Monday Again

Yesterday was Deep Water’s (AJ Thomas) 10th birthday with their highest single day attendance of 530 over three services! These are amazing days of momentum as the first six months of this church year have averaged 400 compared for to 252 for the same months in 2016 (a stunning 58.7% rate of growth). This is an effective daughter church model of Kingdom multiplication with a 26 core launch team from Hillside Wesleyan in 2007. And best of all, every statistic tells a story of spiritual transformation…
“It’s been an incredibly exciting season of growth, not just on Sunday mornings but more importantly in the depth of relationships we’ve been able to build in our community, the healing and restoration people have been finding through Celebrate Recovery, and with the growth of new believers who are discovering Jesus.”

The Atlantic District has more than 20 adult long-term missionaries appointed to serve the International Wesleyan Church through GP. The group pictured above gathered during Beulah Camp 2017 for the annual Wesleyan Missionary Alumni Fellowship (WMAF). Those in attendance had served a combined total of more than 260 years of missionary service – inspiring!
This Wednesday (see full promo below) our DDGP Denn Guptill (Cornerstone) is offering a district affinity gathering of mission pastors/leaders at the District Office. With over 10 currently registered there is still room for a few more. Matthew Friedman (Kingwood University) and Jackie Fussner (Global Parnters) will be onsite as presenters which will also include time for sharing best practices in mobilizing the local church to ends of the earth partnership.

• It is my monthly privilege to meet with our General Superintendent Wayne Schmidt and our North American DS group via Zoom. Your prayers for our GS are most welcome as these are important days of exploration for our denominational leadership as we seek to unleash greater days of Kingdom multiplication through The Wesleyan Church.
• Bud Fancy (Presque Isle) was recently hospitalized to have his gall bladder removed. Thank you for your prayers for Bud’s recovery as he is easing back into leadership.
• Shawn Craven (Havelock, NS) met with his surgeon late in October and received the wonderful news that the liver tumour removed in September was benign and not cancerous – Praise God! News of his September surgery reached his former parish in Ontario where he had also served for 10 years as Chaplain for the regional Fire Department. They recently held a fundraising supper to express tangible support for the Craven family with additional treatment expenses which can be read here. Thank you Shawn for being an example of the impact local pastors can have through longevity when engaging in the community.
• John Symonds (West Head) is leading a Sunday Alpha Course which has doubled the evening attendance to 60 and includes 10+ guests from the community. This stems from a recommendation prescribed by the Maximizing Impact team earlier this year (of which John was a member) – praise God for this renewed evangelistic focus through our West Head family!
• Andrea Gunter (Executive Director of Camp Ministry) skillfully chaired the Caton’s Island Session of the Camp Board in Fredericton this Thursday. Hats off to Director Dean Stephenson and his team as he enters his 23rd year of leadership. Another banner year of steady growth yielded the highlight report of 175 decisions for Christ this summer!
• I enjoyed a weekend off in Moncton (the first since May) with my family as Ellen & I celebrated our 23rd anniversary. Worshipping together at Moncton Wesleyan gave opportunity to honour those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.
• Glen McVicar (Havelock, NB) had 150 students participate in trunk or treat on Halloween night with 8 vehicles participating. Glen reports, “It was an awesome night.  We had a few games set up for kids to play and a hot chocolate station. There was a real community feel and lots of positive comments.” A great annual onramp opportunity for connecting with families – well done!

Thot: The way you engage in ministry should never be more important than why you in engage ministry. (Carey Nieuwhof)
On Second Thot: Don’t complain about what is— create what can be. (Craig Groeschel)
Bonus Thot: Usually something great will happen when a lot of people are praying for something great to happen. (JD Pearring via Tim Long)

GPAtlantic Missions Roundtable: I am excited about an upcoming opportunity for those on the Atlantic district with missions as a part of their ministry portfolio. On November 8th we are planning a day at district office that is geared just for you. Presenters will include a representative from Global Partners as well as Dr. Matthew Friedman, Program Director and Professor of Global Ministry at Kingswood University as resource people that day. Our goal is to provide opportunity to share best practices and strategies for connecting our churches with GP and Kingswood and the resources that they can provide. The roundtable will begin at 10:30 a.m. and conclude by 2:30 p.m. Program costs and lunch are complimentary. Please email me to register (denn@cornerstonehfx.ca) – questions/suggestions welcome!

Awakening youth rally is geared towards both Junior/Senior High students and will occur on November 17-18 at Hillside’s Parkway Campus of Hillside. Check out awakeningrally.com  for more info on speaker, band, and registration.

World Hope Canada Board of Directors
News Release
As previously announced, Stephanie Gilmer has resigned as Executive Director of World Hope Canada effective October 27, 2017. The Board of Directors has appointed Rev. Mark Parker, Board Chairman, to serve as volunteer Interim Executive Director effective immediately. The World Hope Canada team asks you to pray for Stephanie and her husband, Sheldon, as they move on to the next chapter of their lives, and also for Rev. Parker as he steps into this temporary role.
The Board of Directors has also taken immediate action to put into place a formal search committee comprised of our Chairman and three others. This committee is actively looking for a new Executive Director and we ask for your continued prayer as we go through this process. If interested in applying for this position, you may send your resume by email to the World Hope Canada Search Committee at missional.canada@gmail.com
This is an important time in the life of World Hope Canada and our worldwide team. The Board of Directors would appreciate your prayers as they seek God’s direction for the future. We also ask that you please continue to support us financially so that this very important work can be strong and healthy. As always, it is the desire of World Hope Canada to bring opportunity, dignity, and hope to others in need around the world.