It’s Monday Again
Assistant Pastor Neil Horner of Woodstock (Dale MacDonald) has been offering a weekly podcast during the pandemic entitled, “Thursday Night Live: Coping with COVID.” This week he landed Premier Blaine Higgs as the special guest! Neil invited about a dozen other ministers from several denominations around the Province of New Brunswick to share in a Q&A with the Premier about the recent changes in COVID-19 regulations. CLICK HERE to enjoy this episode. Congrats Neil – very well done!
On July 3rd we will enjoy an Atlantic bubble which will have positive impact on district opportunities for connection and especially for Camp Ministry. Both Beulah Camp & Conference Center and Caton’s Island are exploring opportunities for opening more activities and camps to our Atlantic family. Expect announcements by early July – stay tuned!Nova Scotian churches received welcome word in this Provincial Announcement, which will allow for worship services to include 50% building capacity in attendance. Atlantic churches are processing how to re-engage their congregations and communities to retain the innovations in ministry developed and refined during the early months of the pandemic.
Only EIGHT more sleeps to Beulah Family Camp Online (see details below in Upcoming Events)! Steve Bradley (Browns Flat Fellowship) preached to 115 in the Beulah Tabernacle yesterday morning. For those who plan to be on the campground during July 7-9, the Browns Flat Fellowship will be hosting a Tabernacle showing each night at 7:30 p.m. for the three services.With no upper limit providing social distancing and careful registration of attendees is in New Brunswick, many churches are preparing for an unexpected summer of in-person services alongside an online option. This resource from Matt Steen provides a helpful rubric in self-evaluation for five possible approaches (old-normal, simul-service, building-feeder, campus-launcher, and digital-disciple). Which one best informs your strategy as you return to weekly onsite services?
Hope (Joanne Ozon) had their first in-person service yesterday since mid-March with 50 people in attendance. This practical and instructional video was shared on the church Facebook page so that people would know what to expect – a great idea. Joanne shared, “What a sweet sweet spirit in this place this morning!”
Blacks Harbour (Dr. HC) celebrated a Baby Dedication yesterday morning. A special final service on the second weekend of July will include a tag-team message by Dr. HC & John Symonds. This will be the third (and he claims final – ha!) retirement of our District Superintendent Emeritus. OGK!
Construction is moving forward on the new location of The Lighthouse (Tim Guptill). Tim shared, “No completion date yet, but it’s really coming together. Lots of excitement and we can’t wait to start a new season of ministry on Grand Manan.”
Another great resource to serve the church has been recently developed by our very own Pete Benson. A three-part video series specifically addressing the “COVID Crisis and Your Personal Finances” is freely shared for your personal use and for use within your church as you seek to empower and disciple your congregation in this critical area. CLICK HERE to access the three videos. A 10-minute preview of Part One will be sure to convince you to make use of this valuable resource with your church family.
This past Tuesday the administration, faculty, and staff of Kingswood University, took time for a special reception to honour two long-term employees who are retiring the end of June. Mr. Ivan (Debbie) Graham (upper left) has served with distinction for more than four decades in financial leadership of KU. Dr. Ken (Eileen) Gavel (upper right) has served on KU faculty for more than two decades teaching generations of Kingdom leaders in Biblical Studies and Theology.
On Wednesday, Jon Wiest offered the final Bonus Session to provide a full overview of the Discipleship Pathway material. We explored next steps in preparation for a fall launch to Renew Discipleship Pathways. Timelines may be adjusted as needed to accommodate for the disruption of the pandemic. Participating churches (90% of the Atlantic District) unavailable for either session this month will receive a recording of the June 11th Bonus Session this coming week.
Executive Director Tanya Nace shares, “I am excited to share World Hope’s Spring/Summer newsletter fresh off the press. Together with the Atlantic District, we have been transforming lives by rebuilding roofs in the Bahamas, rescuing young girls off the streets in Ukraine, providing water in Africa during COVID-19 and more. Read more here.“
It was 30 years ago this week that tragedy struck the Choate family and our ministry on Caton’s Island. The accidental drowning of this special young man has resulted in a legacy with generations of campers who have been physically fed at the Jeff Choate Memorial Dining Hall during transformational days of being spiritually fed. The Choate Dining Hall Expansion Project continues this summer and when completed, will provide seating and serving capacity for more than three times (420+) the orginal building.Special thanks to Brian Murray who continues to effectively serve as Project Manager. Here is an excellent 90-second video from Director Dean Stephenson promoting this unique year as Caton’s Island is one of only four overnight camps operating thus far across Canada.
Points to Ponder
- Implementing a Discipleship Pathway is a marathon not a sprint. (Jon Wiest)
- Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm. (Winston Churchill)
- Moving disciples to disciple makers is our job as Pastors. (Jon Wiest)
Why not take a sabbath week from all your typical midweek online events following the first Sunday of July? Instead, encourage everyone in your church family to tune in for these three nights of inspiration, worship, and challenge. Download your preferred format of the poster above and start spreading the news on social media. (BFC – jpg small or BFC – jpg large or BFC – pdf poster) – WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER!
Caton’s Island summer camps are beginning to fill up quickly! Each week is limited to 90 campers on a first-come, first-served basis. Click HERE for a detailed announcement from Director Dean Stephenson. You are encouraged to follow the Caton’s Island Facebook to keep current with any announcements or changes.
Want to know about the Atlantic District’s 2025 Horizon Storyline – Values-Driven Vision? Click here to see a one-page overview
Click here for the 45-minute video 2025 presentation
Click here for the 45-minute video 2025 presentation