It’s Monday Again
Ten members of the Atlantic DBMD convened this week to conduct 16 interviews with Ministerial Students and Licensed Ministers. Austin (Jessica) White (pictured lower right) was one of three successful Ordination interviews.
- Austin serves as Youth Pastor at Moncton (Joel Gorveatte) and on a recent Sunday was part of three generations of his family preaching across New Brunswick – CLICK HERE to check it out. We are blessed by the high caliber leaders who serve on our DBMD. The future of the Church is bright as we serve the emerging leaders God is calling and raising up!
It was encouraging to meet with the Digby LBA this past week to conduct the final Lead Pastor review of the season. Andrew (Allyson) Maves is serving in his 16th year there and received a unanimous renewal of his Extended Call. It is awesome to see how God multiplies Kingdom influence through the blessing of gifted leaders who remain committed to longevity.
After a lunch meeting this week with Brent Ingersoll (Kings), I had opportunity to meet the newest Kings team member, Pete Stubbs. God has called him out of police work and he will be leading the new Kings location in St. Stephen as it prepares to launch this fall. Welcome to our Atlantic Wesleyan family, Pete!
Global Partners held a roundtable discussion this Thursday at District Office in the Edgett Boardroom to talk about resources and strategies for local church missions through Global Partners! James Winn, Director of Mobilization, and Michalla Arbour, Regional Mobilizer, interacted with missions leadership from more than a half-dozen churches (including several on Zoom).
Many of our church families across The Wesleyan Church of Canada (TWCC) have visited and supported the Wesleyan Standard Church of Egypt for years. The above event was the March 17th celebration of 12 years of excellent service by Rev. Dr. Atef Sidhom Khalaf as National Superintendent (CLICK HERE for more info).Dr. Atef was succeeded during the Annual Pastors Conference in Cairo by Rev. Kamal Lofti on March 1st. Superintendent Kamal is pictured on the lower right seated next to Dr. Andrea Zaki, the head of all Protestant denominations in Egypt. We are grateful for the long and effective leadership of Abouna Atef and wish to thank him and his family for the many years of sacrificial service.
Warm congratulations are in order for National Superintendent Kamal pictured above with his wonderful family (wife Theresa, son Rafik and daughters Tarneem and Sameh). We know your Kingdom leadership will be a blessing to the Church – we are praying for you in these early days as Superintendent!
Pastor Cluster Leader Karen Robertson (West Head) met this week with Tracey Eisan (Faith), Marilyn Mansvelt (Cornerstone), and Liz Hoyt (Moncton). All these Ordained leaders are working through the Scazzero resource noted below in developing a Rule of Life as an expression of the principles of Emotionally Healthy Leaders. Special thanks to AJ Plaizier & David Zigler for providing a helpful overview and road map as our ministerial tribe continues to seek and find fresh days of renewal in our Kingdom leadership.
Points to Ponder
- 39% of unchurched millennials considered that they might someday regularly visit a church! (Billy Graham Center Institute).
- However, almost half of millennials (47%) agree at least somewhat that it is wrong to share one’s personal beliefs with someone of a different faith in hopes that they will one day share the same faith. (Barna Study)
- How exciting is this research? This juxtaposition is both inspiring and challenging. What opportunities and challenges does this bring for the future of Christ’s Church? (Joel Gorveatte)
National Superintendent Steve Elliott (The Wesleyan Church of Canada) is calling Wesleyans to partner financially with World Hope International (Canada) as our official relief and development arm. CEO Tanya Nace gives stellar leadership to this world-class, highly effective and trustworthy organization. World Hope International is working with global and local partners in response to the invasion of Ukraine and the outflow of refugees into neighbouring countries. CLICK HERE for more information on how to give through WHC.
Praise God for the exciting announcements regarding the March lifting of pandemic restrictions! It is becoming increasingly likely that Beulah Family Camp (BFC) will return on July 1-10, 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. More details coming soon!
I joined David Zigler (Coastal Community) and AJ Plaizier (Yarmouth) in February 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. I completed my 48-hour retreat in February 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.
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.
Are you looking for a resource that your church could use to help people discover and live out their God-designed missional calling?
Ed Love’s team partnered with Jon Wiest (through Groundswell) and created a version that any church can use at any time. LIVE SENT is a timely resource to help people clarify who they are in Christ and how they can use their gifts to pioneer a new mission that will reach people who are far from God. In this five-session course, participants will learn how to discover their calling and discern the voice of God in your life and ministry. Jesus told his disciples in John 20:21, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” It’s time for every follower of Christ to discover their calling and “live sent!” This DIY resource is FREE for individuals and groups within a local church setting. Simply download the PDF leaders guide, personally invite your participants, craft a timeline for connection or coaching, and link your participants to the online platform. The Leaders Guide and details can be found here => LIVE SENT!
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 HERE for more information.
CLICK HERE for more information on a new 25-week devotional written by women in ministry for women in ministry available from Wesleyan Publishing House. Our own Rev. Natalie Gidney had the privilege of writing for this project along with women clergy from various holiness denominations. It launched last week at the Wesleyan Holiness Women Clergy Conference in Dallas, Texas.
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).