Under Sail
Sydney – New Roots Update: Pastor Kevin (Laura) Myers is planting a church in Sydney, NS. They held a “Volunteer Odd Job Crew” Weekend the latter part of October that allowed them to get into fifteen homes in the community in a very positive and effective manner. They did everything from raking leaves, cleaning out basements, washing windows, tearing off wallpaper, dump runs, and piling wood. A total of ten people helped during the weekend. Pastor Kevin said he was unprepared for the number of people who were literally overcome by the act of kindness. I spoke with Kevin yesterday. They have had to delay their public launch date because of discovering town requirements that are placed on people who have exclusive rental status in facilities in the community. This is disappointing but the five-member Launch Team are in agreement to delay until all requirements are satisfied. Pray for them. This week, they will look at fifteen potential meeting places in town as they search for the one which will meet their needs. The new time line calls for the announcement of place, dates, and times in their December newsletter. Preview services will be held early in the new year, and the official launch date is now targeted for March, 2010.
St. John’s – Avalon Update: Pastors Darren & Janel Clark averaged 13 in October and had 21 different people visit their services. A new couple has expressed interest in hosting a home group. Another man is volunteering his time for setting up and tearing down on the weekends. His family is from China so the language barrier has been a challenge. Some of this process is slow but relationships continue to be built and the Clarks are encouraged. It has been just over one year since their October 18, 2008 launch.
Maine Rejects Same-Sex “Marriage”: By a margin of 53 percent to 47 percent, the voters of Maine on Tuesday, November 3rd, repealed a state law that would have allowed same-sex couples to wed. Maine becomes the first state in which residents reversed the state government’s decision to allow same-sex “marriage.” In every single state — 31 in all, including Maine — where the idea of same-sex “marriage” has been put to a popular vote, it has been defeated. Five states have legalized same-sex “marriage” — starting with Massachusetts in 2004, followed by Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Iowa — but all did so through legislation or court rulings, not by popular vote. In contrast, constitutional amendments banning same-sex “marriage” have been approved in all 30 states where they have been on the ballot. Maine’s legislature voted in May of this year to allow same-sex “marriage,” but an opposition petition campaign put the legislation on hold pending the November 3rd vote. [OneNewsNow.com, FoxNews.com]
Miramichi Wesleyan held a Gospel Sing in their church the last Sunday in October and had 127 people in a facility that holds about 80! They were in the lobby, the stairwell, anywhere they could fit them in, and obviously not everyone was able to get in the door. Their new facility is under construction and when completed will hold 200 people. This will go a long way to helping address the space problem. Pastor Gary Churchill has been putting in very long hours for considerable time on this project. He has had health problems surface recently. He will be going to Saint John, NB for further tests related to his heart within the next couple of weeks. Please keep him and his wife, Debbie, in your prayers. Pastors, if you are looking for a project for your men’s group (mixed groups are welcome too) where you can make a difference, Miramichi Wesleyan is doing a lot of their construction with volunteer labor. They want to get the project closed in before cold weather, and then there will still be much left to accomplish. Any help you can give is appreciated.
Several of our churches turn Hallowe’en into a positive evening by using a “Trunk or Treat” event as a means to reach out to their communities. Some of our pastors shared their stories with me:
Linda Lamos, Director of Children’s Ministry at Kings Valley Wesleyan, has been using “Trunk or Treat” as a community outreach event for several years. She estimates that 75% of the people who come to this event are from the community and not from their church. This year, over 300 children and 150 parents attended. There was a great team of over 50 volunteers who welcomed the community into the building and blessed them with a fun, family friendly evening together. They used their VBS theme for most of the decorations and the VBS music for the event.
Pastor Dave Wilcox, Yarmouth Wesleyan, said this year was their 3rd Annual Family Fall Festival which includes a carnival and a Trunk or Treat event for the kids. This year there were close to 450 kids along with parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts who attended. People just kept coming and coming. It was a great outreach in getting people in their building, and some un-churched people discovered it is possible to have fun in a church!
Also, Yarmouth Wesleyan had a “Refocus Weekend” October 23rd – 25th and invited two former pastors, John Symonds and Andy McCutcheon, as their special guests. There were close to 250 people each night and 548 on Sunday Morning. Most importantly, six people have been baptized so far this year.
Truro Wesleyan held their 4th Annual Trunk or Treat event at the church and interacted with 322 children and parents. This was the largest attended “T or T” so far. Each year this event has grown. Pastor Ken Banks says they had 110, 130, 160 children in the previous years, and then this year’s totals. There were 15 decorated cars in the parking lot and many volunteers inside looking after games, picture taking, providing information on the church, and making contacts with people in the community. A free Barbeque was part of what was offered and they went through 19 dozen hot dogs! The event left a positive impression and built bridges from the church to the community.
On another note, Truro Wesleyan plans to demolish the older part of their church this Wednesday, Nov. 18th. This particular part of the building has stood since circa the 1870’s. It was the original sanctuary for the Reformed Baptists, now the Wesleyans, and was used until 1988 when the new sanctuary was built. The congregation has plans to build a more modern and functional addition in the near future, which will better equip them to minister in the Truro area. A small decommissioning service was included as part of the morning service, November 8th, allowing the people to celebrate all that God has done there in the past.
Gene Hudson, Atlantic District retired missionary, shares that his wife, Cheryl, came through her surgery two weeks ago. The Surgeon said he was pleased with the results. It was a long day. She went in the hospital at 10 AM, had surgery at 1:30 PM, and then was back in her room at 8:30 PM. Gene says thanks for all your prayers, and please continue to remember us.
The Beulah Wastewater Project continues to make progress. Weather has been a factor and has pushed the project back approximately four weeks. The goal is to have all construction that was planned for the fall completed and the system functioning by the middle of December. There are a few things that are planned for spring 2010 which will not impact the system being operational this winter. The liner is now in the lagoon, and the piping, which is already underway, is the main focus in the next 2-3 weeks.
Bangor-Pathway had a Baptism Celebration service at the Ramada Inn in Bangor Sunday afternoon, November 8th. Seven people were baptized which included three men, a married couple, and two children. Jay LaScolea is the pastor.
Pastor Ryan Farrell, Nackawic Wesleyan, shares that on Sunday, November 8th, their church had its annual Well Walk. This year they are raising support to dig a well in Sierra Leone (through World Hope). The mission offering received in the morning service was $4041. This meets their goal and puts them on the way for future mission endeavors. Pastor Emeritus Lona Johnston and former Pastors Carl and Evelyn Brewer were present for the Well Walk. Pastor Ryan said it was a very positive day in the life of the church.
A few months ago two of Hartland Wesleyan’s lay people wanted to do a monthly outreach and decided to provide a Christian Movie Night. They got the proper permission from World Wide Pics, and now on a monthly basis a high quality family movie is shown at the church. It is totally led by lay folks. The local newspaper has been gracious in providing free advertising and the attendance has steadily grown. Last Saturday night (11-14-09) they saw over 100 people in attendance and a good percentage of them were not connected to any church. Also, in the past few weeks, Hartland Wesleyan baptized three individuals, including a young dad and his son. Mel Norton is the senior pastor.
Pastor Scott Lewis, Lower Hainesville Wesleyan, has a request. He is in need of 10-12 adult quarterlies for their adult Sunday School Class. They are feeling the “financial crunch” and are trying to creatively maximize their resources. They are happy to use the quarterlies from the last quarter, so if you can assist him please call (506) 463-8309 or email him at scottklewis@hotmail.com
I was at First Wesleyan in Saint John, NB November 8th and installed Pastor Greg Dakin as the Lead Pastor. It was an excellent day and the Remembrance Day portion of the service was very fitting as we honored those who gave their lives in war for our freedoms. Yesterday, I was in Sackville, NS and installed Michael Zottarelli as the pastor of the Sackville Wesleyan Church. They continue to meet in the Peace Lutheran Church.
Atlantic District Snowbirds, mark your calendars. The annual Atlantic District Snowbird Breakfast will be held in Brooksville either January 8 or 9, 2010. This event is for the folks connected to the Atlantic District who have gone south (or will). More details to follow at a later date,
“Never look back unless you are planning to go that way.” – Henry David Thoreau
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