Monday Again

On Saturday, our 2016 General Conference delegates gathered at the District Office to preview the proposed actions of the Conference and discuss logistics as well – a meeting that Peter labeled the General Conference vote rigging meeting 🙂  Three of our delegates were not able to attend, Kelly Jay, A J Plaizier and Philip Bain are in addition to those pictured above. Our delegation this year is more gender and generationally diverse than ever and perhaps our youngest ever with an average age of 46.

Our DBMD – District Board of Ministerial Development – completed this year’s ordination interviews last week. Ordination interviews are conducted by the DBMD Ex Com – Dale MacDonald, Greg Hanson, Peter Moore and me.  We were assisted by Erin Stephens and Debby Symonds – thanks to all these folk for excellent work.
We have a record number of candidates this year – 12 who have been approved outright and one who is approved provided a ministry appointment is in place by Beulah time. The approved candidates are Natasha Dongell, Brad Eisan, Tracey Eisan, Jedie Elliott, Michael Fearnley, Deborah Gilbert, Stefan Gilbert, Del Heiney, Jamin Melanson, Caleb Richardson, John Sherwood,  Anton Topilnyckyj, and Nick Wilson. What a crew! Will be a great service and a true highlight of Beulah 2016. Dr. Stephen Lennox will be preaching.

• I was at KV – soon to be Kings Church – for their three weekend services. My purpose was to place our Lower Sackville church property in their hands for use in the Halifax area site they intend to plant. Great response from the crowd. The site pastor will be announced soon – keep tuned. Pastor Brent Ingersoll will be the featured guest this week – Tuesday – on Carey Nieuwhof’s podcast.
• IMA set another record last week – more “opens” than ever before.
• Salvations, baptisms, powerful worship, many at the altar. Thank you Jesus.” – Pastor Tim Guptill’s tweet re yesterday’s service at Moncton.
• The River Church, the merged church in Bangor, had 135, 118, and 120 present their first three Sundays. They have blended their LBA’s into one and selected officers that appropriately come from both of the churches. I look forward to being there on May 1st to officially organize this new unit and to install Pastor Steve Sinclair.  They are off to a very strong start.
• I met with the LBA at Saint John First on Monday evening as they begin the pastoral search and selection process.
• Lisa Gervais candidated yesterday for a staff position at Truro Connection.
• Greg Card will be candidating at Blacks Harbour this coming weekend.
• AJ Thomas received a strong vote from Deep Water church at a Local Church Conference held this past Monday. He has accepted and he and his family will be returning to Halifax this summer.

The Buckingham Leadership Institute (BLI) held their annual banquet at Kingswood on Friday evening. After a delicious meal, inspiring testimonies on the impact of BLI and a strong challenge for support, more than $70,000 was committed for the next three years – great evening. On a personal note, I very much enjoyed my conversation with Bishop David Edwards of the Anglican Diocese of Fredericton, who was seated beside me.
THOT: “The meaning of life is to find your gift.  The purpose of life is to give it away.” – Pablo Picasso
ON SECOND THOT: “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
 

Teach English to Speakers of Other Languages
Kingswood University offers a TESL Intensive
For three weeks: April 28 – May 13, 2016
No Classes on Wednesdays.
Registration deadline: April 8
Call Admissions at 506-432-4422

NS Children’s Ministry Huddle
Saturday, May 28 – 9 am – 3pm
New Hope Wesleyan Church, Kentville NS.
Pack your van and bring your Children’s Ministry Team!
Refreshments, breakouts, resources, training and equipping!
Only $25/person (5 or more from your church for  $100)
To register your team contact linda.lamos@kingsvalley.ca

Catch God’s heart for your ministry! Explore fresh insights & gain practical ideas as Mark Buchanan helps you cast a fresh – even daring vision for doing church in your community. His down-to-earth experience and perspective will intrigue and inspire you to new heights in ministry, especially among the most neglected.
For more information and to register visit the Church Leaders Forum website.