It’s Monday Again

West Head (Vince Robertson) is the longest-serving congregation that is part of the Atlantic District. Last night during the annual Fishermen’s Service we celebrated 150 years since Rev. Holliday came across by boat from Bear Point to begin a new church in 1869 which eventually merged with the Atlantic District under the leadership of Rev. Perry Ingersoll who was present for this celebration (pictured below).

The West Head family led a spirited and engaging service with both humour and meaningful reflection on the challenges fishers will face as they head out on Dumping Day this week which marks the beginning of lobster season. The service concluded with all those involved in this livelihood coming forward as Pastors Karen & Vince offered prayers of protection for their families. This excellent connection with the community is leveraged by many churches.

More than 50 gathered yesterday morning at Faith (Brad Eisan) for worship in another Fishermen’s Service. The service included a men’s ensemble and testimonies from three lobster fishermen with a combined total of 124 years of experience. Several fishing terms were explained such as the difference between pie plates and dinner plates, the fishing end vs. the bedroom end of the traps, pistols, dogbones, and that BOAT was an acronym for “bring on another thousand” when it comes to repair costs. The concluding prayer over the fishers was followed by a great time of fellowship over a potluck meal.

Kings (Brent Ingersoll) celebrated another exciting weekend of Kingdom harvest with 32 baptism across three locations – PTL! The previous weekend was highlighted with 25 child dedications.

Digby (Andrew Maves) has taken their Tuesday evening Biker Service on the road to launch a second weekly worship location in Cornwallis. There were 40+ present and Maves reports, “The atmosphere was incredible – God is good and is doing something new to reach families in Digby county!”

On Saturday morning, 20 people gathered from four different churches on the NS South Shore to participate in discussion around preaching and teaching The Word. Discussion included the vision and purpose of preaching/teaching, best practices, and avoiding common pitfalls. Lead pastors, staff pastors, small group leaders, and prison ministry volunteers invested their Saturday morning in peer to peer learning. #strongertogether #contectualeffectiveness #raisingleaders

The Board Chairs and Presidents (above left) of our five Wesleyan post-secondary schools convened all day Monday under the leaders of Russ Gunsalus (Executive Director of Education and Clergy Development).Before my return home on Tuesday, I enjoyed the opportunity to meet with Jon Wiest (above right) as we continue to finalize details for his role in our District Ministerial (January 22-24) and in leadership of the Discipleship Pathway Cohorts beginning in February for 82% of Atlantic District churches.

The Caton’s Island Session of the Camp Board convened on Wednesday. We are praising God for a very successful Phase One completion of the Choate Dining Hall Expansion and for nearly 220 recommitments and first-time decisions for Christ this summer with record camp registrations. Hats off to Director Dean Stephenson and Interim Caton’s Overseer Brian Murray!

The District Board of Administration gathered on Thursday for our annual fall meeting which included a focused time of prayer. Grateful for the wisdom and spiritual maturity of this incredible group of Kingdom leaders. A major item of business was approved that will be announced at the opening banquet of District Ministerial on January 22nd.REMINDER: Ministerial registration deadline is this Sunday on December 1st. Register online today! Credentialed ministers are required to attend and lay pastors are welcome. Childcare is provided for all sessions and seminars.

 

Ellen joins me in expressing sincere condolences on behalf of the Atlantic District family to Rev. Sheila McCrea-MacCallum on the passing of her husband Ken on November 18th. It was an honour to represent our district family at Rooney Funeral Home in Alberton, PE on Friday for the celebration of his life. Thank you for your continued prayers of support for Sheila and her family during this time.

Happy Thanksgiving this Thursday to our Maine congregations!

Full details for how your church can take advantage of this National Church initiative can be accessed online HERE. This will be an excellent addition to local discipleship efforts as one of the greatest predictors of spiritual growth is spending time in His Word.

For more information please contact office@atlanticdistrict.com
Click HERE to download this promo poster for your missions events

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Want to know more about the Atlantic District’s 2025 Horizon Storyline – Values-Driven Vision? Click here to see a one-page overview of this journey and click here for the 45-minute video 2025 presentation shared with 88 of our pastors in October.