Canyon Creek Christian Fellowship

Fake news, deep fakes, truth is stranger than fiction and My Truth. It's hard to know where we stand and what is real! Pastor Kara explored 1 John 5: 11-15 which gives us the insider's tip on The Truth and how to be certain of reality from illusion.

Pastor Jeff Edwards asked, "What makes you truly happy?  Long weekends?  A new toy?  Your team winning?"  As we conclude the letters of John, he emphasizes the eternal-life-long happiness found in passing on Truth and Love. Jeff preached from 1 John 5:20 – 3 John 15.

Pastor Jeff Edwards spoke about how some people feel that, if Christianity is the real deal, God should just plainly tell us.  Here's the kicker… He did!  Come hear about the practical testimony of God about Jesus. Jeff preached from 1 John 5:1-10.

Guest speaker Dave Chow spoke about how sometimes loving people outside our family is easier than loving those on the inside. 1 John's message is a declaration of who God is, and therefore who His church (that's us), is called to be. In 1 John 4:17-21, we are challenged to love our neighbours - and more specifically, our brothers and sisters (in Christ).  

Associate Pastor Valerie Salkeld asked if Passover still matters. The Last Supper was, and still is, hugely significant for us as we think about Jesus' last week on earth. We will look at the elements of the Last Supper and see how, from the beginning, Scripture was pointing to Jesus and His deep love for us. Valerie focused on Mark 14:12-26.

Pastor Jeff Edwards spoke about how if you love someone, you want to believe them.  But with so much information coming at us these days, can you believe all of it?  In fact, there's now a new emphasis on “fact-checking”.  How do Christians fact-check?  The Apostle John gives us the loving answer! Jeff used 1 John 4:1-6 as his scripture.

We welcomed Dennis Bunio back to our pulpit!  He preached from 1 John 3:11-24 about how we are all prone to forgetting what is essential in life.  In this passage, God's Word reminds us that the basic essential for all relationships needs to be Christlike love.  Dennis also shared what he has been doing with HART International Relief and Missions.

Shaan and Katie Kondra, from Camp Chestermere, were our guest speakers. God lavishes His transforming love on us, even though we don't deserve it. He has called us His children. As children of God, our true nature isn't fully revealed yet. But we know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him and see Him as He truly is. This transforming love fuels our hope, inspiring us to purify ourselves, just as He is pure. They used 1 John 3:1-3 as their scripture.

Have you ever met an obedient, loving child, then met their parents later and went… “ah, of course”, because they were also good and kind people?  John's themes of love and light intersect to inspire us to grow in godly character. Jeff spoke from 1 John 3:1-10.  We had Communion, too. Have your elements ready so you can participate, too.

Associate Pastor Kara Wilfley spoke about warnings and words to the wise when it comes to Love. The early church were no strangers to antagonists who attacked the love and loyalty of the first groups of believers. Kara looked at 1 John 2:18-23 to see how they guarded their relationships and loved well. And we can too!

Pastor Jeff Edwards asked, "Should we love the world or not?" Jeff loves pizza, his mountain bike, and his job.  Should he?  The Apostle John says “don't love the world”, but he also said “God so loved the world”.  Which is it? Pastor Jeff preached from 1 John 2:15-17.

Pastor Valerie Salkeld asked, "Are we living in the dark?" Love God. Love others. 1 John 2: 7 - 11 gives us a look at an old commandment with new eyes.

Pastor Jeff Edwards spoke about how to not hope when it seems hopeless. With tariffs and wars and certain trends, the world can seem a little hopeless.  And are you going through some tough times personally?  1 John 2:12-14 cheers us up.  These are quotes from the creator of the universe Himself! 

Tyler Dobson spoke about how we know we're following Jesus. It's a question that consumes the minds of a lot of believers, and the early church dealt with it the same as we do today. Let's learn from the apostle John and what he wrote in 1 John 1:5-10, and how he strengthened the faith of a church in need of encouragement.

Mark Fryer spoke about 1 John 4:16. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

Pastor Jeff Edwards preached about God's love language. If God is love, what do you think God's love language is?  Words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, receiving gifts, physical touch?  An argument could be made for each, but one stands above the rest.  1 John 2:1-6 tells us how we can show God we love him practically in our lives.  God is love, God is light, and God is the life!

Pastor Valerie Salkeld gave an introduction of 1 John and peeked into the overarching story of the letter - God is Love and what it means to be a witness to God's Love in our world.  Valerie's scripture was 1 John 1: 1-4.

Pastor Jeff Edwards introduced our new sermon series and new theme, "God is Love in 2025." What should we work on in 2025?  Well, what is the most important thing in the universe, besides God? Let's look at the “book of love”, 1 John, for the answer!  We will walk through the book of 1 John. Jeff preachedfrom 1 John 4:7-12.

Intern Tyler Dobson spoke about RESPECT! Everybody wants to be respected, right? And the Bible promises that if we follow God's Word and obey His Will, then the world will respect us, right?...right? Actually, what does the Bible say that people will think about us if we follow God's Word?

Pastor Jeff Edwards spoke about Glory Church. We've been talking a little and praying a lot about a Chinese church plant at the south site.  You might be wondering where this idea came from.  What does it look like?  When will it happen?  How will it impact us/me?  Jeff gave a word about planting, shared how we believe God is directing, and then had a Q&A.  Jeff preached from 1 Corinthians 3:5-17.

Pastor Valerie Salkeld spoke about what it means to be a friend. Lay down your life. Lay down your opinion. Which is harder? We looked at Friendship in light of Proverbs 27.

Pastor Kara Wilfley reminded us that last Sunday we prayed for the persecuted church focusing on oppressed women in the world.  Why does this happen?  Why so much poverty?  This Sunday, she reminded us that The Church is a catalyst for change around the world.  Tearfund is our international relief agency and this Sunday we highlight an approach that impacts every area of a family's life, just like Jesus did for the woman at the well. Kara preached from John 4:1-26.

Pastor Jeff Edwards asked, "Are you a good communicator?"  Healthy relationships require effective communication.  Proverbs has a lot of wisdom about the art of talking and listening.  This life hack is about adding filters to our mouths and removing them from our ears. Jeff used Proverbs 15:1-4 and 23-28 as his scripture reference.

Associate Pastor Valerie Salkeld looked at building our spiritual ecosystems to create a thriving environment for spiritual growth. What do we do already and what needs attention for our spiritual lives to flourish?  Valerie used Proverbs 8 as her reference.

We heard from Pastor Sherry Brown of Harvest Hills Alliance Church as she spoke on "Worship in the Valley". Her own experience has brought her into the deep valley, and she spoke on questioning God, doubt, and fragile faith through the lens of Psalm 88.

Pastor Jeff Edwards spoke about the proverbial financial advisor. Everybody gets stressed by finances.  It affects young and old, individuals and families, and marriages.  Jeff gave us good news on where to find invaluable, free financial advice, available at your fingertips… The Book of Proverbs! Jeff used Proverbs 22:1-9 for his text.

We heard from Intern Tyler Dobson about how our habits can determine a lot about how our lives operate. We often try to develop good habits, but why do we still develop bad ones? Why do we end up doing things we don't even want to do? Let's explore God's Word in Proverbs and Romans as He understands our habits.

Pastor Jeff Edwards looked at the key to a happy marriage.  There is a principle that many Proverbs in the bible talk about.  Whether you are married, or pre-married, or re-married, or single supporting friends who are married, listen to hear some life hacks about relationships.

Pastor Valerie Salkeld looked at various Proverbs about work and what the Bible says about it. But what does that look like if we're retired? Or a student? Or unemployed? She spoke about enjoying the work God has given us.  

Pastor Jeff gave us some “Life Hacks!” Who couldn't use inspiration to help improve our lives?  This fall, we will have practical messages from Proverbs. First, from Proverbs 9:10-12, we see that the source of all wisdom is a good relationship with God.

Pastor Jeff Edwards spoke about the first step to living “freely and lightly”, our theme for 2024.  Jesus tells us.  It's admitting the heaviness!  We looked at the impacts of denial and the power of facing the truth.  Jeff used Matthew 9:9-13 as his text.

Tyler Dobson spoke about how the bible says the words "worship" and "praise" hundreds of times, but what do these words actually mean? Romans 12 gives us a clear definition of how the Christian ought to worship God in our daily lives. Here's a hint; it's a lot more than just music!

Leadership team member Mark Fryer shared with us. His message reminds us to live freely and lightly. He used 1 Corinthians 7:17 as his text.

Pastor Valerie Salkeld looked at Matthew 7:13-14 to see what Jesus meant by a narrow road. She connected this as we looked at scripture from Deuteronomy.

On the August long weekend, Pastor Jeff Edwards spoke about vacation! What does God think about summer vacation? He used Mark 6:30-46 as his text.

Pastor Jeff Edwards spoke about how giving is part of worship and in worship you're honoring God by putting him in His rightful place. Through the prophet Malachi, God states His hopes for how our financial giving will reflect our faith in Him.  We looked at several guidelines for giving. Jeff used Malachi 3:6-12 as his text.

Carey Wegner, the chair of our leadership team, was our speaker. He asked the question, "How good is God?" Some days Carey wonders and other days he is confident in God's goodness. Carey invited us to ponder the question together. He used Hebrew 11:1-6, 32-40 (NLT) as his text.

Pastor Valerie Salkeld spoke about how generosity begets generosity. How is generosity good for your health and relationships?  We looked at 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 to show how giving sacrificially strengthened their community.

Pastoral Intern Tyler Dobson spoke about how we all know that generosity is a good thing, but is that all it is? Or is it perhaps a greater spiritual practice than we realize? Let's look at 2 Corinthians 9 and see how generosity can be a powerful testimony for God's Kingdom!

We welcomed Todd and Krystal Wawrzyniak who minister to the Indigenous Peoples of Canada and the USA. They asked, "Is God's economy different from man's economy? As citizens of heaven, we are to behave in a manner worthy of the Good News of Christ. They preached from Philippians 1:27.

Pastor Jeff Edwards shared some reflections that he had from attending the BGC AGM the previous week.

Pastor Valerie Salkeld spoke about how what we think about work will lead to how we think about others and generosity. Valerie preached from Ecclesiastes 5:8-20.

Pastor Jeff Edwards asked the question, “Do you have enough to retire?”  Did you know God asks the same question?!  Pastor Jeff looked at everything that should be in your heavenly portfolio. Jeff will preach from 1 Timothy 6:17-19.

Dennis Gulley's message, "Generosity in Ministry Multiplication”, draws inspiration from 2 Corinthians 8:1-15, emphasizing the transformative power of sharing resources within the Christian community. 

Pastor Valerie Salkeld spoke about generosity. When was the last time you were in awe of something? How do we see God's generosity to us and what is our response? Valerie preached from Psalm 8.

Using 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 as his text, Pastor Jeff Edwards spoke about how generosity is a key Christian character trait.  However, being generous is not easy.  Why is that?  And what can motivate us to always be generous?  We start by remembering that God owns everything and that has huge consequences.

Tyler Dobson spoke about living in a post-resurrection world.  We know that Jesus is risen! But now what? As followers of Jesus, we live in a post-resurrection world; the powers of death and sin no longer have hold over us, and that changes everything! So how do we live in a post-resurrection world, when the world around us still lives under death?

Pastor Jeff Edwards spoke using Luke 24:36-53 as his text.  Good Friday and Easter are done.  Now what?  Goof around until next year?  Nope.  The Easter Season has two more big days… the Ascension and Pentecost.  It's now “Eastertide Renewal” with a King and a purpose.  Jesus is on the throne and His Spirit empowers us to build His Church.

Pastor Valerie Salkeld spoke speak about what Psalm 22 has to do with the Easter Story. She explored some of the words that Jesus said from the Cross that speak to Life renewed in the Resurrection. We also celebrated Communion.  If you would like to take Communion, please have your elements ready.

Pastor Jeff Edwards spoke about how one of the reasons people don't pray is because they don't understand why they need to keep asking.  Doesn't God know?  Why does He delay?  Fortunately, Scripture has good answers to this.  Listen and be reminded why we need to persevere in our asking… and just keep praying! He used 1 Kings 18:41-45 for his message. Also, BGCA District Pastor Dennis Gulley led us in celebrating Communion.  If you would like to celebrate Communion, please have your elements ready.

Josh McAuley, camp coordinator at Camp Chestermere, shared with us. Josh spoke about how, as Christians, we can expect to encounter difficult circumstances but that they don't have to lead us to destruction and despair. Isaiah helps us navigate a better way through by reminding us of the love and faithfulness of God. Josh used Isaiah 43:1-4 as his scripture reference.