It’s Monday Again
He is Risen! Churches may have been empty yesterday, but the CHURCH was engaged and deployed. And like no Easter in living memory, the Gospel was proclaimed across the Atlantic region with RECORD online engagement. Seeds of eternal harvest were sown, many bearing fruit this weekend.
As John Symonds (Crosspoint) passionately declared, “One day made all the difference!” This service included an original Easter song written and performed by Blaire Webber which was entitled “If I Had Been There” (click here – timestamp 7:45). It was a gripping and soul-searching reflection well worth four minutes of your time as you continue to meditate on the personal impact of His Easter resurrection. On Saturday, she and her fiancé will become Mr. & Mrs. Jon Nicholle – congratulations!
“What if [Church] leaders started thinking of themselves as a digital organization with a physical presence, instead of a physical organization with a digital presence?” (Carey Nieuwhof) This past week two of our local church pastors provided workshops (pictured above) for a Beginners Online Service (Tom Cann – Yarmouth) and an Intermediate Online Service (Shane Grant – Moncton). Thanks Tom & Shane!
Also, a friendly reminder that your local church CCLI License does not cover streaming your worship songs. However, you can check out their CCLI Streaming License info HERE.
Four Groundswell Discipleship Pathway cohorts (three are pictured above) met on Wednesday this week for the third of six sessions. Special thanks to the Facilitators of all six cohorts as we have adapted during the unique weeks of disruption.
In a way that could not have been anticipated, this pandemic season provides greater margin of opportunity for our district churches to meaningfully engage the core question of our existence, “Are we making disciples who are making disciples?” What is the contextual pathway for our own church in making disciples? And in the coming months, how might that pathway be adjusted to account for the abundance of caution required in this season?
The mid-week Zoom with our General Superintendent and DS colleagues continues to be a deeply meaningful time for refining perspectives and sharing resources in how we can best serve the front line of Local Church leadership.
The pandemic sprint to Easter is now behind us as we pivot into the marathon ahead in this new day of the physically-distanced, digital Church. Whether our primary worship experience is high tech, low tech, or no tech – we must now engage in virtual solutions for community, discipleship, and especially evangelism.
We will continue to innovate with tools like ONLINE ALPHA, free virtual giving aids like Kindrid (for our Maine churches), and steep discounts on great evangelism resources like the Kindle version of James Emery White’s new 2019 book, “Christianity for People Who Aren’t Christians: Uncommon Answers to Common Questions” – ONLY 99 cents (pictured above).
The challenges of this global pandemic are real and complex but there is little doubt this seismic disruption has freed many around us from the moorings of lesser things. And it is an opportunity for spiritual mobilization and harvest we may never see again in our lifetime.
- God is too good to be unkind, And He is too wise to be confused. If I cannot trace His hand, I can always trust His heart. (Charles Spurgeon)
- The true measure of a successful leader is not getting people to work. The true measure of a successful leader is getting people to work hard together. (John Maxwell)
- What is your sense of urgency when it comes to making disciples in your church? (Jon Wiest)
It is that time of year to start thinking about filling out your Annual Service Report (ASR). You should have gotten an email from Headquarters with your login username. Below is a link to help you with the process. Please go to this link before calling the office: https://www.wesleyan.org/asr-and-lcsr-instructions – Please call the District Office if you have problems getting logged in or have questions about the process. Also let the District Office know if you didn’t receive an email with your username.
COVID-19 Resources
There is little doubt we are in a season of testing and refinement…
not only for the Church, but for her leaders.
- “The three determinants of culture are shared values, shared language and shared vision. Can you see ways to nurture and cultivate all three virtually?” (Scott Rodin) Shaping culture virtually in crisis is far from business as usual. These are days of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity (VUCA). As James Emery White so clearly articulates, “You are leading in a VUCA world.” This blog gives excellent direction in how to effectively shape culture in our current context.
- National Superintendent Stephen Elliott has provided this helpful Summary of Government Financial Direction for consideration by local church leadership in response to the fiscal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Canadian Government Financial Link for COVID-19 Response. Canada Helps has also provided this Guide for Charities with Government Programs.
- HQ RESOURCES: We are grateful for the excellent and growing online hub of COVID-19 resources provided by The Wesleyan Church HERE which includes links such as our CMAD Division with specific direction for NextGen ministry innovationsuch as the NextGen Facebook Group for Wesleyan Youth Pastors/Leaders.
- This COVID-19 Ministry Resources PDF includes a variety of ministry links to explore as you seek the best way forward in leading your church family. Barna Research provides this Local Church COVID-19 Report from 1500 pastors recently surveyed.
World Hope International – Annual Spring Gala
This inspiring annual event is now rescheduled for Friday, June 19, 2020
at Wesley Hall (Kingswood University). Save the date – registration details above!
World Hope International has created an online platform, Get-Support, to help communities and churches stay connected and provide support to one another. This is a platform where users can submit and respond to requests for assistance from one another. Five churches in the Atlantic District are registered to use Get-Support. If you are interested in using this tool in your church, watch this Webinar that explains how the system works. For more information and to register, https://get-support.ca/
- Summary of Canadian Government Financial Direction for COVID-19 Response
- Overview of the Retirement Plan Life insurance and Long-term disability benefits
- Information for the Wesleyan Retirement Plan
- New form for allocating contributions to a Tax Free Savings Account
- Prayer Poster for our Canadian Missionaries (current as of Dec. 31, 2019). Full size posters are available from: Stephen@wesleyan.ca
- Poster promoting the need/opportunities for Church Planting in Canada. Full size poster are available from: Stephen@wesleyan.ca
- Direct Deposit form for the financial support of our Canadian Global Partners missionaries (accelerates donor process by at least 50%)
- 2020 options/contact info for the National Cell Phone Plan (Bell Aliant)
Click here for the 45-minute video 2025 presentation