It’s Monday Again
Metro (Aaron Birtch) had a perfect day and an incredible turnout out for their Family Fun-Day Carnival on Saturday. This 3-hour community outreach was the first day to intentionally connect with the BLT (Beechville-Lakeside-Timberlea) suburb of Halifax. They have relocated from the the Cineplex IMAX to the Halifax Christian Academy in Timberlea for Sunday worship and are focusing future ministry in the BLT.
More than 400 guests (plus the 40 Metro volunteers) enjoyed the Carnival which had more than 10 stations of activities, free BBQ, and live music provided by the worship team. Pastors from other Halifax area churches (Denn Guptill – Cornerstone, Bradford Rogers – Deep Water, & Mike Zotarelli – Hillside) showed up to help with set up and tear down.
One volunteer captured the day beautifully, “Moving our church to the new location in Timberlea feels like coming home! We have a renewed purpose where enthusiasm is contagious – the atmosphere is warm and inviting and we are ready to welcome people to come check out the church!”
- Caton’s Island annual men’s weekend had a record number with a total of 95 – more than doubling last year’s attendance. Nathan Adams challenged this hearty group with thought provoking messages on living in step with the Spirit. The men had a great time enjoying the activities and fellowship with each other. New Lead Pastor, Joel Bridges (Trinity) pictured above, seems to be adapting well to Carleton County living!
- It was a joy to be with our West Head family yesterday morning for the Pastoral Installation of Vince Robertson. Karen is serving on staff as Assistant Pastor and they are enjoying a warm reception by the community.
- FINAL WEEK: Please note for those interested in the JOY Weekend (details below) registration deadline is moved to TOMORROW – Tuesday, September 18.
- World Hope (WHI-C) is coordinating support for those affected by Hurricane Florence.
- Andrea Gunter (Executive Director of Camp Ministry) chaired the Beulah Session of the Camp Board this Friday. Encouraging reports from Beulah Family Camp with record numbers for donations, children, and youth programs, were springboards for 2019 planning.
- The Gathering 2019 Update: The Atlantic District has already reimbursed registrations for 72 pastors and spouses (not including kids) registered for The Gathering totaling more than $40K CAD. This represents an increase of nearly 20% in credentialed ministers over The Gathering 2015 #raisingleaders #contextualeffectiveness
- Welcome to Robert England who has joined the staff of River Valley (Dave McElhinney) as Assistant Pastor. Also, to Matt & Ashley Henry who are now serving as Directors of Youth at Hillside (Jay Guptill).
- An energizing conversation about possible new satellite locations was shared this Thursday with Bud Fancy & Jason Blaikie (Presque Isle), Jason Parker (Woods Harbour), AJ Plaizier (Yarmouth), Jay Guptill (Hillside), & Scott Prime (New Hope ). Stay tuned Prime has excited news to share soon! #kingdommultiplication
- And speaking of New Hope , this group recently enjoyed a day of volunteer training. #raisingleaders
- Maple Ridge (Mike Agrell) had an outstanding launch to fall youth ministry. Ryan Genereaux reports, “Crazy night at youth! Record attendance (38) with 9 first timers, and multiple students asking for Bibles! God is up to something on The Ridge! Shout out to my A+ team who helped to make it all happen! Excited for what God has in store!”
- Blacks Harbour (John Symonds) has had a strong start to student ministries through staff Bradford & Olivia Jordan. KREW (kid’s program) started last Wednesday with 25 kids. SURGE (youth program) started this past Sunday evening with 17 teens.
- Beals–Jonesport Awana (Nick Wilson & Andy Phillips) started last night with 12 kids in attendance and a whole bunch of helpers. They had pizza, games, music, and a lot of enthusiasm – looking forward to seeing what God will do in these kids’ lives this year.
- Important Reminder: All Wesleyan clergy have been invited again to participate in a national study that identifies the factors which contribute to the ability of clergy to thrive in ministry over a lifetime. Nationally renowned researcher, Dr. Matthew Bloom of Notre Dame University, is partnering with The Wesleyan Church to provide this high-quality research funded by the Lilly Endowment. You may remember our participation in the initial wave of this research four years ago. The results of that study were invaluable in guiding us to craft programs and resources to help us all better care for each other. Watch your email beginning September 18 for a survey link sent from education@wesleyan.org. Please know that your completed survey will go directly to Dr. Bloom’s research team, not Education and Clergy Development. We are simply sending the link – this survey is completely confidential.
- It was a special highlight this weekend to enjoy a meal with Shawn Craven (Havelock, NS) and his family as we celebrated his full recovery from a very serious liver surgery one year ago. Our meal (at the Goodwin Hotel) was right across the street from two buildings which were destroyed by a fire in Weymouth earlier this month – one being one of the oldest in Canada. Shawn serves as a volunteer firefighter and was there to assist in keeping this fire from spreading. His son Jacob captured the picture below only to realize later the shape of a cross captured at the top of the hydro pole. Shawn had this to say about the picture and the experience, “A powerful reminder that God was with us as we battled this fire with many difficult challenges. Over 100 firefighters responded from 11 fire departments. I am so honoured to serve with such great men and women.”
The Atlantic District expresses condolences to the family of Kirk Sabine (Kingswood University) on Friday’s passing of his father, Gordon. Gordon served for nearly two decades on the DBA and has been a long-standing key leader in the Truro church. His life will be celebrated at Connection Wesleyan tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. Kirk said it best when he posted this great word about his Dad, “Most of all, he loved his family and God. He was a great model of what it looks like to faithfully serve the church and God’s kingdom.”
Thot: The best indicator of character is who you long to become. (Erwin McManus)
What an opportunity to partner with Craig Groeschel, John Maxwell, Erwin McManus, Danielle Strickland along with a truly impressive and diverse faculty of 15 speakers for another amazing GLS.
- Lower Sackville, NS (Rock Church) – October 18-19
- Lewisporte, NS (Emmanuel Convention Centre) – October 18-19
- St. John’s, NL (TBA) – October 25-26
Click here for more info and/or to register.
BYF RETREAT 2018
September 28 – 30
Dr. Stephen Lennox, President of Kingswood University is our guest speaker. Dr. Lennox is a Christian statesman and prolific writer. He has authored several books on the Old Testament. We are so excited to have him with us for this weekend!
Our worship leader for the weekend will be Rob & Marti Tafton.
PDF Brochure and Registration Form
Join hundreds of women at from all over the east coast as we come together to worship God and have fun! Our goal is to create an atmosphere where every woman at Harvest will experience an encounter with God that will impact their life and the people in it.
Join us this fall at Kings Church, October 19 & 20, with special guest speakers Annie F. Downs and Heather Semple. For more information, or to register visit www.harvestconference.ca or call 506-847-5343.
A Christian Leadership Response to the Shifting
Landscape of Canadian Religious Freedoms
What: High order Christian-based legal insights and recommendations for the shifting landscape of Canadian religious freedoms
When: October 4 @ 10:30 a.m. Atlantic Time
Where: Zoom-inar
Who: Derek Ross, Executive Director & General Counsel for Christian Legal Fellowship
How: Pastors and lay leaders may register by email with the Atlantic District (office@www.atlanticdistrict.com) All AD credentialed pastors who register AND attend the Zoominar will receive a complimentary copy of the June 2018 publication, Hope for Nations: Standing Strong in a Post-Trust, Post Christian World (John Dickerson).
“Times of great social upheaval are times of great spiritual opportunity,” writes Dickerson. “You can live the adventure of this era with great purpose. You can know with confidence that the Creator of the universe appointed you to bring light and life to this moment in human history.”
Check out this recent radio interview with Derek Ross and Barry Bussey (Director for Legal Affairs of the Canadian Council of Christian Charities since 2011) on The Drew Marshall Show (begins at 1:40 in the MP3 file) for a sneak peek on some of the insights you will learn in this Oct 4th Zoominar.
YARMOUTH WESLEYAN CHURCH
Thursday, November 1st, 9:30-4:30
Keynote Speakers Including : AJ Thomas, Kevin Vincent, Brent Ingersoll, Mike Miller & L.D. Buckingham
THE ROCK CHURCH HALIFAX
Friday, November 2nd, 9:30-4:30
Keynote Speakers: Jerry Reddy, James Mallon, AJ Thomas, Kevin Vincent & L.D. Buckingham
For more information and to register please visit the BLI website.
January 9-12, 2019
Orlando, Florida at The Caribe Royale
More than a minister’s conference. The Gathering is a reunion of ministry family and friends. A sabbath for our souls. Coming together to stop, rest, pray, play and thrive. A chance to celebrate what God is doing in our lives and ministry through meals, stories, inspiration and worship. We know this will be a gathering you won’t want to miss! Early bird registration ends this week – Aug 31, 2018.