Serving Families Together – Central Fellowship, Prince George
At Fellowship Pacific, our mission is “to leverage the collective strength of our churches in order to produce a God-honouring impact in BC and Yukon” because we know that to reach a mission field as large as this one, it’s going to take all of us working together. It’s not just about big goals, however, like reaching an entire region, we also need each other in the ongoing, day-to-day challenges as we minister to each person in our churches and communities. Take a minute to read and be encouraged by this beautiful story of how God has used and is using the collective strength of multiple Fellowship Pacific churches to love and provide for two special families.
In British Columbia, maternity care is somewhat limited for women who live outside of Metro Vancouver and Victoria because these are the only places where they have hospitals able to handle premature births prior to 30 weeks. Because of this, if an expectant mother experiences any issues prior to 30 weeks, the common practice is to send her south to be close to these hospitals.
Last year, a couple in our church faced this when the mother had to be airlifted to Victoria to be stabilized in a hospital that could provide the room and resources to deliver and care for the baby. Since this couple had no one to lean on in Victoria, I called Pastor Lindsay Anderson at Saanich Baptist and asked him if he could check in on them.
Not only did Pastor Lindsay and his wife, Carla check in on them, they took the father into their home and were a real blessing to the family. Thankfully, the mom was stabilized and the family was able to return to Prince George where their little girl was born healthy weeks later.
Last month, a similar situation arose when a couple from Houston Fellowship who are expecting twins were having some difficulties. The doctor wanted the mother in Prince George after she passed the 30 week mark of her pregnancy so she could give birth in a hospital where they have the resources needed.
We were able to connect with them through Jared Nagtegaal of Houston Fellowship and we offered them a place to stay with us. Before she could come, however, she needed to be airlifted to Surrey Memorial. They have no support network down there, so we placed a call to Pastor Dustin Laird at Redemption Community Church and he visited with them to see what could be done to support and encourage them. Praise God, the mother was stabilized at Surrey Memorial, discharged, and able to return to stay with us as she awaits delivery at the Prince George Hospital.
Because of how our churches are connected, God has been able to use us to minister to these families. As Pastor Lindsay at Saanich Baptist told his staff team when sharing about the family from our church, this is what being part of a fellowship is all about—we build relationships with each other and call on each other when we need help.
Michael Daykin, Lead Pastor
Central Fellowship Baptist Church