New Time, New Location

Sep 2, 2018 | by Brad Sumner

One year ago, the JRCC elders team shared that due to the Township’s desire to maximize weekend revenue, it would no longer be possible for us to meet at the Langley Events Centre after August 2018.  As elders, we realized that we would ultimately need to seek out two different solutions – (1) a short-term rental option that we could move into by September, and (2) a long-term option that is currently being worked on by our Future Facilities team.

Last November, the elders shared how we inquired into various public spaces (such as a school) as well as the possibility of partnering with a local church in Willoughby or Clayton area. We reflected out that moving into a school would be a significant challenge both due to the high rental cost as well as the need to invest heavily in new equipment to become a portable church again. Therefore, partnering with an existing church became the best short-term solution.

However, the challenge with using the building of an existing church is that their congregation would be gathering when we had historically gathered. So, the elders floated the idea about moving to an afternoon time slot for our Sunday worship gathering so that more rental options could be available to us.  We received very positive feedback to explore afternoon options and so the staff team went to work diligently on finding a suitable new home for Jericho Ridge’s gatherings.

Today, we launch #afternoonchurch at Port Kells Church (192 St and 88 Ave).   This will be Jericho’s new location for our afternoon public worship gatherings (3:30 - 5:00 PM) this fall. 

Port Kells Church has graciously allowed Jericho the use of their entire facility for four hours each Sunday afternoon. This includes a prayer room, a worship centre (pictured below), three children’s ministry spaces on the second floor, a nursery, and a fully equipped kitchen.  We will also have dedicated and secured on-site storage for our equipment and supplies.      

We are confident that this shift, albeit a significant one, will be a healthy one for Jericho and for our opportunities to reach out to people who do not yet know Jesus. We also want to remind everyone that this move is for the short-term while we work to secure a long-term facility.    

Thank you for your prayers as we launch into this new chapter in our journey together.  I'm excited to worship with you as we continue to cultivate disciples of Jesus who embody God's love everywhere we go!

Pastor Brad