Cariboo Road Christian Fellowship

Cariboo Road Christian Fellowship is a spirit filled church.  You feel the presence of God when first you step through the doors. The smiles on the faces, the alertness.  A sense of community.

I like their layout. Coffee and scattered tables in the vestibule. People hanging out chatting before and after church.  Before I could enjoy a coffee,   I needed to pee ,so headed straight to the washrooms. I liked the clean freshness there. Everything about the place reflected care.

I’ve been before a few times.  It’s not my primary church. I moved to Burnaby and I’m still a bit of a church tourist. I like best going to church with the God kids. Then there’s friends ordinations to be attended.

But I keep recommending Cariboo Road Christian Fellowship. I go when I sleep in.  My regular faith community meets at 10:30 am on Sunday but Cariboo Road Christian Fellowship has an early church service followed by a later one at 11:15 am.  I like that they have a whole lot going on all week too. Men’s group meetings one night. Bible Study another night.  Recovery meetings Friday nights. Beginnings for new Christians or wannabe’s. It’s a one stop shopping church for everyone.

And that’s another thing I like about the church. People of all ages and lots of children.  And different ethnic backgrounds.  I don’t like going into an all black church or all white or all brown unless that’s the makeup of the community the church is located.  I like when there’s the mix you find here which reflects this neighbourhood.  Looking at the way people were dressed I“d say they have a pretty good spread of lower to upper class with most people being middle class, much like the community here too.

They were highlighting a couple of missionary programs too, one in Lebanon and another in Africa. I like a church with missions.  I was raised Baptist and always loved as a kid visiting missionaries showing slides of far away places and people.  Christianity is for everyone.

I really liked the band.  This is a Pentecostal Hillsong Third Day level band.  When they played and sang the Creed the place burst with joy. People pretty much swaying and dancing in the aisles and everyone clapping hands.

The sermon was Ephesians.  Good sermon.  Godly preacher. Good Humor too. As the main church leader Paul was there and Ephesians was written by Saint Paul, the young preacher joked at one point,“I was having dinner with Paul, our Paul, not Saint Paul“.  All round fun, uplifting.  Entertaining and moving.  Inspirational. I know that word‘s bandied about in church a lot but a good sermon is rallying. I felt I wanted to be closer to God.  I thought of  “ my utmost for His highest”.  

This Ephesian‘s passage has that beloved line,“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you.“.  I love Michael Smith’s song,  ”Open the eyes of my heart, Lord.”. 

The preacher talked of hope.  It’s good message any day but resonated with the spring day..

Communion was good, bread and blood of Jesus, metaphysical, literal, transformative, miraculous.  

I liked Paul’s prayers.  The service ended with this 

I felt  lighter as I left Cariboo Road Christian Fellowship.  I know Jesus likes to lighten our loads. Jesus has been there with us. 

 “For where two or three have gathered together in my name, I am there in their midst.” He said that. It’s in the Gospel, the Good News.  We’re not alone.

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