A word of heartfelt appreciation and admiration for National Superintendent Stephen Elliott for his excellence in preparation as he convened the inaugural National Conference of The Wesleyan Church of Canada (TWCC) this past Wednesday and Thursday just south of Montreal.
HC Wilson was elected National Superintendent Emeritus and
delivered this compact history of all the Kingdom standing stones preceding this day in the spiritual heritage of our two districts.
The Keynote Speaker for three of the Worship Rally Sessions was
Brian Stiller (Global Ambassador for the World Evangelical Alliance) who spoke words of hope-filled anticipation for the Kingdom impact of TWCC. General Superintendent Wayne Schmidt gave the finale address with words of conviction and passion in his call to the price worth paying for the years of intentional Kingdom multiplication ahead.
Cross-pollination of district leadership with opportunities for the meaningful exchange of best practices and shared values was a key highlight for the 44 delegates (pictured below) of this first-ever event. (Of course, how can one go to Montreal without squeezing in a visit to Schwartz’s?)
Delegates received a 72-page document in advance of deliberations and in addition to the first National Conference election of the nine-member National Board, the by-laws were approved with gratitude to the pre-conference yoeman’s effort in the preparation of this foundational work as we begin the long journey towards becoming our own General Conference in another decade or so.Four of our five denominational colleges and universities were present to bring words of congratulation and an inspired rally cry to continued partnership with higher education in The Wesleyan Church.
Passionate discussion around the value of Kingdom multiplication was the order of the day for the pre-conference shoulder meeting of both district boards of administration and the National Board. The nature of satellite ministry as an equally recognized expression of transforming Kingdom presence was amplified by the agreement of the National Conference that local churches must be empowered to continue as the point of the spear in determining ownership of various expressions and geographical targets for seeing the church expand.Delegates, friends, and family departed from Montreal with full and expectant hearts as we rallied around the vision of our National Superintendent to see TWCC grow in purity, power, and passion in the mission we share!
It is always a highlight opportunity to visit our
Solid Rock family in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland, where Peter Hayes was installed yesterday morning as Lead Pastor. The congregation is enjoying Peter & Cathy and their family and this new chapter is off to an excellent start! This time Ellen and our youngest daughter, Shorey, were able to make the trip for their first-ever visit to The Rock. Thankful for the chance to enjoy a couple of extra personal days here in this beautiful province before our return later this week.
The Reach (Andy Phillips) had a church picnic and baptized three yesterday. Andy shared, “Two confessions of faith and one recommittment – all boldly proclaiming Jesus as their Savior and Lord!”Last Sunday,
Nackawic honoured the Farrell family for ten years of service. It was a full church with a wonderful dinner following the service. Ryan Farrell was surprised and blessed to have an appreciation service to celebrate his first decade of ministry with this great church family!
Crosspoint (John Symonds) celebrated 7 baptisms last Sunday in addition to 6 baptisms the same day at
Yarmouth (AJ Plaizier).
Crystal (Lisa Graden) recently concluded their first full week of VBS since 2005 in nearly 15 years. They did not set a record attendance, but were able to significantly invest in one on one time with the kids and saw huge changes in each child by the end of the week. As a result, two of these children now plan on being regular Sunday School attenders.
Deep Water Dartmouth (Matthew Thomas) had their first outreach event on Saturday as over 400 residents came out to Sullivan’s Pond to enjoy some, games and BBQ! This event was also in partnership with FEED Nova Scotia and 17 boxes of food were collected, along with $200 in donations. Launch Sunday is October 6th!
Sign up or email Joel Liechty for a Zoom overview of an LBA training resource on Wednesday, September 25th at 2:30 pm (Atlantic). Linchpin Leadership is an enhanced online, interactive learning journey for pastors and local church board leaders. This experience will guide the local church board through training designed to help the board flourish in its role of spiritual leadership.
Linchpin Leadership was developed by Chris Conrad (District Superintendent of the Great Lakes District) and Dan Reiland/Kevin Myers (Executive Pastor/Senior Pastor of 12Stone Church) and has been developed to resource local churches to fulfill their mission. This experience is powered by Multipliciter which provides free resources for churches.
World Hope International (Canada) is offering a short-term mission trip opportunity to minister in Ukraine. This Vision Trip for Pastors and Lay Leaders will take place in Odessa during November 22-29 this fall. Full details are available HERE. Team leader Ben Last (Southgate) offers some excellent advice HERE for those considering participation on this mission.
ATTN Maine Churches: For detailed information on how to to best provide financial support for World Hope’s work in Ukraine please download this PDF.
National Conference THOTS:
- The degree of our self-interest defines our capacity to see what is. #giverortaker? (Brian Stiller)
- What is the greatest leadership principle? God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. How can we keep the ego out and the Spirit in? Mutual voluntary submission will help us to concentrate on multiplication instead of separation. (Wayne Schmidt)
- We have no idea of our potential until we experience the power to give what we have away. This is the antidote to the polarities of self-absorption and self-abdication. (Brian Stiller)
Kingswood’s Master of Arts in Pastoral Theology (
MAPT) degree is now
fully online! The first class of the next cohort begins July 1st, 2019 (
The Bible as Christian Scripture). However, it is possible to join the program at any point throughout the year. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Kenneth Gavel (
gavelk@kingswood.edu), or Angela Flewelling (
flewellinga@kingswood.edu).
International Wesleyan Youth Conference (Dec. 28-31, 2019)
Churches, pastors, youth leaders, youth groups:
Your next step is to subscribe at
www.followconference.org to get free resources and updates on all
FOLLOW details.
Kingswood University has only a few spots left for its trip to the Holy Land (March 2-11, 2020). For full details
CLICK HERE or call Debbie at 888-432-4422.
Rev. Dr. Joanne Solis-Walker is an ordained minister of The Wesleyan Church. She has a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and Development with an emphasis on Ecclesial Leadership.
Her entrepreneurial experience covers a wide range of innovative opportunities in a variety of professional fields. Joanne is one of the Founders of CaminoRoad, a development company focused on leadership, culture, and praxis.
She is a certified Coach and an advocate for education equity and accessibility. Dr. Solis-Walker previously served as Assistant Dean of Global Theological Education at Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University and Director of Education for Latin@s.
She teaches Leadership courses at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary and travels extensively speaking in Spanish and English, throughout the United States and internationally. She is married to Rev. Dan Walker and they have a miracle daughter, Adriana Nicole and a Boxer dog named Kahlua Faith.
Rev. Mick Veach has served as a Global Partners’ Area Director for Central Asia and the Middle East, he has presented the Gospel in more than 75 countries, been the Lead Pastor of a large thriving suburban church and currently is pastoring a church plant in the heart of Detroit, Mosaic Midtown.
Whether smuggling Bibles, feeding lepers or working/living amongst a Muslim people group as a Humanitarian Pastor, Mick Veach’s commitment to share the love of God with the lost has taken him to the ends of the earth.
Mick’s desire is and always has been to see God’s truth compel others to Great Commission action and to foster healthy local churches that engage in evangelism and discipleship. He and his wife, Melanie, have three children and love living in the historic Bostin-Edison Neighborhood of Detroit.
