Tim Long (Live Well Community) had great news from the last weekend of July on the Digby Neck. Tim shared, “Saturday was a men’s breakfast followed by a funeral on the island in the afternoon. Sunday was incredible as we experienced the Lord move in a powerful way! Three local churches gathered together at Lake Midway to witness 7 baptisms. An atheist Mom and her daughter were just two of those baptized. Only 6 were initially planned and one man on the beach who got saved on Easter Sunday felt the Lord’s power drawing him in – God is good!”
- CLICK HERE to check out the exciting Facebook post of this event which wrapped up in a BBQ potluck with 83 in attendance. That’s 5% of the total population of Digby Neck. Can you image if 5% of your community showed up for baptism and BBQ?!?
And what does a pastor do after a heavy weekend like that? Exactly – Tim headed into an Emergency Dispatch shift that evening! An impressive leader God is using to write His story in fresh and powerful ways – we are incredibly blessed with Kingdom leaders like Tim & Julie Long.
West Head Wesleyan (Vince Robertson) had VBS July 27-31 with the theme, God Made! On the 30th the devotional was “God Made Me For a Relationship with Him” and eight children & preteens ages 6-12 prayed to accept Christ as Saviour!
- Sharon Simoneau (Westchester Wesleyan) shared that this week the husband of the lady who accepted Christ in early July, crossed the line of faith to accept Jesus too – PTL!
Our family enjoyed a special and sacred moment this Sunday afternoon on the River Haven beach at Beulah with Caton’s Island as a backdrop. I had the privilege of baptizing our daughter’s fiancé and our future son-in-law, Elijah Zwicker, after his father Rob spoke a blessing over his son and then joined me in the waters of the sacrament to celebrate Elijah’s public testimony of faith. It was a wonderful day as family and friends gathered for this standing stone moment of obedience. Nothing is sweeter than when family makes faith their own.
TWO Pastoral Updates:
TWO Pastoral Updates:
- Registration for District Ministerial (the last week of January 2026) will officially open on October 1st. A detailed email will be sent to our ministerial tribe in the weeks ahead. CLICK HERE for a reminder of the dates and initial information provided in item #6.
- Pastor Clusters will not resume until October. More details will be provided by mid-September.
- This past week Executive Director Tami Mutch-Ketch convened the summer meeting of the Caton’s Island Session of the Camp Board. We welcomed new board member Martin Stehouwer (Saint John First Wesleyan) with a full tour of the Administration Building in construction began the day.
An inspiring testimonial from Camp Cook Jen Arsenault and two of her key adult volunteers this some. Michelle from Yarmouth Wesleyan (AJ Plaizier) and Hillary from Kings West (Adam Brewer) shared how impactful it has been to invest in the younger staff. They also shared about how The Lodge has provided first-class housing that has made it very appealing for adult volunteers to invest their time. The lodge replacing the big house has been a “game changer” for volunteers. Their husbands – one a plumber and one an electrician – have already made plans to spend more time on the island helping out next summer and Hillary is bringing her whole family to help!
- Jen Arsenault told the board with tender passion, “The Holy Spirit hovers over this island. My heart in having volunteers is that when you leave it will have been a bigger gift to you to get to pour into the younger staff. It’s a fulfillment you can’t explain until you’ve experienced it.”
Culture of Care – Rollout Coming Soon!
This past week afforded an excellent opportunity for a hybrid meeting to address next steps in the district’s partnership with Made for More Ministries (Jay & Sharon Guptill) and Atlantic Clergy Care Advocate, Dave Higle.
- The Culture of Care introduced at District Conference will be providing clear direction regarding next steps in preparation for a district-wide ministerial assessment – stay tuned for details!
Port Maitland Wesleyan (Barry Vernon) partnered with Yarmouth Recreation yesterday for a community beach bash. Barry shared, “We gave away 130 cones of ice cream and ran out for the first time. An encouraging day for us to be able to serve our community!”
- There is so much to celebrate all over the Atlantic region. And for those who enjoy the renewal, recreational, and residential impact of Beulah Camp & Conference Center, CLICK HERE to check out this new promo video of the Orchard Lane Pitch & Putt Golf – special thanks to Justin McGuigan for highlighting this incredible gift provided by Brian McMillan.
- Grace is hard to live with. If you have an imposter syndrome push through the crowd and risk being seen and Jesus will run to you. (Steve DeNeff)
- Spiritual apathy left unchallenged becomes spiritual atrophy. Sin has natural consequences. When you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. (Zach Coffin)
- Some of us are in danger of missing grace because you don’t deserve it. Some of you are afraid of missing grace because you are working to earn it. (Steve DeNeff)
Kingswood University Golf Classic – CLICK HERE to Register
Kingswood Golf Classic is September 5, 2025 – Tee-off at 1 PM at the Sussex Golf Course with Awards Banquet to follow at Kingswood University.
- Last year we had over 100 golfers raising over $40,000, and with our corporate sponsors, we raised a record-breaking $76,500 for student scholarships! With your help, we can break another record this year.
There are all kinds of options to plan a great day or mini-retreat with your group. Registration is open – CLICK HERE! For more information CLICK HERE. Questions? Contact Debbie at bensond@kingswood.edu or call 506.432.4411.
CLICK HERE to Register Your Children/Youth Workers
Kingswood University Homecoming – SAVE THE DATE!
Presidential Inauguration – Friday Evening (Oct 17th)
Presidential Inauguration – Friday Evening (Oct 17th)
The Tabernacle stage was filled on the Beulah Family Camp Tuesday evening’s Marketplace Discipleship Conference invitation to be commissioned in the call to disciple-making (bottom picture). CLICK HERE for all the details of this embedded 48-hour conference.
There were so many opportunities for us to learn from and interact with our four guests from College Wesleyan Church (Steve DeNeff) – thank you for coming to spread the fire of this lay movement in the Church!
- While all four services are highly recommended, CLICK HERE to be inspired by Dr. Jeff Clark’s Tuesday night challenge.
Who is Jeff Clark? CLICK HERE to find all about the vision God has placed on his heart for Praying on Offense.
- Also, CLICK HERE to see the partnership The Wesleyan Church has engaged with this movement.
- Another key resource is GodWorx – CLICK HERE to learn all about this.
And most exciting of all – a new PROOF app is now available as you join the 1-3-2 plan for making disciples – CLICK HERE to download this and start using it today!
CLICK HERE for more info on how you can bring this to your church and the churches in your area!
CLICK HERE for more info on how you can bring this to your church and the churches in your area!
A Few District Conference Highlights