Under Sail
June has gone by in a hurry! It has been four weeks since the last Under Sail. The District Office has been busy with matters pertaining to our fiscal year-end, preparations for Beulah Camp, District Conference, the details related to the completion of the Beulah Wastewater Project, and the on-going assortment of responsibilities associated with our local churches. Here’s a “snapshot” update:
Beulah Camp starts this week! The dates are July 2–11, 2010. There has been a camp meeting at Beulah Camp in Brown’s Flat, NB every year since 1894! This year, the evangelists are Dr. H.C. Wilson, General Director of Global Partners, and Rev. John Symonds, Senior Pastor of Corbett Ave. Wesleyan in Fredericton, NB. Rev. Don & Janet Ingersoll are the worship leaders and will be overseeing the music for the camp. Don is the Associate Pastor at Moncton Wesleyan. Special guests like Stephanie Israelson, the EXALT Choir, the Moncton Wesleyan Choir, “For the Cross” Male Trio, Loren Lewis, the Kelly Jay Band, Bridge Builders, and others, will be part of the services. “Evening-on-the-Boulevard” has become a feature of Beulah that people look forward to, and it will follow the Wednesday evening service. District Conference will be held July 8th, and the Ordination Service will be Friday morning, July 9th, when we will be ordaining six people. Most importantly, people have been praying for these ten days when we are together – for the services, the preaching, our times of worship, the ministry to our children and teens, the spiritual needs in our midst and in our hearts. God is already on the grounds and waiting for your arrival!
The Beulah Wastewater Project is now operational! The last section of pipe was hooked up this past Saturday and the old system has been “decommissioned.” This project has been a huge undertaking and we are grateful to see the construction phase completed. There are a few things that still need to be finalized but for the most part, we’re there!
Cuba: Pastor Rod Guptill (Wood’s Harbour Wesleyan) and I accompanied Dr. H.C. Wilson to Cuba the first weekend in June. We were privileged to be present at the official recognition ceremony of a group of churches in Cuba who have chosen to become part of The Wesleyan Church. The Atlantic District presented their leader, Rev. Nehemias Cardenas, with a communion set to mark the occasion, and also in recognition of the Atlantic District’s partnership with them going forward. Rod Guptill has had previous contact with this group, speaks fluent Spanish, and will be the District contact person for projects and missions teams to Cuba. We will be sharing more about this new opportunity during Beulah.
Truro – Central Nova Wesleyan: Joanne and I were in Truro, NS June 13th for the Sunday morning worship service. Pastor Ken Banks is the Senior Pastor and Barry Haner is the Youth Pastor. Barry grew up in the church. It’s a meaningful thing to see someone who is called to full-time ministry being able to give back in this way to the local church that invested so much in them. There were 80-85 people present in the service. Pastor Ken installed the Local Church Board and had a personal word with each one that was very fitting. I brought greetings from the District and also the morning message. The old church building has been torn down and it has opened up the parking lot area. There are some Christian Education space challenges as a result, but nothing that cannot be overcome. We joined the pastors, the Local Board, and their spouses and children for a potluck and time of fellowship in the church basement following the service.
Sandford Wesleyan: Twenty-five people were present in the Sunday morning service in Sandford Wesleyan, June 20th (lya 18). Pastor Perry & Jean Ingersoll are dearly loved and appreciated by this congregation. Jean had a birthday on that very Sunday and several ladies made sure she was remembered! The church has a strong heartbeat for missions. They give financially and invest heavily with their prayers in several situations. They support church planting and our younger churches like the Miramichi Wesleyan Church, which is involved in a major church building expansion. They make a point to stay informed about the GP missionaries they support. Sandford was the strongest church on the Atlantic District for per capita giving to GP last year, giving an average of $206 per person. This church has a strong legacy seen in the lives of committed laypeople and those in ministry who trace their roots back to Sandford.
Senior Pastor Greg Dakin, Saint John First, has welcomed a new staff member, Rev. Seth Fancy. Seth has served previously on the staff at Yarmouth Wesleyan. He and his wife, Leanne, have been serving in the Central NY District for the last two years. We’re glad to have Seth and Leanne back on the District. Pastor Greg also reports that they held a baptism celebration the first Sunday in June and baptized 8!
Lead Pastor Jim Agrell and the congregation of Kings Valley Wesleyan will be welcoming a new staff member in mid-July. Rev. Mark & Stephanie Worth will be joining their team. Mark is the new Community Pastor for their church. He has been serving as the Wesleyan pastor in Pierre SD for the last few years. He has served on the staff of the Woodstock Wesleyan Church in the past and we’re glad to have these Maritimers back with us.
Pastor Jasper Rideout, North Head Wesleyan, reports that they baptized a little boy at Stanley Beach on May 23rd. He committed his life to the Lord at the Steve Wingfield Festival last year, and wanted to take this next step of obedience. Pastor Jasper is hoping it will inspire some of their other young people who profess to know Christ to be baptized as well.
Pastor Wayne Robertson, Houlton Wesleyan, reports that they did a combined VBS with Military St. Baptist Church last week. Last year Houlton had 150 children in VBS. This year, on the first night, there were just under 200 children, and two nights later, there were 225 children present. The workers were evenly divided between the churches, and not by any pre-determined plan. This shared ministry is a great testimony to both churches.
Congratulations! Stefan & Deborah Gilbert welcomed their first child, Capri Noelle, into the world on June 19th. She weighed 8 lbs. 14 oz. Rev. Denn & Angela Guptill are the maternal grandparents. Denn is the Lead Pastor at Cornerstone Wesleyan in Hammonds Plains, NS. Our very best wishes to all!
Pastor Kevin & Laura Myers, church planters in Sydney, NS, have a new mailing address: New Roots Wesleyan Church, 20 Strathcona St., Sydney, NS B1R 1X8
Riverside Camp is held in Blaine, Maine and this year’s dates are August 4-8, 2010. Service times are 6:30 PM (ET) each evening. The closing service will be held at 3:00 PM (ET) on Sunday afternoon. Updated, detailed information was received today and will be available on the Riverside link under camping on the Atlantic District website – www.atlanticdistrict.com/riverside
Atlantic District Best Years Fellowship Weekend: The dates for this year’s BYF Fellowship Weekend at Beulah are August 6-8, 2010. A.J. Thomas, Pastor of Halifax – Deep Water Wesleyan, is the special speaker. For more detailed information or to register, contact Hugh McKnight at (506) 472-1116. The Registration Fee is $15.00.
The Global Leadership Summit put on by Willow Creek is scheduled for August 5-6, 2010. This is a great opportunity for churches to capitalize on team building time, refresh leadership skills already learned, and learn new leadership insights. The event will be at two satellite locations in the Maritimes:
NB – Hillside Baptist Church/hosted at Moncton Wesleyan Church, 945 St. George St., Moncton, NB
NS – StoneRidge Fellowship/hosted at Rock Church, 222 Sackville Dr., Lower Sackville, NS
There is an excellent line-up of speakers from both the secular world and the religious world. You can see the full slate of speakers on-line, and access other pertinent info at this link:
http://www.growingleadership.com/2009/index.asp. Pastors, I would encourage you to register and take in the Leadership Summit, along with your key leaders. The Atlantic District will reimburse any of our pastors $50 against your registration costs, if you attend the 2010 Summit.
Note: The next edition of Under Sail will come your way in July, after Beulah Camp.
Character is never built in a classroom; it is built in the circumstances of life.” – Rick Warren
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