Monday Again
I was privileged once again to be present at the semi-annual meeting of the General Board held last week at HQ in Indianapolis. This was the first regular meeting since General Conference and the first such meeting under the leadership of our new GS Wayne Schmidt. Circa 50% of the GB members are also new and attending their first regular meeting. It was an excellent meeting with new initiatives presented and strong optimism present as we look forward to ministry together across the church in the years ahead.
Peter led a Maximizing Impact team at Brazil Lake over this past weekend. We commend all the churches that have invited the MI team to share the MI experience with them and we rejoice at the positive Kingdom impact. There are three more MI weekends on tap for the remainder of this current church year.
- Lead Pastor Graham Perry at Saint John First – sj1 – dedicated seven children last Sunday morning.
- A family who formerly were part of the Hammonds Plains Cornerstone congregation and now reside in Bagotville, Quebec along with other friends are worshipping with Cornerstone online each week.
- Free cookies from Kings Church at the Saint John Santa Parade on Saturday as Kings launches it’s amazing Love Week 2016. Watch for reports……
- It’s Monday Again (IMA) hit another record two weeks ago with a new high of “opens.”
- Gloria and I will be on three weeks vacation beginning today through Dec 12th.
- Peter and Karrilee will be on task and available as required or requested while I am away. I will be checking email daily but “fasting” Twitter while vacationing.
A great word from Lead Pastor Mark Brewer at Fredericton Crosspoint: “Here are some Random Fun Facts for you, but only if you raise your hands and praise God!
- Average attendance, dating back to our September 18th kickoff: 527
Weekend attendance for last 5 weeks (Campus commissioning and launch weekend 570 – last fall average – 476. - So, since the launch of our campus, we’re averaging nearly 100 more this fall than a year ago. We’re also averaging over 500 for the first time ever. Last week’s attendance was 22 shy of 600, our largest ever attendance for a non-event/holiday weekend.
- South Campus average attendance: 124 Highest campus attendance: 142 and two salvations!
Last week while in Indianapolis, Drs. Stephen Lennox, President of Kingswood University and Todd Voss, President of Southern Wesleyan University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). President Lennox stated: “This formal agreement makes it easier for a student who obtains Kingswood’s Associate of Arts degree to transfer those credits to one of Southern Wesleyan’s more than 40 programs. Such a plan provides a highly cost-effective, spiritually enriching, and academically excellent liberal arts education.”
An excellent day of learning and exchanging ideas with church, business and political leaders from South West Nova took place at Yarmouth Wesleyan last Saturday. There were 59 registered from 8 churches representing 3 denominations. Plans already perking for next year.
The day ended with Yarmouth Mayor Pam Mood sharing about the church’s important role in the community after which prayer was offered for her and her team. A huge “thank you” to Zone Chair Shawn Craven and Yarmouth Lead Pastor A J Plaizier and his staff. To quote Shawn, “Jesus was honoured!”
THOT: “We cannot pray in love and live in hate and still think we are worshipping God.” – A M Tozer
ON SECOND THOT: “It’s not what you look at that matters; it’s what you see.” – Lennett Anderson
Join Hugh Halter (author, speaker, church planter, consultant) for a full day of learning how to join in God’s mission to change Atlantic Canada, one neighbourhood at a time.
January 18, 2017
9:00am-4:00pm
Highfield Baptist Church
Register: http://thresholdministries.ca/resources/workshops/hugh/