Under Sail

Rev. Phil Stevenson, Director of E & CG, will be on the district in early October.  He will be meeting with the DS, our District E & CG Director, Denn Guptill, and connecting with church planters.   While he is here, he has agreed to hold a one-day seminar, “Leadership by Design.”  This will be held at Cornerstone Wesleyan Church in Hammonds Plains, NS.  The date is October 3rd, and the time is from 10am – 4pm (allowing folks travel time to get there and get home).  The cost is $12.00 per person if you RSVP by September 25th, or $15.00 after that date.  The registration fee includes lunch and breaks. Please register through the District Office, and make cheques payable to “The Atlantic District.”  This is an excellent opportunity at a great price for some really good input on leadership.
Judy Foote and her family express their heartfelt thanks to the District Family for all the cards, prayers and support that they have received since Rev. Ken Foote’s passing.  Please continue to keep them in your prayers as they begin this next phase of life.
The new Saunders Irving Chapel now sits as an impressive and highly visible landmark on the campus of Bethany Bible College, Sussex, NB.  The festivities took place over the weekend of September 5-9 with the actual consecration being held Sunday afternoon, September 7th.  A number of people participated in the litany of consecration, which outlined the significance of many of the features and furnishings of the Chapel.
CAMPUS CHALLENGE (formerly “Teens ‘N Talent”) is taking place on the Bethany Bible College campus November 8th during Encounter Weekend.  There are a variety of categories to compete in, and thousands of dollars of scholarship money to be won which can be used at any of the five Wesleyan colleges/universities in North America.  This is a wonderful opportunity for our teens to use the gifts God has given them to prepare for their future educations.  Please highlight this program to the young people in your churches.  They can go to www.bbc.ca/encounter/challenge.html for information, and to register (late registration cut-off is November 1st).
Sackville Wesleyan Church started three new ministries this month.  KIDS JAM (JESUS AND ME) is a children’s program that kicked off with nine kids and two leaders.  A new junior teen program launched with ten junior high students and one leader.  And, an adult study of the history of the church is being offered with a start-up group of ten, and one leader.  Over thirty people were present for this kick-off, and Pastor Mike White reports that there are many new faces in all programs.
Sydney – Harbour Wesleyan Church: Church planter, Kevin Myers, has found a job, which is a huge answer to prayer!  He’s working for a company called “Creative Interiors,” and is apprenticing with a carpenter who makes cabinets for kitchens, bathrooms, and also specialty cabinets.  It is work that Pastor Kevin loves doing.  It is helping him get to know the area, the people, and the culture.  This work takes him all over Sydney and the surrounding area.  Pastor Kevin says his heart is beginning to cry out for the Sydney people the more he interacts with them.  His boss told him that he has never been to a church in his life, and he is constantly asking Kevin questions, as do his two co-workers.  Sydney is an area largely untouched by any church, and the people are hungry for a God they do not know.  Pastor Kevin says, “I want to introduce them!”
The Myers are updating their newsletter email list and if you are not on the list and would like to receive it, then please send an email to harbourwesleyan@gmail.com and they will include you.  Only one newsletter has been circulated so far (in August).  The next one will come out this month.  Also the church address has changed.  The new address is: Harbour Wesleyan Church, PO Box 722, Stn A, Sydney, NS  B1P 6H7.  Keep Pastor Kevin and Laura in your prayers, and ask God to open up the right doors at the right time so that this ministry may go forward.
Solid Rock Wesleyan Church, Mt. Pearl, NL raised over $12,000 in Faith Promise giving in a recent missions emphasis weekend.  These funds will be given over the next year in support of three Global Partners mission units serving on three different continents.  Congratulations to Pastors Graham and Rebecca Perry, and the Solid Rock congregation for taking this step of faith, and thank you for having a worldview.
The father of Rev. Bruce (Roxie) Cheney, our Beulah caretaker, suffered a heart attack two weeks ago, and passed away September 15th.  He was one month shy of 83 years of age.  He had been residing in the St. Andrews Nursing Home. Funeral services were conducted from the North Head Grand Manan Anglican Church on September 18th.  We extend our condolences to the Cheney family.
September Travels: The first Sunday in September I was in the Havelock, NB Wesleyan Church pastored by Rev. Nick (Elizabeth) Graham.  I appreciate the solid leadership Pastor Nick is giving to this congregation.  During the service, I had the privilege of honoring Rev. Bert (Avis) Hicks on 60 years of ordained ministry. The Hicks have served the churches in Westchester, NS; Woodstock, NB; Truro and Londonderry, NS; Havelock, NS; Hartland, NB; and Sandford, NS. In addition, Rev. Hicks was a professor at Bethany Bible College for four years in the late 50’s.  Sunday afternoon, I took part in the Consecration Service of the new Saunders Irving Chapel at BBC, Sussex, NB.
I was privileged to travel to Odessa, Ukraine (Sept. 11-18) in conjunction with the World Hope Canada Board Advisory Committee to Ukraine.  It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with Kerry and Carole Allison, the Ukrainian nationals that work with the children, and see first-hand the good work that is being done with the Hope House children. We also visited the First Step Centre which is a front-line ministry to street children in Odessa.  We have had many work teams from the Atlantic District partner in this ministry.  Many of our churches, as well as individuals, have given financial support to this good and worthy endeavour.
This past weekend, I met with the Riverside Camp Board, and attended the Presque Isle Wesleyan Saturday Night Service. Sunday, I spoke at Fort Fairfield Wesleyan Church and installed Pastor Doreen “Dee” (Ed) Lower.  There is a good spirit of anticipation in the church as they look to the future.  This coming weekend, Joanne and I will be in Ingomar, NS as the church celebrates its 50th Anniversary.
Doug (Tina) Taubin, Pastor of Discipleship & Young Adults at Presque Isle Wesleyan Church, has resigned.  The church held a farewell reception for the Taubins following the Sunday morning service this past weekend.
Trinity Wesleyan Church, Bristol, NB is a site for the CCN satellite conference, “Group Life Conference 2008,” October 17-18.  The conference will deal with such things as: why community is essential, where community grows best, what stunts community growth, how community transforms, and more.  Early Bird tickets are $60.00.  For more information call the church at 506-392-6963 or email them at: trinityw@nb.aibn.com
World Hope International is recruiting teams of volunteers to participate in the cleanup of Bridge City and Orange, Texas following Hurricane Ike.  I forwarded the detailed information to our churches and pastors in a separate email.
The Global Partners Mobilization Office reports that Emma Hicks from the Sussex Wesleyan Church has been appointed as a GO-Net missionary.  Emma’s plan is to serve in the Czech Republic for two years.
The 2008 International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) will be observed November 9. In recent years, Canada has observed the day on the third Sunday of November to avoid scheduling conflicts with Remembrance Day observances, but this year IDOP Canada has chosen to observe the event on the second Sunday of November as is done in other countries. This year’s theme is ‘Pray for the Persecutors’ (Romans 12:9-21) and is focused on North Korea, India, the Maldives and Eritrea. A ‘toolkit’ of resources for the event can be downloaded free of charge from www.persecutedchurch.org.  IDOP says 200 million Christians around the world are suffering for their faith. (News Briefs, canadianchristianity.com)
“You can judge your age by the amount of pain you feel when you come into contact with a new idea.”   – John Nuveen