Monday Again
On Monday and Tuesday, Peter and I led the 2016 edition of New Pastors Orientation at Beulah. We also had a special presentation from Matt Maxwell and morning devotional thought from Troy McKnight. There were some 15 newbies present – first time pastors; pastors returning to the district; new staff pastors – a great group. I am continuously thankful for the way the Master’s blessing rests on our district and the ongoing building of our tribe.
Our Maximizing Impact (MI) team (Peter, Wayne Robertson, Steve Elliott and me) was at Perth-Andover Wesleyan over this past weekend. Pastor Reg Thomas had prepared well for our visit. The Friday evening and Saturday morning sessions had an unusually high percentage of the Sunday AM attendance present. The sessions were open, interactive and in our opinion, clearly reflect a sincere desire to move forward for the sake of the Cause.
- Kings Church saw 20 people accept Christ last weekend!
- Fredericton Crosspoint had over 500 present last Sunday with 10 decisions for Christ. They also had a donor who agreed to double every donation to their new South Campus meeting in the Cineplex theatre. Onward and upward.
- I was privileged to attend the funeral of Mrs. Robina Mitchell in Saint John last week. Robina was the mother of former GP missionary Debbie Mitchell and Jennifer Marples who serves with her husband with the Missionary Aviation Fellowship. She was also mother to Jane Wheaton, wife of Rev. Mark Wheaton and grandmother to Rev.David Hockley, Assistant Pastor at Yarmouth. All of her children have made significant Kingdom impact across the years – a great legacy.
- Peter and I met with the LBA at Maple Ridge yesterday afternoon on our way back to Moncton. The board agreed unanimously to place Pastor Nick Graham, who is home from the hospital, on compassionate leave through the end of 2016. Assistant Pastor Mike Agrell, who had done amazing work in a supply capacity while Nick has been facing his health challenges, will serve for this season as Interim Lead Pastor. Some temporary programmatic changes will be put in place for this season. The Ridge continues to show great compassion and support for the Graham family.
The district Murano had an issue while we were in Perth-Andover on the weekend. It was towed to the Nissan dealer in Grand Falls and should be ready for pick up by Wednesday – the joys of being a road warrior. Thanks to Peter for extra effort to retrieve his car and don his chauffeur duties :).
THOT: “If you trust, you will be disappointed occasionally, but if you mistrust, you will be miserable all the time.” – Abraham Lincoln
ON SECOND THOT: “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.” – John Wayne
September 19th in Saint John & September 29th in Fredericton
Come and find out how your church can be a part of it!
We have an opportunity for the Christian Church in Canada to jointly invite people to explore Jesus’ story.
What: Encounter is designed to engage our youth through worship and the Word, to challenge them to discover God’s call for their lives. It’s a weekend filled with rallies, coffee houses, hockey games, and other fun activities.
Where: Kingswood University
When: Sept. 30-Oct. 1st
To register and for more information please visit the Encounter 2016 website.