Today was a day of rest from work. We started our morning by joining the Open Walls Church within the community. Their congregation welcomed us by teaching us a song and praying for us. In the afternoon, we were up against one of the softball teams in the neighbourhood. We were told they practice twice a week; we became their practice round. While our
There was one key word that summarized our day: PAINT! In the morning, we divided into 2 groups: one that joined a ESL class and another painting the interior and the washrooms for a satellite school (that was named after CBOQ). In the afternoon, we continued painting, this time some metal storage unit that will be used in the Lighthouse compound itself.
This morning, we started our day with devotions on the rooftop of our residence - a nice cool breezy morning. In the morning, Felix guided us through the area around the Lighthouse school. We briefly visited some local churches, satellite schools and neighbourhoods to familiarize ourselves both with the community's history and its relationship to the Lighthouse. After our community walk, we took time to
7:04 pm local time: After getting through security with some minor delays, we took off on time and have now landed in Punta Cana. 8:09 pm: We have all our bags and are on the Lighthouse bus. Plus pizza as we travel! 11:09 pm We arrived safely at the Lighthouse compound. It's been quite the travel day. With some great food waiting for us, the Dominican hospitality
This is the first time our entire team was able to gather together as we prepare for this Compassion Experience. After some heartfelt good-byes with parents, we centred on why we're in this, had a Spanish primer lesson led by Karla Campbell and began working through the logistics of our final preparations (including shuttling between our office and our hotel).
We are excited to be sending a team of 15 students and leaders from Kingsway Baptist Church and Mimico Baptist Church on this compassion experience to the Dominican Republic on March 9-16. They will be joining the Lighthouse Project which CBOQ Youth has supported for 20+ years. Starting on March 9, we'll have a daily update from our team so you can see what God is doing through our team.
On February 25, over 750 youth leaders and student leaders converged at Bayview Glen Church for the first time in-person in 3 years. Essentially 2 simultaneous conferences happening, it was a time of deep learning, inspiration and conviction. Also, a special announcement on this 40th anniversary was the hosting transfer from Youth Unlimited to Youth Worker Conference. (You can see a glimpse of what the day was like in
This past weekend was our 23rd year of Blizzard, the first in-person since 2020. Lisa Pak drew us into the stories of Joseph, Daniel and Esther. Life Support drew us into God's presence through worship. A key focus this weekend was the concept of journey: with God, with friends and with trusted mentors. The intersection of our lives with one another centralizes in Christ and connects with various people
Last weekend, almost 400 jr. highs, leaders and staff set out on a road trip to Muskoka Woods for our first in-person retreat since 2020. There was snow, food and so many memories made. We even had a travelling suitcase where our MCs, team captains and Karra emerged from to join our plenary sessions in the Hangar. We had several people comment, "It's good to be back together for
We're happy to welcome Alison Ryan as an independent contractor assisting in administrative duties for NextGen youth ministry over the next 6 months. She is a wife, mother of two beautiful daughters and lover of Jesus. Apart from that, a professional singer and long-time worship leader at Rexdale Alliance Church. Welcome Alison to the CBOQ Youth team! You can reach her at cboqyouth@baptist.ca.
