It’s Monday Again
Tim Long (Live Well) and his team of leaders including David & Melissa Tysick held the first preview service yesterday afternoon for a new Kingdom location in Freeport, NS. Tim’s heart for these communities is inspiring. A personal plus included time with Assistant DS Scott Prime (New Hope) who joined me for this happy occasion to represent our district family as we celebrated this Fisherman’s Service and Blessing of the Fleet. This venue is currently being offered free of charge – another evidence of God’s favour resting on the courageous action of this leader.
Another weekend highlight included the invitation of Kevin Myers (Brazil Lake) to share in a leadership retreat and Sunday service. These Kingdom leaders enjoyed a beautiful view of the lake on Saturday as the Goudey lake house was generously provided for this time of investment and team building. The Sunday service was led by an impressive Youth Worship Team which serves on a regular rotation. The renovation and upgrades in the sanctuary have been completed with excellence and provide a welcoming, modern, and relevant context for worship. Good things are happening at The Lake and we are blessed by Kevin’s gifted leadership as he leans into opportunities for increased Kingdom impact.
This Christmas, why not give a gift that keeps on giving? Caton’s Island is focused on providing a fun, safe, amazing experience that has one purpose, to show the love of Christ to everyone who attends. When you give to Caton’s, as a one-time gift or a monthly recurring gift, you are supporting projects like the Choate Dining Hall Expansion, facility upgrades, maintenance, and overall camp operations. Your gift provides a life-changing experience to campers and staff that attend each year, making your donation a greater impact than you will ever know! All donations go to general operations unless otherwise designated. If you wish to give to a specific project just let us know when making a donation.
https://www.catonsisland.com/donate/
Thank you for your generosity! Merry Christmas!
Thank you for your generosity! Merry Christmas!
Session 5 of our Mobilization Pipeline Cohort with Jon Wiest (Groundswell) took place this week on Tuesday & Wednesday night with 2/3 of our Atlantic churches. The final session in December will provide clear direction for how this fall journey can be used to create a Mobilization Pipeline Blueprint to raise up and release disciple-makers both inside and outside the ministries of the church.
- Simply put – every church will have a contextual answer to the question, “How are we keeping the word GO in the Great Commission?” This material will be available as a Kingdom resource for all Atlantic region churches in the years ahead as this core Kingdom priority flows out of each Discipleship Pathway as a contextual answer to the question, “How are we making disciples?”
- The double-helix of this local church DNA has not changes since the birth of the Church 2000 years ago and we have been well-served by the passion and insight of Jon Wiest over these past couple of years.
Our pastoral leaders across the Atlantic Region continue to provide excellent leadership in balancing the spirit of compliance for pandemic restrictions with the biblical mandate to offer Gospel community to all peoples. CLICK HERE for another great example provided this week by AJ Thomas (Deep Water) as he was interviewed by the CBC to provide helpful perspective in light of recent events in the province with some churches.
Thanks to the November land opening of the US-Canada border, I enjoyed breakfast this week with Mark Soone (The River) and Andy – and his son Aaron – Phillips (The Reach). So grateful for the fit & flourish of these Kingdom leaders! It is good to be able to connect in-person with our leaders in Maine again. Our district leadership tribe has had a double layer of pandemic disruption because of the land border being closed for 19 consecutive months. While restrictions and travel requirements continue to add complexity, it is encouraging to see tangible evidence that the end of this season is in sight!
And speaking of Maine, Happy Thanksgiving this week to all our US readers! CLICK HEREto enjoy Wayne’s greeting as we take time to reflect on our blessings with gratitude. We are blessed by the wisdom, maturity and example of our General Superintendent.
Monday included a full-day of interaction with the Wesleyan Education Council @ HQ. All college presidents and board chairs of our five schools gathered for this semi-annual WEC session as directed by Executive Director Russ Gunsalus (Education & Clergy Care). The camaraderie of this group and deep-spirited commitment to our shared mission are timely gifts to The Wesleyan Church as we are seeking God’s wisdom for the challenges facing Christian higher education.
High-level preparation continues for General Conference 2022. The district superintendents joined the General Board this week in Indianapolis for a two-day review of all the Memorials (resolutions for potential action) in consideration. At the invitation of General Superintendent Wayne Schmidt, Dr. HC co-chaired this time of interaction and feedback. I am grateful for the passion and transparency of our leaders and the open-handed process of appropriate levels of inclusion for discerning and shaping the future of our tribe together. Thanks for your continued prayers for our General Superintendent and our Atlantic District Delegates as we gather in St. Louis this May.
Points to Ponder
- If something is the wrong conversation we should avoid it, but if something is the hard conversation we should embrace it. (Phill Tague)
- The Gospel of Sin Management presumes a Christ with no serious work other than redeeming mankind. (Dallas Willard)
- Resistance is often just based on an emotional need for things to stay the same. (Jeff Patterson)
It’s been two years since we have gathered. Two years! Our January 2020 Ministerial at the Saint John Delta seems like a lifetime ago. We are a people who gather to strengthen in multiple ways both big and small each year and we could have never imagined a world that would not allow us to be together. This 24-hour Ministerial experience has been prayerfully designed to invite the Spirit’s renewal in our hearts as we lean into the beginnings of a post-pandemic ministry context.
CLICK HERE for more details and for online registration (deadline December 15th)
- Hotel rooms have been reserved for in blocks for both nights and you will have until December 15th to book your selection directly. Keep in mind that the final session with our General Superintendent concludes before supper on Thursday so staying the second night will be at your discretion.
(Note to Maine Pastors: A December email will provide more details for those coming across the border. A great deal of pressure is being applied to change on the current Canadian requirement for a molecular COVID test to enter Canada by land and we are hoping this ends by the New Year. If not, registration will be complimentary upon request for our Maine pastors if the pricing for COVID tests remains a necessity.)
General Conference 2022 would like to feature your church in a video! Executive Director Janelle Vernon (Communications and Administration Division) has extended the following invitation to any local church that would like to participate – here is the announcement from our General Secretary…
As we plan ahead for General Conference 2022 (https://www.wesleyan.org/unleashed), we are anticipating many important decisions to be made; and we are also planning for a time of celebration – celebrating every time a disciple makes a disciple and the church multiplies itself, until The Wesleyan Church has a transforming presence in every zip code/community. One of the best ways to celebrate is with videos showing how your church is transforming lives and communities through the hope and holiness of Jesus Christ.We are inviting YOU to participate by submitting ACTION photos and/or videos clips. Send in your photos and videos of people being baptized and outreach that show your church being the hands and feet of Jesus. We know that there are many creative and unique compassion ministries happening along with the more common efforts like clothing and food giveaways, caring for the vulnerable, providing after-school programs and safe-homes. We would like to feature it all!Thanks for submitting your short videos clips and/or pictures by January 15, 2022, to…