On LOVE DAY, 100+ CBOQ churches chose how they would serve vulnerable women and children in their communities. What follows are a few first-hand accounts of their plans and event updates. Members have posted photos on  our Facebook group page (www.facebook.com and search for Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec.) And read more in the January/February 2015 issue of live.

Bilberry Creek Baptist Church, Ottawa (update)
Love Day in Ottawa: Bilberry Creek Baptist Church raked leaves at Matthew House Ottawa, made fabric bags for a women’s shelter, finished sewing on dresses for ‘Dress a Girl’ ministry, baked Valentine cookies for distribution, and did various intentional acts of kindness.

Donway Baptist Church, Toronto (update)
This is just an description of LOVE DAY with Donway Baptist Church. Our goal was to give out winter coats, boots, etc. at the Don Mills Community Food Share that regularly meets on Saturday mornings.

The youth sorted the large amount of clothing earlier in the week so that it was in groups of women’s, men’s and children’s winter coats.

Seven people participated on November 1st to move the outerwear from our church to the church where the food bank is held. We got the areas set up and tickets were handed out so that only a couple of people were picking out what they needed at a time. About 30 people were very appreciative of the opportunity to get new coats for themselves and any family members who needed one also, and the timing of the first snow of this season could not have been better for the theme of winter coats.

The Community Share was able to keep anything not taken this week, to put out for the Tuesday Community Share, and weeks to come.

First Baptist Church, Fort Erie (update)
We helped our local Salvation Army in their thrift store and soup kitchen. They do great work in our town and it was good to support them.

First Baptist Church, Parry Sound (update)
With the NO FRILLS grocery store undergoing renovations, we chose to assist shoppers from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. We had a group of older women praying for us while the event was on. We had new aisle directories to hand out or use to find items for people. We helped moms push carts and distract child(ren). We packed groceries at self-pack check-outs.  People were delighted with the unexpected help. Cashiers invited us back for Christmas!

First Baptist Church + Fourth Avenue Baptist Church, Ottawa (plan)
Both churches will work together in a Love Day project. Not all plans are finalized yet. What we plan to do is put on a program at Cornerstone Housing for Women. This is for low-income women, many of whom have mental illness or other illnesses/disabilities. There are seniors as well as younger women needing shelter. We will include entertainment, singing, manicures, tea and snacks. We are talking about having a little gift bag for each resident with some personal items such as bubble bath.

First Baptist Church, Petrolia (update)
The Petrolia LOVE DAY was spent visiting our shut-ins and taking them flowers. Great day!

First Baptist Church, Welland (plan)
On Sunday October 26, we at First Baptist Church, Welland, will host the New Life Girls Home (a home for troubled girls with life addictions and struggles)in our morning service. On Monday October 27, we will host a community meal at 5 p.m. and then at 6:30 p.m. we’ll show Nefarious Merchant of Souls, courtesy CBWOQ. And then, on Wednesday October 29, we will host the Buying Sex Is Not A Sport forum at 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome to join us for these LOVE DAY events!

Gilmour Memorial Baptist Church, Peterborough (plan)
I am personally very excited that Curve Lake Christian Assembly has invited Gilmour Memorial to support them on LOVE DAY as they launch a five-day conference on grief called A Step Towards Joy and Wholeness with facilitators Dr. Joe Jolly and Sheila Jolly. Together we will be wearing our green shirts; praying; attending their event and providing healthy desserts and snacks!

Hagersville Assembly of Friends (update)
For their LOVE DAY, this “Assembly of Friends” chose to put on a day of entertainment, information and fellowship at the Jarvis Nursing Home. They began with some hymns for all to join in with singing. There were some solos, a duet and a couple of readings. Marvin, who is a beekeeper, gave some information on bees, with a question session afterwards. We got to visit with the residents after, serving trays of fruit and homemade goodies. Each resident then got a table favour of candies in a cup, decorated with a bee and “Love Day 2014 – Assembly of Friends” written on it. The residents seemed to enjoy the day quite well.

It was a great day of sharing God’s love!

Hillsburgh Baptist Church (plan)
We’re in the final stages of planning the details for LOVE DAY on November 1st. We are a small church in a rural setting so we are inviting Love Day to be a community event! It’s terribly exciting, actually, seeing God at work here. Churches of all denominations and our local community services folks for the communities of Erin and Hillsburgh are joining together with our Baptist Women (and men) to offer a morning brunch for moms in Erin and a miniVBS for children in Hillsburgh.

Immanuel Baptist Church, Fenelon Falls (plan)
We are gathering at the church from 10 a.m. – noon to prepare and package loaves and muffins for the breakfast club at Fenelon Falls Secondary School and Langton Public School. These will be used to provide a nourishing breakfast for children who come to school without breakfast due to adverse circumstances in the home, and also for children who board a school bus before 7 a.m. to be at Secondary School for 8 a.m.

With such an early start to their day, some of the children have only snatched something on the way out the door and this helps tide them over until lunchtime.

We promoted and prayed for Love Day at our Mission Circle Meetings and have been promoting the event at Church. Next Sunday we will use part of the morning service to promote and pray for the Novenber 1st event. There are about 10 women in our Mission Circle (Most over 80 years) and we are hoping that other members of the congregation will answer the call and join us or donate items for our Love Day mission.

Lanark Baptist Church, Lanark (plan)
My name is Karen McIntyre and my husband is the pastor at Lanark Baptist. I was a delegate from our church at Assembly in June and was encouraged by the LOVE DAY enthusiasm that I saw. When I returned home I began to think of ways that our church could reach out and serve in our community. I approached our ladies and we tossed around several ideas.

Here is what we came up with:
The Civitan Club sponsors a Santa Claus parade and of late it has fallen on hard times. There are few floats and few spectators. We decided to have our LOVE DAY the same day, December 13th.

We are opening a Children’s Christmas Shop for the day in hopes that it will help draw a bigger crowd to town. New, gently used items for sale will be for sale at .25, .50, $1.00 and $2.00.
While the kids do their shopping in our fellowship hall, parents will be welcomed into the sanctuary for coffee, cookies, visiting and Christmas music. The youth group members are going to help the 12 and under shoppers with their shopping lists. Ladies from the church will wrap and label the gifts. Before the shoppers leave they will each receive a bracelet with coloured beads, and a leaflet explaining the Gospel.
All proceeds will go to the village Christmas hamper fund. We are putting a small float in the parade also.
The Civitan Club has welcomed our event and the local newspaper is going to do a press release.

We are quite excited about our day and the congregation is already gathering gifts for the shop . . . we are going to set it up like a real store not a yard sale.
Our community needs an interjection of true love and we hope that our LOVE DAY efforts will make a difference.

Mount Brydges Baptist Church (plan)
Mount Brydges has made a great plan for Saturday November 1 . . . LOVE DAY 2014.

They’ll start the countdown to LOVE DAY by showing Nefarious: Merchant of Souls in late October. This award-winning documentary profiles the global trafficking of girls and women for sexual exploitation. It invites viewers to pray, learn, raise awareness and support organizations who work to end this modern-day slavery.

And then . . . on Saturday November 1, Mount Brydges will reach out to the women’s rural resources shelter in Strathroy. This shelter cares for abused women and threatened children who are leaving domestic abuse.

Thank you churches!

 Selkirk Baptist Church, Selkirk (update)
The Women Of the Church (W.O.C.) at Selkirk Baptist Church decided in spring 2014 to serve in our community by choosing a local family to support financially – food vouchers- for three months. This was done over the summer and into the fall knowing the need. Our Selkirk Baptist Church congregation was informed this fall about the LOVE DAY projects happening within the Baptist churches in fall 2014 and they donated generously. No names were ever disclosed. Our W.O.C. ladies gathered on November 5, 2014, and this summary letter was read as part of the program called “ The Selkirk Baptist Church Love Project.”

As the Lord works His miracles – this family has received our “Love Project” as a token of our love and support. Some of the family now join us in our church services, fellowship hour and the Junior Church activities as they learn of Jesus’ love.

We are touched by God’s love as this marvellous opportunity unfolds here in Selkirk.