WMB Church: Recent Episodes
WMB Church
WMB is a covenant community called by God through Jesus Christ to make more and better disciples of all people by calling them to join us in responding to God’s love through repentance, baptism and love for God and neighbour.
August 2, 2026 | Luke 4:18-30
Nazareth is a place that reminds us that God shows up in unexpected ways and places in our lives to transform us and draw us closer to Him.
July 26, 2026 | 1 Kings 18:17–39
In a world of competing beliefs and divided loyalties, the living God calls us to follow Jesus with an undivided heart—loving others without hiding whom we serve.
July 19, 2026 | Genesis 22:1–19
At Moriah, God reveals himself as the God who provides—and ultimately provides his own Son for us.
July 12, 2026 | Luke 21:37, John 11:1-5
Even in times and places of rest God is still at work.
June 28, 2026 | Matthew 5–7; Matthew 28:18–20
Jesus did not come merely to give us better rules to follow; He came to transform our hearts so we could become the kind of people who live His Kingdom and help others do the same.
June 21, 2026 | Matthew 7:13-14
Jesus calls us into a discipleship journey with him on the narrow path.
June 14, 2026 | Matthew 7:24–29
Kingdom people don’t merely admire the King’s teaching – they submit to the King’s authority and build their lives on Him as their foundation.
May 31, 2026 | Matthew 7:15-23
Genuine faith is proven not just by what we say, but also in what we do.
May 24, 2026 | Hebrews 11:1–12:2
The deepest question before the church is not merely what decision we make, but who we are becoming as we discern together under the lordship of Jesus.
May 17, 2026 | Matthew 7:7-12
The Father’s generosity fuels our persistence in prayer and compassion in love.
May 10, 2026 | Matthew 7:1–6
In the kingdom of God, judgment begins with the mirror, not the microscope; mercy precedes correction.
May 3, 2026 | Matthew 6:25–34
Because our Father holds our lives and provides for us, we are free to trust him instead of living in worry.
April 26, 2026 | Matthew 6:19-24
Your relationship with money shapes your heart, forms your vision, and ultimately reveals who you trust and who you serve.
April 19, 2026 | Acts 16:16-39
About John and IT Tender, Manila, Philippines:
John and Jam give leadership to a dedicated Filipino team at IT Tender, including teachers and social workers, to offer holistic care, support and discipleship to marginalized families living in poverty in Manila. They run educational programs for children, including a pre-school program, school sponsorship and tutoring. They also offer practical help, skills training for parents as well as a dynamic discipleship and leadership development program for youth and young adults. IT Tender also runs a church plant for their local community and they are truly calling and discipling the next generation of leaders in their community.
April 12, 2026 | Matthew 6:5-8
Fasting awakens a hunger for God, silencing dependence on the self.
April 5, 2026 | Matthew 28:1-10
Because Jesus rose from the dead, everything He promised is true—and new life is possible for us right now. This is why the resurrection changes everything!
March 29, 2026 | Matthew 6:9-15
Prayer is not about getting things from God, but being formed by God to desire His will, trust His care, and live as His children.
March 15, 2026 | Matthew 6:1-4
Kingdom generosity flows from hearts that live for the Father’s approval, not people’s applause.
March 8, 2026 | Matthew 5:43-48
Jesus’ message of “turn the other cheek” calls us to respond to insult with radical generosity.
March 1, 2026 | Matthew 5:38-42
Jesus’ message of “turn the other cheek” calls us to respond to insult with radical generosity.
February 22, 2026 | Matthew 5:33–37
Through the saving grace of Jesus, God forms a people whose integrity makes oaths unnecessary, whose words reflect God’s faithfulness, and whose trustworthy lives become a compelling witness to the kingdom of God.
February 15, 2026 | Matthew 5:31-32
On the surface, Matthew 5:31-32 may appear to be about divorce but what Jesus is actually doing is redefining the permanence and sanctity of marriage in the Kingdom of God.
February 8, 2026 | Matthew 527-30
Purity begins in the imagination before it ever touches the body.
February 1, 2026 | Matthew 5:21–26
Being in right relationship with God begins in the heart and moves outward into reconciled relationships, reflecting the reconciling love of Christ.
January 25, 2026 | Matthew 5:17–20
Jesus fulfills the Law by embodying its true purpose and invites us into right living shaped by God’s rule—a life that flows from transformed hearts rather than religious performance.
January 11, 2026 | Matthew 5:13–16
Kingdom people—formed by the Beatitudes—make the reign of God visible and audible by living the gospel and speaking the gospel so others may see and hear the good news of the King.
January 4, 2026 | Matthew 5:1–12
Jesus redefines what it means to be blessed by showing that true blessing is found not in comfort or success, but in a life humbly surrendered to God, shaped by His kingdom, and rooted in Christ—even through weakness, suffering, and obedience.
December 28, 2025 | Hebrews 12:1-3
Hebrews uses a metaphor of running the race, to describe how we orient ourselves to life in God’s kingdom, a way of life shaped by faith and dependency in Jesus. Jesus invites us to pick up the baton of faith passed on by those who have gone before us and to run with the same kingdom purpose. A kingdom race is one of surrender, as we learn to trust and follow Jesus into the unexpected and beautiful reality of His Kingdom come in the world today.
December 21, 2025 | Luke 1:39-56
Mary’s Magnificat is the first New Testament kingdom manifesto—declaring that God’s reign will lift the lowly, feed the hungry, and scatter the proud.
December 14, 2025 | Luke 1:26-38
Where grace begins and the Spirit empowers, surrendered lives reveal the reign of the King.
December 7, 2025 | Luke 1:1-25
God brings His kingdom through impossible circumstances, inviting His people to trust His faithfulness more than their limitations.
November 23, 2025 | Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43
In a world where wheat and weeds grow together, Jesus calls us to grow faithfully and trust Him with the harvest.
November 16, 2025 | Matthew 13:44-46
The Kingdom of Heaven is the greatest treasure we could ever find. So why do we often fixate on how much it costs us?
October 26, 2025 | Luke 4:18–19 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod
The gospel according to Jesus is the good news that God’s Kingdom has come through Him—bringing freedom, healing, and restoration—and calling us to live under His reign by the power of the Spirit.
October 19, 2025 | Mark 10:17-27
Jesus calls us to a freedom that only comes when He—not money—rules our hearts. Generosity isn’t about losing what we have; it’s about being released from what has us. In the Kingdom of God, wealth is not measured by accumulation but by surrender—because when we loosen our grip on money, we find life, joy, and true riches in Christ.
October 12, 2025 | 1 Corinthians 15:1-5
The Gospel declares that God’s story is fulfilled in Jesus—the returning King who restores what was broken. He conquered sin, death, and evil, becoming the new Adam who overcame where the first failed.
October 5, 2025 | Isaiah 40:1-5, Mark 1:14-15 | Brad Sherk
Jesus came to announce the coming of God’s Kingdom here on earth. This is more than a ticket to heaven; it’s a calling to eternal life right here, right now as we live out the Kingdom in real life. This is the true Good News - so much more than just a ticket to Heaven.
September 28, 2025 | 1 Samuel 15:3,9-23; 1 Samuel 16:7-14
A changed heart is not a human effort—it is the exclusive work of the Holy Spirit. It's not a change attained by the simple mechanics of prayer or a raised hand. Rather, the Holy Spirit indwells our hearts, performing a deep, inner work that finally and fully orients our lives toward God’s reign.
September 21, 2025 | Judges 21:25 & 1 Samuel 8
Who we choose as king in our lives matters
September 14, 2025 | Genesis 1:26-28 | Jeff MacLeod
God gives humanity the opportunity to trust him as king, life with him in the garden, or to choose our own path where the enemy, Satan rules, life in chaos. Two kingdoms, the kingdom of God where we live under his rule and reign, or the kingdom of the world where evil influences us to be our own kings.
September 7, 2025 | 1 John 5:13-21 | Pastor Derek Klumpenhouwer
We are called to be a people who have knowledge & confidence of our destination as people of transformation.
August 31, 2025 | 1 John 5:1-12
What we believe about Jesus shapes the way in which we love, the way we see the world and what motivates us in how we live our lives. True life can only be found through faith in Jesus the Son of God. The evidence of that life is driven by faith, expressed in our love for our brothers and sisters, and doing what Jesus asked us to do.
August 24, 2025 | 1 John 4:7-21 | Pastor Michelle Knowles
We have an obligation of love for another, because God first loved us. God’s love is fulfilled as we love one another in the practical, self-sacrificing way of Jesus.
August 17, 2025 | 1 John 3:11-4:6 | Pastor Derek Klumpenhouwer
A life of abiding with Jesus is the life we were intended to live.
August 10, 2025 | 1 John 2:18 – 3:10 | Pastor Adam Knowles
We must know Jesus for who He truly is in order to trust and follow Him.
August 3, 2025 | 1 John 2:7-17 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod
Jesus exemplifies true love and how to live out the commandment to love, even in a difficult world. We are called to follow His will, setting us apart from the world that prioritizes self-interest.
July 27, 2025 | 1 John 1:5-2:6 | Pastor Derek Klumpenhouwer
We are bonded in "Kionia" by Jesus. Together, we have communion with God through Christ alone.
July 20, 2025 | 1 John | Pastor Jeff MacLeod
Our joy is complete when we embrace God’s forgiveness and live His will, sharing life with each other.
July 13, 2025 | Exodus 34:8-9, Genesis 1:26-27 | Pastor Brad Sherk
The only appropriate response to a God like this (as described in Exodus 34:6-7) is worship. Worship is not only the right response, but also our very purpose. Knowing who God truly is helps us truly know ourselves, what we are made for, and what we are living for.
In this episode of our Everyday Disciples Podcast, we sit down with Sarah to hear her story of how Jesus called her into Missions, and how God is working through her church in Steyr, Austria.
July 6, 2025 | Exodus 34:5-9 | Pastor Adam Knowles
God brings something we long for, true justice, and this does not contradict His nature.
June 29, 2025 | Exodus 34:6-7 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod
Forgiveness grows out of God’s name, his character. It is part of God’s inner essence, the deepest, truest part of His being. We are called to live forgiven and to forgive so we can experience the freedom a life Jesus promises.
June 22, 2025 | Exodus 34:6 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod
God’s love and faithfulness are central to His character. God is loyal and committed, always trustworthy and reliable. We see this lived out through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
June 15, 2025 | Romans 5:6-10, Exodus 34:6-7 | Pastor Brad Sherk
Yahweh is a highly relational God whose primary characteristic is compassion and grace, but who is also slow to anger. While many people can’t seem to comprehend a God of love being angry, it is the love of God that justifies the wrath. God’s wrath signifies that he deeply cares about us and the way we live.
June 8, 2025 | Exodus 34:6-7 | Pastor Renée Serez
God miraculously led His people out of Egypt, and the first traits He used to describe Himself were “compassionate and gracious”. But too often most of us want mercy for ourselves and justice for everyone else.
June 1, 2025 | John 14:6-7 | Pastor Brad Sherk
Our world is full of spiritual beings, but Yahweh is the “Most High”, our Creator, on a different level than all the other gods, and he is the only one who should be worshipped.
May 25, 2025 | Lamentations 3:22-27 | Pastor Adam Knowles
God is inviting you to surrender to Him because He is our portion, our inheritance, and our greatest blessing.
May 11, 2025 | Exodus 33:12–23 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod
We have been invited into a relationship with a Holy God, a God who is the creative force behind all of creation. We need to learn and experience how we are to relate to a God that is beyond our understanding.
April 27, 2025 | Exodus 3:1-17 | Pastor Brad Sherk
I AM THAT I AM is a mysterious, yet highly relational God who wants to be in relationship with us. The bible makes known that God is a person; a personal, close, knowable, and friendly person that we can call on by name. This simple fact radically changes how we approach God: we are invited into his presence as friends.
April 20, 2025 | Luke 24:1–12 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a clear sign that His words and actions were true. He totally crushed death, evil, and sin to give us the chance to be saved.
April 18, 2025 | John 19:28–30 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod
The cross is not an end, but the beginning of our salvation; through
Christ's sacrifice, we are offered not just forgiveness, but a renewed relationship with God and the promise of eternal life. A life free from fear, death and condemnation.
April 13, 2025 | John 6:47-51 | Pastor Adam Knowles
Are we accepting Jesus for who He truly is?
March 30, 2025 | Pastors Jeff MacLeod & Brad Sherk
We serve a God that is bigger then our plans, a God who already has a plan and wants to invite us into it.
March 23, 2025 | Matthew 17:1-8 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod
In revival the holiness of God will undo every single person, and the love of God will restore every single person all in one moment.
March 16, 2025 | 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, Mark 8:34-36 | Pastor Brad Sherk
The more we die to ourselves and yield to Jesus, the more we come alive. This is the paradox of the Jesus way.
March 9, 2025 | Acts 2:17-18, 1 Corinthians 12:10 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod
The gift of prophecy is communicating with human words something the Holy Spirit has sovereignly and often spontaneously revealed to a believer. It’s the human report of a divine revelation.
In this episode of our Everyday Disciples Podcast, we sit down with Anne to hear how her journey with sufferings with concussions and how years of navigating those symptoms has brought her closer to Jesus.
1 Corinthians 12:8 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | March 2, 2025
The Holy Spirit’s incredible gifts of wisdom and knowledge, which are beyond the givers full understanding, help us navigate our faith journey with grace and strength.
February 23, 2025 | Acts 3:1-4:22 | Guest Speaker: Cam Stuart, National Director, CCMBC
Cam has served as an MB Pastor for over 30 years, and is now the National Director of CCMBC (Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches). He has a call on his life to equip leaders to serve from a place of submission, joy, and rest as God’s children.
Acts 2:1–8; Acts 2:11–13; 1 Corinthians 14 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | February 16, 2025
God gives the church powerful gifts like tongues, interpretation and intersession to help us as a body draw closer to Him.
In this first episode of our Everyday Disciples Podcast, we sit down with Anna to hear how Jesus changed her life through Alpha, and how she encourages anyone with doubts or questions about Jesus and faith to "just try Alpha!".
John 14:12-13, 16:7, 1 Corinthians 12 | Pastor Brad Sherk | February 9, 2025
The gifts of the Spirit have been given to build up the church and bring unity to the body of Christ. We need people with faith, discernment, healing and miracles to live into these gifts so that the body becomes more like Jesus.
1 Corinthians 12 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | February 2, 2025
The gifts of the Spirit have been given to build up the church and bring unity to the body of Christ. We need apostles, leaders, pastors and evangelists to live into these gifts so that the body becomes more like Jesus.
Romans 12:6-8 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | January 26, 2024
The word gifts are given to the church in order to clarify the nature, actions and purposes of God.
1 Corinthians 12:18-31, Romans 12:6-10 | Pastor Brad Sherk | January 19, 2025
The love gifts; administration, helps, mercy, and giving, exhibit the love of God in tangible ways.
1 Corinthians 12:1-11 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod
The gifts of the Spirit need to be supported by the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control are the core of spiritual gifts. The result of a gift must produce these fruits so we can know it’s from God.
1 Corinthians 12:1-11 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod
God will empower the church through spiritual gifts to finish the work He has planned.
Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod
God gave us the greatest gift a Father can give, His presence with us.
John 1:1-14 & Isaiah 9:1-7 | Pastors Brad Sherk and Renée Serez
Jesus’ full humanity shows us the way to be human, and then he walks with us in the tensions of Christmas.
Isaiah 9:6-7 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | December 15, 2024
In the midst of all the chaos and anxiety, Isaiah’s prophecy gives us a sense of comfort. Our eternal King, Jesus, fills us with the confidence to face the challenges of this imperfect world.
Isaiah 9:3-5 | Pastor Adam Knowles | December 8, 2024
There is a reason to hope because Jesus bring true joy, freedom and peace.
Isaiah 9:1-2 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | December 1, 2024
In times of darkness, the promise of Christ being the light gives hope and renews our spirits, demonstrating that even the deepest valleys can lead to the brightest experiences of joy and salvation through Him.
Mark 8:34-35 and Galatians 2:20 | Pastor Michelle Knowles | November 24, 2024
Jesus invites us to die to our self so that we can find the fullness of life in him. We move from lies to life as we surrender to Jesus and choose to walk in his ways and spiritual practices
1 Peter 1:12-25 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | November 17, 2024
As God's people, His church, we have a radical call to be the living example of Christ to a world that has abandoned it's creator.
John 17 | Pastor Adam Knowles | November 10, 2024
God’s love for us is demonstrated perfectly to the world in Jesus and can be shown to the world through us in unity with Jesus and one another.
Galatians 5:16-26 | Pastor Renée Serez | November 3, 2024
We think that satisfying our heart's desires will bring us freedom and happiness. But the truth is, when we walk away from what our body craves and choose to live the life that Jesus calls us to, we encounter true freedom through the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
John 8:30-48 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | October 27, 2024
Our battle is not with the things we think, instead it's with other powers that subtly influence our lives and convince us that lies are truth. True freedom comes from living in the truth.
Ephesians 2:1-10 | Pastor Brad Sherk | October 20, 2024
Jesus calls us to be formed into His image. We are invited to be intentional about our formation and aware of the ways other forces aim to deform us into the image of something else.
Acts 2:42-47 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod & Pastor Brad Sherk | October 6, 2024
Join us as we share stories and testimonies about where God has been at work at WMB, and where He is leading us in this next season!
Matthew 28:18-20 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | September 29, 2024
Jesus invites us into His story, calling us to continue the work of bringing everything together, things in heaven and earth through Him.
Romans 12:3-8 & Matthew 25:14-27 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | September 22, 2024
God has given WMB church every gift it needs to serve and accomplish God’s purpose for His church.
John 15:1-8 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | September 15, 2024
Jesus wants us to focus on our connection to him, rather than our production.
Acts 2:42-47 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | September 8, 2024
Ecclesia means the spirit empowered gathering of those who follow Jesus. It is the gathering or assembly go God's children under the power and authority of Jesus Christ, who is the head of the church.
Colossians 1:3, 1:12, 2:6-7, 3:15-17, 4:2 | Pastor Michelle Knowles | September 1, 2024
Practicing “eucharistos” empowers us to walk in God’s grace.
Matthew 5:13-16 | Pastor Derek Klumpenhouwer | August 25, 2024
In a dark, deteriorating world, there is nothing more wonderful than simple people living as Jesus taught.
In our final episode of our Vision Series Podcast, Lead Pastor, Jeff MacLeod talks about Canadian church statistics post-covid, how Spirit-led visioning has shaped our focuses, and what the fall looks like at WMB as we start to live into this new vision.
Colossians 4:2-6 | Pastor Brad Sherk on behalf of Pastor Renée Serez.
You have been transformed for a purpose. Take what God has given you, and GO.
Colossians 3:18–4:1 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | Aug 11, 2024
Relationships that seek power over another is a product of the fall. But we are called to live different. We are to give away our power and instead love sacrificially as Christ loves us.
Pastor Derek Klumpenhouwer discusses the discipleship opportunities that Wumba Kids Camp provides, implementing spiritual practices that help him to slow down to meet with Jesus, and what hospitality that reflects Jesus would look like in the Church.
Pastor Gareth Goossen discusses why he loves Seniors Ministry, the important role that seniors play in discipling the next generation, and his favourite ice cream shops in KW.
Leah Sherk (Director, Worship & Media) discusses the opportunities that living in the WMB neighbourhood provides, and how we can use social media as a discipleship tool and a way of reaching the next generation.
Colossians 3:12-17 | Pastor Adam Knowles | August 4, 2024
Life in Christ transforms us into who we are created to be.
Colossians 3:5-11 | Pastor Brad Sherk | July 28, 2024
We live into the fullness of our faith by putting to death our old, sinful ways, and putting on the new self that Jesus offers us.
Pastor Adam Knowles discusses the amazing things God has done and is continuing to do at our Kitchener Site, leading the Alpha program, and why he's excited about going back to being a "neighbourhood church".
Colossians 3:1-4 | Guest Speakers: Philip & Robyn Serez
In Jesus we can experience a "second life", through which we can thrive in crisis because we know God and that He is fully present with us. "It's this second life that I have come to treasure, for however long it last...I pray this second life for you all" - Philip Serez
Pastor Brad Sherk discusses WMB's discipleship focus, next generations, and what it looks like and means to be an apprentice of Jesus.
Over the last couple of months, our staff team have been doing some significant work around the focus and vision of WMB. We are excited to share some our experiences and stories with you, as we seek God's will and direction in this next season at WMB Church!
New episodes will be posted every Monday throughout the summer!
Colossians 2:20–3:4 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | July 14, 2024
With Christ you died to this world and its regulations. So let go of the world’s ways and set your mind on heavenly things.
Luke 23:26, Job 1-2, 38, 41-42, Romans 5:3-4 | Guest Speaker: John Coffey | July 7, 2024
Find hope and encouragement as we hear testimonies from children and families in Manila, Philippines, showing us how God works through struggles and suffering to change lives and redeem any situation for His goodness and glory.
Colossians 2:1-19 | Pastor Brad Sherk | June 30, 2024
Spiritual fullness is only possible in a life rooted in Jesus.
Colossians 1:24-29 | Pastor Adam Knowles | June 23, 2024
We should rejoice in all things that make us more like Jesus, because nothing can compare to the mystery of Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 1:21–23 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | June 16, 2024
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ changed everything. Now humanity can be in a right relationship with the creator of heaven and earth again.
Colossians 1:15–20 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | June 9, 2024
The more we look to Jesus, the more we realize that our hope rests in him alone.
Colossians 1:1-14 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | June 2, 2024
The Good News of Jesus Christ changes lives, and it offers us a new identity that can only be found in Jesus.
Acts 17 | Pastor Gareth Goossen | May 19, 2024
We want to see our seniors pressing in to knowing Jesus and find life to the fullest – even in a time of aging – and to equip them to share that message with their families and communities.
Acts 17 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | May 26, 2024
The human need to control outcomes is a natural reaction to the challenges we face, but it’s not a biblical one. Instead, Jesus calls us to surrender all outcomes to Him because He is everything we need.
Acts 17 | Pastor Jeff and Kerri MacLeod
We have the burden for people to know and live in the truth and freedom that Jesus offers us.
Acts 17 | Pastors Brad & Leah Sherk
We want to see the next generation know Jesus and find life to the fullest.
Acts 17:17-23 | Pastor Adam Knowles | April 28, 2024
People will hear the gospel when we engage with our culture.
Acts 17:24-31 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | April 14, 2024
Practicing the gospel is not something we do, it’s something that has been done for us that we must respond to.
Acts 17:32-34 | Pastor Shawn Branton | April 14, 2024
Our responsibility is to faithfully share the gospel with others. We surrender the outcomes to Jesus.
Acts 17:16-34 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | April 7, 2024
The Spirit places in us a holy discontentment, a God-given burden that leads to passionately wanting to share your faith.
Mark 16:1–8 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | March 31, 2024
The resurrection is what ushers in God’s kingdom here on earth.
Mark 15 | Shawn Branton | March 29, 2024
Jesus was not the king they expected, he was the king they needed.
Mark 11:1-11 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod | March 24, 2024
Jesus was not the kind of king they expected, he was the kind of king they needed.
Mark 2:23-3:6 | Pastor Shawn Branton | March 17, 2024
The Kingdom of God is both compelling and challenging. It calls us to surrender our own desires and expectations for the new way of thinking and acting that Jesus offers.
Mark 1:21-45 | March 10, 2024 | Pastor Michelle Knowles
Jesus reveals the power and authority of God’s kingdom. The Kingdom of God overcomes sin and evil so that shalom (flourishing) can be restored for all of creation.
Mark 1:1-5 | March 3, 2024 | Pastor Shawn Branton
The Kingdom is revealed in Jesus. Through repentance and belief, He invites us to live into this world-changing new reality.
February 25, 2024 | w/ Mark Wessner | Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 2 Timothy 3:12-17
What is the purpose of the Bible? How trustworthy is the Bible? And what authority does the Bible have? Today, we will see that the Bible is not simply a historical work of fiction, but a reliable, powerful, and inspired message that is the ultimate guide for life. More than a rulebook, the Bible can lead us to experience the beauty and power of God’s word when we know it, believe it, submit to it, and step forward in courage to live out what it says. As a church, let us learn how to have the Word of God become the transformative foundation of our lives; a word that will lead us, form us, and shape us for the life and mission God is calling us to.
Genesis 50:14-21 | Pastor Derek Klumpenhouwer
God’s faithfulness is found in each of our stories.
Genesis 9:18-28 | Pastor Shawn Branton
God is righteous and faithful to all people. He is lovingly committed to overcome the unrighteousness and unfaithfulness of all people.
Genesis 12:1-13:4 | Pastor Jeff MacLeod
God makes great promises. Promises that can be trusted because our God is faithful.
Genesis 11:1-9 | Pastor Brad Sherk
It's not about you. True freedom only comes when we surrender our lives to Jesus
Genesis 6:5-9:10
Judgement is real. But so is God’s grace. Out of the chaos of a broken world, God is renewing his creation for His good and perfect purpose.
Genesis 3
The human choice of autonomy by breaking God’s loving boundaries changed the world, and it was not good. But Jesus offers us the pathway back into the good life that God intended for us.
The promise of Jesus is a promise of the protective and loving care of God our true Shepherd.
The promise of Jesus is a promise of the perfect and peaceful reign of God our true King.
Barnabas Missions is WMB’s expression of local outreach. Your generous giving to our Barnabas fund empowers people in our community who are marginalized – those experiencing poverty, refugees and new Canadians – to move toward long-term, holistic well-being. Through this year’s special offering, we aim to raise $315,000 to fund our ministries that provide practical and relational support to hundreds of people in our community. We will have a special Barnabas offering service on November 26.
Through Jesus, we partner in God’s work of redeeming “all things” in His Creation, which includes our work, workplace, communities and industries. We do our best work when we seek alignment with our abilities and God’s purposes, and serve with faithfulness even when we find work situations difficult and disappointing.
November 12, 2023 | Genesis 1-2
God, in His creative work, has designed a world for human flourishing. Our calling is to partner with God in making that come about including through our abilities, work and careers. Our work matters because God has designed us for this purpose.
The church is designed by God to be a community of people committed to God and to others, and it is centrally important in God's Kingdom mission for the world.
Kingdom people must be radically committed to Jesus in order to show the Father to the world.
Today we celebrate God’s faithfulness to our church family through nearly one hundred years of life and ministry, and look to how He continues to lead us now. May we be united together in purpose and passion to see Jesus Christ made greater in our lives and our world today.
Kingdom people take radical risks of faith for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Kingdom people serve and sacrifice for those they struggle to love. (Shawn Branton - September 24, 2023)
Kingdom people hear the words of Jesus and act on them. (Shawn Branton - September 17, 2023)
Generosity is a rhythm that, much like hospitality, helps us to respond to Jesus’ command to love our neighbours. And yet, there is also a wonderful benefit we can experience in practicing generosity in our lives today. By looking at Jesus’ parable of the shrewd manager, we can hear Jesus challenging us to think about generosity as something that extends beyond the here and now of present situations and an earthly existence to caring for, and sharing in, the spiritual well-being and eternal future of ourselves and others. (Shawn Branton- September 3, 2023)
We practice the discipline of fasting because we have been given a taste of God’s kingdom and nothing else will ever satisfy us. Because in God’s kingdom the way to abundance is through abstinence. (Jeff MacLeod - August 27, 2023)
Do you sometimes feel like you don’t have time to follow God with your whole life? That’s because we weren’t made to go at this pace. God invites us to Sabbath, to take time to rest in His presence so that we are able to follow Him every day of the week. Join us as we unpack the “why” and “how” of Sabbath. (Renée Serez - August 20, 2023)
As we continue our series, this week we are looking at hospitality. We will be looking at what Jesus teaches us about hospitality in the parable of the Good Samaritan and how hospitality Jesus’ way may look different then how we often view hospitality. (Derek Klumpenhouwer - August 13, 2023)
Confession is a gift from God that brings freedom into our lives. Jesus died and rose again to forgive those who confess faith in Him. As we confess our sins to God and one another we experience God’s grace and freedom from both the hold of sin and the strain and damage of pretending we are perfect. (Adam Knowles - August 6, 2023)
When we hurt physically, we cry out in pain; when we hurt spiritually, we cry out in lament. To cry is inherently human. To lament is inherently spiritual. (Gareth Goossen - July 30, 2023)
Silence creates space for the fullness of God’s presence and His loving initiative in our lives. Jesus invites us to come to Him in our longing, hunger and desperation and trust that He will meet us there. In silence, we learn to be still, to rest in God’s loving presence, to trust Him and allow His love to touch the deepest parts of us. (Michelle Knowles - July 23, 2023)
In a busy, hurried and chaotic pace of life where burnout and anxiety push us to the edge, Jesus invites us into a new way of living through a rhythm of solitude. Solitude is the practice of purposefully carving out time in our regular life to be alone with God in prayer. This practice is not a goal, but a process. And, over time, it forms us into someone who is more fully able to live into their identity as a child of God, living more like Jesus each day. (Brad Sherk - July 16, 2023)
Worship changes us. It leads to obedience, it leads to a greater knowing and loving of God, it leads to encountering God in our daily living and to a powerful fullness of life in the Spirit. Let us come to Jesus with a holy expectancy because we’ve come to understand, just like the people in our passage today from the book of Luke, that He is God and that He has come to His people. (Shawn Branton - July 9, 2023)
Jesus’ desire is for us to live freely and lightly, to follow His rhythms and practices, walk closely with Him and find rest in His presence. He invites us to train as His apprentices, using the spiritual disciplines He modelled, to find freedom as we learn to know and experience God in the same ways as Jesus. (Jeff MacLeod - July 2, 2023)
John Coffey, WMB missionaries, shares from his experience in the Philippines, about what it means to be sent in humility, with the heart of a servant and learner. Jesus modelled for us that wherever we are sent to serve (in your community, school, workplace, somewhere outside of your comfort zone, or in another culture or country), we are to adopt a heart of a learner, listener and servant. (June 25, 2023)
God sends you and I each and every day to be on mission right here, right now. We are called to make disciples of all nations, starting with our own “nation” around us. If your life has been transformed by the love of Jesus, then isn’t that something you’d want the world to know too? This is an invitation to join the Spirit to love our world by sharing Jesus. (Brad Sherk - July 18, 2023)
We are sent together in mission with the global church, in a posture of koinonia. We have an opportunity to serve and learn together with our brothers and sisters around the world, in mutual and reciprocal partnerships. We will explore what this looks like at WMB Church with our Global Partners. (Michelle Knowles - June 11, 2023)
Joanna and Jonathan Gutierrez, WMB missionaries, share stories from our sister churches in Lisbon, Portugal as they speak about being sent in reconciliation. The Gospel is an invitation to be reconciled with God and receive a new life and purpose. As we are made new in Jesus, we become compelled by His love to go into the world with a life changing message of reconciliation. (June 4, 2023)
The Spirit empowering our lives fills the sail of our souls, moving us beyond the harbour of a self-propelled life, into the sea of a Spirit-filled adventure. Being filled with the Spirit empowers us to know Jesus more deeply and live a life that moves in the direction of God’s will. (Jeff MacLeod - May 28, 2023)
Being filled with the Holy Spirit is the result of submitting our lives to the lordship and influence of Christ, so He can accomplish His work in us and through us every day. This is available to everyone who trusts in Jesus and it is experienced by a daily and ongoing surrender to God. An amazing adventure awaits anyone who would be filled with the Spirit! (Steve Kerr - May 21, 2023)
Jesus wants us to be fruit-full! People who love and follow Jesus should look like Jesus. That’s our “fruit", obvious and tangible evidence of the life inside us. This fruit isn’t made through hard work but by allowing the Spirit to produce this in our lives. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Shawn Branton and Derek Klumpenhouwer - May 14, 2023)
Say NO to Holy Spirit FOMO. Being led by the Spirit is for our good, it is living life to the fullest! There is transformation and goodness when our lives are led by the Spirit and not by us. Being led by the Spirit convicts us and the world of sin and invites us to participate in God’s mission to bring everyone to His throne. (Brad Sherk - May 7, 2023)
Spiritual gifts are wonderful and purposeful empowerments from God given to us through the Spirit, by His grace, for His glory and for the common good of His people. The gifts of the Spirit are not just a list of things that we can do or be, but how we most accurately reflect God to one another and to the world around us. (Shawn Branton - April 30, 2023)
The Holy Spirit is the One who fills us with the Father’s love and connects us with the life of Jesus. The Spirit has been present and working throughout history to bring about the new life, renewal and power of God. When the Holy Spirit fills us, we experience the love of the Father in radical new ways. We become empowered by Jesus, in a world that deeply needs people who live like Jesus. (Jeff MacLeod - April 23, 2023)
Do you have questions or fears about the Holy Spirit, which hold you back from the ways He can change your life? It can help to learn that the Holy Spirit is not another who is different than Christ, He’s another who is the same. Jesus gives us His Spirit, because only by Christ living in us by His Holy Spirit will we be enabled to live in a way that we could never live on our own. (Shawn Branton - April 16, 2023)
The true covenant promise of God to Abraham, and to God’s chosen people, was that He would reconcile them to Him, and this is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus! Jesus rising from the grave on Easter brings hope to even the most hopeless situation. (Shawn Branton - April 9, 2023)
Even though we all fall short, when Jesus is the King of our lives we are cured from the power of sin. On Good Friday we remember both the depth of our sin and the extravagant love of God in Jesus, who chose to die on a Roman cross to purchase our freedom from sin. (Jeff MacLeod - April 7, 2023)
Life isn’t meant to be a constant struggle of sin management. Circumcision of our hearts allows us to be transformed into the image of Christ. We can be released from religiousness, our desires to look and act perfectly, by allowing God’s Spirit to transform your heart, to bring freedom and healing as you follow Him in faith and obedience. (Greg Reed - April 2, 2023)
God’s kindness is what leads us to repentance. This is the posture in how we live out our lives and how we deal with sin. We first look at our own life, repent and show the kindness of Jesus to others. (Jeff MacLeod - March 26, 2023)
Exchange is at the heart of the human condition. We all made an exchange, that in our sinful nature we exchange truth for a lie, and participate—heart, mind, and body—in a lifestyle that leads us away from God’s goodness and life. So, we all need an exchange, one which God has made a way for by giving over His Son Jesus, to redeem us. Jesus justifies us so that we can live new and transformed lives returning to the goodness for which we were created. (Shawn Branton - March 19, 2023)
God knows us and He makes a way for us to know Him. God is working to restore us and all creation to Him, to rightness, through His Son, Jesus Christ. God knows our sinful human condition. Yet instead of leaving us to incur the wrath we completely deserve, He mercifully and lovingly comes to us and makes a way for us to be rescued and restored. (Shawn Branton - March 12, 2023)
The book of Romans is a foundational Gospel book, the Apostle Paul’s theological manifesto about Jesus. Today, we give a brief overview of book and look at Paul’s central focus for writing, which is the Gospel. The Good News that Jesus is alive and that we can be made alive through faith in Him. We are invited to experience God’s power manifested when we faithfully proclaim this Good News of Jesus. (Shawn Branton - March 5, 2023)
Guest Speaker Ken Esau (CCMBC National Faith and Life Director) addresses the necessity of spiritual health. The priority for the Canadian MB Church is integrity and wholeness toward Jesus the true center. Spiritual health begins with God’s big, beautiful, and amazing Kingdom story and our purpose and calling in this as the Church. We are Kingdom people—serving and worshipping the King. (February 26, 2023)
In order to truly understand the Old Testament, we need to read it through the lens of the cross. This reveals a “shalom kingdom melody” in which we see a movement of redemption, God moving the people away from evil desires into a life guided by the Holy Spirit. We can learn to see glimpses of Jesus, the beauty and ugliness of the cross, and God’s redemptive faithfulness, throughout the whole of the Bible. (Michelle Knowles - February 19, 2023)
The covenants that God forms with His people unlocks access to His presence moving us ever closer to being in the place where God dwells. God uses this tool of covenant to teach us about Himself and how He calls us to live. Reading scripture through the covenant language and promises helps us to see God’s redemption in motion throughout history. (Shawn Branton - February 12, 2023)
As we look at the postures of Orpah, Naomi and Ruth and how they approach their lives, we can draw connections to how we approach our own lives, our faith, and our relationship with God. We can gain insight to how we should posture ourselves when reading God’s Word. A posture of intention and faith led by the Holy Spirit. (Renée Serez - February 5, 2023)
Scripture taps into the power of repetition as a way to teach us about God’s truth and character and grow our faith. The repetition of words in Moses’ encounter with God reveals the depth to which God is present and actively working out His big story of redemption. We’re reminded that God sees us, and invites us to know Him personally, so that we might be able to see how He is working in our lives. (Shawn Branton - January 29, 2023)
Philip and Robyn Serez share their journey since Philip's diagnosis with ALS and how they have experienced God's faithfulness and joy in the midst of suffering. Grief, pain, and sorrow are all real, but so is God who generates a joy in the hearts of believers that transcends circumstances and sustains through hardship. (January 22, 2023)
As we explore the details of stories in the Bible, we can be encouraged that God is in the details. God loves us so much that His care for us extends to even the smallest details of our lives. This week we look at how the finely crafted details in the historical narratives of scripture undoubtedly point us towards God’s involvement in the lives and situations of his people, working towards His big story of redemption. (Shawn Branton - January 15, 2023)
Much of the Bible is written in the genre of “historical narrative”, written as a story about what really happened in the past, with the purpose of revealing what God did in history and pointing us towards God’s big story of redemption. In biblical narratives, we learn that God’s plan for his people and God’s plan for redemption is carried forward through and often in spite of individual people and situations. (Shawn Branton - January 8, 2022)
If we are not content, we will struggle to be thankful, if we aren’t thankful, we won’t be happy. Happiness is directly connected to living the will of God. So, take nothing for granted, always rejoice, pray without ceasing, and be thankful in all circumstances. This is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (Jeff MacLeod - January 1, 2023)
On that first Christmas, God chose to come into our mess, to step out of heaven, a place of perfect peace, and send Himself as the response to our desperate cry for help. Jesus’ birth ushered in everlasting peace. We can find this today by trusting in Jesus and receiving His Spirit, the gift of God’s presence among us and within us, filling us with His true peace. (Michelle Knowles - December 18, 2022)
Joy is not something that you can produce on your own. True joy is only found in the true source of joy, to accept God’s invitation to dwell in His presence. We can be tempted to settle for happiness, which is fleeting, but in God we find a contentment and satisfaction that endures through all circumstances, because Jesus is with us and we trust in Him. (Adam Knowles - December 11, 2022)
Love in action is how we can claim to truly know God and truly live. What is our statement as followers of Jesus? Love. God’s love has become our plea. It is the gift we’ve been given, and we now give to others. The sign of love, Jesus coming to us at Christmas, can be seen as we respond to God’s love, living it out in the world today. (Shawn Branton - December 4, 2022)
We are invited to reset how we view giving, especially giving to fulfill God’s purposes. As we turn our minds from the trappings of greed to the freedom of generosity, scripture paints a picture for us of hope, security, and abundance as we grow in trusting Jesus and following his example of extravagant generosity. God is calling us to be generous people because He is a generous God. (Shawn Branton - November 20, 2022)
Purpose for our lives and partnership with God begins in priesthood, when we find an identity and an ethic that is a role, and a mission in the world that gives wonderful meaning to our lives each and every day. God has given us an identity that is special and radically inclusive. This comes with a duty to live devoted lives, loving God and others to bring about the saving purposes of God for the world. (Shawn Branton - Nov 13, 2022)
Think of the human body; the ways each part of our body fits together, that is how God wants us to understand the church. Each person is invited and gifted by the Spirit to be a part of the body of Christ. As we are knit together in unity and harmony, like a strong and healthy body, we will grow to flourish as God’s people and carry out our purpose in the world around us. (Michelle Knowles - November 6, 2022)
Throughout the Bible we see the grand narrative of God’s redemptive mission, bringing unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. God has invited us, as His adopted children, into His story, His purpose, and he promises to protect us, to help us to find the peace and comfort that only God can bring us in a world that is broken and lost. (Jeff MacLeod - Oct 30, 2022)
We have an opportunity to flourish by seeking shalom – to change from a traditional charity model, centered around one-way giving of resources between strangers, to a way that seeks to see long-term positive impact in people’s lives and our own, through mutual, authentic relationships. This flourishing, or shalom, is the heart of the gospel. (Stefanie MacGregor - October 24, 2022)
Pastors Shawn, Jeff and Adam share our vision for the next season of life and ministry at WMB Church flowing out of our Rebuilding series. Once again, we encourage everyone to align with Jesus as the center of our lives and to press in together for WMB’s vision. (October 16, 2022)
The call to follow Jesus is a way of suffering. It calls us to give up everything and align our lives with Christ. We’re called to follow the example of the early Christians in deep devotion to Jesus and with deep conviction that Jesus died for us, to make us right with God, to sacrifice His life to free us from the captivity of sin and bring us into the way of Christ. (Jeff MacLeod - October 9, 2022)
Peter calls the church to a corporate rebuilding of the life of the church through obedience, so that God can sanctify and transform us. A rebuilt life starts with God’s revelation through scripture and the counsel of the Holy Spirit and this will always require a response. As we choose to obey, we will be changed, transformed into His likeness. (Greg Reed - Oct 2, 2022)
Peter’s letter challenges us to live out our convictions, to respond to a hostile culture by living out what we say they believe. This is how we rebuild or find our purpose in life as God’s people and become a blessing to world. The world will notice when the church lives through their identity and convictions in Christ Jesus. (Jeff MacLeod - September 25, 2022)
Peter’s letter offers a vision for the church, to understand God’s good design for us, that we have been created to be a unique Spirit-empowered community together with a specific reason and purpose. We are not called to just go to church but instead to be the church of Jesus every day, together, everywhere we go, in all of our interactions with one another and with the community around us. (Shawn Branton - September 18, 2022)
Today we call you to recommit yourself to God by reaffirming your faith in Him and your position as chosen, sanctified and obedient to Him. We are inviting you to make priority decisions about your faith, to commit to a way of living that grows our love and knowledge of God and leads us to becoming effective witnesses for Jesus in our world today. For Peter, and for us, that is anchored to our identity as God’s beloved children and the saving work of God in our lives. (Shawn Branton - Sept 11, 2022)
The Golden Rule is something the New Testament calls each of us to live by. Yet even the best of us struggle to return evil with good when we have been wronged or offended. In our story this week God uses an ordinary person like Abigail to stop a future king in his tracks. Abigail calls David to live out the golden rule in a moment where David is ready to fight for how he was wronged. (Jeff MacLeod - Sept 4, 2022)
The Bible contains stories of ordinary people having extraordinary encounters with God. The Samaritan Woman was one of those ordinary people Jesus goes out of his way to meet her greatest need with his Living Water. But this story has some amazing parallels to it that demonstrate how much Jesus willingly goes out of his way to care for the ordinary person in extraordinary ways. (Gareth Goossen, August 29, 2022)
Jesus and his disciples are travelling to Jerusalem when they encounter a group of ten lepers. They are all healed but only one responds with saving faith. What the pious and privileged believe is their right, the outcast gratefully receives. What can we learn about the role of praise and thanksgiving from this Samaritan leper? (Adam Knowles August 22, 2022)
Obed-Edom is a little-known ordinary person in the Old Testament who is prepared to be the right person in the right place at the right time. When the symbol of God’s presence comes to his house for an extended stay, his actions and attitude lead to blessing. (Shawn Branton - August 14, 2022)
Throughout the story of scripture, we see countless individuals who struggle with their faith: ordinary people who have doubts about God, faith, and who Jesus was. This gives us new perspective when it comes to handling our own doubts. We can face them head on, trusting that God can build our faith stronger through the skepticism. (Brad Sherk - August 7, 2022)
You are invited to come and see. It does not deny that there is mystery or unknown, but it allows people the opportunity for the personal encounter with Jesus, which can be transformational. (Derek Klumpenhouwer - July 31, 2022)
God brings ordinary people together to accomplish His extraordinary story of redemption. In the letter to the Romans, we see that people aren’t noted for their status or accomplishments but thanked for their commitment and contribution to the gospel of Jesus. God continues His redemptive activity in the world through regular, everyday people who come together and continued to surrender their lives to following Jesus. (Michelle Knowles, July 24, 2022)
Zacchaeus gave up his wealth for the poor, he made restitution for the wrong he had done, and saw salvation come to his household. He allowed Jesus into his life and was willingly transformed, joining Jesus’ mission to seek and save the lost. (Greg Reed - July 17, 2022)
Simon Peter was an ordinary blue-collar guy who was working in the family trade as a fisherman. He was called by Jesus to give up everything and follow Him. Peter took this call seriously, but not without its bumps in the road. Peter is a great example of how repentance and action can lead to God using you for great things. (Jeff MacLeod - July 10, 2022)
People of great faith are ordinary people who are unrelenting in their faith in God. What if Jesus calling this woman’s faith “great” is not because of its quantity but rather because of its intensity? Its unrelenting, immovable, and steadfast trust of God’s Word and will despite the obstacles. (Shawn Branton - July 3, 2022)
God’s people are sent with a mission and it is so far beyond what any of us are capable of by ourselves. A life that began in faith must be continued the same way and this is found in a life of active, unrelenting prayer. It is also prayer that opens doors to the gospel, bringing about hope, renewal and changed lives.
Deny yourself. Take up your cross. Follow Jesus. Never has there been a more radical invitation. Obedience to Jesus brings purpose and meaning to our lives today. He promises us real life when we give up our lives for the sake of the gospel. (Brad Sherk - June 19, 2022)
All believers are sent as missionaries, to extend God’s grace everywhere we go, because the world is full of people that need the good news of Jesus. Our lives are meant to proclaim the gospel. We each have a mission field where we live, work and play. (Shawn Branton - June 12, 2022)
Mission is life and life is mission. Being a missionary, being a disciple, is about devoting your life to God and proclaiming Him to others. All believers are called to live on mission. Mission is an extension of church – which means it is done together in community. Together we reach the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ. (Greg Reed - June 5, 2022)
The North American church has an identity problem. We have lost our witness in the world because we have lost of our identity as the people of God. We are invited to reclaim our true identity in the saving work of Jesus, to come together and live every moment as His radically saved disciples, coming together as a community of love, grace and forgiveness. (Jeff MacLeod - May 29, 2022)
The church is called to be God’s kingdom here on earth. There is nothing individual about this. The books of Acts shows us a consistent movement of communities living their lives with Jesus. The Holy Spirit moved people into this new way of life, creating the kind of communities that can demonstrate a better way to the world. (Shawn Branton - May 22, 2022)
As God’s Ekklesia, we are a group of people on mission, living by the Spirit to bring the ways of Jesus into the world. God’s mission and the Church’s mission are one and the same. Simply put, the church is called to embody and share the good news of the gospel wherever they go. (Michelle Knowles - May 15, 2022)
When we live our lives filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can vibrantly worship, boldly proclaim the truth of gospel, and peacefully live in unity with one another. We become keenly focused on the mission set before us of doing good in a world that is lost. (Shawn Branton - May 8, 2022)
God calls His Church to be people who go against the brokenness of our world and show the ways of love, forgiveness and grace. A daunting task that is only made possible by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of all followers of Jesus. (Michelle Knowles - May 1, 2022)
Why did Jesus establish “the church”? The scriptures define and shape the answer to why Jesus after His death and resurrection formed the church to be His witness and body in our broken world. This series explores the biblical understanding and calling of the church and how this calling can be lived out in a world that is so far from God. (Jeff MacLeod - April 24, 2022)