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Dearly Beloved,

My first job? Do you know what it was? 

Let me see if you can guess. Here are a few clues: 

  • My forearms would bleed from hundreds of scratches every shift.
  • For months of the year I would work in temperatures of upwards of 40C, and at times in 100% humidity.
  • I was nearly able to reconstruct a chicken's skeleton by finding various bones in natural organic matter I was working with.

Sounds like a riddle, doesn't it? And if you like that kind of thing, take a minute to try to figure this one out before reading on. 

I started at age 15 and ended up working for the same employer for 7 years. In fact, I paid my way (barely!) through Bible College with this job. I was a labourer at a nursery that primarily grew roses under acres of glass in greenhouses. 

Yes, roses have thorns. I bled every day, harvesting stems for market. Yes, it gets very hot in greenhouses, especially in the summer (imagine working under what feels like a magnifying glass). It wasn't just summers though, the winters and all seasons were kept very warm by special heating units. And, yes, I nearly reconstructed a chicken. How? We would fertilize the plants by spreading chicken manure. The stuff came to us via chicken farms, and sadly, the bones of some of the chickens who died early were found in the manure piles. 

While the labour was grueling, the conditions intense, and the fertilizer smelly, wow, can greenhouses ever accelerate growth! 

I was in a conversation this week with some people about our upcoming Encounter Weekend, and it occurred to me that the Encounter Weekend is like a Greenhouse for your soul. It allows for spiritual growth to become accelerated! 

As you've likely heard me say, I can't imagine ANY of us have come into this year thinking, "You know, for 2026, I'm kind of hoping my faith will plateau, or even decline." Sounds ludicrous, doesn't it?! But without taking intentional steps to nurture and grow our faith, we can end up in plateau or decline without even meaning to. 

The Encounter Weekend is one of our 3 CPC "Next Steps" designed for anyone who wants to grow spiritually. The last one we had was in 2023 and we had well over 100 people attend! Right now, we plan to do Encounter Weekend every two years. I hope you get FOMO (fear of missing out — ha!) and decide to join us next week too. 

Encounter is Friday, January 23 (evening), and Saturday, January 24 (whole day). It includes meals, and we also offer childcare! Let me address a few frequently asked questions: 

Who is Encounter for? 

  • New to CPC 
  • New to Faith 
  • Lifelong follower of Jesus 
  • Anyone who wants to keep growing deeper in their faith 
  • Anyone who is struggling or seeking greater freedom in some way 
  • Anyone who wants to experience a fresh work of the Holy Spirit in their life 
  • If you've been to Encounter before, then we're not trying to invite you to come back (yes, it's the same content at each Encounter), however you're most welcome to if you are interested. 

"Sin list?" 

  • Yes, as Pastor Abi mentioned this past Sunday, there is a part of the weekend that includes a Spiritual Inventory (we don't call it a sin list). This is to help each of us grow in awareness of areas of our lives and past that could use the healing and help that only Jesus can bring. 
  • No, we don't ask you to show your Spiritual Inventory to other people. Other churches may have done something similar to that, but we don't. This is a private exercise between you and God, and we do give opportunity for you to receive prayer over anything that you're ready to.

I may only be able to take in a few of the sessions, is that ok? 

  • Actually, not really. Here's why... 
  • The teaching and content of the Encounter Weekend has been honed for over 30 years, and each session strategically builds upon the previous one and prepares you for the next one. 
  • So, to gain all that you can from the weekend, you really need to take in the whole experience from Friday night until we're done on Saturday evening. 

How do I learn more or sign up? 

  • Please click here for that! 
  • And if the cost of Encounter would keep you from coming in any way, please let our office know, and we are more than glad to offer you or your family a subsidy to make the Encounter Weekend possible for you! 

Well, I guess one more question out there might be if Encounter is like a Greenhouse for more than just the accelerated spiritual growth? While there are no thorns, high temperatures and humidity, or any chicken carcasses that I'm aware of, I suppose it's worth you knowing that growth doesn't happen automatically. It does require some hard work, but oh, it's worth it! 

Pastor Mike