It’s Monday Again

There were 8 baptized at Moncton (Joel Gorveatte) yesterday reflecting Kingdom diversity with Latinos (two from Mexico), Francophones, Anglophones, & First Nations – including two from Teen Challenge. One of the baptism candidates testified, “Jesus is my new addiction!” Inspiring!

Norton (Mark Cooney) hosted a combined service last night with Norton Baptist and Midland Baptist. This was offered as one of the scheduled events for the community of Norton’s Winter Carnival with 67 in attendance to enjoy the special music followed by desserts and coffee. Well done!

Houlton (Wayne Robertson) is doing a reboot / redesign of their Kids Church ministry. A planning meeting last week surprised the pastoral team with 30 volunteers ready for training to serve.

By unanimous decision, the Central Canada District Board of Administration has nominated the Rev. Dr. Eric Hallett to serve as the next District Superintendent. Dr. Hallett has accepted the nomination. His election will take place at this year’s District Conference in June. Congratulations!

Dr. Hallett has served as Lead Pastor of Centennial Road Church in Brockville, Ontario since May 2009. He was born and raised in Woodstock, New Brunswick. He is a graduate of Kingswood University (BA) and Asbury Theological Seminary (M.Div, D.Min). He was ordained by The Wesleyan Church in July 1996. Eric and his wife Kimberly met at Asbury and were married on May 29, 1993. They presently reside in Brockville, Ontario with their 4 children; Karaline, Courtney, Jeremy and Samara.

Our monthly Northeast Regional DS Zoom last Tuesday featured interaction with Bill Couchenour of Exponential. In an exciting development for our denomination, all 25 DS’s have been invited to participate in a one-year cohort beginning in November to explore a variety of models and principles impacting Kingdom multiplication. More than 400 Wesleyan leaders will join the 5000 who will gather in Orlando this week, including more than a dozen from our district. More on all this next IMA.

And speaking of Kingdom multiplication, the second cohort learning with Ken Nash held another Zoom meeting this week. There are currently 11 churches (8 from the Atlantic District) who are receiving excellent training regarding local church satellite ministry.

The annual Retreat to Advance was held for our district pastors at Beulah Camp & Conference Center this week. This optional event was primarily offered as a retreat for those who were unable to attend The Gathering in January. This intimate gathering enjoyed interaction with Allen Lee(District Clergy Care Director) and Rick Hiemstra (Evangelical Fellowship of Canada). Special thanks to Doug Tatton (Conference Coordinator) and his team for an excellent 48 hours together.

The EFC provides many excellent resources for local churches including their new Faith Todaywebsite which has many new features, including a podcast section. Now you can listen to all the EFC podcasts in one place.

President Lennox announced this week that Rev. Erik Ireland will be our new Director of Kingswood Extended. Erik is currently on staff at Christ Wesleyan Church in Milton, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate from Houghton College and Asbury Theological Seminary and will soon complete his Doctor of Ministry degree at Asbury. Erik is married to Ashley and they have a seven month old son, Eli.

Steve gives further background to this critical staffing, “The response to Kingswood Extended has been greater than we anticipated with pastors and laypersons eager to avail themselves of the ministry education KX makes possible. This growth has allowed us to upgrade the position of Director from part-time to full-time. Given the great demand and potential, we sought for someone with academic training, a big vision for non-traditional ministry preparation, and a heart for the church. God provided in Erik just the person who meets all these requirements and more. We are excited for what he will bring to this exciting ministry.”

Vacation Update: I will be returning from vacation with my family on March 11th. Karrilee will be in the office this week and can reach me as needed.

Votes/Reviews/Transitions

• Dave McElhinney (River Valley) read his resignation yesterday and will conclude 31 years as Founding & Lead Pastor on Easter Sunday. This will be immediately followed by the gift of an extended sabbatical from the River Valley family which will continue through Canadian Thanksgiving. Stay tuned for more transition news next IMA.
• Aaron Reimer (Island) received a unanimous vote yesterday for a four-year call.
• On Monday, the LBA of Moncton unanimously recommended an extended call at the conclusion of Lead Pastor Joel Gorveatte’s initial two-year term. This vote will occur immediately following Sunday worship later in March.
• Following a pastoral review on Thursday evening the Houlton LBA unanimously renewed the extended call of Wayne Robertson. In addition, significant and generous decisions were processed regarding his 2020 sabbatical.
• Later on Thursday evening I met with the Monticello Community (Jason Rooney) LAC to explore options in light of the pastoral transition this July.

Prayer Focus: Please be in prayer for Joanne Ozon (Hope) as she was admitted to hospital this week with a significant back injury which restricts her mobility.

THOTS:

• It isn’t how much time you spend somewhere that makes it memorable, it’s how you spend the time. (David Brenner)
• Vacations brighten a man. They tend to make his work more attractive to him and to make him more attractive to his work. (Harry Van Demark)

40 Days of Prayer for Kingswood University (Mar 12 – Apr 21). Looking for a great idea for your church this Easter season? You can download this prayer and scripture guide for your personal or church Lenten emphasis.

Children’s Ministry Pastors and Lay Leaders: NEXT registration for Saturday, April 6th, in Halifax is now open @ http://cbacyf.ca/next. The first 100 participants to register through their Wesleyan Church using the code “NEXT2019” will receive a $20 scholarship discount from the Atlantic District.

Attention all parents, teens, and youth leaders/pastors! One Conference is back again this year May 31 – June 1. This is a great opportunity for students to go deeper in their faith and meet other youth from across the Maritimes.

Caton’s Island Director Dean Stephenson reports that summer camper registrations are already up over this time last year – don’t delay getting the word out to your students and parents/grandparents to make sure they can attend their preferred camp!