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About Us

The Greenfield Park Baptist Church Transition Team was formed in early 2021 in preparation for the retirement of our former pastor, Brian Talbot. Selected by the Elder Board, we represent the diversity of our congregation and work together on behalf of all GPBC members. Our team’s mission is to obey God’s plan for the future of our church as we look for the new pastor He has set apart to be the next spiritual leader of our church family.

Thank you for supporting this journey with your encouragement and prayers as we follow God’s will. The Greenfield Park Baptist Church Transition Team: Tim, Stacy, Rosie, Paulo, Allie Contact us at TransitionTeam.gpbc@gmail.com

April 2023

This month was spent focusing on one potential candidate. After an initial meeting with him, we were very excited to see where God would lead us. God has given this candidate a great passion for ministry, and we're excited to see if he will be God's chosen leader for our congregation. We're looking forward to introducing him to the congregation during the next couple months. During this time our church, the candidate, and his family can get a feel for each other and decide if we want to move to the next step.

We rejoice as we hope for a new pastor and must be patient during this time of transition. Most importantly, we must be constant in prayer. (Romans 12:12)

March 6, 2023

Our Transition Team met this evening to discuss some of the nitty gritty details about potential salary for a pastor. As time goes on, price goes up on everything it seems. And all of us and our families are certainly feeling the same pressure with where the economy is right now. This is true for people employed in ministry as well. As participants at our church, it is our responsibility to tithe to God's house, so the church can use our money to do His will. Let us all remember to give faithfully as a congregation so that we can afford to hire the right man of God that the Lord sends our way and has chosen for our people.

Please keep our elders, deacons, and interim pastor in your prayers. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

February 06, 2023

This evening's meeting was quite productive. Our team gathered on Zoom to discuss some references about a current profile we're considering. We look forward to discussing the last of the references next Monday and hopefully being able to make a decision to take the next step. We also had to decline a different candidate tonight. While some candidates are moving forward and others are not, we are simply praising God that we finally have new names to consider after a year with none.

During this season of illness, let us ask our sovereign LORD for healing. (Jeremiah 17:14)

January 23, 2023

Our team gathered on Zoom once again yesterday evening. We had the opportunity to look through our new candidate's profile and take time to evaluate it based on the criteria we received from the church questionnaire back in 2021. It was refreshing and encouraging to be able to read through a new candidate's information with the "what-ifs" back in mind. We are looking forward to moving to the next step in our process once again.

Please bring our church leaders before the Lord and ask God to help us all to be obedient to his will this year. (Hebrews 13:17)

January 9, 2023

Happy New Year! The Transition Team is starting off the new year with both feet on the ground running. Joined by our interim pastor, Ray Leroux, we met at the church this evening to discuss a new possible candidate. We are so very grateful to have another candidate to look at after nearly a year of no new possibilities. The team looks forward to continue to try our best to find God's chosen pastor for our church in 2023.

Let's begin this new year praying and praising God as the new creations he has made us to be. (1 Peter 1:31)

November 28, 2022

We had a quick meeting tonight to finalize the presentation for the members at the meeting taking place next Sunday after the church service. We have decided to meet every three weeks over the Christmas time, and then every other week after that while we wait for more candidates to present themselves. During this time of advent, we hope for the birth of Christ, and we hope for a new pastor to be brought to our church soon.

Pray to be as a sheep following our Lord. (Psalm 23)

November 21, 2022

This evening our team spent our time together in discussion and prayer. We have still not received new candidates. However, we are seeking other avenues to find possible men that may be seeking a position like what our church has to offer. In the meantime, we are focusing on leading our church through this time of transition by improving our facilities and ministries. We hope to be able to play a grand part in God's plan even while we await the next shepheard of our flock.

Let us say a collective prayer this week over our congregation and families asking for God's healing of all our diseases. (Psalm 103:2-3)

November 14, 2022

Tonight our team worked together to prepare a presentation for our church members. This information will be presented to the members at the Annual General Meeting on December 4th after the church service. If you have any questions about what our team has been doing over the last 18 months, we strongly encourage you to attend the meeting.

Let us pray for each other to stay in good health as we go deeper into this time of cold and flu. (3 John 1:2)

November 7, 2022

Our Transition Team made a big decision tonight. Sadly, this decision was to close the only profile we currently had open for consideration. We had been pursuing the possibility with this last pastor for over a year, but tonight we all very confidently agreed that God was telling us to close this door and wait for Him to open the one leading towards His plan. We are now excitedly waiting to see who God will send our way next.

Please take time this week to remember our veterans. Pray for those who've served and the families of those who gave their lives. (John 15:13)

October 24, 2022

While we await the next appointed shepherd of Greenfield Park Baptist Church, we are very happy to have Ray Leroux coming on as our interim pastor starting this December. We are still waiting and praying for more prospective candidates. However, with each week, we are delving deeper into our church's identity. As our wonderful edler Ron put it tonight, "every meeting we have, we learn something new."

Please pray for Pastor Ray Leroux as he steps in as our interim pastor and takes the role as our encouraging spiritual leader. (Romans 1:11-12)

October 17, 2022

Over the last 18 months, our Transition Team has been in contact with ten different men about filling our lead pastor position. Of these ten men, seven of them withdrew their applications; two applicants were not retained by the Transition Team; and one application remains open. The workers shortage can be seen all over the world. There's currently eighteen open lead pastor positions through our denomination FEB Central. However, despite the situation in the world around us, we can have faith that God has the best outcome for his kingdom in mind. Our team is praying diligently for the strength to follow God's will and wait patiently for his plan

We must be constant in prayer, patient in tribulation, and rejoicing in hope. (Romans 12:12)

September 12, 2022

As a team we truly want to do our best for our church. We are trying our hardest to find the right pastor quickly, and yet we want above all to be sure we are following God's plan for us. After our meeting at the end of August, we all took two weeks to individually think and pray over all which was discussed. Then we gathered back together tonight to discuss our thoughts on how the meeting went as well as our collective feelings on where God is leading us from here. As of now, no final decision has been made. The Transition Team will be meeting again in a couple weeks to decide our next step.

We shall pray as Jesus taught us, asking for God's will to be done. (Matthew 6:9-13)

August 8, 2022

After time off to rejuvenate, our Transition Team gathered once again this evening on Zoom to prepare for the next step in our pastoral search process. We are anxiously awaiting the end of this month as we have an important meeting scheduled for the 29th of August. Today we did all we could to prepare for that date. Our team is praying that God will guide this upcoming meeting to a fruitful outcome with the hopes that we will be able to share our excitement with all of you next month.

Remember the other churches in our communities in your prayers this month. Let us not forget that we are one among many groups working to further God's Kingdom here in our home region. (Ephesians 6:18)

June 20, 2022

Our Transition Team has decided that we will be taking the month of July off for vacations and time with our families. We're looking forward to this time off, but even more to August because we have exciting meetings coming up. This evening, after working through some more questions about possible futures for our church, we lifted up each other and our church in prayer. We ask for you all to also please remember our team and our future pastor in your prayers.

As we begin our summer vacations, let us ask God to guide us to him so that he can bring us rest. (Matthew 11:28-30)

June 20, 2022

As we begin our summer vacations, let us ask God to guide us to him so that he can bring us rest. (Matthew 11:28-30)

June 13, 2022

We have found that it is quite amazing exactly how much there is to dissect about our church. After 15 months of meeting together we still have new revelations about the type of church we are: our strengths, weaknesses, needs, and potential. Please rest assured that we are very aware of everyone's growing impatience. We, too, want a pastor back at our church. However, we also want to follow God's plan for our church before our own.

Please take time to pray for our church to wait patiently as we await God's plan. (Jeremiah 29:11)

May 30, 2022

Over the last year, we have had the opportunity to review nine different candidates as our possible pastor. One of the most difficult things for our team has been to wait for new candidates to apply or profiles to be submitted to us. Each candidate has their own unique strengths, weaknesses, and experiences to consider. We are praying over the candidates we are currently considering while waiting to hear back from them about some next steps. We are also patiently waiting for any others God plans to send our way.

Let us thank God that he is our strength no matter the weaknesses of our physical bodies. (Psalm 73:26)

May 9, 2022

Evaluating our church's future possibilities took a large part of our meeting today. We asked ourselves what our church's hopes, dreams, and potential are. Then we asked if we thought we were reaching any of those in our current state. While we are searching for the next pastor to lead our congregation, we must continue to strive to be a powerful tool for God to use to reach people with His love.

Pray for our future pastor to be trusting the Lord to direct his current path. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

May 2, 2022

The Transition Team made an important decision today to spend time in prayer. We all took turns praising God for the blessings he has poured out over our church. We raised each other up to the Lord for strength and wisdom. We were thankful for and asked for blessings for members of our congregation. We prayed for our future pastor and his current circumstances. And we asked God to continue his guidance as we make important decisions for the future of our church. After prayer we decided to take the next step forward with a candidate. We're excited to see what plans God has for us next.

Pray for Greenfield Park, Longueuil, Montreal, and all our communities here in Quebec. (Jeremiah 29:7)

April 11, 2022

On this beautiful Monday evening, half of our transition team was able to gather to continue the discussion of our church's future. We spent this time looking at all the potential possibilities our church has in front of us. This included building a calendar of possible scenarios for future facility use as our ministries hopefully start back up again in our post lock-down world. As a team, we are very hopeful that we can once again be a thriving church that reaches into our congregation for support and out into our communities with the love of God.

Let us all pray for each other with hearts and minds full of love just as God has first loved us. (John 13: 34-35)

April 04, 2022

Like most things in life, a new pastor won't be delivered to our congregation on a silver platter while we sit back with our feet up. We wish to reassure you that our team is continuing to work hard to find the man God has chosen for us. However, while we work on searching, we want to encourage everyone at our church to work on growing! Being without a pastor is not a reason for us to allow our church to be stagnant. There are still believers in our community that need a church home. And there are still many lost people in our entire region that need to feel and experience God's love. Let's work together to get out there and find them!

Pray for yourself this week. Ask God to help you become a dependable and necessary soldier in his army. Pray for the strength to obey Jesus's command to go out and teach the world. (Matthew 28:19-20)

March 28, 2022

As our title of "Transition Team" hints at, we have been at work with much more than simply looking for a new pastor. We have been trying to keep track of our church's pulse during these months that we have been pastorless. And we try our best to find ways to keep our church healthy and growing despite the extended search process. This week we discussed problems our church has been facing and upcoming events and challenges as a team along with the Elder Board. We also began discussing elements of the book we are continuing to read.

Please send a prayer of thanks to our Almighty Father for our church finally finding a willing treasurer in our member, Emmanuel. Ask God to guide Emmanuel as he takes on this new and large challenge for our congregation. (Psalm 32:8)

March 21, 2022

We had the pleasure of listening to a sermon of a prospective candidate this week. It has been a definite "perk of the job" to be able to hear many different teachings over the last nine months of our search process. We have been seeking God's guidance at each turn to be able to find the next shephard that He has already chosen for our church. The exact future of our church remains unclear still at this moment, but we take peace in knowing our LORD is already there waiting for us.

Let us pray together this week for wisdom and to have the knowledge we need during our time of transition. (Daniel 2:20-21)

March 7, 2022

As our team waits for more candidates to come to our attention, we are trying to educate ourselves to help our church through this time of transition. We have selected a book that we will be reading through as a team that we hope will provide some clarity and guidance on issues we may be facing in the coming months. If our process continues down one path we are considering, we look forward to sharing this book with all of you in the future.

Remember in your time when speaking to our Heavenly Father to be praying for our Earthly authorities. (Timothy 2:1-2)

February 28, 2022

For our church's week of prayer, our team spent our meeting on February 21st in prayer. It was a wonderful and uplifting time of praise, gratitude, and supplication to our Holy Father. This week, we were able to go back to discuss more on the candidates we currently have before us. We have many things to do our due diligence on with each candidate bringing his own set of considerations.

Let us not forget the power and importance of prayer for each other during our time of transition. (James 5:13-16)

February 7, 2022

Last week we interviewed the first candidate. Despite having to conduct the interview over Zoom, we are very grateful that it went well. This Monday was our post-interview meeting. We took time as a group to go back through the questions we asked and the answers we received, paying close attention to details to see if the candidate would be the right fit for our congregation. We also were able to decide what our next step needed to be for this candidate. We're looking forward to seeing where God's plan leads us.

Our team can continue to use prayers that we are following the Lord's steps for the future of our church. (Proverbs 16:9)

January 31, 2022

The whole team was excited tonight as we did a dry run for an interview that is finally taking place tomorrow evening. We focused on how best to handle the interview process over Zoom. After months of preparation, it is wonderful to finally have our search process progressing.

Be in prayer this week for our team at the interview and post interview. Also be praying for the candidate as he meets with us. We ask both sides in this matter to have opened minds and hearts to what God wants for everyone involved. (Romans 8:2

January 17, 2022

After some unexpected delays during our search process at the end of the autumn last year, our Transition Team took a few weeks off for the holidays. Now in the new year it has been wonderful to get the ball rolling once again.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, our interview from November had been postponed, but we are excited to be getting to it in the next couple weeks. We are also always keeping our eyes open for any other candidates that God sends our way.

In this New Year, do not forget to be praying for our team or our church during this continuing time of transition. (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

November 15, 2021

We finally feel completely prepared for our first interview. We have agreed on all of the important decisions as a team and set ourselves up to try to conduct the most productive interviews possible. Waiting for an interview might not be easy, but this patience breeds opportunity to spend more time with God to ask for his guidance during our time of transition and for the important decisions we will be making soon.

Please be praying for our church family, our elders, the transition team, the potential candidates, and the man God has already designated as our future pastor; pray for any difficulties they may be handling in life at this moment. (1 Peter 5:10)

November 8, 2021

Your prayers will be vital during this coming week. Our team is working diligently to prepare for an interview with a potential pastor next week. We have even planned extra meetings in order to be assured that we are fully ready. We're hoping to be able to have a God-led meeting with this candidate that can provide answers to questions and clarity for future decisions.

Let us not be anxious during this time of transition, but all take time this week to pray and bring our request for a new pastor to God with thanksgiving in our hearts. (Philippians 4:6)

November 1, 2021

An important milestone was reached tonight. Our Greenfield Park Baptist Church Transition Team and Elder Board have chosen final candidates to interview for the lead pastor position at our church. The interviews will be scheduled in the coming days and will hopefully be completed during the next few weeks. The following step will be decided after these initial interviews are complete.

Please pray for the members of our Transition Team and Elder Board to be able to keep our goals aligned with God's during this next crucial stage. (Colossians 3:23)

October 24, 2021

With the Thanksgiving holiday on Monday, our team met on Tuesday this week to continue our preparations in the pastoral search. We spent more time planning for future interviews and preparing our hearts to listen for God's voice during the upcoming interactions with candidates. Time allowed us to also discuss important matters of church business such as schedules, volunteers, and future plans.

This week join us in praying that we remember to put all our trust in the Lord. Not to lean on our own understanding, but to acknowledge him so that he will make our paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

October 4, 2021

After spending the last several weeks praying and patiently waiting, our team is very excited at the prospect of interviews in the near future. God has sent our way information on many well qualified candidates, and we look forward to getting to know them better by speaking to them directly. Our church continues to need support during this time of transition. Therefore, we wish to send our utmost gratitude to all the wonderful people that have been filling our pulpit over the last four months and to those who will continue to help bring the Word of God to our congregation in the coming weeks.

Let us pray together for all the people serving in our church, and for those who are not yet serving to be willing to step forward and find their own way to bring glory to God. (1 Peter 4:10-11)

September 7, 2021

Several profiles and resumes of prospective pastors have made it to our team. The process now is one of waiting for more profiles to come in and praying over the ones we already have. God has been using our different strengths as Transition Team members to bring about wonderful discussions over thought-provoking topics. It is an amazing opportunity to work with a perfectly God-originated mixture of people.

Our church's Elder Board can always use our prayer. Pray for God to grant Ron, Ondo, and Tim strength to not grow weary as they're leading us through this transition. (Galatians 6:9-10)

August 9, 2021

We are hoping to be able to invite all of you back into the sanctuary for our Sunday service on September 5th. The government's Covid guidelines will be met to try to allow a safe opportunity for everyone to come back to the church.

As we're reopening, we're in need of more people to help on a weekly basis. If you're willing to serve in any way (Covid/Greeting Team, Worship/Visual/Sound Teams, Elders/Deacons, Children's ministries, etc.) please step up and let the Transition Team or Elders know via email or phone. Also, we are still in need of a Church Treasurer. Please consider filling this position and pray regularly that someone is found to serve our church in this way.

The Transition Team is continuing to work hard to find our next Pastor of GPBC. We currently have the information on three interested candidates. Although we are not sharing personal details about candidates at this time, we ask that you lift these individuals up in prayer. These men are all seeking a pastoral job, and we can ask God to guide them to their future positions just as he guides us to our future pastor.

Our Heavenly Father is watching over each of us and guiding our church to His will. We must simply work together to prepare ourselves to do His good work. As a Transition Team, we regularly pray for all of you as our congregation, and we hope that you're praying for us as well. To God Be the Glory!

July 26, 2021

We have begun our in-depth evaluation of the profiles we have received. It is very interesting reading about all the wonderfully different ways God can use people to further his ministry. During this time we are taking extra care to prayerfully consider God's plan for us and each candidate as well. We are also thankful for the time we took to get to know our congregation and personally ask members what they were expecting from a future pastor.

Please lift up our church family this week in your prayers; let us ask God to equip each of us to do His will. (Hebrews 13:20-21)

July 12, 2022

Tonight was a wonderful and productive meeting. With our job description posted we have now begun receiving profiles from potential candidates. We also started to discuss the intricacies of the future contract. As a team, we are trying to be diligent in our preparation so that we can rest assured that nothing is being overlooked during the complicated hiring process. Most importantly, we have faith that God is in control of every step of this situation.

During your time with God, please pray for a powerful move of congregational cleansing and renewal. (Psalms 66:18)

June 28, 2021

We were blessed with a time filled with prayer on this Monday evening. Focusing our prayers on the congregation of our church, we took time to ask God to guide our members and attendees during this period of transition. Please join us in praying for the congregation of our church:

Pray for a powerful move of congregational cleansing. (Psalm 139:23-24)
Pray for strong focus on the present ministry of the church. (Revelation 3:15)

Pray for a miraculous sense of love and unity among all members of the church. (John 17:21)

Pray that we will patiently await God’s timing. (Hebrews 6:12)

June 21, 2021

Our group had great discussions this Monday evening about what exactly we are expecting from our future pastor. As we look towards outlining a contract that will guide our relationship with him, we're taking time to think carefully over the needs of the church. The Team has been reminded that although we're doing our best to complete the necessities, it usually takes one to two years to find a new pastor. We patiently await God's appointed servant.

Please have Paulo, the team chairman, in your prayers this week, and pray for keen supernatural discernment, wisdom, and strength for him. (Matthew 15:14)

June 14, 2021

This meeting allowed us the time to complete the lead pastor job description. We have now begun to prepare ourselves to start receiving the profiles of potential candidates. This includes learning productive interview habits, evaluating which questions to have prepared, and much more. However, the most essential part is praying dutifully that God grants us wisdom as we head into this pivotal step.

During your time of prayer, please think of us and pray for powerful unity and oneness of spirit within the team. (Mathew 18:19)

June 7, 2021

This Monday we focused our efforts on finalizing our lead pastor job description. We’ve put all of the information we have gathered from our congregation questionnaires together with our personal knowledge, and expert advice from Tim Strickland at FEB Central to prepare this document. Now we pray God will use it to guide His chosen servant to our church.

Please pray this week for strong consistency and focus in the present ministry of our church. Ask God to grant great power to those who will fill the pulpit in the interim, the staff, and the volunteers. (Revelation 2:1-4, 3:15)