2023 REFLECTIONS & 2024 RESOLUTIONS
In the last two months of 2023, I engaged in a reflection exercise with a group of leaders. We were asked to summarize the last twelve months of our lives using three adjectives. One of my three adjectives was this: “uncertain.” For me and my family, 2023 was a year of many unknowns and unanswered questions, significant transitions and adjustments. But it was also a year filled with many moments of encouragement and hope, in which I saw God’s power and grace shine in unexpected ways.
How about you? What word or two would you use to summarize 2023?
Some of you experienced the difficulties and delights of bringing a new life into the world. Some of you experienced big changes in your vocation or schooling. A few of you experienced the thrill of being engaged to be married. Some of you moved, or had a loved one move, just down the street or thousands of kilometers. Some of you experienced the hard realities of sickness, or a loved one’s sickness, or even death. Some of you experienced the joy of acceptance; some of you experienced the sadness of rejection.
Some of you are filled with hope and excitement as you head into a new year. Some of you are filled with anxiety and fatigue. Some of you don’t really know what you’re feeling, maybe a little bit of everything, maybe a little numb. Maybe a little uncertain, like me.
So, as we take this opportunity to look back and look forward, I would encourage you to take a few moments to reflect on the familiar words of Psalm 23. And meditate on all that the Lord does for his people.
He makes us lie down in green pastures (2a).
He leads us beside waters of rest (2b).
He restores our souls (3a).
He leads us in right paths (3b).
He is with us and comforts us in dark and scary places (4).
He prepares a table for us (5a).
He anoints our head with oil (5b).
He will pursue us with his covenant love all the days of our lives (6)
Friends, may these everlasting assurances of Jesus, the Great Shepherd, give you hope, contentment, and strength as we close the chapter on 2023. And may he fill your hearts with a resolve to live for his glory and gospel mission in 2024.
And now, it has become a bit of a tradition around here to compile a list of “Reflections & Resolutions” from your staff and elders, tongue firmly in cheek. We hope you enjoy reading them!
Happy New Year, New City!
Moses
REFLECTIONS
I’m super thankful for an amazing staff team that I get to work with day after day: Catherine, Josiah, Phil, and Dan (Moses)
I’m grateful for the faithful labors and fellowship of the Kubliks for the last 12 years + the opportunity to bid farewell in style (Moses)
It was heartwarming to see the youth build friendships and lasting connections on their camping trip! (Moses)
Amazed and thankful for the ways that the Lord worked through a fire to give us a beautiful new-ish gym! (Moses)
Grateful for the beautiful original songs that Dan K wrote for Advent! (Moses)
Thankful that the koi ponds in the gym are gone. That’s what they were, right? (Moses)
I was blessed to become a member of New City in the spring and now I have the privilege to be on staff! (Catherine)
Encouraged to see all the ways the congregation invests in the city and community around us: Helping Hands, Safe Families, MoveIn, etc. (Dan)
Grateful for the patient endurance, love and support from the church for those going through difficult and hard seasons (Dan)
Relieved to know that the Sahibi family is on their way! (Dan)
Thankful for unity of the session through a season of transition (Hank)
Thankful for the wisdom and commitment of small group leaders (Hank)
Thankful for evidence of generosity through hamper season (Hank)
Thankful for the the Tadros’ and the momentum around Mission to Stoney Creek (Hank)
Thankful for growing ethnic diversity at New City Sunday services (Hank)
Thankful for many members serving faithfully behind the scenes (Hank)
Thankful the great work of the building team (Hank)
I’m inspired by the many amazing and godly young adults at New City! (Armen)
Grateful for our the service of our gifted Pastors and staff (Steve)
Grateful for the dedicated New City Youth leaders and seeing God work through this ministry. (Armen)
Grateful for the gifted men and women serving on New City Music (Armen)
Grateful for our denomination (the PCA) celebrating 50 years of God’s faithfulness! (Armen)
Grateful for the faithful service of the New City Tech team – you guys rock! (Armen)
Grateful for a congregation that loves to sing to the Lord together but we need to get better at following Miranda’s lead at clapping on beat (Phil)
Grateful for our growing diversity as a church that reflects the city and the global family of Jesus (Phil)
Grateful for our ESL ministry happening behind the scenes every other Sunday. Thank you Miranda and Erin (Phil)
Grateful for Jeremy and Michaella Kruizinga for their co-leadership in the Stoney Creek IG, their partnership and their thoughtfulness (Phil)
Thankful for our Stoney Creek IG, for growing and deepening friendships, for our group’s engagement and service in the outreach events, desire to connect with people, and for the local people who have joined our group (Phil)
I am grateful for the long and faithful season of leadership provided by Connan and Brenda and pray for them to feel rooted and established in their new ministry in Calgary (Allan)
I’m thankful for a season of revision and renewal at New City and pray for a fresh wind of the Holy Spirit to breathe revival and new energy into our church family (Allan)
I celebrate new songs of worship being written by Moses and Dan and sung during our services and pray for God to continue to pull new and different praise out of all the creativity and imagination he has given to each one of us (Allan)
I loved ministry showcase(Varun)
I loved the Gospel in Life material for small groups(Varun)
I am thankful for church’s generosity(Varun)
I am thankful for so many new people from different places (Varun)
I am thankful for an awesome staff team (Varun)
I am thankful for the youths in the church! They keep things fun and interesting. There is never a dull moment with them (Josiah)
I am grateful to have been able to serve under and learn from the Kubliks. They made us feel right at home when my family first started coming here (Josiah).
I am grateful for the staff team and the bullpen conversations we get to have (Josiah)
Thankful for the amazing men and women who serve and lead at New City, so many great people to learn from. (Josiah)
I am thankful for God’s providence toward this church especially amid transitions (Josiah)
God is good. Even in Kidscamp chaos, Youth camping trip late night shenanigans, Helping Hands Fashion Shows, sushi making fiascos, Youth Group Lazer Tag wars, and Pancake Breakfast messiness. But he is especially good in the bible study questions, prayer requests and sharings that happened in youth group. (Josiah)
I am especially thankful for the kids ministry and youth ministry volunteers that helped make all of this happen. (Josiah)
RESOLUTIONS
Fewer fires (Moses) /li>
Tell Moses that putting out non-metaphorical fires is no longer part of his job description (Josiah)
Burn the reindeer costume (Moses)
Treat the reindeer costume with a flame retardant chemical (Catherine)
Find out the recipe for Greek Fire so that it will burn regardless (Dan)
Buy another reindeer costume as a backup (Josiah)
Find out who keeps taking my red Swingline stapler (Moses)
Otherwise there may be extra fires (Dan)
Return red swingline stapler from the building team’s office (Steve)
Locate the building team’s office (Catherine)
Look to model Moses’ passion for the church (and its office supplies). (Josiah)
Rooftop garden! (Moses)
Place a single plant on the rooftop. (Josiah)
Fewer fire jokes (Moses)
Find the switch for the 2 pot-lights above the stage (Dan)
Finally show Dan where the switch is for the stage potlights (Steve)
Finally figure out how our HVAC system works (Steve)
See the HVAC upgrade completed (Steve)
Have more new (and old) people over for dinner/ coffee/ tea (Steve)
Avoid all pool noodle wielding kids (Dan)
Train the kids and youths in Jedi Forms I – VII to better equip them to wield pool noodles. My padawans will always have the high ground. (Josiah)
More banners (Dan)
Build a scale model of the church building out of LEGO (Dan)
Add lego projects to the building campaign [It’s not that kind of building campaign!?] (Josiah)
Write more songs (Dan)
Encourage Dan to write more songs (Steve)
Encourage Moses to play his cello (Steve)
Develop a dynamic vision for the church building to better serve the city (Hank)
Audition for “whistler role” for Sunday worship team (Hank)
Small fires in washrooms to get new-ish washrooms (Hank)
Try to beat the 128 little kids to the cookie table after Sunday service (Hank)
Join Hank in more speed-based sprint training (Josiah)
Try to beat Hank to the cookie table after Sunday service (Armen)
Add Armen to mine and Hank’s sprint training group (Josiah)
Convince session to invest in a Keytar for the music team (Armen)
Can confirm that this is a need, not a want (Dan)
Try not to look back at the New City Tech booth every time there’s a minor glitch (Armen)
Try to limit myself to one small cup of goldfish crackers when serving on New City Kids – sorry Catherine, it’s hard! (Armen)
Be a clapping church! See above! (Phil)
Learn to clap (Steve)
Learn to clap at the correct time without having to watch someone clap (Hank)
Start a discipleship program in Christian Rhythm for the children (Josiah)
Be comfortable in the tension between raising hands and clapping during the worship service (Josiah)
Rooftop swimming pool / fire suppression pond! (Allan)
Make time to meet all of the new people attending New City (Allan)
Rooftop skating rink (Hank)
Try to beat Abel to the communion bread after Sunday service (Allan)
Add Allan to our sprint training group (Josiah)
Organize a youth spring camp! (Josiah)
Make Summer youth camping trips annual (Josiah)
[Long term] Someday get a sports ministry going in the gym (Josiah)
Host more people at our home (Josiah)