Under Sail

Pastoral Placements: West Head, NS Wesleyan Church has approved Amy Corey to serve as Supply Pastor as they move into the fall. Amy did her practicum in West Head as a Bethany student and her ministry there has been well received.
Yarmouth Wesleyan Church has extended a call to Rev. David (Dawn) Wilcox to serve as their Senior Pastor and he has accepted. David and Dawn have served on the Atlantic District in the past in Havelock, NS and Perth-Andover, NB.
The General Superintendents, at this past General Conference, presented Administrative Area Pastor of The Year Awards. Dr. Earle L. Wilson, our area General Superintendent in the last quadrennium, presented Dr. Laurel D. Buckingham pastor of the Moncton Wesleyan Church, with the Outstanding Pastor of the Year Award for the Eastern Administrative Area. Congratulations Dr. Buckingham!
Our condolences are extended to President David and Anne Medders on the loss of his mother, Mrs. Dorothy Medders, on June 28th. We are reminded again of how powerful a Christian heritage is, and how important it is to pass our faith on to our children. Dorothy leaves three children, all involved in ministry:  Rev. Martha Headley, Pastor of the Methodist Protestant Church in Clanton, AL;  Dr. David and his wife Anne Medders, President of Bethany Bible College, Sussex, NB, and Mary and her husband, Rev. Tim Smith, Senior Pastor of Gastonia First Wesleyan Church, NC.
Congratulations to Rev. Ken & Anne Gorveatte who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, June 17th, 2008. They celebrated with a family gathering in Michigan.
Congratulations to Rev. Walter & Margo Perry who will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary this fall. Their family held a celebration in their honour in the Beulah Hotel just prior to Camp Meeting..
Pastor Raymond Fancy reports that good things are happening in the Amherst Wesleyan Church. Here are some of the highlights: The Sunday morning service is running about 15 above what it was before they moved into their new facility. A couple was saved recently, and there is a baptism planned in a couple weeks with about 7 candidates. They will be receiving several new members by the end of August.
Pastor Kevin Wilson gives the following update on Halifax – Metro: “God has done a work in that we now have access/usage of the Bella Rose Theater in the Halifax West High School. This is huge as this relieves a little of the set-up each week and allows us the use of a facility which has better appeal and much better seating (than the cafeteria). Visitors will certainly enjoy the atmosphere more in the Theater than in a school cafeteria. God is good.” Pastor Kevin also reports that their new website should be up and running by the end of July.
Any churches that have college students attending in the Halifax area are invited to send a list of their students to Pastor Kevin. Their church is willing to meet the needs of any student in the Halifax area. And I’m sure our other Wesleyan pastors in the area are willing to assist in the same way. The contact information for these pastors is on-line, in the District Journal, or email the District office at office@www.atlanticdistrict.com and we will provide you with it.
The Miramichi Wesleyan Church, under the leadership of Pastor Gary Churchill, has launched a new building program. This church began in 2001 with a small group of people meeting in Chatham, NB with a vision of starting a Wesleyan Church in the Miramichi area. After six years, and having to change their meeting place three times, the congregation purchased a former Credit Union building. The congregation has grown consistently since then and the church has been filled to its capacity on numerous occasions. Their current property is large enough to allow for an extension of the facilities and still have ample room for parking. The church has voted unanimously to pursue the expansion. Funds are already being raised for the project, and the church hopes to be able to start construction in May or June, 2009.
Kings Valley Wesleyan Church, Quispamsis, NB, purchased a house adjacent to their church property in June. This will allow them a wider range of options when they consider their next phase of development and expansion.
Pastors and Student Ministries Leaders, please note the following: All Wesleyan teens are invited to Houghton College for their Campus Challenge Competition this October 24 and 25!  Campus Challenge is a national arts competition sponsored by Wesleyan Higher Education and the Education and the Ministry Department of the Wesleyan Church to help students discover and develop their God-given talents to honor God in a life of service to Him. Participants compete in various categories of art, music and drama, either solo or with a group of students from the same Wesleyan church.  Any teen that regularly attends a Wesleyan church or youth group and is between the ages of 12 and 19 (on the date of competition) is eligible to enter.  Scholarships earned through Campus Challenge can be used at any of the five Wesleyan colleges.  The registration deadline is October 3.  Please contact Amanda Cox, Competition Director, for further information: acox@hwchurch.org
Pastors, be sure to check out the information on-line for this year’s Youth Camp to be held at Caton’s Island, August 10 – 15. It is for students, ages 13 – 17, and discounts apply for larger groups if you meet the deadlines. Contact DYP, Mark Brewer at mark@crosspointchurch.ca if you need further information.
The worship band “Atlantic” (currently participating in various camps in the US and Canada, including our own District youth camp at Caton’s Island in August) will be touring independently throughout the eastern US and Canada this fall. Atlantic is composed of five young men from the Atlantic District: Cory Doiron (Moncton/Presque Isle), Chris Horsman (Fredericton), Drew Wallace (Fredericton), Dana Budovitch (Fredericton), and Josh Harris (Moncton). They will be in the area during the month of October and are interested in booking concerts with churches and youth groups. Please contact Jen Ochej at jen.ochej@gmail.com if you have interest in booking them. More information, and updates from the band, can be found at www.myspace.com/AtlanticCommunity.

Beulah 2008 is now in the history books! It was a great camp! We benefited from the excellent preaching of Rev. Lane Loman and Rev. Steve Wilson. Rev. Jay and Sharon Guptill orchestrated the music ministry portion of the camp utilizing a variety of people from across the district. We also enjoyed the music of our special guests, Damaris Carbaugh, 4Given, The Exalt Choir, Emmaus Road, The LaPointes, and Stephanie Mainville. Our theme was “Catch the Wind!”, and the Wind of the Spirit did blow our way for these ten days! Many of the services found people at the altar. People were saved, sanctified, and refreshed. A few other highlights to celebrate from the Camp and Conference:
•    We ordained seven people – Seth Fancy, Brent Ingersoll, Tanya Nace, A. J. Plaizier, Scott Rhyno, Doug Taubin, and Jason Vienneau.
•    We honoured three ordained ministers during our ordination service who were ordained 50 years ago at Beulah – Bernard Brown, Gerald MacKinnon, and Oland Kent.
•    We responded to the need in Sierra Leone and the World Hope Canada request to help the Wesleyan pastors who are unable to feed their families during the rainy season because there is no food to harvest. Beulah gave the proceeds of the Thursday night offering in its entirety to this project. The total amount raised ballooned to $18,539!! Thank you for responding to one of God’s front-line heartbeats.
•    Approximately 60 people attended an afternoon event called Mates ‘N Ministry. This was for spouses of people in ministry. We have received positive feedback from many in attendance.
•    Garry & Joanne Campbell retired after nine years as Beulah caretakers. We honored them for their dedicated service to the Camp and the District. The weekend following camp, their family hosted a retirement party at the Beulah Hotel which was attended by family members, friends and associates.
•    Bruce and Roxie Cheney were introduced as the new Beulah caretakers. They began their responsibilities June 16th, sharing an on-the-job baton pass from the Campbells during Beulah Camp. They are already fitting into their new assignment, doing a good job, and are being well received.
•    The last Sunday night of camp, we received $54,481 in the offering toward the Beulah Wastewater Project.
•    The Camp ran at full capacity for on-site accommodations, with waiting lists for any available space that might open up.
•    Scores of volunteers stepped up to the plate, took their responsibilities seriously, and helped the camp to run smoothly. Thanks to all who contributed in any way to the successful operation of Beulah 2008.
Rev. Bert Hicks reached his 60th year of ordained ministry this year. He should have been recognized at Beulah and I apologize for this oversight on my part. I will be recognizing him and this important milestone publicly when I visit Havelock, NB Wesleyan September 7th. We will give proper recognition to him during our ordination service in 2009.

Beulah Wastewater Update: I received word last week that the application process is now open for the Canada New Brunswick – Building Canada Fund Communities Component. I received in the mail today the steps that need to be taken, and the Atlantic District will now re-apply for the funding toward the Beulah Project. Please pray that we will be granted favour in all the right places, and that this application will be approved.
This past Sunday, I was at Kings Valley Wesleyan in Quispamsis to install Rev. Jim Agrell as Senior Pastor of the church. There is a wonderful spirit of expectancy in this group as they face the future. We enjoyed some good fellowship and food with Jim and Diane Agrell following the service.

The District Ministerial will be held early in the new calendar year. I am waiting on confirmation of some other meeting dates that need to be on my schedule in order to avoid scheduling conflicts. I will let you know the specific dates at the earliest opportunity.
The Atlantic District Marriage Retreat will be moving its date to April, 2009, following Easter. Pastor Wayne and Threasa Doiron are leading this and the details regarding the date, time, place, and costs will follow shortly.
Joanne and I will be taking some vacation beginning July 28th through August 6th. Please contact the District Office at 506-383-8326 (Moncton) or 506-468-2286 (Beulah) if you need assistance. In case of any emergencies, I can be reached by cell phone at 506-866-3055. Also, the Assistant DS, Dr. L. D. Buckingham, can be reached at 506-857-2293. The next Under Sail will come your way in about three weeks.
“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”  – Helen Keller