Sunday Sundae!!

Youth event - Laser Tag at Laser City NE (Note: NorthEast! NOT the south location).

Meet at Laser City NE @ 7pm.

Contact Pastor Jacob (Jacob@westsprings.church) for more info.

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.

West Springs Church (WSC) is hosting this FREE Internet Safety Course put on by a team from Ally Global Foundation and the Calgary Police Service on Tuesday, April 29th at 7:00pm.

Please register in advance using the registration form here.

See the full poster here.

Details:

When: Tuesday, April 29th, from 7:00pm-8:30pm. Doors open at 6:30pm.

What: Join us for a presentation & conversation about protecting the young people in your life from sexual exploitation.

Where: West Springs Church (816 78th Street SW, Calgary AB - map).

Speakers: A team from Ally Global Foundation & a Calgary Police Service Resource Officer will join us to share their expertise.

Resources: Learn about an excellent age-appropriate resource for kids & youth: The Prevention Project, put together by Ally Global Foundation & Exploitation Education Institute, will be shared.

Who should attend: This event is for parents, caregivers, teachers, students, or anyone else interested in online safety. Please note that attendees should be 16 or older.

Registration: Please register in advance using the registration form here.

Please bring your own device (phone / tablet / laptop) to learn how to navigate the resources shared.

Come join us for the 4th Annual The West Side Easter Event at West Springs Church! It's going to be a day filled with fun activities, delicious food, and an Easter egg hunt like no other. Bring your family and friends for a day of celebration and community. Don't miss out on this exciting event!

Full Details and tickets: 4th Annual The West Side Easter Event Tickets, Sat, 19 Apr 2025 at 3:00 PM | Eventbrite

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!