Growing up in my family, fishing was the passion of my father and brother. Many family vacations were planned around where the best fishing spots were and could a boat be rented? I quickly learned that the anchor was a very important part of the equipment in a boat. Lowering the anchor allowed the boat to stay in one place when we were fishing. It also allowed the boat to avoid rocks and reefs and sometimes it even helped to ride out a storm. The anchor meant security for us so that we could enjoy our fishing adventure and stay safe.
In ancient times the anchor was viewed as a symbol of safety. The early Christian church adopted the anchor as a symbol of hope as is referenced in Hebrews 6:19 “we have this hope as an anchor of the soul, firm and secure”.

Our hope is in the love of God in Jesus. That is our anchor. The world can be a wild and dangerous sea. Look at this past year with the COVID-19 pandemic! We lost our moorings. Everything we thought was safe and predictable disappeared. Our world was turned upside down. However, we know that our port is the certain, loving care of God. The storms of life will continue but our anchor, our hope is in the love of God.

Our daily lives too can have many storms: various traumas, relationship stresses, anxiety, depression, grief and loss. Our lives, shattered though they may be, will never flounder as we are anchored in the love and protection of our God.

The counselors at Niagara Life Centre strive to make this a realty for the clients they work with. At NLC, staff provide counseling to support the emotional, social, physical and spiritual needs of their clients.

This supportive counseling could not continue at NLC without the support of our local community. I would like to thank our volunteers, our prayer warriors and our financial donors for your on-going commitment to the work of NLC. Thanks to all of you, NLC can continue to bring help, hope and healing to those in need.

Karen Vandyk,
NLC Board Secretary