As you know, our church supports the Crisis Pregnancy Centre here in Winnipeg. Many of you have donated baby items (including formula) to the centre through our Mother’s Day drive and by dropping off formula at the church.

The Crisis Pregnancy Centre is so very grateful for your support! In fact, this past Mother’s Day, the centre has been able to give your donations to help new moms provide for their babies.

Here are some of the Thank You notes for the Crisis Pregnancy Centre:

Unfortunately, as many of you have heard (and Pastor Doug mentioned a couple of Sundays ago), our present federal government is working to remove the charitable status of crisis pregnancy centres across Canada. We want to support the CPC and we encourage you to contact your MP and let them know that you do not want the government to remove the charitable status of these centres.

If you need help with the letter, we encourage you to use the sample letter (Sample Letter (page 2).

And, once again, thank you on behalf of the Crisis Pregnancy Centre, for your support!

Far Corners Ministry (NE India) – Kalchini Project (Updated, May 25, 2022)

UPDATE:  All gifts will be matched by a generous donor until June 30, 2022! 
To invest in this project, you can e-transfer to the ministry email at info@farcornersministry.org or by following this link to the Far Corners Ministry website (indicate Kalchini Project): https://farcornersministry.org/how-to-be-involved/donate

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ORIGINAL DETAILS:  In 2009 WRBC began a ministry partnership with Far Corners Ministry (focused on NE India). This ministry is founded and led by Shant and Ginny Manuel. WRBC sent their first team to north-east India in 2010 and has every two years since, until Covid-19 interrupted the rhythm.

Several months ago, I (Bob Fast) was in conversation with Ginny and learned about a small but growing congregation that was in desperate need of a new meeting place. Pastor Sujat (one of the supported pastors) and his wife Hemanti minister in the village of Kalchini. Initially they met in one room of their three-room house. Then they outgrew it and put up a tent-like structure just next to the house. The tent-like structure had been repaired several times, and after the last rainy season it became apparent that this was not going to be adequate.

By November 2021, they had grown to about eighteen families with forty members. Many new families from other faiths are joining and during Christmas time 17 people committed their lives to Jesus and now they are coming regularly to church. Now there are around 34 families at Kalchini to attend in the new church building and Shakti (the local missionary working with Far Corners) feels that they will see continued growth in this area. Praise God!  

The Kalchini church construction project started in November and was planned to be built in stages as funds became available. The building is approximately 18 x 40 feet. The pastor and wife have given part of their land for the building which saves over $5,500. The cost that Shakti gave for the project at the beginning was approximately $12,275 CDN. Costs for building materials and labour costs have increased significantly in India as in other parts of the world so this cost keeps rising. Other interested donors have given to this project to help with the construction. After donations from various donors, mostly in Canada, to complete the project, they estimate they require $4500 CDN.

My wife Dale, and I participated in one of the WRBC trips to Northeast India in 2016. Many others from our church have also gone and ministered to the wonderful people there… and have been ministered to. They are very committed to serving God and building His kingdom. I have regularly thought about how we can support them in some of their entrepreneurial initiatives. The people in this area are not wealthy but are very hard working.

Dale and I have personally invested in this particular kingdom project, and I would like to encourage you to pray about how God might be leading you to participate. It would be great if together, we could provide $5,000 to get this church building complete. To invest in this project, you can e-transfer to the ministry email at info@farcornersministry.org; or by following this link to the Far Corners Ministry website (indicate Kalchini Project): https://farcornersministry.org/how-to-be-involved/donate

Bob Fast

May 2022

Here are some photos of the church in progress:

Since launching the reception centre for recently arrived Ukrainian on April 19, over 340 Ukrainians have gone through Manitoba’s reception centre for refugees to date, 20% of them children. As the crisis in Ukraine continues, it is expected that more Ukrainians will arrive in Manitoba through the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program and will need help accessing services and aids.

Located at the Best Western Plus Winnipeg Airport Hotel, the reception centre is a safe welcoming place for Ukrainians where they can get information about services available through this centralized hub. Volunteers from community organizations, including the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Manitoba Provincial Council (UCC-MPC), are on-site to provide language services and to act as a gateway to the Ukrainian community in Manitoba.

Arriving at the Centre

Upon arrival, an intake assessment will be done to ensure those who require immediate health support, such as crisis counseling, prescription drug refills or referral to a physician, occur in a timely manner. For the Ukrainians who have support from family or friends already living in Manitoba, they are also welcome to visit the reception centre for health care and settlement services. Recognizing that longer-term settlement support may not be required immediately, people can drop by the reception centre at a later date as needed.

To ensure that those arriving in Manitoba are aware of the reception centre and supports available, the URTF has developed a quick reference guide in coordination with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that is being distributed to Ukrainians upon their arrival to Canada. Additionally, the UCC-MPC has a welcome area (reception desk) at the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport and is directing new arrivals to the reception centre.

Services available at the reception centre include:

• Intake services to determine individual and family needs
• Temporary accommodations and meals for Ukrainians who have no connection to individuals in Manitoba
• Registration, orientation and referral services through Manitoba Start (information and referral to settlement supports that link people to language training, the workforce and longer-term settlement needs)
• Additional resources such as free home furnishings, backpacks for kids, and activity kits for children
• Orientation packages from the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Manitoba Provincial Council (UCC-MPC)
• Access to coordinated health-care services through the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and Manitoba Health (Ukrainians traveling to Manitoba under the federal CUAET are eligible for health care coverage upon arrival in Manitoba – see below for how to get a health card)
• Registration with Service Canada for a social insurance number.

For more information about Manitoba’s response to the Ukraine crisis visit www.Manitoba4Ukraine.ca.