Tag Archives: Atlantic District

Fundraising & Miracles

September 20, 2014 By in Churches, Places, Process Tags: , , 3 Comments

Neat things have happened since I last updated you on fundraising specifics… so today’s post will address some of those things.

#1:  half-way there!!!

photoWe are THRILLED to tell you that with only 4 months left, we have topped the 50% commitment level.

Thank you,
Thank you,
THANK YOU!!

One-time donations:
One-time donations total $24,450.00 (40% of the total commitment). Most of these have already been received however a portion of that total is based on a commitment to give.

Monthly Partner Commitments:
Monthly commitments total $36,000.00 (the equivalent of thirty $50/month partners). This total assumes two things:

a) that confirmed donors maintain their giving for the full 2-years that we expect to be in France and
b) that those who have given us a verbal commitment, though the paperwork has not yet been received, will proceed with the giving.

Given that we only announced our appointment in January and began fundraising in March, we are thrilled that, in just over 6 months, God has opened up this level of support through you… his partners in missions.  Thank you!

#2: Every little bit counts

TypicEarlier this week I spoke at Northeast Christian College, in Fredericton NB and presented our burden for France. At the end of our time together, Rev. Mel Calhoun asked the students if anyone wanted to contribute to our support as a one-time donation. The students responded:

There was one donation of $100, one of $50 and one of $40. The rest were commitments of $5, $10, $15 and $20, yet when all was said and done, these students had committed $780.

Thank you @NCC4Ministry!

#3: Baggage bigger than Carry-On

What!? That exists?

In 17 years of married life (with the exception of Liz’s move to Canada from Belgium) we have never traveled with anything but carry-on sized luggage. Consequently, we didn’t own large suitcases. THAT would have to change in preparation for France… and it has; we got six brand new huge suitcases. The price should’ve been $700, but we got them virtually for free!!

How’d we do it?

  • We began sorting stuff that has accumulated in 17 years of married life and we prepared to sell anything that had value.
  • Yard Sale: $400 kijiji
  • Kijiji (Canadian equivalent of Craigslist):  $300
  • Bargain Hunting: My wife had been keeping her eye on some suitcases at a local store. She waited until she they came out with a “buy 1, get one 1/2-price” sale… so the total came to $590, but the sale of our stuff paid for it, so the suitcases really cost us nothing out of pocket.

The bad news…  more expenses are coming.
The good news… we still have lots more stuff to sell!

#4: Inspired Reading

GodAskKindleIn discussion with Bro. Poitras this past weekend at our missions conference, he mentioned the book “The God Ask: A fresh biblical approach to fund raising” by Steve Shadrach. It discusses the process of raising funds for either a missions trip of some kind or a church or para-church ministry or organization. I’m currently only about 30% through it… but it’s a wonderful read and if you’re considering any kind of short-term missions involvement for which you need to raise your own support… I highly recommend this book!!

$19.99 on Amazon or $9.99 for the ebook*
(prices are from Amazon.ca and could vary slightly in the USA)

#5: Postcard Results

Just an update to say that we have already seen results from our postcard mailout back in August.  Although I plan, in the next two weeks, to touching base with many of these pastors by telephone, one pastor in Georgia didn’t wait to hear from me by phone, but sent us both a one-time offering as well as a monthly partner commitment. God is blessing us beyond measure through ordinary people and pastors just like you!  Thank you for your support!

This Weekend

That’s pretty much it for this morning folks. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel to Upper Kent and St. Anne-de-Madawaska this weekend, both in north-western New Brunswick, to present our burden for and call to France.  Two great churches which we’ve never been to before.

God bless you today!

Labor Day Convention in Perth

August 30, 2014 By in Churches, Events Tags: , , Leave a comment

photoIt’s time for the annual Labor Day Convention in the Village of Perth-Andover, which means that people from the Atlantic, Maine and Nova Scotia Districts are coming together at Calvary Tabernacle for a weekend of fellowship, music and preaching.  I am privileged to be here and to have had the opportunity, last night, to share the story of our call to France and how it came about.

40 years of Convention…

Thursday night, Bro. H.M. Lewis (former pastor and forever beloved elder in our district) shared the history of how the Labor Day Convention came about some 40 years ago – as this is the 40th anniversary of this great gathering.photo  I love the fact that, when he felt the need & desire to begin this convention, his goal was that it would:

  • Not risk winter weather complications
  • Fall on a holiday weekend, allowing folks to relax  and
  • Not compete with what anyone else was doing in the district.

I love the spirit of that.

Last night, Rev. Joel Urshan, of Cincinatti Ohio, preached an incredible message on the Joy of the Lord as our Strength. But before he did,  James & Jonathan Cole (Amherst, NS) and their wives provided special music, and OH! did they bring the house down. What a great spirit they have.

Rev. Jonathan Cole is a walking Miracle. He shared how, 2 years ago, he was preparing to sing at the Labor Day Convention and felt very dizzy. Little did he know then that a tumor the size of a man’s fist was growing in the back of his brain. Two years later though, he has miraculously recovered and gives God all the praise.

Rev. & Mrs David Ferrell…

photo…are the hosts of this convention, as pastor of Calvary Tabernacle. More than that, though, Bro. Ferrell has been a great support to me from very early on in this process and the Lord has allowed our paths to cross at several key junctures in our journey toward France.

In 2009 (the first year I went to teach in the Bible School), Bro. Ferrell was there as well, teaching the Guest Lecturer Seminar. Although I knew who he was, this was really the first chance to connect (This was also the man who was able to get an armed police escort through one Paris metro station – they were pleased to lend a hand to a lone, non-French-speaking traveller – never ceases to amaze me).

Then, in 2013, he was one of the men that conducted my ordination interview on behalf of the district. Toward the end of what was usually a 10-min interview, he asked if I ever saw myself somewhere other than in Saint John. A barely perceptible smile came onto my face which he caught and I explained that I had already been in discussion with Bro. Nowacki, Bro. Brochu and my pastor about the possibility of AIM. That didn’t surprise him in the least and he expressed at that time that he could see us fitting in there seamlessly… and now, the gracious invitation to come and present our opportunity to this convention.

What an encourager!

RCMP

On a side note… the photo above shows a Mountie in red surge saluting on the platform. What a treat to see Bro. Troy Smith, a local mountie who had spent some time in the Saint John church some years ago. Would love to have gotten a picture with him. *Proud of our mounties*

Moving Forward

So far, as a result of the opportunity last night, we have been invited to two more churches in the district this fall. We are looking forward to that.

We have had some results from the postcards that I told you about last time, we thank the Lord for that and I’ll give you more details in another post.

May the Lord bless your Saturday!

 

 

 

Atlantic District Connection

August 16, 2014 By in Blog, Process Tags: , , Leave a comment

Long before we ever had any inkling about God’s plan for us in France, there was already a connection between the city of Châtellerault and my home province of New Brunswick. It caught me by surprise back in June 2009 and I thought I’d share it with you today.

Twinning – Bouctouche, NB

“Twinning” (“Jumelage” in French) is primarily a social agreement between cities, towns, regions, villages, etc., for the purpose of promoting cultural and sometimes economic ties. It is extremely common in Europe but, in my experience, less so in North America.

photo

Back in 1984, however, a relationship was born between the city of Châtellerault (France) and the municipalities of Bouctouche and St. Antoine (New Brunswick, Canada).  The formal language defining this relationship refers to a pacte d’amitié (a pact of friendship).

Back in 2010, when Bouctouche was celebrating it’s 225th anniversary, Mr. Jean-Claude GAILLARD, a Châtellerault municipal counselor with responsibilities for international relations, was appointed to represent the French city at festivities in the Kent County towns.

La Ferme Acadienne… near Châtellerault

archignyThe link between Châtellerault and the Acadians of Kent County is not just a new thing though.  After the expulsion, many of them returned to France and settled in the area surrounding Châtellerault, where they were granted land to cultivate. It wasn’t the best land, and was quite wet, but early settlers dug ditches which allowed for drainage and gradually eeked out a living for themselves. Some 58 houses were originally built and a couple of them remain today to form what is called “La Ferme Acadienne” (watch a short presentation of it here or read a bit about it here).

So yes… the Acadian flag flies proudly, just outside of Châtellerault.

Memories

Bouctouche and St. Antoine were very familiar to me since my grandparents lived there in the early 1990’s and my parents moved there in the early 2000’s and we were out for a stroll in Bouctouche back in 2009, when I made the discovery.

Sitting on a small park at the end of the main bridge coming into downtown sits not much more than a parking area with a lovely closed-in gazebo (see photo) along with a rose-lined stairway leading down to water access; on the roof of the gazebo, the sign announcing that this, is “Place Châtellerault”. Today, it’s a spot for locals to come and shoot the breeze, discussing a bit of this and that, but the park also sits roughly where once stood the Irving Department Store.

For those familiar with the virtual Irving Empire in New Brunswick… there was once a little department store of typical 1970’s fare; one big open space with long lines of metal shelving just tall enough that a 7-10 year-old could barely see over them. What do I remember most? …the assembled seashell and tiny lobster-trap souvenirs, typical of most seaside communities of the day. Horribly tacky by 2014 standards, but “the coolest thing ever” for a young boy in the 70’s!

Connection

Why do I share this bit about the twinning of these three municipalities?
The Lord is subtle and does all things well.

Remember that although I’d been to Châtellerault as early as 2004 (in the context of graduate studies), it was in July of 2009 that I would go back there, for the first time, to teach in the Bible School.  I discovered this just one month earlier, in June of 2009.

We were so far from France, yet here was a bit of Châtellerault staring me right in the face. It was familiar. It was a warm reminder which brought back memories of my time there in the previous years… to some extent, it was like getting a hug from an old friend.

Connection.

Châtellerault is only twinned with 7 communities around the world (no others in North America) and one of them was right in my backyard, so to speak: here in little old New Brunswick, there was a connection to this city in France that I would one day inhabit and carry a burden for, although I didn’t know it in 2009.

It’s one of those things which, at the time didn’t mean a great deal, but, as I look back, is just one more link in the long chain of events that have brought us to this point.

Thank you

Thank you for keeping aware of what the Lord is doing.
Let this knowledge feed your prayers!

PEI… the real deal!

August 9, 2014 By in Churches, Places Tags: , , 5 Comments

 We hadn’t been to PEI since, perhaps, 2006… and our kids had never been there, so when the opportunity arose to present our burden for France and explain our AIM term to churches there, we were looking forward to going.

West Coast

photoWe began our time there with two quiet days on the Island’s west coast, near Tignish. Our “home away from home” was within sight of the wind turbines at North Cape (seen at right… early morning and late afternoon).  The car was parked late Thursday night upon arrival and didn’t move until early Sunday morning when it came time for church.

In the interim, we enjoyed nearly deserted beaches (most vacationers head to the Cavendish area), kayaks, sand and roasting hot dogs & marshmellows.

Quiet.

It is here that the current PEI Tourism slogan “The Gentle Island” makes perfect sense.

Charlottetown

photoOn Sunday morning, our day began quite early. Service with Pastor & Mrs. Donald & Dana Hood would not begin until 11:00am, however, given the near two-hour drive to get there and our desire to spend a bit of time together… we left our cabin at 7:00am.

Our schedule for the day would require us to leave Charlottetown immediately following the morning service so we opted for breakfast together rather than dinner. I wanted to glean from Bro. Hood’s experience as pastor of a growing church. Nearly all of my personal experience is with established churches, but when we get to France, we will be in another setting and I’ll need to be able to draw on more experience than just my own.

I’ve admired the Hoods, from a distance, for some time. I greatly appreciate his quiet and prayerful spirit. Together, they are doing a great work in the provincial capital.

Thank you, Bro. & Sis. Hood, for having us! We loved being with you!

Alberton

photoFrom Charlottetown, we drove 45-min back to Summerside where we would have service that evening with Pastor & Mrs Troy & Jenette Wickett. Liz & the kids would stay here for the afternoon while Pastor Troy Wickett and myself headed up to Alberton (nearly all the way back to where we stayed for the first two days) for an afternoon service there – Bro. Wickett oversees both churches.

It was a treat for me to get to visit this church as I’d heard much about it from Pastor & Mrs. Gordon (Gordie) Lewis who, after pastoring there for some 30 years, retired in Saint John and attended our church. It was neat to see where they’d invested so much of their life and ministry.

We had a wonderful service and we felt the presence of God in a very real way. There were not a lot of young people there that particular day, but I was struck by the fact that they were all at the altar and were all very engaged there. Great to see!

Back to Summerside

photoI had left my car in Summerside and Pastor Wickett & I traveled to Alberton together. I was glad for the chance to connect with him and, again, glean from his experience. During the 45-min drive back to Summerside I asked him about some of the things that had proven to be important in growing a church in his experience.

(perhaps one of these days I’ll do a post on some of these “gleanings”… but for now I’m still mulling them over myself)

By the time we arrived back in Summerside, pre-service prayer had already begun and we had about 20-min before service time. I honestly felt unsure about which way to go with my message that night, but during one of the songs, “I’ve got a testimony”, it became clear, and so I simply shared on how, with patience and perseverence we can find our purpose and possess the promise of God (that’s a lot of “P’s” I know). In short…

It is only as I look back over my life that certain things make sense and I can see a great deal more of the big picture than I could as I was going through them. God had me on a two-year missions project in Europe, with a very young church, some 24 years ago… but he brought me home to Canada and has spent those last 24 years teaching me a good many things about himself, about people and about ministry in preparation for sending me back there with my family. The purpose of my life is becoming more and more clear, but it is only visible with more hindsight.

Being “on-purpose”

If you are reading this today and are unsure of your purpose… let me tell you what I told the church in Summerside on Sunday night. “Be patient. Don’t try to rush the unfolding of God’s plan in your life and serve Him faithfully in the local church. God called Paul and Barnabas while they were already serving in a certain capacity. If you wait for a clear vision of your purpose before you engage… you may miss out on it all together. God will give you experience along the way that will prepare you and open the doors for you to be “on-purpose.”

There. As my late grandmother would say… “That’s my sermon for the day.”

Thank you Bro. Wickett for putting this weekend together along with Bro. Hood.
We loved being with you both on The Gentle Island.

 Until next time…

Prince Edward Island

August 6, 2014 By in Churches, Places Tags: , , 2 Comments

Unintentional Teaser

As much as I hate to do this… I’m just going to post a family pic from our time on Prince Edward Island for now. I was hoping to give you a complete run-down of our time there, but we only got back late Monday night and yesterday was time in the office and then down to Calais, Maine (USA) to pick up the Pentecostal Messengers (the monthly publication of the Atlantic District, of which I’m the editor)… so… precious little time to get a decent post done up for you.

20140805-235532-86132648.jpg

Province House, Charlottetown PEI

A Bit of History

This was the first time that our kids had been to Prince Edward Island. Since we would be in Charlottetown for the Sunday morning service and since service was being held right around the corner from Province House, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a photo.

Province House has been the seat of Prince Edward Island’s provincial legislature since 1847 and is the second oldest seat of government in Canada.  What’s more, it is also a National Historic Site stands as it was here that the fathers of Confederation met in 1864 to, in essence, bring together a number of independent jurisdictions, to form the nation of Canada as it was then configured.As such, Charlottetown, and more specifically Province House, are known as the Birthplace of Confederation.

See You Saturday…

In a sense, I feel I’m shortchanging you today by asking you to come back on Saturday for full details of what I’m calling our “Island Marathon”… (a preaching marathon)… but, better that than push forward now with something less than coherent or rushed.

If you’re newly following the blog from PEI… an extra special hello & welcome. Thank you for hosting us so well this past weekend.

Thanks for stopping by today. Come back Saturday and I’ll look forward to “seeing you” then!

 

 

 

 

 

32 = 38

August 2, 2014 By in Blog, Process Tags: , , 2 Comments

I know… the title of today’s blog post is a little bit cryptic at first glance, but it’ll make sense less than 400 words from now.

15 weeks

It was roughly fifteen weeks ago that we held our first service, in McAdam NB, promoting, and seeking support for, our AIM term in France. Since then we’ve been in eleven churches throughout New Brunswick and Quebec, with both old friends and new, discussing what the LORD has put on our hearts for the next two years. Time has flown, our car has racked up a lot of kilometers and our kids have gotten a lot of experience doing homeschool in the car!

Although not all of our support has come in during those 15 weeks (some came before), a majority of it has. Here’s where we stand to date:

  • photoWe are currently sitting at roughly 38% of our budget either given or committed to*.
  • 52% is from monthly partners.
  • 48% is from one-time donations.
  • The amount committed to-date is already the equivalent of 37 monthly $50-partners.

(The 38% assumes that current partners maintain their PIM commitment during our entire stay in France. It also includes a few individuals who have let us know that they will be partnering, but have not yet begun.)

Still… how does 32=38 ?

So in terms of my cryptic title… you’ve probably figured out that the 38 refers to the percentage of support that has already been committed… so what’s the 32 represent?  “32” is the number of churches and individuals which, combined, have committed to 38% of our funding.

  • 15 churches or individuals have committed to and/or
    have already begun to give roughly $23,500 in monthly pledges and
  • 17 churches or individuals have committed to and/or
    have already given roughly $21,600 in one-time donations.

Now you have it… 32 really does equal 38. It is not some kind of “new math”, rather it’s just a way of expressing how God is working through incredible men, women and churches to support very normal people who desire to do something for the Lord and ultimately for the people of France.

There are many families who are able to step out of their comfort zone and, by faith, involve themselves in another corner of God’s kingdom here in North America. In our case, God has equipped us both linguistically and culturally, and has been preparing us, in such a way that going to France presents relatively few obstacles. Not everyone can say that. We are simply taking what the Lord has done in us and giving it back to Him.

Looking Ahead

In order to ensure that we leave with the promise of full support, we still need the equivalent of 65 more $50/month partners willing to support us for the entire duration of our appointment. Of course some of that number will be off-set by other churches or individuals who will (a) give more than $50/month and (b) prefer to give one-time offerings; as can be seen by the 48% above, one-time donations make a huge difference and we are grateful for both.

This Weekend

As you read this post, we are preparing to minister in three Prince Edward Island churches tomorrow. We look forward to discovering this part of the Atlantic District, with Pastors Donald Hood (Charlottetown) and Troy Wickett (Summerside / Alberton). We’re thankful for the opportunity to be there and will tell you more about it in next Wednesday’s post.

Until then… God bless you today!
Thank you for your interest… let this info feed your prayers for us!

The Mighty Miramichi…

July 30, 2014 By in Blog, Places, Process Tags: , , Leave a comment

This past weekend saw us in two churches along the Mighty Miramichi River, in northeastern New Brunswick. In this post I’ll tell you a bit about both of those churches but first, let’s look briefly at the history of Pentecost in that particular region.

The Miramichi River Valley

map_NBFor anyone not familiar with the  Miramichi River, it flows some 250km through New Brunswick from the Gulf of St. Lawrence and is home to the one of the largest populations of Atlantic Salmon in North America. People come from around the continent, indeed around the world to fly fish salmon in the pools and rapids of the Miramichi.

As “fishermen” were coming to the Miramichi from all over… “fishers of men” were going out from the Miramichi to other parts of the province. During the 1930’s and 40’s, men like C.B. Dudley were planting churches and fanning the flames of Pentecostal revival up and down the Miramichi River.  Two such churches are the United Pentecostal Church of Gray Rapids and The Pentecostals of Miramichi.

Gray Rapids

photoOur first stop, last weekend was to the UPC of Gray Rapids (pictured right) which overlooks the Miramichi and is currently pastored by Rev. Graham Russell. We arrived Saturday night and stayed with Bro. Russell in his home.

I really enjoyed just listening to him talk about many incredible experiences he’s had during his walk with God, as Liz & the kids curled up on the couch beside. It was kind of like listening to your grandpa… and it felt good. I’m glad my kids got to hear such reminiscing about the goodness of the Lord… doesn’t happen like that very often.   The next morning we spoke during their service and are thankful for their great support.

Pentecostals of Miramichi

photoOn Sunday, after service, lunch and a short rest, we climbed in the car and headed some 35-40 minutes up the river to the Chatham side of Miramichi City. The Pentecostals of Miramichi is pastored by Rev. & Mrs. Peter Long (no relation… that they’ll admit to anyway).

We enjoyed service together, where God’s spirit did some wonderful things at the altar, followed by a nice meal.

It was special to spend time with the Longs as they were the assistant ministerial team in Saint John some years ago when we were still somewhat new to the church. We had had the chance to work together on a number of occasions for various goings-on and during that time I learned, from their example, a number of things about coming alongside the lead pastor and assisting.

Up & Coming…

This weekend, we will be headed to Prince Edward Island, another neighbouring Canadian province where we’ll get to spend the Sunday morning service with Bro. & Sis. Hood, in Charlottetown before heading to Summerside to be with the Wicketts.  By the time we’re there, though, we will have time for one more post, so come back on Saturday morning when I’ll bring you up to speed on the overall progress of our fund-raising to-date.

ps. Sophie has been pleased to read your comments concerning her post this past week… Thank you for your support & encouragement!

Atlantic District Conference 2014

May 7, 2014 By in Events Tags: , , 1 Comment

AIM ADC14#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:

ADC14_smI 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.

 

March in Review

April 2, 2014 By in Blog, Process Tags: , , 2 Comments

Welcome to April!

March was kind of a different month here on the AIMLong blog, featuring posts that had nothing to do with our upcoming short-term mission per sé, but rather simply with how to experience a little bit of France in everyday life.  It was also an attempt to expose the blog to a wider audience than to those who already know us or know of our project.

For this first post of April, I want to give you a quick run-down of some of the things that happened in March, which are more directly connected to our AIM term.

Looking back…

packets_comp_b

Here are some of the highlights of the month that was:

  • We mailed out information/support packets to 210 pastors throughout North America, all of which contained
        • a pair of our bookmarks to serve as prayer reminders.
        • a letter introducing us as a family.
        • a PIM form.
        • a handwritten note to alleviate the “impersonal form-letter syndrome” which is necessary, but by itself is not quite me.
  • We’re grateful to have had 13 of services scheduled: mostly around the Atlantic District, but also in the Quebec, Alabama, Texas and, tentatively, in the Michigan Districts.
    For up-to-date details, please see our schedule.
    (During the month of May, we will be driving through the Alabama, Florida, Texas & Michigan Districts. If you would like to have us come to your church or know of someone who might like to have us come, please fill out the form below.)
  • We are extremely grateful for the several pastors who, even without having had us come for a service, have expressed their desire to support us financially and/or support us prayerfully (my next couple of posts will talk about the importance of prayer in laying a foundation for revival).

Our efforts… God’s credit

We are trying to be diligent in our attempts to raise financial and prayer support. We realize however that for whatever comes in, the credit belongs to God. This principle is portrayed in Proverbs 21.31:

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. (KJV)
The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD. (NIV)

The assurance that “victory rests with the Lord” does not alleviate the necessity of the horsemen to prepare or make ready their horses for the battle. In the words of Duncan Campbell (about whom you’ll read more in the next two posts):

“…while God is sovereign in the affairs of men,
His sovereignty does not relieve men of responsibility.”

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Thank you for your support. Yes. You are showing support simply by the fact that you are coming back time and again to stay informed about our project and preparations. Let it inform your prayer time and be part of the work of God in France.

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Mid-Winter Church Growth

February 5, 2014 By in Events Tags: , Leave a comment

MidWinter

I  love the subjet of Bro. Mike Noel’s email at 6:29am Thursday morning…

Life changing moment begins in 12 hrs!

Amid the incredible stories of our neighbours to the deep south being stuck in the grips of winter conditions that they’re sorely unaccustomed to… here in New Brunswick, winter is running it’s normal course. But in the midst of that, we gather at Capital Community Church in Fredericton, NB for the purpose of Life changing moments.

Local world-changers…

Looking forward to hearing from a couple of young men, heroes from our district:

  • Bro Mike Hennessey is the student pastor at Capital Community Church. Neat story… about 2 months ago a young lady called the youth pastor in Saint John. They’d gone the web, looked for a church and drove 45min to get to us (they were from close to Fredericton). They met with Pastor Carter who put them in touch with Bro. Hennesssey who taught them a Bible Study. Two weeks ago, one of them received the baptism of the Holy Ghost and last week they were both baptized. God is changing lives.
  • Bro. Kent Carter is a church planter in the city of Shediac, New Brunswick… doing an incredible job and, like Daniel of the Old Testament, has an excellent spirit!
  • Bro. Tom Barkley who pastors in the Town of Sackville, NB, a university town and seat of power given the many “thinkers” who have walked through the streets there.
  • Bro. Donald Hood who pastors the church in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island: a quiet man in person, but who speaks loudly in the realm of prayer.

Katy, TX World Changer…

Pastor Rob McKee  of The Pentecostals of Katy Texas, did an incredible job as main speaker! (He only found out, roughly 24h prior to the first service, that he was coming up here, after the original speaker was unable to come). Thank you for the great things you gave to us!

Between BOTT last week and this Mid-Winter Church Growth Conference this week… I feel like I’ve been drinking out of a fire hose… barely able to digest it all. Both at BOTT and here, it’s amazing the number of things, relating to Mission Point, that we are already doing.  I find myself wondering, time and time again, how this or that could be used, implemented, adapted, etc. in France. Which brings me to…

Banner time!

At this conference, I wore two hats, as indicated by the two banners.

  1. On the right you see a banner for the Pentecostal Messenger, the official publication of the Atlantic District, for which I’m the editor.
  2. On the left, you can see a banner for our AIM project. The goal is to begin, even now, to generate awareness of our project and engage in some discussions about the specifics as they relate to ministry once onsite as well as financial and other considerations leading up to our departure.

    MidWinter-Promo-feathered

Thank you, Atlantic District ministers, for your warm welcome (as usual) and for expressing interest in having us come to share our burden with your churches. We’ve already had several invitations for Fall and are appreciative of these opportunities.

Prayer time…

Lord, thank you for speaking to me in these meetings. Help me to properly discern the meaning and timing of all these things. I want to be a living, breathing example of the fullness that characterized your ministry while on earth and continues to characterize your ministry through the Holy Ghost and the apostolic New Testament Church.

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