It’s Monday Again

The River (Mark Soone) celebrated a baptism yesterday – PTL! They have several more baptisms scheduled in the months ahead – God is on the move and lives are being transformed. Yesterday Mark received a 100% vote from The River family to offer him an Extended Call as Lead Pastor.

It was encouraging to share in a special time of prayer during the service yesterday for the conflict in Ukraine. Thank you all for your extra efforts to mobilize the Kingdom in seeking the presence of the Prince of Peace in these difficult days. The additional news regarding the lifting of pandemic restrictions in the weeks ahead is fresh wind in our spring sails. Praise God we are finally seeing a concrete end to this two-year marathon. Easter 2022 will be a glorious season for the Church to gather once again!

In other district news…

David (Sonja) Hartlen will be candidating as Lead Pastor at Perth Andover on March 20th.
Brian (Kim) Gilroy will be candidating as Lead Pastor at Island on March 13th.
The Deep Water Leadership Team unanimously renewed the Extended Call this week of Lead Pastor AJ Thomas.
Peggy Yetman began her ministry yesterday as Lead Pastor by district appointment in Lower Hainesville.
Luke Anderson received an unanimous LBA recommendation for a 4-Year Call for vote by the Connection family on March 13th.

It is my privilege to serve our pastors and church boards on behalf of the Atlantic District in guiding this annual rhythm of transitions and pastoral evaluation. I thought you might enjoy one of the pastoral evaluation comments submitted this year. When asked what area their pastor might improve someone wrote, “I would like to see him maybe jump the prayer rail, while throwing a hymnal at the devil, as Jack Fancy apparently did once!”

I joined David Zigler (Coastal Community) and AJ Plaizier (Yarmouth) this past Thursday to share our perspectives and experiences in developing and implementing what Pete Scazzero calls a Rule of Life. This was a companion conversation for the panel discussion offered on February 10th regarding Emotionally Healthy Leader. If you are new to the idea of having a Rule of Life, you will find the following resources helpful:

CLICK HERE to watch the recording of our conversation about having a Rule of Life (Feb 24th Zoom).
CLICK HERE to review why Emotionally Healthy Leader is so different from just any book on pastoral leadership (Feb 10th Zoom).
For those of you just getting started, CLICK HERE for an excellent resourceprovided by Dave Zigler to walk you step-by-step through the creation of your own Rule of Life.
CLICK HERE for access to additional materials that will help guide you through the prayerful creation of your own Rule of Life.

Pastor Cluster Leaders are encouraged to use these resources to inform and inspire the journey of renewal unfolding in the months ahead in our Clusters. It was harder than I expected as I completed my 48-hour retreat this week to develop my own Rule of Life. I will be praying for each of you to make it a priority sometime before summer to go on a personal retreat as you ask the Lord to show you better ways for better days of abiding in The Vine.

Speaking of Pastor Clusters, here are a few comments I have received this month from those who have been meeting:

Just thought I would share about our pastor cluster. In a short time of knowing each other we have a very good connection filled with laughter and encouragement, but also transparency and vulnerability.
We had our first Pastor Cluster in 2022 and enjoyed a time of sharing with each other and praying for and with each other. There were tears and smiles throughout our time together.
I have to say I’m enjoying our cluster. Getting to know the other pastors has been good for me. I feel these connections being made are more important now than at any other time.
We’re going to try (when restrictions are lessened) to meet in-person and have lunch. Face to face!

Praise God for the exciting announcements this week regarding the March lifting of pandemic restrictions! It is becoming increasingly likely that Beulah Family Camp (BFC) will return in 2022. Final decisions regarding BFC will be determined by the DBA shortly after Easter. I am pleased to announce that in addition to having Kelly Jay back as our Worship Leader, we will be challenged and inspired by two premier leaders and preachers in The Wesleyan Church, Rev. Mick Veach (upper left from Kentwood Community Church) and Dr. Steve DeNeff (upper right from College Wesleyan Church). CLICK HERE for the Camp Evangelists’ bios.DISTRICT MINISTERIAL UPDATE: In consultation with the DBA, in light of lifting restrictions on the tail of March breaks and with the Lent Season leading to a late-April Easter, District Ministerial will not be rescheduled. All churches who preregistered, please contact Karrilee to process your refund. We ask that you set aside the funds which would have been used for this event in reserve to use towards participating in The Gathering 2023 in Orlando, Florida.

GP Roundtable (Missions Pastors/Directors)

Global Partners would love to invite you to lunch followed by a round table discussion to talk about all things missions! James Winn, Director of Mobilization, and Michalla Arbour, Regional Mobilizer, will be at the District Office on Thursday, March 24 (Noon – 3:00 p.m. Atlantic Time). They would love to share with you about some of GP’s newest initiatives as well as give you some updates from around the world. In addition, they’d love to hear from you about how GP can serve you better, especially as it relates to sending, partnerships, resources, and short-term teams.

To RSVP for lunch CLICK HERE
To join by Zoom @ 12:30 p.m. Atlantic Time on March 24th please add this link to your calendar (Passcode: 715006)
https://zoom.us/j/5062327453?pwd=TTBnaWIwNVBvMTljdW1wS0tHRU5qQT09

Looking for a great example of how to inspire your church family to come back to in-person services as the restrictions lift in the weeks ahead? CLICK HERE for a helpful approachthat is sensitive to the times, while creating a longing for community.

Points to Ponder

It’s a lie to say leadership is easy. It’s the absolute truth, though, that humble, determined, committed leadership is worth it. (Carey Nieuwhof)
My resentment towards others is the greatest danger in my love toward God. (Joel Gorveatte)
The degree to which we ignore our shadow, is the degree to which our loving service to others is limited. (Pete Scazzero)

Registration for Caton’s Island camps skyrocketed in the opening week of February 15th with 397 registrations plus 45 families for the two family camps. Registrations are continuing to roll in! Don’t delay registering to ensure the camps/dates you want for your family summer schedule are still available.

Check out the Winter@Beulah page for information about lodging rentals, and to view the Winter@Beulah photography by Deborah MacCallum. Our Conference Coordinator Gail-Anne Brown cc@beulahcamp.com would be delighted to assist you in planning your stay. Beulah Camp is not just a summer destination!

The Resilient Pastor Podcast has launched this month as a helpful resource as we near the end of this pandemic marathon. In this first episode, Rich Villodas (Pastor of New Life Fellowship) joins host Glenn Packiam to talk about pastoral health and the effects of trauma. Together, they discuss setting healthy boundaries as a pastor, how the Church can grow in trauma awareness and why the health of the pastor is vital for the well-being of the broader church community. CLICK HERE to check it out and subscribe.

Our HQ Next Gen team will be offering three intentional cohorts designed to explore in community the topics of a Christian sexual ethic, kids’ ministry best practices, and becoming a better pastor/theologian. Our Next Gen team will be hosting these practical and formative cohorts starting the week of April 4th. To sign up for one or multiple of these cohorts, you can email carlsonc@wesleyan.org or click the button below!

World Hope is looking for team members to join two short-term mission teams in Bosnia. (CEO Tanya Nace is pictured in Bosnia above enjoying the beautiful lookout over Livno.) These teams will be leading English camps for kids for World Hope International (Bosnia) in June. If you’ve been wanting to do a missions trip, this might be the one that God has for you to join!

For more details, please CLICK HERE to email Tanya Nace.

Registration is open for Kingswood University’s Fall Vision Tour Cruise. For more information or to reserve your spot, contact Debbie Benson (506-432-4411 or bendsond@kingswood.edu).

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