Save the Date - Calgary Hitmen Faith & Family Night

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Calgary Hitmen Faith & Family Night, Saturday January 14th, 7 pm.  If you are interested in attending as part of a group from Altadore, please let Alicia know by Dec 14 for pre-Christmas ticket delivery.  At $12 each, these tickets make a terrific stocking stuffer!  Bring your skates and helmets and enjoy a post-game skate on the Saddledome ice.

Altadore Christmas Choir

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Calling all singers!! If you love to sing, we want you!! Rehearsals are for one hour following the morning service on November 6, 20, and 27.  Our performance will be on Sunday December 4 during the morning service.  Everyone is welcome if you can make at least 2 of the 3 rehearsals.  Contact the church office to express your interest, or if you have any questions.

Playtime in the Village

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This free drop-in program is designed as a playtime for children & a coffee & chat time for nannies, parents & caregivers.  The children’s program will include singing, bible story, snack and guided play.  Please join us and invite your friends!  For more information call the church office at 403.243.4304 or email us at office@altadorebaptistchurch.com. 

Treasure Seekers - On The Hunt!

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Last nights Treasure Seekers enjoyed the beautiful summer evening with a neighborhood scavenger hunt!

Leadership Update

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Join us after the service on Sunday, June 12 for our Congregational Meeting to hear what has been going on and what is coming.  Bring a cheese plate or half dozen muffins or scones to share.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our Easter offering.  A total of $893.50 will be sent to Bankview CUPS in support of their program to take homeless families from surviving to thriving!

Good Food Boxes is an important tool in our neighbourhood.  This initiative will now be administered by the Leadership Team and staff.  If you have a couple hours each month to assist with the Good Food Boxes, speak to any staff or anyone on the LT

We have been working through your responses to “What ideas do you have for reaching out to the community” asked back in October.  You can hear more details at the Congregational Meeting on Sunday, June 12, but we wanted to communicate that several ideas have already been implemented, such as the park benches on our lawn, our Summer kids program, and the Little Free Library.  Other ideas have been ongoing such as the knitting group, the Craft ‘n Chat monthly gatherings and our amazing Spring Faire.  Looking ahead to the fall, new programs may include:  connecting with neighbourhood nannies, family movie nights, andopen gym times.  Speak to Pastor Judy or Sharon Lipkewich if you would like more information and to be involved in these community outreach opportunities!

Our summer students are here!  You can connect with them on Sundays, or by calling or dropping in during office hours, or via email.  Sam Martyn can be reached at summerprograms@altadorebaptistchurch.com, and Phil Dykstra at worship@altadorebaptistchurch.com.  We know you will make them feel most welcome!

Treasure Seekers Summer Program

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Wednesdays, July 6 - August 24, 6:30-8 pm

Join West Virginia Jones on his quest to find the treasure of Captain Hollis Bibble!  Ages:  Starting Kindergarten to Grade 6.  Fun games and activities such as:  geocaching, orienteering, field trips and more!  This is an expansion of our Sunday School summer curriculum into a fun outreach for children.  All are welcome!

For more information, call 403.243.4304 or email us at summerprograms@altadorebaptistchurch.com

Altadore Baptist Youth

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Join us on Friday nights from 7-9:30 pm starting June 17th for fun games and activities such as:  Chuck the Canuck, BBQs, sports & other shenanigans.  Ages:  starting Grade 7 to Grade 12.  All are welcome!

For more information, call or email us at summerprograms@altadorebaptistchurch.com

Or join us for pizza on Sunday, June 5th after the service to find out more of what we will be doing as a youth group this summer!

Spring Faire – Help Needed!

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Saturday May 14th from 2-4 pm
This is a way to show the surrounding community that we care, so we would love to have our congregation be a big part of it.  We need :
•    5 to set up on Friday
•    15-20 to man stations
•    3-4 to clean up after
•    2 hosts
•    2 to help cover breaks
•    2 to help in the kitchen
•    5 to provide cookies or baking for the event.
Even if you can only come for an hour, every hand is appreciated!  Donations to cover the cost of putting on this free event will also be gratefully received.  Contact the office for more information and to sign up!

 

Refugee Sponsorship Update

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Altadore signed on as cosponsor for an Iraqi refugee family on January 21 with a Calgary man named Aws and his sister, Zinah.  Aws and Zinah's cousin, wife and 2 young children lived in an area in Iraq where life is not good with their ethnic background.  We have been attempting to get this sponsorship signed for over a month.  We required a good contract before entering into the sponsorship.  Roland Rochow has been most helpful and the Leadership Team very supportive of this second sponsorship. In this sponsorship, Aws and Zinah will be looking after all the financial and other needs of the family we are sponsoring.  Glenn Malcolm and Marilyn Kaiser are representing our church with this sponsorship.  After meeting at the bank the other night, Aws sent an email that said, "I would like to thank you on behalf of my big family for the kind of support you are providing." 
Concerning, Peter and Mary, we are still waiting to hear of their arrival date in Calgary and their final acceptance.  We have rented a home for them in Dalhousie trusting that the final approval comes through, and the sponsorship group will be moving the many articles so graciously donated by Altadore, Bonavista and Northmount Baptist Churches into Peter and Mary's new home in the next week.  Thank so much for your support of these two.  Please continue to pray for travel plans to be put together promptly.

2016 Lenten Devotional Booklet

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Lent begins Wednesday, February 10th, 2016, and this year marks the tenth edition of Altadore’s Lenten Devotional Booklet.  We are asking folks to host a scripture and prepare a devotional thought to share with your church family.  It is a blessing for all who take part and use the Lenten Booklet.  The passages of scripture are from the New Common Lectionary – Year C. The lectionary readings are used by Christians around the world.  It offers another way for us to be united as believers.  And it offers a way for us at Altadore to share our hearts and beliefs to encourage, challenge and bring hope and light into our spiritual journey together.

You may sign up for a passage on the Google Drive link here: 2016 Lenten Booklet Signup Sheet, or on the printed version on the church bulletin board, or by emailing Wendy F in the office with your choice.  Submissions will be due by Monday, February 1st.  Further instructions and a template will be sent directly to you once you have signed up.

May you enjoy the journey of listening to God through your passage, and may God’s rich blessings be upon you.

Refugee Household Shower Update

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Thanks to all of you who selected an item(s) last Sunday for the ‘shower’ of household goods for our refugee family.  There are still a number of ‘gifts’ to be selected from the board in the gym.  If possible, please bring your unwrapped gift on Sunday, January 17th.   There will also be other drop-off opportunities to be determined.  Please do not drop things off ‘randomly’, as we want to be sure to both record the gift and store it appropriately. 

Refugee Sponsorship Household Shower

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The Canadian Baptists For Refugees team has put together a detailed list of household goods to ‘shower’ our family with a completely stocked apartment.  Each of the churches has a partial list of these items.  Altadore’s list is posted on an easel in the gym.  If you can participate, please review the list, select the item(s) you would like to contribute, take the yellow sticky and print your name and phone number on the poster board under the sticky.  Please plan to bring your item(s) to a ‘shower’ day.  The first one will be held Sunday morning, January 17th.

There is also a list of furniture requests.  Because there are 3 churches involved, we will be reviewing furniture donation offers to confirm ‘the fit’ and to avoid duplication.  If you have furniture to donate or questions, please contact Marilyn at 403.474.1742 or Steve Hill (weekends) at 587.777.2921.  Steve is heading up a ‘transportation & pick-up team’ and could use some more volunteers when the accommodation is ready.  Thank you for your continued support and prayers for the refugee program.

Refugee Sponsorship Update

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Calgary Baptists For Refugees, a partnership between Northmount, Bonavista and Altadore Baptist churches, has commenced a private sponsorship for a mother and adult son from Aleppo, Syria.  Mary and Peter are Christians who have friends in Calgary at an Arabic speaking church in northwest Calgary. 

We would appreciate your prayers that this application would be approved by the Canadian government and for our churches as we plan for the many details for Peter's and Mary's arrival.  If you would like to be involved in any way in this process, please contact those in our church who are working with this sponsorship:  Marilyn Kaiser, Steve Hill or Wendy Burnham.   We will be able to be more specific about areas where help is needed after our next meeting
in the middle of December.

Thank you for your support in sponsoring refugees.  At Christmas, when we think of Joseph and Mary arriving in Bethlehem with no welcome, it is a joy to think of being able to welcome two people who presently are not welcomed in either their own country or in refugee camps and who are unable to make a life in the country in which they are living.

2015 Thanksgiving Offering

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In Lebanon, 1 in 4 people are refugees received as a result of the war in Syria.

In Canada, the Canadian Baptists of Western Canada are hoping to sponsor 30 refugee families in 2015.  Settlement Costs For Year One (Minimum)

· Family of 3 $23,000

· Family of 4 $27,000

· Family of 6 $32,500

Our Thanksgiving offering this year will go to enable sponsorship of refugee families through Canadian Baptists of Western Canada.

As we give thanks this year for all our many blessings, let's join with other churches in western Canada as they help our Syrian or other needy brothers and sisters find new life in Canada.

Please use the special Thanksgiving envelopes provided in your bulletin any Sunday in the month of October