Monday Again
ONE Conference recorded 2500+ registrations, including 600+ local church leaders. ONE was birthed at the initiative of Kings (Brent Ingersoll) to merge “Rally in the Valley” with the Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada (CBAC) annual youth rally, “Spring Forth.” With additional volunteer staff and special guests in attendance for this first-ever interdenominational Atlantic student ministries conference, there were nearly 3000 in the Moncton Coliseum over this past weekend. More than 130 churches were represented including at least 5 denominations. Approximately 1000 students stood for a call to accept Christ on Friday night, including one German exchange student from Miramichi (as reported by Sharon Simoneau)! Our Father is worthy of it all! Mosaic MSC led in powerful worship and the lyrics to their song (aptly titled) “The ONE” summed up the weekend nicely, “Father, move us, Spirit, lead us, to a new place, to a new day…” Thanks be to God for the vision and tireless efforts of all those who made this unprecedented move of God in the lives of Atlantic Students possible. It is well worth the five minutes to watch the video summary of this historic Kingdom weekend.
- Churches celebrated motherhood yesterday morning. It was good to have all three of our daughters in service with us at Moncton (Joel Gorveatte) as an excellent message was delivered by Joel’s wife, Tracy. So grateful for the inspiring partnership modeled by the Gorveatte’s in their marriage and ministry!
- District camping ministry is ramping up and the pre-season preparation of both Caton’s Island and Beulah Camp & Conference Center is in full swing. Please make special note of the announcement below regarding the Beulah Clean Up Day this month. There are also many great opportunities to serve this summer for those with medical training [paramedics/nurses). If you are interested in volunteering your medical expertise for Caton’s Island Camps and/or Beulah Family Camp please contact Ed Otis at revedotis@gmail.com.
- District camping responsibilities for the coming season will be emailed later this week along with important information regarding The Gathering – January 9-11, 2019. Registration opens on June 1st and the Atlantic District will be reimbursing the full early bird registration for all credentialed ministers who are also appointed to a local church at District Conference on July 12, 2018. However, those who are ineligible for district scholarship will benefit from a 10% discount on the USD registration offered to all those from The Wesleyan Church of Canada districts (Atlantic & Central Canada). Special thanks to Becci Wood (Director of The Gathering) and her team for providing this generous discount in light of current exchange rates and travel distance to the event.
- Two of our Atlantic Wesleyan churches are hosting Compassion Canada with Robin Mark & Friends in concert. Thursday, May 17th at Journey (Fredericton) @ 7:00 p.m. & Saturday, May 19th at Sussex @ 6:00 p.m. $20/ticket available at church offices or at the door.
- Special thanks to Journey (Matt Maxwell) for opening up their church facility and parking as one of the command sites for Samaritan’s Purse as this ministry coordinates volunteers to serve those living in areas affected by flooding.
- The majority of my week was spent with District Superintendents from across North America as we gathered for our annual DS Roundtable in Charleston, South Carolina. This event included the 1.5 hour highlight (pictured below) of in-person interaction with Greg Surratt, Founding Pastor of Seacoast Church. In addition to leading a 14-site megachurch, Greg founded ARC, a church planting network, in 2001 which has yielded more than 700 new churches. We also spent an evening with Wesleyan Kingdom multipliers in Providence with Wayne Otto and his network of church planters who share a vision to reach 10,000 in the low country of South Carolina. This was the final DS event for five long-serving DSs who are retiring this year. One tearfully expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve the church with this powerful epilogue, “It’s only what we pour into the lives of people that’s going to last.”
Thot: Obedience is the path to blessing because it expresses our love to God. God gives us enough information to obey, but not so much that faith is not necessary on our part. Psalm 119:60, “I keep your commands eagerly and without delay.” (Tracy Gorveatte)
On Second Thot: God doesn’t want people who have it all together; He wants people who are willing. (Jason Ballard)
Bonus Thot: Innovation is just desperation in a pretty package. (Greg Surratt)
Caretaker Bruce Cheney (Beulah Camp) will be in need of an army of volunteers to assist in the annual Beulah Clean-up Day – Saturday, May 26th. Work starts at 8:00 a.m. and will conclude with a hearty dinner meal. If you have not yet had opportunity to be part of this well-organized day of service, there is no better year to start.
All new for 2018… Check out this summers lineup! Special events, breakfasts, dinners, movies, services and more. Every weekend a great lineup for the whole family. Check out the schedule and don’t miss a minute of the fun!