Under Sail

Joanne and I were at Fredericton – Crosspoint Wesleyan this past weekend and I was privileged to participate in both services.  Last year, 42 people were saved and 28 people were baptized, and this fall people continue to cross the line of faith and become Christ Followers.  In the last ten weeks, the lowest Sunday AM attendance has been 390 and they have been over 400 seven of those Sundays (lya 366).  Two weeks ago, a total of 470 people showed up!  The church is involved in Operation Christmas Child and there has been an excellent response to this by the congregation.  This Sunday they will kick off a new preaching series for the Advent season entitled “Mistletoe.”  Plans are already in place for the Christmas Eve services at the Fredericton Playhouse, December 23^rd at 6 PM & 8 PM.  Tim Guptill is the Lead Pastor.
Miramichi Wesleyan Church – Pastor Gary Churchill reports that Nov. 11^th saw the first official use of their new “nearly-finished” sanctuary.  They hosted the Nelson-Miramichi Remembrance Day Service, and over 150 people attended.  Most of the attendees were from the community.  Some of the “Miramichi regulars” felt like tour guides as many of the visitors wanted to see through the building.    This past Sunday evening (Nov. 21^st), they tested out the structure and facility in every way as 303 people showed up for the Celtic Gospel Concert with The Sky Family.  There were many un-churched and community people who were given a clear presentation of the reality of a personal relationship with Christ.  Also, on Nov. 1^st an After-School Program was started in the downstairs facilities.   Pastor Gary says, “We still have some finishing up to do but it is exciting after 18 months of grind, and God’s gracious provision, to be in!”
John Symonds is Lead Pastor at Fredericton – Corbett Ave. They are having a great fall!  The last four weeks the church has averaged 277 with two of those Sundays in the 280’s (lya 231).  The church offers two Sunday morning services at 9:30 AM & 11:00 AM.  This Sunday, November 28^th, the congregation will be honouring Rev. C. E. Stairs and Rev. R. T. Benson for 60 years of ordained ministry. Refreshments will be served following the 11:00 AM service and there will be an opportunity to greet both men.
Pastor Mark & Karen Cooney have completed 16 years of ministry at Millville Wesleyan and are in their 17^th year.  There were 40-45 people in the service when I was there November 14^th.  They represent a good cross-section of age groups.  The church is blessed with good musicians and the worship is well done.  Pastor Mark has a wonderful spirit and does a good job leading the service.  Please remember the Cooneys in your prayers.  Pastor Mark’s mother is in critical condition in a Kingston, ON hospital.  He flew out to be with his parents and siblings last week.  Things were unchanged at the time of this writing.
Yarmouth Wesleyan Church celebrated its 60^th Anniversary the weekend of November 13-14, 2010.  Regretfully, I was unable to be present because of prior commitments and scheduling conflicts.  However, former pastors, Karl Gorman, John Symonds, and Jim Agrell, were able to be present during the weekend and shared in the services.  Pastor David Wilcox is the current senior pastor. There were 520 people present for the Sunday AM worship service (lya 415).
Bangor-Pathway Wesleyan baptized four people this past Sunday afternoon at the Ramada Inn in Bangor – three adults and one teen.  The three adults were living in the city homeless shelter when they first started attending Pathway.  Pastor Jay LaScolea says “It has been awesome to see the life changing power of Christ in their lives!”
The Amherst Daily News carried a news article this week about Amherst Wesleyan’s Dessert Theatre, “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” The tagline says, “Everything you would expect at a Church Dessert Theatre, and everything you wouldn’t…”  There are about 35 cast members in the music-filled play which was written by Ardie Eaton who attends the church.  Ardie says, “I want to show that there’s still hope and love in the world, and show that the story of Christ still applies today.”  The play runs for three nights at 7 PM beginning Thursday, November 25^th, to Saturday, November 27^th.  Attendance is by reservation only.  Reservations can be made by calling (902) 667-9126.  Raymond Fancy is the Lead Pastor.
Rev. and Mrs. Eric (Nina) Haywood, retired missionaries who served for a good number of years in Africa,  celebrated their 56^th wedding anniversary recently.  Their daughter, Debbie, extended an invitation to friends of Eric and Nina to drop by the Upper River Valley Hospital, outside Hartland, NB, on Saturday afternoon, November 13, 2010.  This was a surprise for her parents, and they greatly appreciated the good number of folks from around the region who showed up.  Eric suffered a stroke in August and is bedridden as a result.  Although his condition has improved somewhat, he continues to require medical care.  Nina is in the same hospital, down the corridor.  She is walking with assistance following surgery on a broken leg, but also needs hospital care.  Please keep these faithful servants in your prayers.
Pastor Dan McGuire, Head of Millstream Wesleyan, saw a neurologist last week and was told by the doctor that he probably has MS. He has experienced one or two tiny flare-ups over the last couple of years, and more recently experienced an acute flare-up.  The doctor says it looks like “Periodic MS”, but that is still to be determined, and any decisions on treatment are still to be determined.  Please keep Pastor Dan and his wife, Rachel, in your prayers.  On another note, Head of Millstream Wesleyan recently completed a significant major project that included insulating the church and putting new vinyl siding on the exterior of the church.
The Gathering ’11 is still offering a savings on registration. Pastors, you can take advantage of this $50 per person early-bird savings until Nov. 30th.  Register now at www.wesleyan.org/gathering.  It’s still not too late.  You can also download the Registration FAQ’s with updated event details and planning helps.  There are presently 103 Atlantic District personnel who are registered to be in Jacksonville, FL, January 4-7, 2011.
Bethany Bible College will hold its annual community Christmas concert on Sunday, December 5, 2010.  Christmas at the College will feature the Bethany Bible College Chorale and Chamber Choir, and other groups from the Sussex Community.  Two presentations will be offered, 3:00 PM & 7:00 PM, under the direction of Mr. David Klob, Professor and Director of the Music Ministry Program at Bethany Bible College in the Saunders Irving Chapel.  For more information, contact Mrs. Marilee Peed at peedm@bbc.ca or call 506-432-4424.
“If God places or allows anything difficult in our lives, we can be sure that the real danger or trouble will be what we will lose if we run or rebel against it.” – Malthie D. Babcock