Under Sail
King’s Valley is hosting the first ever (Canadian and east coast) Children’s Ministry Huddle on April 19th. Rev. Colleen Derr, Children’s Ministry Director for the denomination, will be one of the presenters. This is a “close-at-hand” opportunity for churches to avail themselves of a great equipping event for children’s ministry leaders. The registration fee is $25/person, but you can bring four or more people for only $100! This is an affordable cost for even the smallest churches! It is a wonderful opportunity to network with other leaders, gather useful ideas, receive encouragement and inspiration, and spend valuable time together as a local church ministry team!” For further information, and a detailed weekend schedule, please contact our District Children’s Ministry Director, Mrs. Linda Lamos, at danceb4thelord@rogers.com
Bethany Bible College is putting together its annual EXALT Youth Choir Tour. This is a music ministry experience hosted by the College for high school students in Grades 9-12, and will take place June 22 to July 6, 2008. EXALT will share in five days of rehearsal at Bethany followed by a 10-day concert tour, including a presentation at Beulah Camp on July 6th. This is a great opportunity for your teens to grow spiritually, develop musically, and be a part of a 2,000+ km bus tour with other youth who love to sing, and want to serve the Lord with their musical gifts. Space is limited, so encourage your teens to apply today at www.bbc.ca/exalt
Pastoral Resignations: Bruce Cheney (Black’s Harbour, NB); Wes McNeil (Fort Fairfield, ME); Rick Kavanaugh (Presque Isle, ME); Bill Moore (Sandford, NS); Ed Otis (Shelburne, NS); Michael & Tammy Hutton (Sydney, NS); Perry Ingersoll (West Head, NS).
The Head of Millstream Wesleyan Church LBA made some strategic decisions recently. The church is going to add new restroom facilities, and move ahead to purchase a video projector that will enhance what they are able to do in their services.
About four weeks ago, Pastor Rebecca (Graham) Perry, Mount Pearl, NL – Solid Rock, had a biopsy done on a small mole on her right forearm. The dermatologist told the Perrys that Rebecca has Melanoma Skin Cancer. The concern is that this does not spread to her lymph nodes. Last week, Rebecca had an appointment with the surgeon. He feels that they need to go ahead with the biopsy of her lymph nodes using radioactive isotopes. Recently the Perrys found out that Rebecca is pregnant so this is an added concern as it relates to treatment. Their doctor has talked with many different specialists and he feels that the risks are very minimal for the baby and that it would be a greater risk not to do the procedure. Rebecca and Graham ask for an interest in your prayers. Pray that through all of this the Lord will keep his hand upon Rebecca and their little one.
CBS (Conception Bay South) – Avalon: Avalon is in need of a place to meet for their preview services. They are having more difficulty finding a facility to rent for the preview services/fall launch than what they had anticipated. Pastors Darren and Janel Clark have visited facilities, phoned town councilmen, talked with school principals, and emailed community centers, and nothing seems to be opening up. There is still time before their first preview service, but many details hinge on where they are meeting (equipment needs, etc.). The Clarks are calling on us to help them break through these ‘barriers’ with prayer. This is a very critical time for the church plant, and trying to balance it with 2 full-time jobs can be very taxing on their spirits and emotions. Thanks for the generous donation from Cornerstone Wesleyan in Hammonds Plains. They have given Avalon a 4-in-one copier/fax/scanner/printer. This will be a great asset for the upcoming services. Also, a drum set was loaned to Avalon from a member of Solid Rock Wesleyan in Mount Pearl. Thank you!
Pastor Ron and Dianne Mercer (Lower Hainesville) had their house broken into Sunday night, February 17th, while they were at church. A valuable camera and Dianne’s purse were taken. The purse held a set of keys for the house and the car. New locks have been installed on the house, and new locks will also have to be considered for the car. The RCMP have very little to go on.
I was in our district’s “mother church” in Woodstock the last Sunday in February. This fall, they will celebrate their 120th anniversary as a church. Joanne and I enjoyed a meal with the MacDonalds on Saturday night, and then were privileged to share in the service on Sunday morning. Pastor Dale (Sherry) MacDonald will complete 25 years of ministry this summer in Woodstock, fifteen years as the senior pastor. Dale is second in consecutive years of pastoral service in the same church on the Atlantic District. Dr. L. D. Buckingham is first with 39 consecutive years in Moncton.
Pastoral Searches: Last Monday and Tuesday, I met with the LBA’s at West Head, Sandford, and Shelburne as they begin to make plans for the next chapter of pastoral leadership in their churches. I also had opportunity to visit with Pastors Perry & Jean Ingersoll, Jim Agrell, Bill & Joyce Moore, and Ed & Marilyn Otis while in that part of Nova Scotia.
Later in the week, Friday, I was in Sydney and had opportunity to meet with Michael & Tammy Hutton and the core group that meet in their home. The sense of support for the Huttons in their big decision to move to Texas and take on the responsibility for their nephews that have been orphaned is large. They will be missed. Nate & Jess Weaver have been a big help as support people in this church plant. We were glad to meet new friends from the area that have become part of this church plant – George and Loretta DelVecchio, and Wendy Markey. Joanne & I took a young couple with us to Sydney that feel God may be calling them to church planting. We will share more about that at a later date if this continues to develop.
This past Sunday, we were scheduled to be in Bristol. However, church was cancelled due to a foot of snow Saturday night and high winds Sunday morning. We did manage to meet with the Presque Isle Wesleyan Church LBA later that day as they begin the process of finding a new senior leader for their church.
The annual Atlantic District Snowbird Breakfast will be held next Saturday, March 15, 8:30 AM, at the Country Kitchen Restaurant in Brooksville, Florida. We will look forward to greeting all of our Atlantic District snowbirds at the breakfast. I will be attending the DS Institute and some other meetings scheduled for DS’s in conjunction with the General Board meeting next week. This will take place in Orlando. Following those meetings, Joanne and I will be taking a few days of personal time. We are going on a short cruise in celebration of our 35th wedding anniversary which will happen this August.
I will be off the district March 12 – 26, and plan to be back in the office March 27th. If any emergencies arise while I’m away, please contact Dr. L. D. Buckingham, our Assistant DS. Karrilee Bremner, my administrative assistant, will be in the district office during that time.
The next “Under Sail” will be sent at the end of the month after our return to the Maritimes.
“When you discover your mission, you will feel its demand. It will fill you with enthusiasm and a burning desire to get to work on it.” – W. Clement Stone
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