#ADC14

When attending district meetings during 2013, I wore a single hat… that of Editor for the monthly district publication “The Pentecostal Messenger”.  January 2014 changed that however; I began raising funds for our 2015 AIM appointment to France. Since that time I’ve generally worn two hats to district events – the proof can been in the setup to the right: Banners for the Pentecostal Messenger Editor and for our AIM project.

We have just ended the 2014 Atlantic District Conference, held at Truth Tabernacle in Moncton, NB and hosted by Rev. & Mrs John Woodcock.  It was a short & sweet time together where we enjoyed the music ministry of Rev. Sonny Schambeau and the preaching ministry of Bro. Brent Coltharp of Illinois (Dist. Superintendent and Area Presbyter).

5 Quotable Coltharp Quotes:

• “A King builds his kingdom, a prophet speaks on behalf of the King.We’re not here to build our own kingdom, but to build HIS kingdom.”
• “It’s not my kingdom. He’s the King and I serve the King.”
• “Samuel, don’t take it personally… they’re rejecting me, not you.”
• “Rather than Jehovah, who had brought them out of Egypt and made them victorious, they wanted a king like all the nations around them.
• “Satellites can’t set people free, you’ve got to get boots on the ground.”

Boots on the Ground:

I really appreciate Bro. Coltharp’s message from last night… he talked about how warfare has progressed from being a “hand-to-hand combat” situation – a “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes” kind of proximity – to a point where, thanks to technology, one can wipe out tens of thousands of people, unseen, using missiles, satellites, etc. from great distances.

The danger, for the church, is that sometimes we want to wage warfare similarly to how it’s done in the modern world… from a distance. We want to fast. We want to pray. We want to enjoy church IN-side our buildings.

There is a place and a value to each of these things… but if they constitute the whole of our Christian experience then we are off balance. Jesus got boots on the ground… he went out to where the people were. He didn’t maintain his distance, but got in close proximity. Hence the quote:

“Satellites can’t set people free,
you’ve got to get boots on the ground.”

Up close & personal

I enjoyed this message so much because this very thing has been a concern for me as I prepare to go to France. I am, by nature and by experience a “Second-man / Admin-support” type. That is the capacity in which I’ve functioned up to this point. However… while that experience will no doubt be valuable to me when in France, I realize that I’ll need to – with the Lord’s help – push the limits and become boots on the ground to a greater measure than my role has allowed / demanded to this point.

It’s my desire to see personal growth in this area, indeed it will be vital to cultivate this, if we are to achieve the things that the Lord has put on our heart to do.  I’m not satisfied to remain as I am… I long to grow.

Lord, let it be so.

Progress

I am also thankful for the support of the ministers and congregations of the Atlantic District. During this conference, the Lord has allowed us to:

1. Schedule 5 more services around the district in the coming year.
   – Moncton, NB   (Rev. John Woodcock)
   – Gray Rapids, NB  (Rev. Graham Russell)
   – Juniper, NB   (Rev. Everett Munn)
   – Noonan, NB  (Rev. Bruce Arsenault)
   – Sackville, NB  (Rev. Tom Barkley)
2. Receive several new one-time pledges toward our overall support.

Thank you, Atlantic District, for your support.
It’s an honour to be part of you.