Central Abbotsford

Some of you know that, before taking the role of pastor at Central Abbotsford, I spent four years in Northview’s Immerse program – the graduate-level seminary education program that Northview administers. During these years, my ministry placement was in Northview’s Care Department. In addition to pastoral counselling meetings and the assignment workload of a master’s degree, I also helped oversee Northview’s Care Fund.

The Care Fund is something that we announce in church every once in a while, and we occasionally take a special offering for it, but it may be something that blends into the background of church life. I hope that’s not the case!

The immediate purpose of the Care Fund is to provide temporary financial assistance to individuals or families, whether members of Northview or otherwise, who are experiencing financial or material needs. However, this is a practical outworking of the greater purpose of the fund, which is to fulfill the law and mission of Christ by being used as a blessing for, and a means of doing good to, all people, especially those in the community of believers.

To those ends, the Care Fund is managed entirely separately from the rest of Northview’s budget. It is a standalone fund that Northview holds entirely and solely for the purposes in the previous paragraph. Our Care Department uses wisdom, discretion, and prayerfully-considered guidelines in making decisions regarding all applications for assistance through the Care Fund, but that doesn’t change the fact that 100% of the funds therein are used for financial assistance to those in need.

Our hope for those who benefit from the Care Fund is, of course, that some temporary financial assistance helps alleviate stress and provides some margin for daily living. However, it is also a powerful means by which those in the church can tangibly see that their brothers and sisters in the faith are helping to bear their burdens, and for those outside the church to come to see how the Spirit of Christ at work in His people can be a blessing, even to the “stranger” and “outsider”. 

If you would like to – or feel moved to – give to the Care Fund, you can do so in person at one of our services by indicating that your gift is for the Care Fund on your envelope, or you can give online (make sure you select “Care Fund” from the drop-down menu). 

In His Name,

Eric