Framework (Jason Blaikie) had an exciting weekend as the Spirit was at work! Jason shared,
“We don’t choose when God moves but we do get to be obedient. Our services started off rocky. Tech glitches, volunteers missing, and our staff running around fixing things right up to the service. We had to stop and just prayed that God would work through the chaos…He did.”
- During the service we got to pray over one of our leaders as we are sending her internationally; the seats emptied to go forward and lay hands on her (pictured middle left).
We also saw eight baptisms and three people saved. Six of the baptisms were spontaneous at the end of the service – three of them accepted Christ and were baptized at the same time! What a great reminder that in the times we feel things are falling apart, He is still moving and works through our weaknesses.”
“Man Year” Launch @ Journey
Journey (Matt Maxwell) held a Men’s Ministry Interest Night this weekend as they are launching “Man Year” as a church and 85 men showed up!
Did you know you can also subscribe to a semi-annual Wesleyan Life Magazine sent to your church and/or home?
- CLICK HERE for information to access this resource
- CLICK HERE to access the Wesleyan Life online archive for free
- CLICK HERE for the 2025 Spring Edition with an article on pp. 12-14 featuring the prison chaplaincy of our own Judy Adams
WesLife featured Journey Church in this week’s edition – CLICK HERE to check out the encouraging innovation in the cultural intelligence and initiative of Journey leadership to serve disciples from dozens of countries.
- Speaking of a church that has embraced the Biblical diversity of the Gospel…
Same Table Ministry @ Deep Water
It was so inspiring to spend time this week with Deb Wong & Andrea Tsang-Jackson. They shared in detail the 10+ year journey at Deep Water (Nathan Maskery) to become strategically diverse in leadership and to invest in the development of the cultural intelligence (CQ) of the church family.
- This Saturday, Deb Wong is hosting their first “Round Table Conference” at the Downtown location to continue growing as an intentionally multicultural congregation.
Deb shared, “We want to share part of our story so that we can also see what others are experiencing as God is at work in other churches so we can learn from one another.”
CLICK HERE for their Same Table Podcast archive.
A couple of key resources in their journey have been offered through Wesleyan Publishing House including
Multiethnic Conversations and
As It Is in Heaven
(CLICK HERE to download this assessment tool).
Their journey so far has included several key leaders from both inside and outside Deep Water. They have explored the following topics/resources:
- Racial Reconciliation
- Cultural Intelligence Training (with CQ Assessment)
- North American Institute for Indigenous Theological Study (NAIITS)
- Same Blanket Interactive Storytelling (to understand First Nations perspectives of European immigration over the past 500 years)
- CLICK HERE for a recent message on this Gospel-centric topic preached by Deb Wong
The leadership bench of Deep Water is both deep and wide – a very impressive cadre of Kingdom leaders. Former Vice-Chairs include Bryan Wiens, Josh Wong, Andrea Tsang-Jackson, and Adam Langille – to name a few.Current Vice-Chair Jen Hudgins does an incredible job in her role serving the Leadership Team (LBA) with Lead Pastor Nathan Maskery.
- Jen played an active and effective role on behalf of the LT to guide and connect with the staff in the midst of many moving parts during the recent pastoral transition
and continues over this first year of Nathan’s leadership. We thank God for raising up leaders like her to serve in the highest levels of Kingdom impact through the Church!
This past weekend marked another institutional milestone as Kingswood University celebrated Graduation for the Class of 2025. This included (but was not limited to) highlights such as:
- Congratulations to Salutatorian Crystal Oliver (Assistant Pastor @ Saint John First) who completed her entire degree online as a mother of seven and will be Ordained this summer pending the election of District Conference. Way to go! We are blessed to have exceptional leaders like Crystal in our Ministerial Tribe.
- A special prayer via video (CLICK HERE) by the first Bible Graduate of KU in 1948, Rev. Arnold Stairs. CLICK HERE to hear the godly heart of a 97-year old saint as he blesses this class. Next year will mark the 80th anniversary of the Holiness Bible Institute – Bethany Bible College – Kingswood University!
- Baccalaureate Speaker Rev. Danielle Freed (Multiplication Director, Great Lakes Region & KU Trustee) included a moving piece of advice to her younger self in her remarks.
CLICK HERE to drink in her wisdom and passion for those called to ministry! - As Board Chair it was my privilege to share a brief moment of appreciation to Dr. & Mrs. Lennox at the conclusion of the Commencement Service with Keynote Speaker Rev. Mark Collins, National Director of Canada Nazarene Church.
World Hope International Canada
Board of Directors convened this week for our Spring Session. CEO Tanya Nace shared exciting reports of Kingdom impact including a recent commitment to drill 15 wells in Northern Ghana in ALL 15 villages where we have Wesleyan Standard Churches. The first will be completed by this Christmas with available funds and New Hope Christian Fellowship (Shawville, QC – Stuart Marples) committing to fund the second well towards this goal.
- Ignite Hope Spring Campaign has $25K matching gift and supporters have donated about $22K thus far. This campaign is open until the end of May.
CLICK HERE to be inspired by this 30-minute presentation with opportunity to make your donation online.
- New Board Member Edward Rajaratnam (CPA) offered a devotional to begin our Spring Session which highlighted a recent experience in his own spiritual awakening to the calling of disciple-making in the arena of marketplace influence.
Beulah Family Camp 2025.
- CLICK HERE for Registration
- CLICK HERE to Download Poster (church newsletter and/or bulletin board)
- IMPORTANT NOTE TO ALL LEAD PASTORS: The Local Church Statistical Report (LCSR) is now open for completion for the Fiscal Year ending April 30th. Please care for this item ASAP – if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Karrillee!
Jeshua Gilroy, son of Brian and Kimberley Gilroy (Island Wesleyan), was the deserving recipient of an outstanding research grant for his work as a budding young scientist entering his third year in Bioscience @ Holland College on Prince Edward Island.
- Congratulations, Jeshua!
CLICK HERE for the full story.
- So when do you have the church? There are five non-negotiable dynamics. (James Emery White)
- Do you sense that you’re trying to convince yourself you’re growing when you really aren’t? (Rich Birch)
- Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. (John Maxwell)