October 2004

The Free Methodist Church in Canada October 2004 - Volume 1 Issue 6

COVER

Reflecting the diversity of ministry expression within the Free Methodist family

Worr y-Free

Worry-Free Thanks

by Rev. Mark Griffin

by Mark Griffin

PAGE 2 Editor’s Desk A Blinding Glimpse of the Obvious - Developing a farmteam in the church

by Alan Retzman General Conference Update

PAGE 3 Thanksgiving as a Lifestyle

By Bishop Keith Elford Continuing Education Units

by Alan Retzman

PAGE 4 Passages Church in the Box

by Jared Siebert

PAGE 5 Dreaming Again Recovering Congregational Vision for Ministry

by Glenn Gibson

PAGE 6 Student Ministries

by Andrew Brown Ministry Centre in top 10 Best Christian Places to Work in Canada!

PAGE 7 10 Must Reads from a Contrarian

by Jordon Cooper

PAGE 8 I want to be your hands

by Carrie Zimmerman40008369.

MOSAIC 4315 Village Centre Court Mississauga, Ontario L4Z 1S2 Tel: 905-848-2600 Fax: 905-848-2603 www.fmc-canada.org For submissions: howdenl@fmc-canada.org Dan Sheffield, Editor-in-Chief Lisa Howden, Managing Editor and Production Mailed under Publication agreement #40008369.

Return postage guaranteed.

A

s Labour Day approached in our home, we knew we were in for a landslide of worry. We had given our youngest daughter soon-to-be expired boundaries about a postponed discussion concerning a hamster. After she lost her dear "Hammy" just this past spring to a two-day bout with an unidentified fatal illness, she immediately began to obsess about a replacement. "Please daddy, please mommy, please, please, please can I get a new hamster?!?" My wife and I heard this plea reiterated literally dozens of times with the passion that only a broken hearted little hamsterwidow could muster.

We gave the rodent bereavement due process, reflecting and grieving in a healthy way, but the requests for a new hamster were so incessant we finally limited her conversation — "we don't want to hear another thing about the hamster until after Labour Day." With ‘L-Day’ quickly approaching, we could see the boundary line against whining blowing away in the late summer breezes. We had to act quickly and decisively or my daughter would be riding the chatter-wagon again; "Daddy please…Mommy please…" My wife and I discussed our options and came up with a hamster purchase-plan effective after Thanksgiving weekend. So before the floodgates of requests came open again, we circumvented the deluge with the promise of a new cedar-chip-monger. My little princess was delighted.

She squeezed my neck, beamed and said, "thank you Daddy!"

And thereafter, every time the thought of a new little flea-bag (oh sorry — pet hamster) crossed her mind her face again would light up and she would say, "thank you Daddy that you're getting me a new hamster. I think I'll put the cage on this shelf." Or "thank you Daddy that you're getting me a new hamster. I think I'll call him Elvis. No! Jonah! No! Goliath!"

I really didn't mind the excited musings — they were no longer punctuated with desperate requests — they were filled with assured and confident thanks. "Thanks Dad!" I can't tell you how much that warmed my heart.

Everything was right in the universe. Dad would do it.

He said he would. My girl was at peace, and so were her parents!

Like my daughter, I get obsessive sometimes. It's disguised by what I have called a ‘prayer request list.’

Perhaps my recurring requests could be better

communicated in a biblical framework of thanksgiving.

We see evidence of this thankful attitude established in the old covenant. Daily, the Levites were asked by God "to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord.

They were to do the same in the evening." (1 Chronicles 23:30) David encouraged thanks as a divine access point when he declared "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." (Psalm 100:4) It seems that this repetative thanks establishes us in a right position reminding us of His covenant promises and opening the way into His presence.

Paul, the apostle, knew that human nature could easily bend to worry and so he encouraged his friends from Phillippi to "not be Essentially, anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, our words of with thanksgiving, present your thanks are requests to God." (Philippians 4:6). just rolling out I've found that although my prayer should be an expression of faith, I'm the red actually revealing my anxious heart, carpet to as my daughter does, by continually allow God to pleading with God, as if to say, "I hope you haven't forgotten Lord!" step in as The superlative exhortation to "not King, be anxious about anything" is enthroned in balanced with another superlative "in everything…with thanksgiving". our praise Imagine that!

Thankful in and thanks. everything. Even when I am asking I can be thankful. That is extreme.

That abounding expression of thanks is the great confession of hope and trust! Accordingly, I want to pray along these lines: "Thank you Lord that you already said in your word that you 'are not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.' I thank you Lord that your word is true for my friends and family’s salvation. I thank you that you have a plan to give them 'a hope and a future' as your word declares."

Why beg for something we've already been promised and for something that the cross has already provided for?

Does this show faith?

Essentially, our words of thanks are just rolling out

“

continued on page 5 - Thanks

M O S A I C

2 A Blinding Glimpse oftheObvious

EDITOR’S DESK

Developing a farm-team in the church

Be grateful, it’s good for you!

Many years ago, on a fine Thanksgiving afternoon I learned a very important truth. We were all seated around the table, about to partake in a feast! As was our custom we were all given an opportunity to share what we were thankful for.

I remember observing, probably for the first time, how different my list of thanks was from my parents. Offering a quick thanks for my mom, dad and my siblings, I quickly got to the "important" items that I thought were especially noteworthy: my new bike, an outfit that had just been purchased, a birthday party I had attended.

I listened as my mother and father gave thanks to God for all that He had provided that year. They thanked God for health, for their children, and for the ability to bless others. I remember that something inside me clicked.

The best way to learn how to be thankful is to see it modeled before you. I've 'learned' to be thankful because I had excellent guides who, often daily, would remind me of God's unfailing goodness to me. Even when the worst of circumstances surfaced, I saw demonstrated before me grateful attitudes, trusting that God had everything in His hands.

Being thankful — it's a discipline that I'm still working on. It's easy to let your thoughts drift into disappointment and discontent. But really, who wants to go there? Who wants to dwell on the negative and let it well up all around you? We are surrounded by a society that tells us we need to be independent and self-made — not indebted to anyone (and therefore not needing to be grateful).

Yet consider what recent academic studies have shown: people who describe themselves as feeling grateful to God and others in general tend to have higher vitality and more optimism, suffer less stress, and experience fewer episodes of clinical depression than the population as a whole.

Grateful people tend to be less materialistic, suffer less anxiety about status or the accumulation of possessions. Partly because of this, they are more likely to describe themselves as happy or satisfied in life.

God has created us to give thanks — it's how we best function. So, if we want to be healthy and happier we should be thankful!

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

[Philippians 4:5] Lisa Howden Managing Editor

by Alan Retzman - Superintendent of Personnel

T

he Bell Canadian Open, Summer Olympics and World Cup Hockey will be almost forgotten by the time you read this. Canada's Olympic Swim Team was highly criticized: Mark Tewksbury, previous Canadian swimming Gold Medalist said, we have no "farm-team" system in Canada. We get our swimmers from private clubs that develop independently.

Canada showed its dominance in hockey during the World Cup. Why? We have kids identified early, supported in the community, and hockey teams to gain early experience.

Though there are "raging" hockey parents who darken that picture, we have an extensive hockey farm-team. There is a connection with a strong farm-team and winning Gold Medals or World Cups.

The church needs the same. Strong "farm-teams" means identifying, maturing, training and deploying leaders in the local church. The Mature Study Team for General Conference 2005 will cast a vision for identifying children who may become leaders. They will be encouraged to put their gifts and talents into direct kingdom use. It's like a farmteam for the church.

The Commission Study Team (National Ministerial Education Guidance and Placement Committee (NMEGaP) is responsible for this team) will "hand-shake" with Mature Study Team, to assure a seamless flow from local church to ministerial training in the FMCiC. NMEGaP is proposing major revisions to our "tracking" at General Conference 2005. The change makes intuitive sense. We will help the local church to develop a farm-team of leaders to play in the World Cup of Ministry. The farm-team is how we will develop healthy pastors who will build healthy churches.

Some early steps NMEGaP is taking thus far: · No longer will we use Lay Minister, Ministerial Candidate or Commissioned Minister the way we have used them. · The local church will be responsible for the development of the call to ministry in candidates. · The local church will be given a series of interviews (designed by the NMEGaP and the local church) to be conducted by the local church official board or their designate. · When it is time to "handshake," the local church sends the candidate to MEGaP to audit/review the results of the local church interviews. · No longer do we need to have an awkward disconnect between local church and conference preparing candidates. · There is a significant increase in ethnic candidates and candidates for cross-cultural/inter-cultural ministry. The interview system will prepare the local church to competently guide and encourage such candidates without disconnecting from the local church.

These changes are in progress. The interviews are being field tested in local churches this fall, in various ministry and cultural contexts.

Why are we making changes again? Stephen Ames is a Canadian golfer gaining on Mike Weir in earnings and wins. He had a problem with his iron shots, so he consulted a golf coach. Ames said, "I feel great off the tee. I hit with confidence and freedom." But, he added, "The rest of my game needs help." The golf coach said, "It sounds crazy but, 'What if you hit your irons with the same attitude as your tee shots?' You would have thought I gave him some great revelation!" The coach added, "I didn't say anything really, 'I call it a blinding glimpse of the obvious."

Training the local church to train leaders is a "blinding glimpse of the obvious." Ephesians 4:1112 tells us that pastors and teachers are called to "prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith…" MEGaP has almost doubled their interviews of candidates every year. We use to interview 10 per year. We have scheduled 70 interviews in 2004. In 2005, January to May we will interview another 35. Among these candidates are 18 ethnic pastors, not counting the 9 in Sri Lanka. This takes more time and trained interviewers.

The obvious part is that we should train the local church to develop the leaders with MEGaPs oversight. The Mature Study Team will encourage early identification of leaders and discernment of call. The Commission Study Team will provide tools to the local church and complete their ordination process. It seems like the obvious thing to do.

GENERAL CONFERENCE UPDATE

A

lthough the 2005 General Conference in Toronto seems a long time away, it really isn't. The study teams, the planning committee and the workshop leaders have all been busily working putting the details together. You can certainly join the process as well. Right now, there are four ways that you can get involved.

First, the study teams are working on a study that will report directly to the General Conference. Everyone is invited to prayerfully submit their ideas and input to these study teams for their consideration. The Study Teams and their objectives are available on the website and the leaders would welcome your input and insight.

Secondly, one of the privileges of every church or member of the FMCiC is the privilege of introducing resolutions to the General Conference according to provisions of Par. 410.5 of

The Manual of the FMCiC. Please keep the following points in mind. A resolution must: a) have the support of a delegate of the General Conference (lay or ministerial delegate) in order to be introduced, and b) be sent to the Ministry Centre by February 15, 2005 as per the timeline of the General Conference 2005.

Thirdly, many hands are needed to ensure the efficient implementation of such a large event. We greatly appreciate the individuals who give of their time and talents to this weekend. If you are interested in being part of the volunteer crew, please contact the conference coordinator, Tanya Prinsep.

Finally, and most importantly, we would ask that you keep the conference in your prayers as we work together to seek God's direction for this weekend.

If you have any questions about the conference or these ways of getting involved, please feel free to contact Tanya Prinsep at flareevents@rogers.com.

3 M O S A I C

Thanksgiving as a

I

love Thanksgiving! In a matter of seconds I can be back in my childhood memories where our teacher decorated the bulletin boards with pictures of cornstalks, pumpkins and the horn of plenty spilling out its abundance of fruits and vegetables. And the Thanksgiving dinners…Wow! There is always a gang of people around the table laughing and teasing as we enjoy the feast of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, pumpkin pies with whipped cream… It is awesome. Because we have two nations (Canada and US) represented in our home, some years we celebrate Thanksgiving twice!

Thanksgiving, however, is to be more than a long weekend of celebration. In the believer's life, it is to be a foundational mindset all year long.

I have been helped to think more deeply about this by Henri Nouwen's book, The Return of the Prodigal Son — A Story of Homecoming. It is obviously a book about Jesus' parable of the father entreating his two lost sons to come back to his love.

A lot of speakers and writers have spoken to us about the restlessness of the younger son that matured into rebellion and sent him off on his journey of looking for love, meaning, and fulfillment in all the wrong places. If you sit with the picture in Jesus' parable and get real honest and look around in our culture, you begin to realize that restlessness of spirit is not just a condition of the younger generation.

Unrighteous discontent is an intergenerational reality and its result is empty ugliness, often accompanied by painful and complex consequences. At the same time, godly contentment that comes from a grateful spirit is a beautiful thing to see… and it too, I've noticed, is a multigenerational reality.

If selfish restlessness is the condition of the younger son, selfcentered entitlement is the older brother's malady. In his discussion of Jesus' story, Henri Nouwen gives some helpful insights. Resentment, rivalry, self-righteousness, and jealousy all feed off this sense of entitlement that often plagues dutiful and faithful people. If you have never really been outwardly prodigal and you have been a person who has generally done the right things, I think you know the seduction of the entitlement temptation. I see it in our The Return of the Prodigal Son ~ Rembrandt,1668. culture. I see it in the church. I confess

Lifestyle

By

Bishop Keith Elford

“

that I have met it in my own interior life. It too is multigenerational. It is wrong.

Where can those ensnared by self-centered entitlement get a healthy perspective? Nouwen's When we get the discussion of the elder brother and of Jesus' idea that life-long parable of the labourers in the vineyard (where the people who signed on at the end of the day got faithfulness entitles paid the same amount as the people who worked us to preferential all day) can help. (See Matthew 20). treatment in the What was Jesus saying to us in both cases? If kingdom, we are Nouwen is right, and I think he is, you will see the way North Americans normally think get flipped buying into a on its head! He says that the length of time that mindset that is the we labour for the Lord does not entitle us to very opposite of special favour. In the economy of the kingdom of God, perks do not come as a result of the length who Jesus is and of our tenure or the intensity of our labour. God what He stood for. loves us more than our work or even our faithfulness.

Enjoying the relationship while it is happening is the reward. The months, years, decades of fellowship that we share with the Father — as we participate with what He is doing in the world — is a blessing that neither the latecomers nor the prodigals will ever be able to have. By their choices, they missed out on the precious gift of time in rich relationship. Faithful, dutiful people who work hard believing that this is rewarded by entitlements also miss it. God invites us into day by day, joy-filled fellowship with Him. Period. The Christian life is not to be seen as time endured in the salt mines that assures us one of the best seats in the house or the unquestioned right to greater influence in kingdom life.

When we get the idea that life-long faithfulness entitles us to preferential treatment in the kingdom, we are buying into a mindset that is the very opposite of who Jesus is and what He stood for. Henri Nouwen helped me see this. He says that in contrast to the youngest character in his story, Jesus is the true prodigal. He was able to leave heaven and come into this far-off country without getting lost in its self-centered worldliness. The reason for this is found in the motives of his heart. He came as an obedient son with a "concern-for-others" orientation rather than as a rebellious son trying to slake his thirsty restlessness. He left the "home" of heaven, but heaven never left him.

Likewise, Jesus is the true elder brother. He rejoices in his wholesome, unbroken, eternal relationship with the Father and joyfully celebrates when the rebellious come home and the latecomers are showered with gracious generosity. His gratitude for the love of the Father gives a freedom to be nonjudgmental about rebellious prodigals or self-absorbed elder brothers or latecomers.

I see it. I want to be more like Jesus. That is true Thanksgiving.

[CEU’s]

Continuing Education Units Developing a life long appetite for learning THE PURPOSE of documenting CEU's (Continuing Education Units) p a r t n e r. among our ordained and commissioned pastors has very little to do with mathematics and everything to do with growing in discipleship. We should never stop learning. Structured learning experiences for pastors and staff like conferences, weekend classes, seminars are all examples of ways to get learning concretely into our schedules.

In the personnel office we are "tracking" CEU's. But we are not, nor want to be the keepers of the math. The policy is: One CEU is equivalent to 24 hours of contact time." You may ask: “Does this include lunch breaks?”, “Does this include travel time?”, “What if I'm only there for 21 hours?”, “Can I combine two seminars to get a CEU?” The purpose of the CEU is to encourage life long learning. Those that are life long learners will likely be far exceeding the requirements. Those who need a "wake up call" will hopefully be encouraged to get going.

The learning experience can and should be directed towards a growth area identified in a performance appraisal or through an accountability

C E U structured experiences are to be flexible, practical to the local church, or more academic according to your need.

Only those who are already finished "tracking" for Commissioned Minister or Ordained Minister need to submit CEU for "tracking." Prior to this the word "continuing" does not apply. You are still getting your required education.

In the personnel office we want you to report when you complete a CEU, the policy will guide you. We will not "number crunch," or “become bean counters" (though we love and need them.) So relax and continue to be a disciple of Jesus Christ by continuing to grow in the knowledge of Jesus.

The whole policy is available on line. <<www.fmc-canada.org>>

by Alan Retzman, Superintendent of Personnel

M O S A I C

4

Passages

Introducing:

Appointments Don Oldford, Pastor Vennachar FMC, Vennachar, ON August 15, 2004

Ordained Milton Edwards [September 19, 2004] Elisabeth Natividad [September 19, 2004] Daniel Massey [September 26, 2004]

New Assistant Superintendent Rev. Dennis Camplin [replaces Rev. Scott Woolhead]

Rev. Doug Wightman [replaces Rev. Fred Hubert]

Change in Status Rev. Clark DeMille - retired Rev. Sok Em - Released for Service Missionary to Unreached People and Hands Across the Pacific"

Transfer to another denomination Rev. Huckle Choi - to Baptist Convention of Ontario & Quebec

Churches in Transition Caistor Centre FMC, Caistor Centre, ON Eastern Koinonia FMC, Toronto, ON Karen Crescent FMC, Orillia, ON Killarney FMC, Killarney, MB Melfort FMC, Melfort, SK New Hope FMC, Bracebridge, ON O'Connor FMC, Kakabeka Falls, ON Richmond Hill Chinese FMC, Richmond Hill, ON Roblin/Grandview FMC, Roblin, MB & Grandview, MB Souris Valley Community Church, Estevan, SK Surrey FMC, Surrey, BC Timmins FMC, Timmins, ON Wesley Chapel Japanese Church, Toronto, ON

Pastors in Transition David Barbour Germain Fortin Walter McIntyre Norman Shepstone Mike Smeltzer Dale Vinkle Scott Woolhead

Celebrating Anniversaries Cordova Mines FMC 101st Anniversary Ridgeway Community Church [formally know as Ridgeway FMC]

120th Anniversary Holt FMC 95th Anniversary

Visit the website: www.fmc-canada.org Great Articles Photo Gallery Upcoming Events

by Jared Siebert

C

hurch in the Box is a new concept in Church, presently operating as a second service within Next Church, 89 Colborne Street, Kingston, Ontario. We have inherited our general mission, vision and purpose from Next, and are affiliated with The Free Methodist Church in Canada. Our in-house launch (landing?) took place on D-Day, June 6th, 2004. We have spent the summer preparing ourselves for our official public launch sometime in the fall. We are fine-tuning our activities as we go — seeing what works well, what could work better, and what expectations we need to change.

Like Next Church, we want to be a church whose primary purpose of mission is reaching out to our community rather than folding in upon ourselves.

We also believe that God has given us our own distinctive calling as a church. We are preparing ourselves to reach out specifically to people who are longing for intimate, participatory, family-friendly community. So Church in the Box (CITB) is trying to look like this: Face-to-face: we meet in the Lovenasium (the gym) of Next Church. We sit in an open circular pattern so that we can face each other. We are trying to encourage even the music (voice and instrumental) to be participatory and face-to-face. We often use our central space for activities (e.g. stories and songs with children, communion table, prayer activities).

Highly organized chaos: we follow a liturgical format to ensure a full-featured service, and every attempt is made to do this with free, family-friendly, chaordic creativity. A different person leads us through each of the elements of the liturgical framework, sometimes after spending time in thought and preparation during the week, sometimes on the spur of the moment. Everyone who comes to CITB is invited to sign up for the various leadership opportunities. Leaders are always encouraged to

provide activities that involve high levels of participation from everyone, and that require stretching our creative and imaginative boundaries, as well as our individual comfort zones!

Family-friendly: we all stay together throughout the service. This means that we have set ourselves the ongoing task of looking for new and creative ways to respect, involve, and learn from all ages. This means designing and following our liturgy with an awareness of the needs of all ages, and providing several handson, thematically-related activity opportunities in our meeting room (arts, crafts, special projects). We have also chosen an early start and finish (9-10:30 a.m.) as a family-friendly worship time.

Every service of CITB offers a Biblically-based message, a Journey through the Book. We are trying out various message formats that will require and reflect thoughtful preparation on the part of the leader and active participation by the entire gathering. Our summer series was designed to prepare us as a church for outreach in the fall, so we were working our way through the book of Luke to see how Jesus prepared his followers for this same task (see Jack Dean Kingsbury, Conflict in Luke).

After our public launch, we intend to begin our "official" existence by explaining and exploring what it is that CITB stands for — and why. This will involve looking at our "Eight Great Values", which will be surrounding us on eight commissioned muralsized paintings on our walls (see below). At present, we are proposing that when this eight-week series is finished, our weekly themes will focus on helping us as a community to meet Jesus, whether for the first time, or more deeply than ever before (see Jean Vanier, Drawn into the Mystery of Jesus through the Gospel of John).

Jared Siebert is co-pastor at Next Church, Kingston, ON

EIGHT GREAT VALUES OF CHURCH IN THE BOX Dr. Livingston, I presume? Church as medical mission Taking seriously the Mission of Next Church, and the mission of all faithful churches everywhere, we want to let everyone in on God's big secret: "I'm changing everything and you're invited."

Dandelion Bouquets (aka Macaroni Masterpieces): the priesthood of all believers — Our church values the active participation of everyone, all the time. We welcome everyone's contributions, learning from God's acceptance of us to allow grace to permeate all the experiences we bring to one another. And as priests together, we want to affirm that God through Jesus has invited us to enter together into the Presence of God, which means speaking to God and listening to God, not just talking about God. If You Come, You Belong: open and welcoming community — There are no tests to pass, no forms to sign, before you are welcomed and accepted as one of us. We want our community to reflect what God through Jesus offers us all — full and free forgiveness, and the liberating power of transformation.

And a Little Child Shall Lead Us: family-friendly (respect for, and involvement of, all ages) — We are all "we" - we desire to avoid thinking in terms of "us" and "them" with regard to different ages. We can all learn from one another and we can all help and support one another. We want to find ways for everyone to be able to participate in meaningful worship and learning, including a multi-faceted "choose your own adventure" approach. We want to discover the gifts that God desires to bring to our community through the children in our midst. We want to learn how to see again with a child's eyes and heart, and we want to submit ourselves to the wonder, imagination, humility and receptivity needed for entry into the Kingdom of God. Stinky Socks: messy people seeking God in the context of non-threatening intimacy — We want to be authentic with

each other. We don't want to pretend to be any better or different than we are. We seek to be a community that gently encourages everyone to move out of aloneness and into intimacy. We will find ways to do this through our physical setting and arrangement, which will tend to be face-to-face, flexible, fluid and changeable, and through our various ways and means of church. We will also seek to establish and encourage a network of small groups meeting regularly for Bible study, prayer and mutual support.

Highly Organized Chaos: wild creativity within a fullfeatured service — We intend to have a liturgical framework that will enable every service to be a full-featured one, expressing the height and breadth and fullness of God's provision for our needs. Within this framework, we want to encourage a high degree of creative participation that will at times seem even dangerous, but will hopefully also be exciting with new and unimagined possibilities. We want to expend a great deal of energy in tapping into the creative imagination with which God has gifted each one of us.

Crazy Glue: unreasonably sticky faithfulness to God and to each other — We want to be faithful to the revelation of God in the person of Jesus Christ. We want to be faithful to each other, to care for each other as Jesus cares for us. And we want to be faithful to the traditions and wisdom of the faithful Saints of God in all ages, understanding that we in our own time are not standing alone, but rather stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us. We will commit ourselves to "giving the dead a vote (though not a veto)".

Sure - why not? you'll never know till you try We value change and experimentation — trial and error, as well as trial and success. Because you never know till you try.

And because the lavish outpouring of God's grace and blessing is new every morning, constantly creating for us new life, new possibilities and new directions.

5 M O S A I C

DREAMING AGAIN Recovering Congregation Vision for Ministry The following story is true. The identity of this Ontario congregation has been removed to help readers focus on the story principles rather than the story itself.

O

nly twenty years after being planted, the church was slowly heading for trouble. They had grown to almost 200 worshippers in a village of 1,800 (in a township of 4,200 people). But then things began to go the other way.

By the summer of 2002, they had been without a senior pastor for more than a year. They had reached the bottom of the list with no prospects in sight. Attendance was now less than 100 and offerings were slowly declining. Pockets of turmoil bubbled just below a placid façade of Christian kindness. Board concern was now on the rise. It was summertime and congregational morale was sagging badly.

“A lot of people are on holidays,” said the youth pastor as we looked at the twenty people sprinkled across the sanctuary for a July evening meeting. “But we’ll tape your presentation and people can hear it when they get back.” I kept my expectations low and gave my standard description of the “Vision Renewal” process. After answering some questions, I headed for home, assuming that nothing much would result.

But I was wrong – and not for the first time.

It took four months, two more presentations, and a congregational vote. But when they started “Vision Renewal” in November, they had made the commitment to “dream again” as a church.

“Vision Renewal” is a simple approach to helping a congregation to seek God’s vision for future ministry. It is addresses the tendency of the local church to shift their focus over the years from the possibilities of the future to their present problems and past successes. Vision Renewal invites the whole church family to a season of prayer and listening to God and each other as a way of revitalizing congregational life. Following an “A-B-C-D” process, the church takes a 37 week journey that they themselves direct with the help of a “coach” and a resource packet.

So the process started with both hope and nervousness. After forming a “20-20” team of eight key members, they establishing the December 1 morning service as the “kick off ” of stage one (“Assess the Church Situation”).

Beginning the congregational prayer adventure and conducting a church-wide (everyone age 13 and up) “Ministry Fitness Check” survey were the two big items on the agenda that day (or so I thought). “Oh, by the way,” said the church secretary as we finalized the service plans. “The other thing in the morning service is that youth pastor is reading his letter of resignation.” “Oh, no!” I thought. “This will kill whatever momentum they have left.”

But I was wrong again. Not only did the whole congregation complete the survey, the youth participated fervently in the prayer experiences of Vision Renewal. When the church met in early January 2003 to discover the results of their self-assessment, all ages participated and came to quick agreement about where God was blessing as well as what challenges loomed before them in the future.

It was then that the 20-20 Team kicked into gear and began to “Build the Profiles”. One group did an “inventory” of church assets to realistically determine what possibilities could be tackled in the future. Another surveyed key members to compile a profile of the unique values and purpose that had shaped their church identity and calling within their

THANKS

community since their earliest days. A third gathered community information and talked to residents and leaders about needs and opportunities to serve that their church could be meeting in the future.

The church literally changed direction. It happened in the meeting in which the “profiles” were reported and the congregation discussed what they had learned. Standing at the end for closing prayer, the 20-20 Team chair invited the congregation (their seating plan points away from their village) to turn around to look out the back windows at their “mission field.” Prayer statements, like “Lord, forgive us for forgetting why we’re here” and “give us a love for our town”, sprang spontaneously from those who led. Some of the underlying conflict between people got straightened out too.

It is my opinion that much of what was happening resulted from all the praying during Vision Renewal. This became evident when stage three, “Cast the Vision”, got underway.

Meeting in clusters of eight to ten people all over the sanctuary, everyone was invited to share the ideas, images, and projects that had been impressed on them while listening to God in prayer. Taking risky steps, people opened up and the high degree of agreement they discovered was both a surprise and delight! The “vision statement” that emerged with the help of the 20-20 Team is unique to the church and to this chapter of their history. “By the year 2008 …” is how they were talking now. The people were now “pumped” because they “get it” – they helped to create the statement by listening to Jesus together.

In early June 2003, the 20-20, church board, and key leaders held an “off-site” overnight planning retreat to “Develop the Action Plan”. Going an hour away from home to a hotel with a meeting room, they rolled up their sleeves and got to work. On the Friday night, I helped them break the vision statement down into several measurable goals. We taped them up on the wall and then knocked off for the night.

After breakfast, I showed them how to brainstorm the key steps to reach those goals and began to tape them on the wall under the goals. By lunch time, one of their leaders said, “We get what to do — just take a seat and watch us finish this off!” They not only added completion dates, but names to the projects. They now had a working ministry plan!

A lot has happened since then – the community leaders’ banquet, a new senior pastor (selected out of three enthusiastic candidates), the church sponsored skate park, and more. But that’s another story.

“Vision Renewal helped us to identify the strengths and the areas of need in our congregation,” said their 20-20 Team chair. “We learned how the community views us as well as what our community needs. We came together as a church family to seek God’s guidance and now we have an action plan for the future.”

For more information on “Vision Renewal”, contact The Free Methodist Church in Canada Ministry Centre at 905.848.2600 or contact Glenn Gibson, Church Development Consultant, at 519-576-1659 or ggibson@outreach.ca.

Glenn Gibson is the Director of Church Revitalization Ministries of Outreach Canada and serves as Consultant on Church Development with The Free Methodist Church in Canada.

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the red carpet to allow God to step in as King, enthroned in our praise and thanks, He comes doling out the benefits of the Kingdom in accordance with His word. The function of thanksgiving is not founded in a "name it and claim it" attitude, but rather an "ask once and then trust" posture, a posture that pleases our Father. I somehow feel that asking repeatedly like the persistent widow needs to be understood in the context of thanksgiving. We ask boldly, not telling God what to do, but actually reminding ourselves of His promises and then resting in that. That has really taken a lot of pressure off of me to travail (read "worry") in prayer.

Biblically sound prayer will make bold requests in the context of thanks and in the light of His impeccable track record. My daughter could instantly relax knowing that I had made a promise. She just keeps thanking me for what she believes will come even though she has not seen the evidence of it yet (Hebrew 11:1). Thank God that His will is going to

be done on earth as it is in heaven. We can call it forth by faith! How liberating! I'll just ask God to be Himself, Faithful, Just, True, Healer, Redeemer, Saviour…in His time, in His way and I will boldly present my requests to Him knowing that He will do what is best, because He said He would. I am at peace. My responsibility is simply to be grateful, in everything, "always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Eph. 5:20) Since the hamster ordeal, I've set aside the prayer request list and replaced it with a thanksgiving/prayer list. It's much more restful. No worries will keep me awake at night. Only the sound of a hamster scratching on its cage.

Rev. Mark Griffin is Lead Pastor at Lakemount Community in Grimsby, ON.

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have heard it many times … " This generation of young people are the ones who are going to change the world …" The inference being that today's young people, more than any other group before them, are ready to be used

by God to impact the world. Is this an accurate statement? Is this generation really different in some way? I recently asked myself those questions.

On the one hand … there is lots of evidence that points to the fact that the majority of "Christian kids" are essentially the same as their "non-Christian" counterparts when it comes to beliefs and lifestyle choices. Studies show there is not much difference between the two groups in terms of teen pregnancy, smoking, drug and alcohol use, the music they listen to, the movies and television they watch, and even in behaviours such as lying and stealing. There is more temptation and degradation in society than ever before and unfortunately many of our kids are caught up in it. It's sad but true.

On the other hand … there is also lots of evidence that God is working in some of our youth in amazingly powerful ways … · "Dating God" — I know and have met numerous students who have committed to giving up dating for periods of up to and over a year in order to focus on God. They are putting God before relationships in a radical and new way. · "Worship" — One pastor recently said to me, "When I was growing up as a Christian young person, all we sang were these crazy action songs … but these days, kids really worship God!" It is awesome to see young people connecting to God through worship in fresh and meaningful ways. · "Jesus Freaks" — Kids are beginning to stand up for their faith more than ever before. I know of a group of kids who all last winter held Christian club meetings outdoors because they were prohibited from meeting in the school to pray and fellowship. God is using them as powerful witnesses in their school and community. · "Prayer" — This past summer at a few of our family camps I had the opportunity to gather with young people for a nightly prayer time. There was no offer of food or crazy activities, just time listening and praying to God. It was an awesome experience of connecting to God and each other. Here is what some of those young people expressed about that experience of prayer: " This past week we were involved in a number of activities but the time that blessed us the most was our prayer time at night." " I felt God's presence … like knowing that it was him for sure!!"

"This was the first time I ever prayed out loud with other people…it was awesome!"

"Another thing that touched our hearts was the time we took to get quiet and listen to what God wanted to tell us that day" "It was so encouraging having others pray for me and with me!" " I used to think that I wasn't one of those "praying" types …but now I am one" How amazing to hear young people talk about their experience with prayer in this way.

These are all things that encourage me about what God is doing. Many of these kids are miles ahead of where I was spiritually, when I was their age.

In trying to figure all of this out, I asked some students what they thought about their generation in terms of its place in history. They told me that as Christian young people they were increasingly being forced to decide between "going with the flow" and taking a radical stand for Christ.

"Church kids" today are being "forced off the fence". Some are being transformed by the world, but Jesus Christ is radically transforming many others. I think the gap between the two groups is going to continue to widen.

The mission of Free Methodist Student Ministries throughout the denomination should be to turn our students into disciples of Jesus Christ. I am a huge believer in 1 Tim. 4:12 that tells us that our young people can be outstanding examples for us in their speech, life, love, faith and in purity… but I also believe that they need a lot of help, encouragement and challenging to come Join us in Hamilton Ontario on October 22-24 to that point. as we gather together for the first ever What is needed Acquire the Fire to make this happen Free Methodist Youth Weekend are spiritually growing leaders who Schedule Includes are willing to "set Friday pm ATF Opening Session the bar high" for Friday pm FM Youth Event (Worship, Missions, themselves and the Testimonies, Food and Fellowship) young people they at Buchanan Park Church are ministering to. I am excited about Saturday am&pm ATF All Day the privilege I have Saturday pm FM "See ya for Supper" Event to work with our Sunday am FM "Tell us all about It" at our Free Methodist Hamilton area churches youth and youth Contact Andrew Brown at leaders as we embark <<andrew@reachforth.net>> for updated information upon the journey of on this weekend strengthening our denominational ministry to students.

Is this generation really different? I am still working on the answer to that question … but what I know for sure is that God is doing some amazing things with some radically committed young people. So let us support, encourage and challenge our youth, because it just might be that … " This generation of young people are the ones who are going to change the world …"

Andrew Brown will be continuing in his role as President of Reach Forth (www.reachforth.net), a multi-denominational evangelistic sports and youth ministry in Hamilton, ON, as well as serving as Student Ministries Director for FMCIC.

The Canadian Council of Christian Charities (CCCC), the Best Christian Workplace Institute and the Bridgeway Foundation invited Canadian organizations to participate in "The Best Christian Places to Work in Canada" survey. Confidential feedback regarding ‘people practices’ based on employee and corporate surveys was gathered. The Ministry Centre of The Free Methodist Church in Canada agreed to participate in order to determine how our ministry compared with other Christian organizations of similar mission and size. We have been told that we ranked in the top ten (beyond that, placing within the top ten are not released).

"We believe Christian ministries should be model workplaces and this survey encourages organizations to continue to strive for excellence.

We are pleased to honour ministries whose employees have affirmed their role as model employers. They are showing the world how Christian values, ethics and spiriuality can be integrated into the workplace.” said John Pellowe, CEO of CCCC. The Ministry Centre was recoginized as one of the finalists at the annual CANADIAN COUNCIL OF CHRISTIAN CHARITIES CONFERENCE in Winnipeg on September 29, 2004 and a story about them will appear in the November/December 2004 issue of FAITH TODAY.

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ONE OF THE FIRST BOOKS that I ever read about church life was church consultant/thinker Lyle Schaller's book, Reflections of a Contrarian and it became of kind of motto. Over the years I have loved books that challenged the status quo. Thinking through those challenges can make for some great reading as well as some invigorating debate.

Here is a short list of authors that may look at the world and in some cases the church in ways that are outside the norm.

The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church,

by Reggie McNeal :: In the book McNeal takes on six dogmas of the church growth movement and provides a compelling alternative for church leaders to move forward in a new direction. Like many books that challenge sacred cows, my original reaction was to protect the status quo but McNeal makes a compelling case for both the need for change and the opportunity that it brings.

Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony, by Stanley Hauerwas and Will Willimon :: The book is fifteen years old and is still controversial. On one hand the book will force you to think through how we as Christians live out in the world but on the other hand the book is frustrating in places as it asks many more questions than it answers.

Free Culture, by Larry Lessig :: This seems like an odd pick because why would a Canadian Free Methodist care about a book by maverick Stanford law professor Larry Lessig. Lessig is referred to as one of the first "cultural environmentalists" and writes an informing and entertaining look at how big media and changing laws have radically redefined our present and endanger creativity in the future. You can download the book for free from www.free-culture.cc/freeculture.pdf or shell out for the hardcover.

The Genesee Diary, by Henri Nouwen :: Nouwen, a Roman Catholic priest who moved from Holland to the United States spends seven months living in a Trappist Monastery. The book comes from his daily journal entries as he learns to adapt to community life, understand prayer, and undergoes the rigours of the daily work of the Trappists. Like most of Nouwen's writings it conveys intimacy, understanding, and communicates his struggles as he enters into a journey with "God Alone".

Smart Mobs, by Howard Rheingold :: Howard Rheingold is one of the technology fields most respected futurists and Smart Mobs is his metaphor for understanding a series of sociological changes brought about by new technology while he was in Tokyo a couple of years ago. As he strived to understand what he was seeing, his journey took him around the world.

Smart Mobs is both fun and also disturbing as he describes what our future will look like in a wireless connected world.

The Ingenuity Gap, by Thomas Homer-Dixon :: A series of stories about his travels around the world, HomerDixon weaves them together to make a compelling case that the problems facing humanity are growing faster than our ability to deal with them. It was also the winner of the 2001 Governor General's Literary Award for Non-Fiction.

A Thomas Merton Reader: by Thomas P. McDonnell :: Many evangelicals have never heard of Thomas Merton but many around the world cherish his writings on spirituality, war, poetry, and his life as a servant of God. He is perhaps best known for the best selling book, The Seven Story Mountain (not his best book but the story behind most of his other books.) This is a one-volume synopsis of his quest for truth, from both from his major works and his lesser-known writings as well.

Making Sense of Church by Spencer Burke :: Spencer Burke, pastor and co-founder of TheOoze.com looks at seven metaphors of change for the church. He shares both his journey from one to another and also dialogues about them with TheOoze.com community. Like McNeal he challenges the status quo of evangelicalism and gives an alternative path to a discontinuous future.

Take and Read: Spiritual Reading: An Annotated List by Eugene H. Peterson :: Peterson blesses his readers with a book that is a list of books that he has found helpful in his spiritual journey. It is a wonderful tool and a book full of people who have defined, questioned, reformed, and nurtured Christianity for two thousand years.

A Cup of Coffee at the Soul CafĂŠ by Leonard Sweet :: Sweet takes a contrary look at the spiritual life using stories, poetry, metaphor and Scripture to awaken its reader of a spiritual slumber. Sweet is famous for his books on church and culture. As good as they are, my life has profited even more so from his books on spirituality and this is perhaps his best written book on the topic.

Jordon Cooper is Pastor of Lakeland Community Free Methodist Church in Spiritwood, SK. You can visit his website: www.jordoncooper.com

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n July 25, 2004 I was weeping and praying for purpose in my spiritual life while driving to a bridal shower two hours away from my home. I was feeling passionate but felt undirected in what to do with it and where to go. I was beginning to think my purpose was simply to support my husband with his first mission trip to Sri Lanka, which was scheduled to leave in three days. To lift my spirits, I had a song playing in my car called "I want to be your hands" by Audio Adrenaline. These lyrics brought me back to the place of "SURRENDER" …

Why can't I do the things I want to I am willing but yet I am so afraid You give me strength when I say . . .

I want to be your hands I want to be your feet I'll go where you send me I'll go where you send me And I'll try, ya, I'll try to touch the world like you touched my life And I'll find my way to be your hands I've abandon every selfish thought I've surrendered everything I've got You can have everything I am And perfect everything I am not

Sri Lanka, with which we may be able to help them.

The goals that the team had established were all accomplished, yet the real successes of the trip were the relationships we continued to build among the team and with the Sri Lankan people.

I can honestly say I grew more spiritually in fourteen days during this trip than in my whole spiritual life. Before I left for Sri Lanka I was brought back to a place of surrender — allowing God to lead me to a place where he wanted me to be. For me this trip was not about completing the agenda that was set forth (although it was amazing to see it accomplished) it was about opening my worldly eyes to a spirit-led life — to see the Sri Lankan Christians with a tenth of what we have, and Carrie (left) praying with members of a persecuted church in Colombo

yet a spiritual life that is ten times more focused on God's purpose. They worship, pray and evangelize with everything God has given them, even when persecution for their Christian faith is a reality. They are truly not afraid of the challenges of their world.

The Sri Lankan Christians, who are now a part of our family, are living in what North Americans would call worldly poverty, but yet they are richer than I am. My new family has shown me how rich you can be when you trust God with everything you do. I would give everything I have in North American to be in the same spiritual place that they are. But, I know I can't buy into that place, I just need to surrender and not be afraid.

Canadian team arrives in Sri Lanka

Twenty minutes later, I received a phone call from my husband, Jody. His first words were "Carrie, want to go to Sri Lanka?" His second words were, "You might have to leave tomorrow!" My first thought was, "Wow, do I ever have to watch what I pray for!" Needless to say I was on a plane 24 hours later heading to Sri Lanka. I was accompanied by Rev. Dan Sheffield and Pastor Jeyarajah. Jody and the rest of the team would follow two days later.

The purpose of this mission trip was to continue building a relationship with Sri Lankan christians, which Dan Sheffield, Alan Retzman and a key group of former Sri Lankan pastors, S. Jeyarajah and Ben Gomez, had already started two years prior. Other duties on this mission trip were to accept existing Sri Lankan independent churches into the FM family and ordain and transfer the pastors of these independent churches who have met the FM qualifications. We were to aid in developing a board of administration for the new Free Methodist Church in Sri Lanka and help register the Free Methodist Church.

This two week mission trip was jam-packed as the team visited six different worship services in six different churches, all in different areas of the country. The team also led a conference for the Sri Lankan pastors to organize and build the foundation of the FM Church in Sri Lanka. The new board developed a Colombo neighbourhood

Sri Lanka Board of Administration and Canadian leaders

I still don't know fully what my spiritual purpose is, but I know I am now better prepared for it. Whatever this mission trip has prepared us for, we continue to pray for daily spiritual strength. Since I've returned from the trip my new favourite song by Audio Adrenaline is "Walk on Water". The words help me get excited and not be afraid of what God has planned for my husband and me . . .

Just like Peter I want to go farther Tread on the sea and walk on the water Step where he steps and go where he goes Side by side when the sea below rolls I'll be all right when the wind comes I'll be all right when the waves come crashing I'm not afraid no, no for this is my father's world.

I pray that I will never forget what I learned in Sri Lanka and that I will continue to ask myself these two questions: (1) How rich am I? (2) Who am I afraid of: the world or God? Colombo, Sri Lanka [population 2.5 million] Buddhist 71.9%; Hindu 12%; Muslim 8%; Christian 7.6% (Evangelicals 1.3%) Colombo, a major port city is the commercial capital of Sri Lanka (19 million). Colombo is the largest city in the country and owes its importance largely to its large, artificially created harbor. Buddhism is the state religion and although freedom of religion is allowed, there is significant discrimination. Since 1980 there has been revival and strong evangelical growth from 50,000 to nearly 240,000 in this country .

Unreached peoples: Sinhalese, Moors, and other smaller groupings.

purpose/mission statement and developed a goal to draw 5O new churches into the Free Methodist fellowship in the next three years. They also developed a list of projects that would help them further their ministries in Carrie Zimmerman attends Queensway FMC in Niagara Falls, ON.