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Trails Church Base Camp

Trails Church Winnipeg

Welcome to Base Camp, a resource for the members of Trails Church in Winnipeg, MB. Base Camp is part of the training and equipping ministry of Trails Church which includes classes, meetings, Q&As, and other content for theological education. To learn more about us, check out trailschurch.ca

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  • 20 episodes
  • Avg 38 min
  • English
  • July 28 · 33 min

    July 2026 Member Meeting

    At this bimonthly member meeting we prayed for one another, shared testimonies, updated the church on some ministry changes come fall, and explained the path forward for our budget updates.

  • May 2 · 56 min

    Pastors Q&A - April 2026

    Every so often we like to have time where our church can pepper the pastors with their burning questions. This is the Q&A time from the last Sunday of April 2026. This time around we had questions ranging from reading ancient philosophers, the relationship between Israel and the Church, learning how to forgive and set healthy boundaries, the judgement of Gentiles before Christ, Lewis or Tolkien, favourite preachers, and more!

  • April 5 · 28 min

    Good Friday 2026 Sermon

    On Good Friday we gathered once again with our friends of Osborne Village Church and CityLight Church. We heard from Pastor Brennan Cattani of OVC who preached from Romans 5:1-11. We were once enemies of God, but in Christ we are reconciled to him. Praise the Lord!

  • March 29 · 44 min

    Member Meeting March 29, 2026

    Catch up on what was covered in our March 2026 member meeting. This is a time when we pray for one another and inform the church about important updates and events in the near future. Please listen to stay informed.

  • Dec 29, 2025 · 15 min

    Praying for the Nations 2025: A Retrospective Essay

    As a church we have prayed for a different country each month of 2025. Chris has written a Substack article to help us think through why we have done so and why we should personally continue this discipline into the new year.

  • Dec 14, 2025 · 20 min

    The Local Church's Role in Missions - Sent and Sending

    Missionary work and church planting seem to be something that few churches give their time and energy to pursuing. They usually relegate such things to parachurch ministries. But is this God's Plan? Is it God's plan for local churches to abdicate their God-given role to train, equip and send out qualified missionaries, church planters, and church planting team members? We don't think so. In fact, we believe that parachurch ministries work best when they come alongside of and support local churches (hence their name - "para" (along side of) "church" (the church). At our Sent and Sending recently, Pastor Chris explained the role of the Local Church in Missions/Church Planting and gave a really clear picture of what our role as a local church is in these Christ-exalting endeavours. For it is the local church that God has commanded to train, equip and send members so that the nations might be glad. This is part of our holy mission given to us by God as a local church. It is part of every local church's mission, whether they are participating in it or not. As for us, we will press on.

  • Dec 10, 2025 · 48 min

    Praying to know God

    Recently Pastor Chris had the opportunity to teach at a young adults meeting of another local church in Winnipeg. There he taught on Ephesians 1:15-23 highlighting the importance of knowledge in our prayer lives. Ultimately, prayer is not just about getting from God, but knowing God himself.

  • Nov 3, 2025 · 23 min

    Nov 2 Member Meeting

    In this member meeting: - Gilles shares his testimony - Philosophy of Ministry Discussion: Discipleship - Prayer for one another - Buget 2026 intro - Update on Counselling Ministry and expenses - Prayer

  • Oct 19, 2025 · 45 min

    A Legacy Worth Leaving: Fatherhood, Brotherhood, and Multi-Generational Faithfulness

    A Legacy Worth Leaving: Fatherhood, Brotherhood, and Multi-Generational Faithfulness Title: A Legacy Worth Leaving: Fatherhood, Brotherhood, and Multi-Generational Faithfulness Text: Psalm 78:5–7; 2 Timothy 2:2 We are going to be talking about the only legacy that truly matters in eternity: passing the faith on to the next generation. Psalm 78:5-7: “He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments.” 1. Legacy Begins with being Faithful Fathers we are the ones that set the spiritual thermostat in our homes what does it mean to be a faithful Father? - we are, first, those who love the Lord our God with all of our hearts, mind, soul and strength: it’s not merely the elder’s job to teach your wife and your children good theology; no, good elders assist you in this task, helping remind you that you are the shepherd of your family. it’s our job to lead our families to get into the Word together To lead our families in family worship To spend time with our children, To practice confessing our sin to our kids. brothers, you are leaving a legacy. The only question is: what kind of legacy is it? Application: Are you leading your family in the Word? Do your children know more of your hobbies and sports loyalties than your love for Christ? What do you need to commit yourself to doing when you head back home? 2. Legacy is Sustained by Brotherhood in the Church being a man does not mean that we are self sufficient; no, men recognize that there are some things that we just can’t do ourselves, that we have limits, because we are not the Lord. Christian brothers are such a gift - Proverbs 27:17: “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” Men, we won’t be the godly men that God would have us be and that our families, church and culture need, on our own. Application: Do you have brothers who know your battles, your temptations, and your fears? Or are you walking alone? Who knows you? Who can speak in? 3. Legacy Requires Courage to Swim Against the Current men who live for temporary applause will leave no eternal legacy. However, men who live for Christ will leave ripples for generations. Paul told Timothy: “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). That’s generational legacy. That’s what I want to call us to as men. Application: How’s your legacy? What are you handing down to your children or those younger in the faith around you? Compromise, comfort, cultural conformity? Or conviction, courage, and Christ? Conclusion See, Legacy is not built in a moment — it’s built daily, in faithfulness. Fathers: shepherd your little flock. Brothers: strengthen one another. Men: live courageously, even when it costs you. Brothers, let me remind you that our church needs your masculinity, your grit, and your leadership — we need it now - for today - and we need that kind of legacy for the generations yet to come. Call to Action: Decide tonight what legacy you want to leave. Will you be remembered as a man who stood for Christ? Who taught his children the Scriptures? Who strengthened his brothers? And who lives with courage? Brothers, Leave a legacy worth following.

  • Oct 18, 2025 · 48 min

    Integrity in the Inner Life: Fighting Sin, Building Holiness

    Saturday Morning Session 2 — Integrity in the Inner Life: Fighting Sin, Building Holiness Title: Integrity in the Inner Life: Fighting Sin, Building Holiness Text: 1 Thessalonians 4:3–8; Galatians 5:22–23 God’s will for you: your sanctification. 1. Personal holiness with our bodies: Glorifying God with your body Application: Do you understand that your sexual urges and desires are a gift given to you by God to steward? How have you been stewarding this gift? What sin is in your life that you need to confess to someone today? 2. Masculinity Without Holiness is Destructive Application: Where are you flirting with compromise? Is there a thought or hidden sin that you need to confess today and seek help from another Christian brother so that you can put this sin to death? Is there an area where sin promises comfort or success but you know it will ultimately destroy your witness? 3. We can only live this way through the Spirit’s Empowerment Application: And so, our last moment to write something down is this: What secret sin do I have ring now the I’m giving myself to that I need to confess and repent of to God, privately? And then, the second question is: at what point today are you going to confess that sin to a brother around you? Conclusion Brothers, Integrity starts in our inner lives - in our hearts and heads - and it makes its way out into our hands and through our words. Let us not be men who stand courageously against the sins of our culture while harbouring the same kinds of sins in our hearts and minds. No, let us go to battle, together, fighting against sin so that we might grow in sanctification, for this is His will, that we: flee sexual immorality and defy the idol of self-indulgence. That we: uphold God’s design for sex and marriage. And that we: pursue holiness together as His people. Brothers, courage in the culture must be matched with holiness in the heart. If we will not stand here, we cannot stand out there. Call to Action: This week you may not face a fiery furnace like David, but you will face the subtle fire of temptation — on your screen, in your workplace, in your private life. Decide now: Will you bow, or will you fight? Will you compromise, or will you stand holy before the Lord? Stand firm. Be strong. Let all you do — even in secret — be done in love, for the glory of Christ.

  • Oct 18, 2025 · 51 min

    Strength with Purpose: Courage in a Culture of Compromise

    Saturday Morning Session 1 — Strength with Purpose: Courage in a Culture of Compromise Title: Strength with Purpose: Courage in a Culture of Compromise Texts: 1 Corinthians 16:13; Daniel 3:16–18; Acts 4:13 1. Courage Means Standing Firm When Pressured by Culture Application: Where are you tempted to keep silent out of fear? Are you bowing to the idol of approval at work, in your family, or online? 2. Real Courage is Not Bravado — It’s Paying the Cost of Faithfulness Application: What cost are you willing to pay for courage? Would you risk being labeled, losing your job, or suffering ridicule for Christ’s sake? 3. Boldness in the Public Square Flows from Rootedness in God’s Promises Application: Are you daily rooting yourself in God’s Word and prayer so that you’re strong when the moment of testing comes? Men without deep roots will bow under pressure. Conclusion So what does courage look like in Canada in 2025? Refusing to bow when pressured by culture. Paying the cost of faithfulness, even when it hurts. Boldness that flows from God’s presence, not from self-confidence. Brothers, we don’t need men who blend in. We need men who stand out. Men who are willing to be misunderstood, maligned, and even mistreated because Christ is worth it. Call to Action: When the pressure comes — when you’re asked to compromise your convictions, to stay silent about Christ, to affirm what God forbids — will you bow or will you stand? Decide now. Stand firm. Be strong. And let all you do be done in love.

  • Oct 18, 2025 · 46 min

    Stand Firm, Act Like Men

    Friday Night — Stand Firm, Act Like Men (1 Cor. 16:13–14) 📖 Friday Night Session Manuscript Title: Stand Firm, Act Like Men Text: 1 Corinthians 16:13–14 Introduction Brothers, welcome. Tonight, we begin with Paul’s charge to the Corinthian church: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” (1 Cor. 16:13–14) This is a fitting word for us. Our culture is deeply confused about manhood. On one side, masculinity is dismissed as “toxic.” On the other, it’s distorted into bravado and domination. But God’s Word cuts through the confusion with clarity: men are called to responsibility, strength, and love. Tonight we’re going to see that true masculinity is not toxic, nor is it self-indulgent — it is sacrificial. The strength of a man is given to serve, not to take. 1. Biblical Masculinity is Rooted in Creation From the very beginning, God made man in His image (Gen. 1:26–27). Adam was placed in the garden to work it and keep it (Gen. 2:15). This was responsibility, not passivity. Yet Adam failed in the moment of testing. When the serpent came, Adam stood silently by. He abdicated his role. Illustration: Adam in Eden vs. Jesus in Gethsemane. Adam shrinks back, lets the serpent deceive his bride. Jesus steps forward, prays “Not my will but Yours,” and goes to the cross to save His Bride. One fled responsibility, the other embraced it. Application: Where are you tempted to be like Adam — silent, passive, avoiding responsibility? In your marriage? Your children? Your church? 2. Biblical Masculinity is Strength Harnessed for Service Paul says, “act like men, be strong.” He’s not calling for harshness but courage. Strength, in Scripture, is never for self-indulgence but for protection and service. Husbands: “love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Eph. 5:25). Leaders: authority means laying down your life for those you lead. Illustration: Think of a soldier. His strength is not for picking fights in the street but for defending the vulnerable and standing against enemies. His discipline is in service of a cause beyond himself. Application: Are you using your strength for self — or for others? For your own comfort, or for your family’s flourishing? 3. Biblical Masculinity is Saturated in Love Paul doesn’t stop at “be strong.” He adds: “Let all that you do be done in love.” Masculinity without love becomes tyranny. Love without strength becomes sentimentality. But together, they reflect Christ. Jesus was the strongest man who ever lived — yet He came not to be served but to serve. His love gave His strength its meaning. Application: Brothers, the measure of your manhood is not how much power you wield but how much you lay down for the good of others. Conclusion So what does it mean to “act like men”? It means stepping into responsibility instead of running from it. It means using strength to serve instead of to dominate. It means letting love shape everything you do. This weekend we’ll talk about courage in a hostile culture, integrity in the inner life, and leaving a legacy of faith. But tonight, the foundation is this: Christlike masculinity is strong, courageous, responsible, and loving. Call to Action: Take a moment tonight in prayer and ask: “Lord, where have I been passive where You are calling me to act? Where have I been harsh where You are calling me to love? Where have I been selfish where You are calling me to serve?” Let us be men who stand firm, act like men, and let all we do be done in love.

  • Jul 1, 2025 · 28 min

    When Christians Walk Through Anxiety

    We all struggle with degrees of worry and can feel overwhelmed during different seasons of our lives. This talk delves into what anxiety can look like, the criteria for a diagnosable anxiety disorder, how the Bible describes anxiety (thus bringing hope for anxious sufferers), and lastly, encouragement for those who struggle with intense worry. Understanding our identity in Christ really does help us when we are in distress.

  • Jun 27, 2025 · 47 min

    Rountable w/ Nino Marques on Leadership in the Church

    In this episode, we discuss raising leaders in the church with Nino Marques from Knox Church Calgary. Nino is in town for our Supporting the Sent event happening on Sunday at 6:30 pm, which is a church planting awareness, prayer, and fundraising evening as we desire to continue supporting those sent from our church to help advance the Gospel across Canada. This roundtable is with a few different ministry leaders here in Winnipeg who are curious about Nino's experience and asking questions about his ministry to learn more about what God is doing in Calgary.

  • Jun 24, 2025 · 37 min

    Trusting God in the Gaps of Life

    As Christians, one of the great challenges of our journey with God is times of waiting. We often default to misidentifying ourselves as the sovereign of our life and desire for all of existence to arrange itself to our will and timetable. When it doesn't, we tend to respond with anger, anxiety and apathy. Scripture gives us an accurate depiction of just who God says we are in those times. When we're there, responding in accordance to who we are in Christ is God's design in ensuring that those gap times become some of our most fruitful seasons of sanctification.

  • Jun 18, 2025 · 48 min

    Fasting (What is it? How do we do this? Why do we do this?)

    In this episode, Chris Wold shares with us how our church is going to be fasting and praying as we prepare for the Supporting the Sent event on June 29. In this time, we want to particularly praying for Renaissance Church Montreal, Knox Baptist, and our own desire as a church to see more churches planted nationally and internationally as a church family. We believe that we have a very direct call as a church to train, equip and mobilize church planters, church planting team members, missionaries, pastors and ministry leaders from our church. If we are going to see this happen, we are going to need the Lord to move and respond in BIG ways. Join us in listening along and join us in prayer and fasting as we prepare for this special time as a ministry.

  • May 11, 2025 · 59 min

    Gospel-Centred Parenting - Mother's Day Interview with Patti Boswell

    In this special episode of Basecamp, Pastor Aaron interviewed his mom, Patti Boswell, about raising kids, creating an environment where the Gospel is rehearsed and lived out, and the beauty of motherhood. For more information about The Trails, please visit: trailschurch.ca

  • May 5, 2025 · 37 min

    Member Mtg: Philosophy of Ministry, True North Network, Japan Update, a New Elder Recommendation and a House Church being formed in the upcoming months

    You can tell from this title that this Member Meeting was PACKED. One of the first things we discussed in this meeting was the sharing of our Philosophy of Ministry. If you are newer to seeing a document like this, a philosophy of ministry is a framework that informs how a church teaches, leads, grows, disciplines, and sends. We wanted to share this document with our members to let them know some of this framework so that we might also field any questions about it in July's Member Meeting. This document is one that we pray will be helpful for our church to know how we go about ministry as a church and also as a helpful tool as we seek to meaningfully partner with like-minded churches and organizations. As we continue to think through meaningful partnership, we also introduced our membership to a network that we created through which we can meaningfully partner for church planting and revitalization (The True North Network). We also heard an exciting update from Mark about his acceptance as a missionary with Reaching and Teaching International. He will be fundraising until December and then head to Japan, Lord willing, in January. We've also known that our pastors have been training and assessing some potential new elders this past year and they brought one of these men forward to our church for consideration (Rory Friesen). We also let our members know about a home church that is going to be starting in the next few months. We will be giving more information about this in July's Member Meeting as we will be praying over this team together.

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