CANORA - “We’re celebrating our 30 years, but also your faithfulness.”
Even thought the Oct. 6 Gateway Community Church service was highlighting his three decades of faithful service as pastor, Pastor Greg Bright, with his wife Carolyn beside him, was more interested in sharing the joy with the congregation.
Congregational singing included Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart, Great is thy Faithfulness, and The Longer I Serve Him.
A video for the occasion, produced by Kulchera Nicholson, opened as follows. “Thirty years ago, a vision was born – a vison of faith, community and love.” The video included many photos and memories from the past three decades. Probably the biggest surprise for Greg and Carolyn was a message of congratulations from their son Ryan, who is also involved the ministry. “You became a part of people, you invested in people with a mindset of ‘home.’ It’s shown up again and again in your commitment to following God together during 30 years in Canora.”
Following the video was Guest Speaker Phil Guenther, Director of Ministries for Sask MB Conference. Guenther noted that, to serve 30 years in the same church, “Now that’s a Hall of Fame thing in the pastoral world.”
To help celebrate the occasion, Guenther presented Greg and Carolyn with 18 jigsaw puzzles, to be shared with the congregation. He then posed a question to all the puzzle enthusiasts in the audience, “What’s the worst thing to happen when you’re working on a puzzle?” And of course, the answer was, in almost perfect unison, “missing pieces.”
“Exactly,” continued Guenther. “Each piece matters, just like each person matters. “We can all be involved in good work. We’ve just got to show up. God can use everyone who shows up. The whole body is important, as we see in today’s scripture passage, from 1 Corinthians 12:12-27."
The focus verse for the service was 1 Corinthians 12:27 ‘Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.’
“Pastor Greg and Carolyn are only as effective as the rest of you,” continued Guenther. “Greg, I have come to know this about you. You’re steadfast, a loyal leader. You show up rain or shine, good or bad. You are an even keel in turbulent times, shepherding with a steady hand and heart. Gateway Community Church has faced dire times, but you led the church in those seasons with grit and determination, always trusting God.
“You’re humble, a meek leader. You ‘see’ others and genuinely care about their wellbeing. You are willing to give way to others for the sake of unity without compromising your convictions. You are OK with sharing the pulpit and allowing others to exercise their gifts.”
Guenther then referred back to the Old Testament, some 450 years before the birth of Christ, when there was a Jewish cupbearer for King Artaxerxes I of Persia by the name of Nehemiah. “His story took place during a time when many Jews lived in exile. Long ago they had been forcibly removed from Palestine. Over time, some had returned to Jerusalem and were striving to live life in an incredibly harsh environment. Brutal and violent nations lived around them, pillaging whatever they could. The defensive walls around Jerusalem were a mere pile of stone rumble. These Jews eked out a living under constant fear of attack.
“Nehemiah, a simple cup-bearer, received a call from God to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, a seemingly impossible task for the servant of a foreign king. Nehemiah 3 tells the story, in many stages, of the rebuilding of the walls.
“When God called a community, in this case the community of Jews in Jerusalem, to do His good work, everyone was asked to play a part,” said Guenther. “It didn’t matter if you were old, young, male or female. It didn’t matter what vocation or occupation you held. To do this good work, even a manufacturer of perfumes played a part.
“Fast forward to 2024: If you are a follower of Jesus, you are a part of the Body of Christ and as such share in the same Holy Spirit and are tasked with a good work, a tangible expression of the presence and purposes of God. We are not asked, like Nehemiah, to rebuild a physical wall, but we are, like Nehemiah, called to rebuild hope, faith, purpose and meaning in the lives of people already and not yet in this community. And we are to do this good work together because God knows that we can accomplish more together than we can apart.”
Following the sermon, Pastor Bright responded to the gifts and the support from the congregation. “Thank you for taking us into your hearts. It’s our honour to continue to walk with you. My prayer is for you to know the Lord better every day.”
Thinking back to when they first came to Canora in 1994, Greg and Carolyn had three young children at the time: Jennifer (almost 6); Ryan, two, and Cherie was just three months old. “We were looking for a church to serve as pastor where we were needed and where we could help people to know Jesus more – that has always been my desire,” said Pastor Greg. “The church had been through some difficult times and was without a pastor at the time. God simply brought us together.”
Technically, Bright is employed halftime as pastor of Gateway Community Church, which has resulted in a need for supplemental income to support his family. In doing so, he has created numerous connections to Canora and the surrounding area over the years.
“I remember doing many different things to supplement my income and pay our bills. I remember working at the Dairy Bar my first summer. I worked part time at Home Hardware with Kris Profit for about five years. I worked part time at Prairie Projects with Steve Merriam. I drove school bus – mostly the Buchanan route for a year – and then as a substitute for a few years. I was director of Ketchen Lake Bible Camp (near Preeceville) for five years. And for the last nine years I have been working with Mackenzie Society Ventures Inc. in a Group Home for people with intellectual disabilities, where I continue to work half time.”
Greg said Carolyn has played a vital role in their ministry in Canora. “I am so very thankful for Carolyn. I try to tell her that every day in some way. We support each other in our various roles and together we seek to honour God with our lives and love the people He brings into our lives the best we can.”
Greg and Carolyn believe God led them to Canora and this is where he wants them to be When asked what he has enjoyed most about living in Canora, Greg had a simple answer. “People are the source of my greatest joy.” He added that they have met great people both in the Gateway Church community and outside the congregation.
“We have (and have had) great neighbours – sharing garden produce over the years and stories and visits and watching out for each other when one of us is away or needs something. Some of our neighbours became “grandparents” to our children when they were young. We are blessed! “It has been an honour to serve families in times of crisis. One of those times is in death. I have had the honour of supporting people in their grief and doing what I can to bring comfort by pointing people to the One who understands death and eternity – Jesus.
“New people coming into town need a place to connect and worship. We have had the privilege of welcoming many people into our church community, as well as our town.”
As someone who truly enjoys his work, Pastor Greg doesn’t see any significant changes coming in the near future. “We intend to work here at Gateway Community Church, serving as pastor and working together with the people of the church. At some point I plan to retire, but I don’t know when that will be. I love what I’m doing.”
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