Prairie Spring

Around these parts, we’re always a bit hesitant to proclaim that spring has arrived. For some reason it feels if we do, we’re just inviting another snowstorm. We’ve already had a few “false springs” this year, where one day you’re barbecuing on the deck in a t-shirt, and the next you’re shovelling a foot of snow.

Spring officially starts on March 20th, but for us prairie-dwelling Canadians, that’s spring in name only. When it arrives, there are no flowers growing or birds chirping, and yet its arrival still brings hope. That’s why I love spring. Because you know that the end of the long cold winter is near. And even though you can’t see it yet, you know that things are beginning to grow. 

I doubt you read this newsletter for an Edmonton weather report, but I bring this up because it has struck me over the past few weeks how the Grace Edmonton church plant feels like it’s entering its own kind of spring, with all the same ups and downs, expectant hopes, and need for trust. 

At the end of March we hosted our second information meeting where we spent some time worshiping in song and talking about what it looks like to be a gospel centered church. We also were able to do a mini Q&A about the church with those who attended. 

Although we had less people join us than we had expected, it ended up being a great afternoon and we were able to meet some new people excited for the growth of the church in the city of Edmonton. It was another reminder that even when it doesn’t look like it, even when our expectations aren’t met, things are happening. God is at work. Just like a spring on the prairies, even under the snow, things are starting to grow. 

A few weeks after that we (the Klassens) traveled back to Saskatchewan to celebrate Easter. It was an encouraging time as we got together with our family and were able to take part in a Good Friday service with Grace Saskatoon and Grace Warman, and then gather again with Grace Warman on Easter Sunday.

This again brought to my mind the “under the surface” growth of this little church plant. It wasn’t many years ago that these two churches in Saskatoon and Warman didn’t exist. They too started with just a few people gathering together, trusting God to build His church in His time and in His way. And He did, they are now thriving communities of faith, full of people loving Jesus and loving each other well.

We don’t know exactly what God has planned for Grace Edmonton, we don’t know the timeline, we don’t know the end result, but we do know that we can trust Him, that He is faithful. Even when we can’t see it, He’s at work. 

Even when it snows in April (or May) spring always comes. The snow melts, the flowers grow, new life appears. New life is what we are after. Much more than green grass and flowers, we want to see people come alive in Christ.

Would you join us in this mission? Our next information meeting is on May 25th at 3 PM at West Edmonton Baptist Church (17821 98 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB). We’d love for you to come, and to invite others as well. Let us know you’re coming at https://graceedmonton.com.