Summer 2008

The Free Methodist Church in Canada | Summer 2008 – Volume 5 Issue 3

Reflecting the diversity of ministry expression within the Free Methodist family.

COVER And now that the dust has settled . . .

by Bishop Keith Elford Newly appointed Board and Committee Members

And now that the dust has settled ...

by Bishop Keith Elford

PAGE 2 Editor’s Desk A century of Free Methodism in Canada

by Jared Siebert

PAGE 3

Leadership Development: A review of General Conference Resolutions

by Rev. Kim Henderson

PAGE 4-9 GENERAL CONFERENCE RECAP Gleanings of the General Conference 2008 by Rev. Arthur Perry Coming back home by Lieutenant

Commander Stephen Merriman Family Reunion

by Rev. Jennifer Wagar Freedom within planning

by Jason Locke What did I come away with?

by Pat Duncan Connecting with God and others

by Vinola Pakkianathen First impressions

by Michael Abercrombie Free Methodist Women igniting their churches and communities

by Colleen Zavrel Do you hear what I hear

by Rev. Marc McAlister Impacting friends around us

by Tanya Prinsep Bastian Chair of Wesley Studies at Tyndale Reaches Endowment Goal

PAGE 10 Passages Generosity - A way of life . . .

by Joanne Bell

PAGE 11

Student Ministries Stronger Together!

by Rev. Kris Gowdy

PAGE 12

General Conference confesses collective participation in oppression of First Nations

by Rev. Dan Sheffield

T

he last strains of the final worship songs and closing prayer have died away. The displays have been taken down and the tables have been folded up. Participants in the General Conference have said their goodbyes to new and old friends. The equipment has been packed up and put away. General Conference 2008 is now fading as a memory.

engaging help to analyze the systems of our movement to see where there are strengths that need to be maintained and where there are growth areas that need attention. The General Conference sent a clear message that attention needs to be paid to supporting pastors and ensuring that they are taking appropriate responsibility for self-care.

This gathering of God’s people from all across Canada to meet as the General Conference of The Free Methodist Church in Canada May 16-19 at the Airport Marriott Hotel in Toronto was a truly inspirational experience.

The theme of the General Conference was “You have been treated generously, so live generously”, based on Jesus’ words found in Matthew 10:8. It seemed to me that as the hours of the General Conference passed, the Holy Spirit was imbedding this reality more and more deeply in our hearts. In my estimation, this was the best General Conference yet!

Three resolutions from the Healthy Churches Study Team presentation touched on this concern from different perspectives. While the network system has come a long way and is valued, there was a directive to bring greater discipline to the network system and to ensure that Network Leader Mentors and Network Leaders are clear about their roles to help the pastoral networks achieve the following goals:

Here’s one example of how the ethos of generosity began to show up among us. It came from the worship team. This group of active young adults – several of them guys with big appetites – came back from the Sunday noon meal with a story. They had gone as a group to a nearby restaurant and when it came time for them to pay their bill, the waiter informed them that someone else anonymously picked up their “tab” – no doubt out of appreciation for their ministry at the General Conference.

But the dust is settled now and we want to understand what God has said to The Free Methodist Church in Canada as a result of gathering its leaders together. The General Conference has given assignments on what needs to happen to deepen the health and increase the momentum of our movement in Canada and in other parts of the world to accomplish the mission God has given us. (For details on the various actions, you can read the General Conference minutes and appendices on the FMCiC website at: http://www. fmc-canada.org/gen_conf/study-team-reports.html.)

I thought that I would take this opportunity to give an overview of the major themes and assignments that came out of the conference.

There is substantial concern in our movement that we pay attention to the health of local church pastors. The Board of Administration has taken note of this deep concern and at its first meeting, it will begin the process of

• • • •

To provide a matrix of relationship-based support and accountability for every appointed pastor with respect to his/her ministry of leadership as a pastor.

To develop and encourage an environment of health among pastors.

To support the vision of healthy congregations within the reach of every Canadian and beyond.

To nourish learning communities within our movement that focus on five foundational themes: clergy health, congregational health, missional leadership, church multiplication and Wesleyan worldview.

The Healthy Churches Study Team also concerned itself with First Nations issues and led the conference to agree that, as a movement, we would join with others in Canada to publicly confess our role in the oppression of Canada’s First Nations people. The conference also agreed to make individual and corporate efforts to repair the broken relationships between the Church, its members, and First Nations people.

While we are making good progress in planting churches in our nation, there was a call for the National Leadership Team and the Board of Administration to carry out strategic planning to better resource church planters and more adequately finance and support church planting initiatives – especially in the case where the “tent-making” approach is being used.

Real value was also seen in establishing vital connections between existing churches and teams planting new churches. Because of the way that Canada’s [continued at the bottom of page 3]

Newly appointed Board and Committee Members BOARD OF ADMINISTRATION

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MOSAIC

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A Century of Free Methodism in Canada Change... on purpose

T

here is a range of feelings that I experience when I take the time to crack open one of my older journals and read some of the entries. Most of the thoughts expressed on these pages bring a quick smile to my face. Mainly at the stunning lack of maturity I displayed in those early years, but also by the some of the decisions I made early on that have shaped the kind of Jesus-follower I have become.

While the waves of nostalgia washed over me one afternoon as I decided to leaf through one of my “not-so-old” journals – I realized that there were some really great thoughts and insights that I’d jotted down.

Unfortunately, that is where they been for some time – on a page in a journal on a shelf in my room. An idea, even a good one, is just that, until I decide to allow it to change me. Unless I purposefully let it work into the fabric of my life, it will sit there and eventually be forgotten.

A good many wonderful things were accomplished at General Conference. We now have a new core value to add to our list of seven which are firmly planted in our Free Methodist identity. We’ve gained some understanding and perspective on the last 100 years of Free Methodism in Canada. The Leadership Development Plan tracking system has been approved and we corporately acknowledged our part in oppressing First Nations peoples.

So what will we do with all these resolutions that were voted on and passed by the body? How will we allow them to transform us as individuals? How can we be sure that they will shape our Free Methodist DNA? Well, I believe it will require careful and intentional thought about how best to incorporate them into the movement.

If

we are a “movement”, which is how we often refer to ourselves, then where are we moving? As when aboard ship it can often be difficult to tell. Navigation often requires fixed points to determine direction and velocity. History [something of a fixed point] is one way a movement can determine its direction and velocity.

which judges by externals, stole our patience for outsiders and broke the spirit of our children and teens. Legalism, despite its claims to the contrary, did not produce more spiritual people! In the end, legalism robbed us of our sense of mission!

It was a need for a fixed point that led my department to spend hours digitizing our historical records. We wanted to find when we planted most of our churches. We wanted to know if the number of churches in our movement was growing or declining. After all we want “to see a healthy church within the reach of all Canadians and beyond” — to do that we will need lots of churches. What we set out to measure was the capacity we have to see that vision realized. The chart on this page is the result of that work. As you can see we have several points of interest. We had some explosive years in the late 1890s. We reached a peak in 1939 and went into a long decline. We may be seeing a turn around in the last decade.

With all of our newly established churches we spent the next 50 years devoting our energy to deepening what we already had. In this era, we peaked within the first 20 years and entered a period of steadily declining capacity. We deepened ourselves through the development of national infrastructure [national committees and governing bodies, two bible colleges, and a national publication called “The Herald”]. Symbolically, our tents that were constantly on the move became permanent buildings on the campgrounds we began purchasing. We also developed a national funding strategy to help equalize ministers’ salaries, and a national loan program to fund building expansion projects.

None of this work was bad in and of itself, but this kind of internal focus did little to restore our sense of mission. Unfortunately, since no one person was watching the national store, it became hard to notice the decline during those years. Lorne Ball in 1970 knew something was up when he wrote “It is interesting to look over the lists of appointments across the years and note the number of places that were at one time listed, but no long appear. There probably would be half again as many pastoral charges in this conference, if all the places where churches were started, had continued. Annual conferences were held at places where no Free Methodist Church now exists. God alone knows why.”

In order to navigate our direction as a movement I humbly submit to you five potential fixed points in our history that marked significant changes in the characteristics of our movement. Some periods offer hope. Some periods offer a warning.

Fixed point 1: Movement [1876-1905]

We began as a movement in 1876, nine years after Confederation when an American Free Methodist pastor was sent to Canada to get the revival fires burning. This was THE period of our greatest growth. It’s a period when we were at our best.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German writer and philosopher in the 18th century said, “Knowing is not enough; we must apply!” The application process of this quote has been my prayer of late – it is not particularly complex, it’s simple really and gets right to the point – “Let’s not make this just another page in our journal.”

Free Methodists at their best are: Socially conscious — We were directly involved with the issues of our day. We were on the front lines of the slavery abolition movement. We led the pack regarding the role of women in leadership [evidenced by our peculiarly large number of women evangelists]. We cared for the poor. Outwardly Focused — We existed almost entirely for those outside the kingdom. Most of our time, money, effort and focus Lisa Howden Managing Editor was spent on those that didn’t yet know Jesus. Self-sacrificing and Generous in the Extreme — We gave ourselves completely to our Mission from God. Charles Sage thought of his life like this “I signed the blank contract and let God fill in the rest.” Passionate and Powerful Prayers — We believed that prayer could change lives and prayed so that lives were changed. We staked our lives on what God could accomplish at that moment. That’s why we were involved directly in what was going on in our society We grew through a town-to-town method known as Circuit Riding. Circuit Riding begins with a tent revival meeting and ends with a church plant. We moved all over the country this way. We followed rail lines, horse trails and any new Canadian expansion [mining, pioneering, forestry, road, etc…]. Our future leaders were born again in our tents and quickly sent back out into the mission field or stayed behind to strengthen our existing churches.

Fixed point 2: Sectarian Legalism [1898-1924]

The momentum of those early revival years carried us forward for nearly 40 years. Even in the middle of that unprecedented growth period something was happening that would start to weigh us down: sectarian legalism. As early as 1906, a mere 30 years since the first revival meetings we began to notice that pastors were no longer “pushing out into the regions beyond, and raising up new appointments and new circuits.”

By 1919 we lamented that “some circuits have not seen a genuine old-fashioned revival for years”. We also noticed “A tendency toward settling down and being satisfied with present attainments.”

A s our rural movement got more and more out of step with an urban Canada we didn’t recognize anymore, we started to circle the wagons for damage control. Our previously outward energy was now focused on the devils within. We set our sights on “stud-buttons and pins” and “indecently long mustaches and beards”; we asked that Sabbaths be kept holy by forbidding “Social visiting, picnicking, joy-riding, sightseeing, patronizing milk wagons, street cars, ferry boats, reading newspapers and magazines, children set aside toys, ball games, marbles, rambles in the woods for nuts or squirrels.”

Now all of this legalism was not entirely bad. In some ways it actually did protect us from Liberalism and Canadian “Chaos” — if you consider being neither in the world nor of the world a form of protection. It also helped us develop a distinct identity – nobody in those days had to ask “what is a Free Methodist?”

Sadly, legalism robs you of your generosity – it takes a while to do its dirty work, but it gets the job done! Legalism

Fixed Point 3: Churchly Denomination [1920-1973]

Fixed Point 4: Legitimately Canadian Denomination [1970-1993]

It became apparent to us and the American church that something authentically Canadian needed to be created north of the border to ensure the movement’s continued health. The groundwork had been laid in the previous period and we poured our energy into becoming a legitimately Canadian Denomination. During this time we got our own Bishop and became a Jurisdictional Conference in 1974.

In 1990 we became our own General Conference separate from the American church. In 1995, we set our own distinct direction for our denomination.

The focus on being independent seemed to help stave off some of the decline but it did not restore our sense of mission in Canada.

Fixed Point 5: Generic Evangelicalism [1978-present]

Something unique has been happening lately. It’s hard to describe because in many senses we are still living it out. I’ll leave it to later historians to accurately name it. That being said I believe that in the past number of years we have begun drifting from our distinctly Methodist roots and toward generic evangelicalism. Howard Snyder who currently holds the Wesley Chair at Tyndale puts it this way: “We cast about looking for new definitions of success to replace our historic sense of mission. Many Free Methodists unknowingly became nonWesleyan dispensationalists. We absorbed unbiblical ‘rapture’ theology that was suspicious of efforts at social reform, hostile to environmental concerns, and mostly negative toward women’s leadership.”

During this current period we have made church growth and church planting a priority. We have also focused on defining our mission, vision and core values. The last 30 years of the FMs can read like a who’s who of the Christian bookstores shelves: Donald McGavern, Win Arn, Willow Creek and “seeker-targeted” experiments in the 80s and 90s, “The Purpose Driven Church” and Lyle Schaller have all helped us restructure and refocus our denomination.

Again none of this is bad in and of itself and this time something new might be going on. Maybe all this focus on vision, mission and core values has done something to us. Maybe in the act of writing these things down we have found ourselves starting to live them out!

Conclusion

So what’s going on now? What is happening in 2008?

Where are we headed? What do these fixed points tell us? Well, I don’t want to alarm anyone but we may be in the middle of turning around nearly 70 years of declining or plateaued capacity. To [continued on page 10, “A Century of Free Methodism in Canada”]

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MOSAIC

l ea der d ership s h i p d evel e v e lop op m me ent nt I

now have a different perspective on General Conference, and not just because my assigned seat was the National Leadership Team members. A leave of absence is typically granted for personal health or in another location this time. I always appreciated, from a distant, academic point of view, how much for educational reasons. This is different from a sabbatical, as the conditions that result in the leave of work goes into organizing an event of this size. Now that my understanding of General Conference is absence are such that time off needs to be given. experiential as well, I have a whole new appreciation for the people who make Recommendation #4: Revisions were also made to par 340 – ‘Pastoral it happen and the time and energy they devote to it. I have engaged in the preGuidelines for granting Transitions’ that clarified some of the exceptional situations that may arise in the conference activities and now we’re in the post- conference aftermath of evaluation life of the church that would lead the pastor and/or the official board to request sabbaticals for pastoral and debriefing. The phrase ‘it’s all over but the crying’ popped into my head the bishop’ s permission for a vote of confidence. The clarifications provide a but it was quickly disregarded for two reasons. First, General Conference was staff were approved. way for the bishop to intervene on behalf of the conference as well as providing a wonderful time of inspiration, connection and direction and while the Holy This recommendation guidance on how to take and interpret the vote.

Spirit certainly moved some of us to tears at times, I don’t believe that’s the kind provides direction.

It of crying the phrase is suggesting. Second – it’s not over. There’s a lot of work to Recommendation #5: The need for new pastor orientation has been is neither a mandate do! identified by the Board of Administration (BoA) and by the results of an informal nor an entitlement.

For survey of new pastors conducted by the Personnel office. The development of an I presented the report and the recommendations brought by the Developing orientation for new pastors, developed by the DoP and MEGaP, was approved. maximum benefit for Godly, Competent Leaders for Today and Tomorrow Study Team on behalf of the National Ministerial Education Guidance and Placement committee (NMEGaP). The NMEGaP members serve as the study team. ‘DGCLfTaT by NMEGaP’ – we certainly had the longest title.

For those who weren’t able to attend, here are the recommendations from the Developing Leaders Study Team that were passed (which includes all of the recommendations). For those who were in attendance, they will remind us of what we voted for.

the pastor and the local church, sabbaticals should be carefully planned in advance ...

Recommendation #1: The Leadership Development Plan (LDP) tracking system was approved for use by MEGaP as an optional part of the MEGaP tracking system. The LDP has been fieldtested with select churches over the past 3 years and four think-tanks were held to evaluate and make modifications. The testing started with four churches and we currently have 12 churches participating, with a few others starting the dialogue. LDP tracking directly involves the local church as interviews are done by local church discernment team(s). There is intentional mentoring and accountability and an integration with the MEGaP tracking system for credentialing. Criteria for local church participation has been developed so if you are interested, please contact me.

Recommendation #2: Guidelines for granting sabbaticals for pastoral staff were approved. A sabbatical is primarily for rest and restoration and is one way the local church can contribute to the ongoing health of their pastor, and deepen, extend and increase his/her ministry. They should not be a response to an emergency but rather function from the perspective of ‘from health, for health’.

This recommendation provides direction. It is neither a mandate nor an entitlement. The recommendation also provides guidance for establishing the terms of a sabbatical, and as they are guidelines, the sabbaticals that may be planned will quite likely look different from church to church.

That’s fine – this is not meant to be a carbon copy process.

For maximum benefit for the pastor and the local church, sabbaticals should be carefully planned in advance and address concerns such as the time frame, the cost, continuation of ministry during the sabbatical, accountability and congregational involvement. Some resources are available to assist with planning.

Recommendation #3: Revisions were made to par 374.6 – ‘Guidelines for Leaves of Absence

Administered by the Local Church’ that reorganized the existing material and introduced the roles of

Recommendation #6: The recommendation to discontinue the phone calls made by the BoA to pastors and MEGaP to delegates was approved. The original intention of the phone calls was to strengthen the connection between the denomination and the local churches. This is now being accomplished through Regional Gatherings.

Recommendation #7: Conference approved a recommendation that outlined a process for located ministers to confirm that they’re attending the Free Methodist Church where their membership has been located, so that they maintain good standing with the Conference.

National MEGaP has the responsibility to initiate and oversee changes to Chapter 8 of The Manual. The changes are reviewed by the Board of Administration and I’ll highlight those that affect the foundational courses. NMEGaP has added two new foundational courses, in keeping with our movement: Ethos of Generosity: Personal & Church Stewardship and Culture & the Missional Church. Both of these courses are now required for all who began tracking as of February 1/08 – but AFTER he or she becomes a ministerial candidate. So if you are tracking, you need to be a ministerial candidate before you take these courses. If you are a ministerial candidate, you may opt to take these courses as electives toward your educational requirements.

Not only are these courses required for those who are tracking, but all members of conference and commissioned ministers have to take both courses as continuing education units. The courses are scheduled for the fall in the East and will be scheduled for the spring in the West – please check the website for dates and locations and how to register.

The final motion by NMEGaP recommended to the General Conference that the ministerial members of Conference in 2008 be approved. We all were!

I enjoyed the opportunity I had to meet so many of you at Conference. It was a good reminder that I’m one part of something so much greater than myself – and of how much God loves His church. Yes, there’s work to do. I now have a new phrase in my head: ‘we’ve only just begun….’.

Rev. Kim Henderson serves as the Director of Personnel for The Free Methodist Church in Canada

[continued from cover, “Now that the dust has settled”]

cultural mosaic is changing, a commitment was made for all churches to increase their capacities for understanding the cultural diversity existing and emerging in their neighborhoods.

those of us who were a part of initiating this, it was a proud moment to participate in voting on the statement in its final form.

The Generosity Study Team laid a foundation for helping our movement to press deeper into the grace of generosity. We want to be gracious, generous people. To embed this in our movement, the General Conference voted to add generosity to our present seven core values (persons, church, team, connection, integrity, learning and growth).

While no recommendations came from the “The Careful Thinking About God’s Truth Study Team” (also known as the Study Commission on Doctrine), we were exposed in their report to new resources posted on the FMCiC website related to discussions on infant dedication and baptisms, abortion, creation care, the distinct lens through which Wesleyans see the world, resources for reflecting on the meaning of ordination, Wesleyan perspectives on women in ministry, the environment and various issues coming from the domain of science and ethics.

This new eighth core value says:

• • • •

God is generous to us… we should be generous with others in all things.

God is glorified when we are generous.

God’s love is demonstrated to others through our generosity.

God promises to reward those who are generous.

The General Conference wants to see resources developed and available to local churches for teaching the importance of generosity so that this value becomes an important part of congregational life. To advance this, direction was given for the subject of generosity to be a regular emphasis in the training given at Fall Minister’s Conferences.

In 2005, the General Conference of The Free Methodist Church in Canada set in motion a resolution that was co-sponsored by The Free Methodist Church in the USA to have a fresh look at how the doctrine of Sanctification is articulated in the Articles of Religion of the Free Methodist movement worldwide. This project has been in motion having made it to the floor of the World Conference in Harare, Zimbabwe in 2003 and then to a meeting of the Council of Bishops in Belgium in 2005 where it was put into referendum to be voted on by all twelve General Conferences worldwide. It was a blessing to see how this doctrinal statement has been strengthened as it has passed through the various critical discussions on its way to becoming a formal resolution. For

Kim Henderson will be talking more about the direction given to the National Ministerial Education, Guidance and Placement Committee and the personnel department with respect to the formation of leaders for the present and the future [see above “Leadership Development”].

All of this to say that while General Conference was a highly inspirational event with enthusiastic and heartfelt worship, rich and meaty teaching from the scriptures, and opportunities for making new friends and renewing older acquaintances, key and fundamental issues related to keeping The Free Methodist Church in Canada focused on its vision “to see a healthy congregation within the reach of all people within Canada and beyond” received significant attention.

We talked about big issues. We focused on some of the critical needs while recognizing that there are still others to be attended to. We’re taking on big assignments that will not happen apart from God acting in huge ways in response to faith-filled praying, joy-based sacrifice and discipline.

Did anything significant happen at General Conference? I think so, but don’t take it just from me. Ask some others who were there.

Rev. Keith Elford is Bishop of The Free Methodist Church in Canada.

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Gleanings of the General Conference 2008 They say to live longer is to think you are younger than you are!

So, after arrangements for accommodations were made, I looked forward to attending our General Conference, accompanied by my daughter Carol. I have attended five General Conferences and 48 annual ones.

For the Conferences to be held in hotels is so different to some of the annual conferences I attended years ago! I remember a person referring to one place on a camp ground when we slept in rooms where you could almost hear the people in the next room breathing, haha.

It was a delight to meet so many friends who had come from far and near to be part of such a well attended gathering. With much prayer it proved to be such an inspiring conference that one felt it was over too soon!

Many concerned people worked diligently on committees to prepare resolutions to vote on, and to hear from leaders of the various ones was very challenging.

Living in such a changing society, to be still holding to strong convictions of God’s Word we are moving forward to witness Christ’s kingdom being established in a powerful way in our World. Being one of the old timers, you may appreciate the fact I am not “with it” in some areas. But I am trying with the Lord’s help, to support the church I love in any way I can.

And of course I was privileged to attend the impressive service of memorials, by pastors Glenn and Linda Dixon, when respect was given to many deceased people, including my dear wife Laurine.

I attended some workshops and felt there were good signs for the future of Christ’s kingdom building, as the theme, “because we have been treated generously, live generously”, is sure to bear much fruit. And we were greatly challenged on Sunday morning by Bishop Elford’s message. By the way I have known the Elford family since 1922 when my father was pastor at Uxbridge.

The challenging messages we heard from Bruxy Cavey were very timely and appreciated.

We give God the praise and the glory for all we have seen and heard. And for all the work that was done to make this an inspiring, link in the chain of the fmcic events, we are grateful.

The Lord willing, we will be looking forward to the next General Conference.

Rev. Arthur Perry Retired Minister

Coming back home I joined the military in 1991. Sharon my wife of fifteen years, and our three children left our local church family at Cole Lake [Godfrey, Ontario] and moved to CFB Esquimalt. If you had asked me the reason for signing up, I would have told you then, that I had always felt a call to a more ecumenical ministry. That was true, but I also experienced many critical pastoral and leadership injuries that deeply scarred my soul [Occurring prior to ministry at Cole Lake]. As I reflect back almost 18 years ago, and if I were honest which I am, I would tell you that I joined up to, yes, do a more ecumenical ministry, but it was also a way to get away from my church family at large!

I know you think you’ve heard the story a thousand times; ‘a recalcitrant son rejecting and fighting against any and all authority or discipline.’ He sees the military as the way out of what he perceives to be a terrible situation! This was not my story! I was an obedient son willing to go where, and do what my family directed. I was, however, immature, inexperienced, and young and I was in need of leadership, mentorship, discipleship, and discipline. Most importantly, I needed to feel that I and my family were loved well!

In joining the military I was adopted by a new family, one that seemed to love me unconditionally. It provided leadership, mentorship, discipline and even a form of grace. However, my new family functioned from a different set of values, requirements, and demands. My new family moved me to places where my church family didn’t exist or was disappearing.

Before I knew it, almost 18 years had passed. Finally my military family posted me back to a place where I could make contact with my church family again. I had lots of apprehension about a reunion taking place in the context of the General Conference but for me that’s exactly what it was going to be!

Friday, May 16, 2008 came quickly! I drove from Trenton to Toronto and arrived at the Marriott Hotel, the foyer already brimming with abundant life! A genuine spirit of excitement created an atmosphere of spiritual expectation. Wow, so many new members had become part of my family during my absence! I had brothers and sisters from the four corners of the earth!

Then in the midst of all these meetings I met some brothers and sisters that I had known for a long time, there was such a deep sense of mutual love and in all our exchanges God’s grace was so real, vibrant, and sincere!

The music started and as the worship unfolded God’s Spirit ministered deeper and deeper in my soul. I can truly testify that the apprehension, hurt, and yes even some resentment I brought to Conference with me died!

This past, my past, my churches past, was now truly buried in the past! I was moved to tears at how truly cleansing and less burdened I felt! I felt at that moment truly loved and loved well by my church family!

Not only was I able to return to my family, but I was able to participate in the family business again!

During the sessions of conducting our business I was so impressed and felt so blessed as to the positive Goddirected way in which our family was moving and the spirit with which they moved! Eighteen years of absence was far too long for any child to be absent from their family! These four days of conference for me was more

like a longed for spiritual retreat. It was worship to the depth of my soul! It was healing! It was renewal! It was a coming home.

Please, if this story sounds like a prodigal child story then I apologize. All of us have the potential and perhaps the reality of being a prodigal or the older brother in Christ’s story! The point we seem to miss in the story is really about the generosity of the Father’s grace. Grace is astounding and incomprehensible, but in Christ, the reality is that we spend a lifetime experiencing its lifechanging force and hopefully our lives both express and share this GRACE in a world that needs to experience it in its fullness! For me that’s what Conference was! I felt well loved through His family! I experienced generosity through those to whom God has been generous! I left shouting, “wasn’t that just like Jesus!!”

Lieutenant Commander Stephen M. Merriman Wing Chaplain at 8 Wing Trenton Ordained Free Methodist Minister

“

This is an amazing event to get an organizational glance of the bigger picture of what God is

”

doing and is about to do.

Conference attendee

Family Reunion

Out of the four General Conferences that I have attended, GC’08 was my favourite. As soon as I arrived on Friday, I felt like I had just arrived at a huge family reunion. I was greeted with so many warm smiles, hugs and people who genuinely cared about me and how my church was doing. It was so refreshing.

As I sat through each session, I became very appreciative of the time and effort that each committee put into their presentation, giving much attention to the details that would mould and shape our denomination.

Each presentation taught me a little more about our purpose and reaffirmed my belief that the FMCiC is headed in a good direction.

When I wasn’t learning valuable information in the general sessions, I hung out with the youth pastors.

I have to admit, this was definitely my favourite part of the entire weekend! Don’t get me wrong.... Bruxy was an amazing teacher and it’s always great to see the Bishop in action, but there’s just something about hanging out with a group of peers with similar interests. The best thing is, we have learned not to compare ourselves or our youth groups. We appreciate each other and how God has uniquely gifted each one of us. It’s just the coolest thing.

Rev. Jennifer Wagar Youth Pastor Verona Free Methodist Church

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Photo Gallery 1. [top left] Nathan Umazekabiri, Ministry Facilitator for Quebec, with his wife Helen Mukabadege 2. [top right] Bruxy Cavey in the main ballroom during Satuday morning devotional.

3. David and Jennifer Wright, missionaries to Niamey, Niger with their two sons.

4. Conference worship team

Freedom within planning

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he last ten years have been a very fun journey for me. Worship, and facilitating worship for others, has been a big part of that. I can attribute this to a few key reasons: [1] I love music. I really enjoy playing and practicing and honing musical skill.

[2] I love experiencing what happens when several people do this together and then offer it back to God. [3] I love it when the church body can then corporately experience this with us. It’s a beautiful expression of our ability to co-create with God. Thus, my decision to accept the challenge of leading worship at General Conference was easy because I knew that I would be surrounded by capable people with whom I could love music and offer it back to God in worship.

And so the General Conference planning sessions started. The humble exchange of ideas and discussion around the board room table at the Ministry Centre made it clear to me, from the beginning, that this was an organized conference with specific start times, end times and only enough spontaneity to accommodate the Holy Spirit’s leading. We agreed that thoughtful set-lists incorporating scripture, prayer and song would be needed. After attending the first couple of meetings I decided that an approach would be necessary. I decided that this would be: freedom within planning.

Over the long-weekend of General Conference, I had the opportunity to speak with many individuals who had questions about my job and how I approach writing liturgy. So I have decided to share with you the four resources which I would not do without in the hope that maybe somebody will glean something of value from my first decade of study and ministry.

1. A Good Lectionary: Lectionaries outline the church year and pre-select the scripture lessons up to three years in advance! [Lectionaries generally include an Old Testament lesson, a Gospel lesson, a reading from the Epistles and a Psalm] This has a number of benefits and a number of challenges. On the one hand, the church body is exposed to a rich variety of scripture lessons. As well, the lectionary is written with the church calendar in mind so it provides a certain fluidity and cohesion on a larger scale. Besides this, pastors don’t have to go through the weekly process of picking a passage – it’s right there…four options every week! On the other hand, sometimes we get passages on a Sunday morning, which are difficult for people to understand. The Bible does have some passages we would prefer not to read aloud on a Sunday morning. Some people also feel that the lectionary is far too staunchy and stifling and does not give enough room for the Pastor to address the current needs of the church. Might I suggest that good, solid exegetical preaching selected indiscriminately from both Testaments is a great centrepiece for congregations who still choose to make preaching a part of its weekly worship. But I digress…

I use the United Church of Canada’s 1969 Service Book – which has a lectionary

at the back [as well as some lovely prayers, calls to worship etc]. There is an Old Testament and a New Testament lesson every Sunday at my church [read by a congregant] – ideally, one of these lessons would coincide with the morning’s sermon.

2. A Good Hymnal: Hymns flow in beautiful verse, rich theology and they strike a familiar chord with the average Sunday worship attendee – especially those who are visiting with us. We should be careful about selecting appropriate hymns for the service and never simply settle for ‘throwing in a hymn’ as if we feel we should meet a quota.

Thoughtful hymn selection really enhances a worship service [this philosophy applies to all singing, actually]. Our church just recently started singing the hymn ‘Tell Out My Soul’ [#27 in the FM Hymnal]. I would recommend it as a good entrance hymn!

Our own hymnal is quite good [The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration] but it is somewhat limited in its hymn and hymn tune selection I would recommend The Celebration Hymnal [Word Music/Integrity Music] if you are looking for some additional hymns [especially at Christmas time]. It has a slightly larger selection of classical hymns, Gospel hymns and more contemporary hymns.

3. Song Select: Song Select is a resource I would not do without. It is available to churches who choose to pay for the service when they are renewing their annual subscription to CCLI*. This resource gives the liturgist access to almost every Christian song ever published [from the oldest hymn to newest chorus] and for the standard songs [both old and new] it provides lyrics, chord charts, lead sheets, sometimes 4-part hymn style arrangements and often an audio clip of some sort.

It would be very difficult to incorporate new music without a resource like Song Select since it has become increasingly difficult to find legal websites from which we can get chord charts for our contemporary music teams. [continued at the top of page 6]

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[continued from page 5 - Freedom within planning]

4. Finally, I never sit down to write liturgy without my own good sense. Now this might seem odd to count as a resource because you can’t buy it or hold it up with a book-end. But it seems that most of what causes division and turmoil around the area of worship and liturgy in a church is based on personal preference and/or selfish motive.

I think that in order to write good liturgy there must be an ability to approach the task with enough creativity to be able to comfort the congregation with what they are expecting and surprise them with what they are not. And in every case we need to make the experience practically accessible and spiritually challenging. If we can master this art people will leave thinking about how beautiful a certain prayer was in relation to a worship song; how wonderfully the closing hymn sealed what was heard in the sermon; or how serendipitously the choir anthem firmed up the words of the Old Testament. I’m not talking about making everything in the morning service have the word ‘prayer’ in it; or having the various items in the liturgy read as an acrostic. I’m talking about planning enough that people are free to experience God who graces us, as we worship, with His divine presence and plan.

So General Conference was a wonderful experience for the entire worship team. We knew from the beginning, that we would be releasing ourselves into His divine, creative plan. I hope these ideas help you to do the same. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me: jasonlocke451@yahoo.ca.

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Jason Locke is the Director of Worship at Wesley Chapel in Scarborough, ON

*Edtiors note about CCLI [Christian Copyright Licensing Inc.]

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What a CCLI license does for you [and why it’s needed]: CCLI can

help your churches with copyright permission to duplicate songs for your worship times. CCLI already helps many of your churches with the legal rights to project or reprint copyrighted songs. Legally this duplication requires permission from the copyright owner. A CCLI license makes getting this permission very easy and very cost effective. Specifically a CCLI license grants legal permission for any or all of the following activities to take place during your worship times: [1] printing songs in bulletins [2] making custom songbooks [3] creating overheads or computer projection of songs [4] recording the worship service on audio or video tapes or CDs. We encourage you to visit the CCLI website: www.ccli.com for more detailed information.

What did I come away with?

Late Sunday evening of our General Conference, I was sitting in my hotel room preparing for the next morning and going over the World Conference report. But I was being “nagged” by a burning question that I felt was not only for me, but perhaps for each participant in this General Conference 2008. So, as is my practice at times like this, I grabbed my journal and began to process what God was saying to me through my scrawl on the paper. What follows is what I choose to believe came out of that late night encounter with my Lord -What did you come to General Conference for? What were you looking to get out of this experience? I remember back to General Conference 2005. It’s not the business sessions or the reports or the resolutions. I remember connecting with friends from across the country, and meeting new friends, young and elderly. I remember the celebration, the teaching of Bishop Ildo from Brazil, the awesome times of worship.

I especially remember the Sunday morning worship service and the realization that there is a huge body of committed believers who call themselves Free Methodists here in Canada.

BUT, most important of all, I remember the overwhelming feeling of the awesomeness that God was here – the Holy Spirit is always with us – but He had enveloped the whole place with His holy presence. This was His meeting!

I went back to Salmon Arm, BC with the incredible sense of a special encounter with God, as did a host of Christian brothers and sisters, I’m sure. HE had moved me “from one degree of glory to another”. That’s what I remember about General Conference 2005. It was so good that somebody was taking minutes about the business (resolutions and recommendations, decisions and directions) because, quite frankly, I didn’t remember too much about that part of the weekend. Perhaps it paled when compared to the overwhelming, all-encompassing sense of a special encounter with God and His people speaking into my life and my spiritual journey.

So (my journal entry continues), here we are at General Conference 2008 this weekend. What will you go home with; what will you remember? The work – Whose work is it? What work are we to be doing? We’ve talked about a movement – Who’s moving? Whose movement is this? In Acts 26, Paul is testifying to King Agrippa about his transformational encounter with Jesus. Christ commissioned Paul, “But now, up on your feet – I have a job for you. I’ve handpicked you to be a servant and witness to what’s happened today, and to what I am going to show you. I’m sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose

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God. I’m sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in me.”

And Paul says, “What could I do, King Agrippa? I couldn’t just walk away from a vision like that!” (Sounds a bit “missional” to me!)

I remember the Board of Administration meeting following General Conference 2005. Bishop Keith presented a devotional which, in essence, was a charge to us – “Let’s go!” God is building His Kingdom. He will use us to accomplish His Plan if we humbly, sincerely, steadfastly follow His Path rather than thinking we’ve got it all figured out! He needs us only to be F.A.T. Christ-followers – Faithful, Available, and Teachable.

You’ve maybe met and visited with a lot of people this weekend, building relationships. My prayer is that you and I will go from this experience with that sense of a deeper, fully-committed relationship with our God, and that relationship will be contagious. This was God’s meeting; we met and did business with Him. That will be my outstanding memory of General Conference 2008.

Max Lucado, in his book 3:16, wrote, “The ratio between those who missed Jesus and those who sought him is thousands to one. But the ratio between those who sought him and those who found him was one to one. All who sought him found him.”

Pat Duncan Former Chair of the Board of Administration Member of Crossroads Free Methodist Church in Salmon Arm, BC

Connecting with God and others It was great to be a part of General Conference 2008. It was a good opportunity to meet all the pastors and connect. Time and again I saw how generous God has been to me in many ways, and I was encouraged to be more generous... The worship time and devotions were a great blessing...

Vinola Pakkianathan works at the Ministry Centre with Dan Sheffield in Global and Intercultural Ministries and attends Kingsview FMC, Toronto, ON

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Photo Gallery

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1. Child Care display at Conference with Vivian Hyndman, International Child Care Ministries Director [Canada] Audrey Zandvliet, among others.

6. Friends chat during break, pastor Dunia Kukungu Sherbrooke EML [QC], Pierre Sanambe, pastor of Source d’Eau Vive, Anesie Sanambe and Charlotte Dyer.

2. John Vlainic, Director of Pastoral Service at St. Peter’s Hospital [ON] and Ruth Vlainic.

7. Gospel of Love Church with Pastor Mike Tesema and Ethiopian worship Team.

3. Réal Gagné and Jean Mbaitoloum, Pastor of Église Évangélique Internationale Méthodiste libre - Le Refuge

8. Faithful tellers counting ballots!

Liisa Farrugia [L], John-Mark Cockram [C], Emily Arbo [R]

4. Canadian Armed Forces Chaplains, Michael Allen (L) and Stephen Merriman (R)

9. Preparing for the flag processional 10. Alan and Ellen Retzman at his retirement dinner.

5. Kingsview FMC delgation.

Free Methodist Women igniting their churches and communities

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Candle to candle, hand to hand, woman to woman, Free Methodist women are igniting their churches and community for Christ. This captures the presentation made at Conference 2008 and the movement that is taking place for the women in Canada East. The workshop entitled “Healthy Women’s Groups” highlighted the Ignite program that the Canada East Women’s Ministries executive has been presenting from Sherbrooke, Quebec to Welland, Ontario, and in between. The program’s theme scripture is found in Acts 1:8, that explains to us that we are to “be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere”.

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Gail Shillington started by talking about motivational flashpoints that can set your world on fire when a vision, a dream, a hope or a desire smoldering in your heart begins to edge toward flashpoint temperatures where you will decide to take action. She said that God often puts an idea in our minds that we might at first be unwilling to act on, but as His temperature on us increases we finally move to action. A flashpoint in her life was when she was given the idea that she should make blankets for Romanian orphans. At first she argued with God that she couldn’t sew a straight line but God brought people into her life who could, and helped her learn how to sew that straight line! Now they have over 300 “Covers of Love”, as she calls the program, ready to be sent to Romania.

First impressions The General Conference in May of 2008 in Toronto was a veritable cornucopia of unforgettable and strategic experiences for me. I was enthralled and stimulated by the powerful combination of worship, teaching and administration. I expected predominately business oriented sessions but encountered dynamic calls to “love well”, “live generously” and “embrace my demise”.

I went home assuring my fellow members of New Heights Church, a ten year old church plant, who like myself, know very little about the Free Methodist movement in Canada, that “we sure have a well organized and Christ focussed denomination”. The way our Conference manages itself using study committees to tackle the major issues of administration, national and international growth, church health, doctrine and stewardship is impressive by its very design. Moreover, each of the committees’ reports were events in themselves, involving a creative game show, multicultural dance, testimonies, an impromptu hymn and a condensed history of the ebb and flow of 150 years of Canadian Free Methodism .

The conversations I enjoyed with pastors and other delegates were tremendously encouraging but what impressed me most was the serendipitous way in which the committee reports, the lyrics of our worship songs, the message by Bishop Elford and the three messages

by Bruxy Cavey all seemed to dovetail into the call to put our lives, money and rich church traditions on the altar of realizing the dream of “a healthy church within reach of every Canadian and the World”. Overall, attending Conference exceeded all my expectations.

Michael Abercrombie, Lay Delegate New Height Community Church in MIssion, BC

Linda Coates then talked about reaching out to our community. It is as simple as walking across the room, the road or the soccer field. Seven steps in doing this are; praying first, thinking of five people you want to reach out to, walking across the room, listening to their story, developing a relationship, telling them your story and inviting them to church and Christ.

The workshop finished with discussing the components of a healthy women’s group. We first must understand the women in our church and build relationships with each other by telling each other our stories, asking questions, showing compassion and unconditional love. The five foundational priorities for a healthy group are; a loving environment, a relational emphasis, a functioning prayer base, a healthy group image (no we do not roll bandages and cut quilt blocks anymore!) and the centrality of God’s Word.

In closing, as the candles were lit, and we reached out to each other, the feeling was that we could return to our churches and communities refreshed and ready to reach out to them. The lit candles in our hands inspired all of us to go out and light our candles as Jesus’ witnesses.

Colleen Zavrel, President Canada East Women’s Ministries

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Do you hear what I hear?

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was explaining to somebody the chore I had been given to jot down my impressions of the recently experienced General Conference. The person I was talking to said, “Oh, sort of a ‘sights and sounds of ’ deal.” And that struck me. One doesn’t really need to write about the sights these days – there will be plenty of pictures on websites and in publications to take care of that. Besides, “sights” can be deceiving. Things can look good and healthy, but that look can be simply a façade. We know that to be true about plants, about people, about buildings…it might also be true of Conferences. Things looked good, but are they? So, in trying to come to conclusions about General Conference (and the FMCIC), I decided I didn’t want to go with how things looked. Which left the sounds portion of the sights and sounds pair. The question for me became, “How did General Conference sound?”

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was a joy in being together as family. Which is weird I know, because we were there for meetings. If you can mix true, heartfelt joy and meetings you are on to something. And the sounds of joy permeated the weekend.

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I heard worship. God’s name was lifted up and glorified. Authentic praise was

offered. God’s Word was opened and God’s truth was revealed. People responded with all they had and all they are. We worshiped (and not just in the formal service times). God was honored. That’s a good sound.

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I heard prayer. The hum of prayer was everywhere. The stillness of the prayer

I heard the sound of careful thought. This was not just a rubber stamp

meeting. Sincere questions were asked. Thoughtful and respectful dialogue was had. There was an actual seeking for understanding, which is rare in our day. People with different views were heard from. Actually, they were listened to (which is also rare in our day). And where there was disagreement, usually it was handled with grace and dignity and love. That indeed is a good sound. Business was done well because people had thought and prayed through the issues.

The sound of careful thought and good work also came from the study teams, the NLT and the various boards, committees and workshop presenters. I actually enjoyed the SCOD report (which are words I never thought I would type or say or think). But it is reassuring to hear the sound of good people doing their best work to help the church, and SCOD made that sound (along with many others)

So how did General Conference sound? Let me tell you what I heard: I heard joy. Lots of laughter, lots of warm greetings, lots of catching up. There

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brothers and sisters doing life together. There was also the sound of waiting on God. I don’t know much about music, but I know that sometimes the silence between the notes is as important as the notes. Prayer is the sound of the silence between the notes. And it was a good sound.

You can tell a lot about a church by how it sounds. I have long believed that healthy churches have a certain sound to them. It is a holy, God honoring sound. And you can’t fake it. Like the thump on a melon, the cough for a doctor or the hum of a motor – you can tell a “healthy” sound from a “not healthy” sound in a church. It has nothing to do with style or volume. It is not even about specific words or phrases used. It is an overall sound, that begins when you walk in the door and it continues until the last person leaves. It is in the greetings, the singing, and the chatter in the lobby. It can be part of the roar of worship or the silence of prayer. Healthy churches have a sound to them.

(Listen to your church sometime – you will learn a lot).

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Like the thump on a melon, the cough for a doctor or the hum of a motor – you can tell a “healthy” sound from a “not healthy” sound in a church.

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The sound of fellowship showed up. Not just laughing together, but people

actually caring for one another, checking up on one another and bearing each others burdens. The sound of serving was everywhere (especially in the Ministry Centre staff ). The sound of generosity was unmistakable – in big and small ways. All of it made up for a good, holy and God honoring roar.

How was General Conference 2008? It sounded great.

Rev. Marc McAlister The Free Methodist Church of Sault Ste. Marie, ON

room. The seeking of God as we made decisions. The off to the side prayer of

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budgeting now for

Photo Gallery 1.

Doug Griffin at the Healthy Churches workshop.

Help avoid a financial surprise in 2011 and consider now what conference may cost then. Although we can only estimate what it might cost a pastor or lay delegate to attend conference in 2011 – in an effort to help churches plan for the expense, we have tried to conservatively approximate the cost for the average church.

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Glenn Snook from Harrowsmith FMC, ON

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Phyllis Slessor, during the Family Feud presentation in the Healthy Churches Study Team Report.

If you budget $25 a month for the next three years per pastor or lay delegate who will be attending conference this should provide you with the necessary funds by 2011.

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General Conference

2011

This calculation includes travel equalization, a three night hotel stay and food costs. Of course, these are only estimates and may be subject to change. Regardless, it is a very good idea to begin putting money aside now.

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Keith Lohnes receiving his “Retirement Certificate of Appreciation” with his wife Gael.

Matthew McEwen presenting for the SCOD (Study Commission on Doctrine) Report

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Pastor Ben Gomez (left) and Shantikumar Kantharatnam preparing for the parade of nations.

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Ministry Centre staff, Marcia Goldstein and Susan Deplanché.

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Alan Adams pictured here with his wife, Jeannette, receiving his “Retirement Certificate of Appreciation”

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Presiding table with Norm Bull [L], Parliamentarian, Bishop Keith Elford [C] and Steve Cylka [R], the conference Secretary.

10. Our guest speaker, Bruxy Cavey with his wife Nina.

11. Sunday morning worship service with Jared Siebert.

12. Missionary to Kenya, Debbie Hogeboom with Conference Coordinator, Tanya Prinsep.

13. Presenter, Linda Dixon during the memorial serivce.

14. Sheldon and Naida Carlson receiving a “Retirement Certificate of Appreciation” 15. Wesley Chapel Choir during the Sunday morning worship service.

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Impacting friends around us

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Photo Gallery

When establishing the goals of the General Conference, I’m certain that “witnessing to outside staff” wasn’t on the top of the list. I’m thankful that the Lord knows better. During general conference, we come into contact and work very closely with many outside suppliers. They watch and listen to us closely; they observe our actions and reactions, they listen to how we speak to each other and about each other and they measure are deeds against our words. I am so thankful that the Holy Spirit was working in the life of one such supplier at this General Conference. (We’ll call her ‘friend’) Although disinterested in most of the sessions and presentations at the beginning, our ‘friend’ came into the meeting hall just prior to Bishop Keith asking the delegates and guests to stand and pray together. While we spent time with our Lord, she looked around confused and a little uncomfortable.

There were other times throughout the day that ‘friend’ would ask for some clarifications, some explanations and even make an objection or two.

Later that evening, ‘friend’ and I were joined by a friend of mine whose husband is a Free Methodist pastor. I actually sat in awe as my friend was given the opportunity to comfortably, easily and clearly present her and her husband’s testimonies. Many questions came up and I know that our ‘friend’ was moving towards a crossroad. It was during this conversation that ‘friend’ explained to

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[left] Grant and Olwen Sigsworth, from Whitby FMC, ON

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[middle] Past and present Directors of Personnel: Dennis Camplin, Alan Retzman and the newly appointed Kim Henderson.

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[right] Will Keller, pastor of Harrowsmith FMC, ON having some fun with Lois Tomc, our faithful conference photographer.

us that when we had been praying as a group earlier that day, she had thought to herself “either these people are crazy or I’m missing something”. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

I know that ‘friend’ has begun her journey and I’m praying that she continues to seek “what she’s missing”. I pray that the Lord will bring people into her life who continue to challenge her. I pray that the people she met, the teachings she heard and the presence of God that she experienced at General Conference will remain in her heart until she acknowledges and accepts the grace, mercy and forgiveness that comes only from Jesus Christ.

Tanya Prinsep General Conference Coordinator attends Barrie FMC

Bastian Chair of Wesley Studies at Tyndale Reaches Endowment Goal At the recent General Conference of The Free Methodist Church in Canada, Lloyd R. Eyre, President, Lorne Park Foundation announced that the goal of $1,200,000 to fully endow the Donald N. & Kathleen G. Bastian Chair of Wesley Studies at Tyndale Seminary has been reached.

The origins of this Chair go back almost 20 years to 1989 when leaders of denominations committed to a Wesleyan theology met together with presidents and/or deans of Wesleyan educational institutions to discuss seminary education in Canada.

Bishop Donald N. Bastian of the Free Methodist Church and President Neil Hightower of the Canadian Nazarene College shared common concerns for seminary training of Wesleyan-oriented ministers in Canada.

Studies. Dr. Shepherd occupied the Chair from 1993 to 2004 when he accepted the position of Professor of Systematic & Historical Theology at Tyndale. Dr. Shepherd established himself as one of the most articulate and popular professors at Tyndale within the student body during the eleven years he graced the Chair. Without his personal commitment, the Chair might not have been created.

During those years and continuing to the present, a capital campaign was undertaken to fully endow the Chair in perpetuity.

In 1998, a donor suggested that the Chair be called The Donald N. & Kathleen G. Bastian Chair of Wesley Studies, to honour Bishop Bastian’s vision and commitment to

For years, Bishop Bastian had cherished the idea of a Wesley studies professorship at a Canadian trans-denominational seminary. By establishing such a position, Wesleyanism would become a worthy dialogue partner alongside Baptist, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Reformed and other Christian traditions.

In 1991, Bishop Bastian and Rev. Paul Johnston, at that time Executive Director of The Free Methodist Church in Canada, presented the vision for a Chair of Wesley Studies to Major William Wilson, educational secretary of the territory and Lieut.-Colonel Robert Chapman of the Salvation Army.

Next, Bishop Bastian convened a meeting of denominational leaders. Representatives included the following churches: The Brethren in Christ Canada, The Free Methodist Church in Canada, The Church of the Nazarene in Canada, The Standard Church of [top left] Bishop Keith Elford [L] with Bishop Gerald Bates [C] and Rev. Dr. Howard Snider. [bottom left] Donald N. & Kathleen G. Bastian at the installment ceremony in October 2007.

America and The Wesleyan Church of Canada.

[right hand side] Dr. Howard A. Snyder was installed as Distinguished Professor, Chair of Wesley Studies.

In that meeting, the representatives agreed to seek financial commitments from their respective denominations to be paid on a yearly basis that would be sufficient to establish a half-time Chair. Those financial commitments continue to this day.

That same year, representatives from those denominations met with Dr. Ian Rennie, Academic Dean of Tyndale Seminary to discuss the possibility of a Wesleyan presence in the Seminary by means of a half-time Chair.

Through a series of providences, Bishop Bastian and Dr. Victor Shepherd met and became engaged in a long series of “earnest conversations,” a favourite expression of John Wesley. And out of those conversations, the Chair took shape.

In 1993, Dr. Victor Shepherd became the first occupant of the Chair of Wesley

this dream. The Wesley Studies Committee, representing the supporting denominations and the Seminary, endorsed the name.

In October 2007, Dr. Howard A. Snyder was installed as Distinguished Professor, Donald N. & Kathleen G. Bastian Chair of Wesley Studies at Tyndale Seminary. Dr. Snyder’s ministry is already having an important impact on both the seminary and the member denominations.

Now that the $1.2 million dollar goal has been raised, further contributions to the endowment fund are still welcome. Knowing that the cost of education will increase in the years to come, we are hoping that the endowment will continue to grow.

For further information, please contact Lloyd R. Eyre at lreyre@cogeco.ca or 705.745.7585.

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PASSAGES APPOINTMENTS Philippe Reichenbach – Pastor, EML St-Henri, Montréal,

effective April 21, 2008 Nathan Umazekabiri – Ministry Development Facilitator

for Quebec, effective April 21, 2008 Christopher Jardin – Assistant Pastor, The Third Space, Peterborough, ON, effective May 1, 2008 Dennis Camplin – Transitions Pastor, Lakeview FMC, Saskatoon, effective May 8, 2008 Jason Johnson – Lead Pastor, West Springs FMC, Calgary, effective July 15, 2008 Stephen An – Associate Pastor of Maturity and Outreach, Weyburn, SK, effective May 22, 2008 Glenn Dixon – Intentional Interim Pastor, Pineview FMC, Cloyne, ON, effective June 22, 2008 Judy Crowe – Interim Pastor, Frankford Community

Church, Frankford, ON, effective July 1, 2008 APPROVED AS COMMISSIONED MINISTER Jody Pfeifer [Weyburn (SK) Free Methodist Church],

Commissioned on June 8, 2008 ORDAINED MINISTER RECEIVED BY TRANSFER Stephen Suk Joo An [Weyburn (SK) FMC] from Korean

Evangelical Church of America (a subsidiary organization of Korean Evangelical Holiness Church in Korea) Samson Mehari [Chapel Ridge, Stittsville, ON] from The

Free Methodist Church Middle East Mission District.

CHURCHES IN TRANSITION Dunnville FMC, Dunnville, ON Frankford Community Church, Frankford, ON Kingston West FMC, Kingston, ON Lakeview FMC, Saskatoon, SK Pineview FMC, Cloyne, ON Polson Park FMC, Kingston, ON Prince Edward County FMC, Picton, ON Rice Road Community Church, Welland, ON Saskatoon FMC, Saskatoon, SK Valleyview Community Church, Val Caron, ON Verona FMC, Verona, ON Westdale Park, Napanee PASTORS IN TRANSITION Harold Fox Dale Hawley Jim Peetoom Brandon Shillington

John Kurish Robert Snider

A Century of Free Methodism in Canada [continued from page 2]

what do we attribute this change? For starters we seem to be good at planting churches [we’ll be able to completely back that statement up in 25 years]. But here is an early indicator: most church planting material tells us that two-thirds of all church planting attempts fail. In the last decade we have had a 72% survival rate.

In the past decade we have been able to reach into new kinds of Canadian social territory through many different kinds of ethnic, cultural and even sub-cultural ministries and church plants.

While it’s too early to pronounce “Mission Accomplished,” we are seeing very positive signs. So what is it going to take to make sure this is a turn-around and not just another blip on the chart?

I think we are going to have to be at “our best” to make sure this is a turn-around and not just another blip on the chart. We are once again going to need to be: Socially Conscious — We will need to get serious and stay serious about the poor and oppressed in our country. Outwardly Focused — B.T. Roberts once called for every preacher to be a revival preacher and every church a revival church. That sounds about right to me. Self-Sacrificing and Generous in the Extreme — We have also proven in the past that we can be generous. We are going to be even more generous now. Revival Movements are not supported with spare change and one time gifts; it takes long term sustained generosity to make it happen. At General Conference I asked for 100 churches to give $3700 a year [that’s $308/month or $71/week] to help us sustain new growth through church planting. Passionate and Powerful Prayers — many more of us will have to join the Bishop as he calls us to prayer and fasting for our work with God in Canada and beyond. We will need to stake our lives on what God can accomplish right here right now — we will need to be good at spotting what God is up to in the “here and now” and then have enough faith to plunge right in.

I won’t claim I know what is going on here but I can tell you what I hope it is. I hope we’re becoming a movement again!

Rev. Jared Siebert is the Director of Growth Ministries for The Free Methodist Church in Canada.

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was a privilege to participate on the Generosity Study Team as a resource person this past year. In September 2007 the team began to work together, wrestling with ideas that would help us as a movement, continue to develop an ethos of generosity.

The team members included: Joe Schaefer – chair, Dave Barbour, Dianne Clifford, Gavin Martin, Doris Meredith, and Doug Trithardt; as well as resource people: Laurie McAlister, Debbie Jensen, Norm Bull, and Mark Molczanski. I want to thank each member of the team for their willingness to participate and give of their time and talents. They were a wonderful group to work with and exhibit evidence of generosity in their lives.

and generosity teaching, preaching, celebrating and modeling into all aspects of church life and report their activity to Network Leaders via question 4 on the Quarterly Reports.

Typically many churches have taken a Sunday or two during the church calendar and focused on tithing. While this is important, it does not provide the kind of approach that encourages the life transformation that is necessary to become a faithful steward. There are many verses in the Bible that speak about money and possessions.

Being a faithful steward means that in all we do, every part of our life, we acknowledge that God is the owner, is in control and provides for us.

Here is a short story to confirm that last statement. During the course of working together as a team, one of the team members indicated that his church did not have the funds available to cover the cost for general conference and therefore he would not be coming. The other team members felt very strongly that he should be at conference and decided to “put their money where their mouth is”. Not knowing what others were sending, several team members forwarded donations to the church and enough was received to cover all expenses.

We need to: Preach it. Teach it. Celebrate it. Model it.

The following recommendations were adopted as a result of the work of the generosity study team:

That Generosity be added as an eighth Core Value.

Generosity Recommendation #1

That each church in our movement seriously consider having a Stewardship Coordinator in place by January 31, 2010 To ensure the success of a stewardship ministry within the local church, we believe a Stewardship Coordinator is essential. This role should be filled by someone who: • is well respected in your church • exhibits an authentic, vital spiritual commitment to God • is able to work well with people • demonstrates leadership qualities • has a passion for this ministry • is a faithful steward in both their personal and professional lives • is willing to give of their time and talents to this ministry The Stewardship Coordinator’s role is to encourage the development of a culture of stewardship within your church life. The Stewardship Coordinator will work with the pastor and ministry leaders to: • remind, encourage, resource the pastor to preach and communicate in a variety of ways about Biblical stewardship, • encourage and resource the training and education of all age groups, • remind, encourage, and resource the appropriate celebration of faithful stewardship of time, talent, treasure Generosity Recommendation #2

That each church in our movement commit to incorporating stewardship

If stewardship pervades all aspects of our life, it’s teaching and preaching should not be limited to a couple Sundays a year and perhaps a Saturday or evening seminar. The stewardship and generosity message needs to drip from every faucet of church life – worship; Sunday School; children’s, youth and adult ministries; small groups; outreach; hospitality; evangelism; discipleship; …

Generosity Recommendation #3

Core values affirm and guide what is central to defining who we are and how we live and serve both God and man. They should be reflected in all we do, the decisions we make, the policies we write, the way we interact and communicate. If we do this, our culture, our ethos will be a reflection of our core values. Adding generosity as an eighth core value is necessary to our success in developing an ethos of generosity.

The generosity study team provided the following suggestion as to how the generosity core value could be expressed along side the other 7 existing core values.

Generosity

• • • •

God is generous to us in all areas of our lives and being designed in His image we should be generous with others in all things God is glorified when we are generous God’s love is demonstrated to others through our generosity God promises to reward those who are generous

Generosity Recommendation #4

That the theme of stewardship and generosity be included in the cycle of themes for the fall pastors conferences with its first occurrence in 2009.

The Generosity Study Team believes that we need to put a high priority on training and educating our leaders regularly on stewardship and generosity. We believe that a one-time effort is not sufficient for ongoing success. Therefore we are recommending that this topic be included in the cycle of information themes presented at the fall pastors’ conferences.

We want leaders to exhibit the characteristics of faithful stewards, living generous lives – hands open, willingly and cheerfully giving of ourselves and our resources. We want to be leaders who talk about stewardship with so much moral authority that it is a joy to do so – that we will not be afraid because we have experienced the benefits of being faithful stewards and passionately want the same for the people in our congregations.

One final note… Rod Rattray, Executive Director of Crown Financial Ministries Canada, joined us for part of general conference. Rod works with many denominations across the country. After the report from the Generosity Study Team, Rod indicated that as far as he knows we are the first denomination in Canada to make such a strong commitment to biblical stewardship and generosity.

Joanne Bell is the Stewardship Development Director for The Free Methodist Church in Canada

11

MOSAIC

Student Ministries

LEADERSHIP GATHERING COMING SOON!

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tudent ministry has many rewards and joys. And like most any other ministry there are difficulties and frustrations. Those of us who live and work with our teens and young adults do so because of a God-given inner passion that longs to see these young people become the young men and women God has purposed for them to become, plus, they are just a lot of fun! There is nothing we’d rather do.

We’re stronger together!

A group of Student Ministry workers and pastors have begun to meet with Bishop Keith and Kim Henderson to discuss how we can move forward together to build our national student ministry in light of our present reality. You may have seen this team present at General Conference.

We’re stronger together! Connecting and resourcing each other are priorities. To this end we have begun to build a directory of student ministry workers across the country. We want to continue to build on the FMDOG brand to emphasize the importance of connecting and raise awareness of the Free Methodist church as a movement. “DOG Days” will work toward bringing us together and support existing events. We’d also like to partner with our camps better. Your groups can take advantage of these existing facilities to broaden your existing ministry. We are stronger together.

Free Methodist Disciples of God

Some Student Ministries Leaders [image taken during General Conference]

Yes, these initiatives have started in Ontario but we are committed to connecting all student ministry workers across the country. This is why we have begun to collect information for our directory of student ministry workers. We also encourage student ministry workers to attend the “Stronger Together” Student Ministry Leadership Gathering at Muskoka Baptist Conference near Huntsville, Ontario, October 17-19. This gathering has served well to refresh, resource and connect those involved in student ministry. Any leader 18 years of age and older who is presently involved in Student Ministry or wishes to get involved is welcome to attend. Some funds will be available to assist with travel for those who come from a distance.

You are not alone, whether you’re just starting out in student ministry, located in a small church in a rural area, dealing with ethnic diversity in an urban environment, you’ve got 3 junior high teens or a full range of students you’re reaching you can find ideas, encouragement and support through others who are walking with students too.

Here are some things you can do: • Register for the Stronger Together Gathering • Give us the contact information for your student ministry workers (if you haven’t already) • Connect with other student ministry workers in your area • Connect with Free Methodist camps in your area • Contact me for more information or assistance, kgowdy@rogers.com Rev. Kris Gowdy is the Student Ministries Pastor at Trulls Road FMC

Student Ministry Leadership Gathering 2008

Stronger Together!

Friday Oct. 17 to Sunday Oct. 19, 2008 | Muskoka Baptist Conference

Join with Free Methodist Student Ministry leaders and pastors from across the province as we come together for a time of connection, encouragement, celebration and refreshment!

REGISTRATION Registration is only $99 and includes all activities, accommodation and meals.

This event is open to all leaders [18 years +] and pastors involved in Free Methodist Student Ministries [Jr. High / Sr. High / Young Adult] Final Registration date: September 26, 2008

General Conference confesses collective participation in oppression of First Nations

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ost Canadians took notice of the June 11 apology by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on behalf of the Canadian government for their role in the “sad chapter” of the federally-financed, church-run, native residential school system.

Just a couple weeks earlier, however, the General Conference of The Free Methodist Church in Canada publicly confessed “a role in the oppression of First Nations people, whether by action or passive inaction, past or present.” As members of Canadian society, Free Methodists participated in electing successive governments throughout the 20th century who contributed to oppression and injustice toward aboriginal peoples. As people claiming the name “Christian,” Free Methodists also have a connection to the wider Christian community which sought to eliminate the cultural identity of First Nations peoples in the name of “Christianizing” them.

Methodist Church in Canada has a role to play in achieving this goal. Identifying the souls around us that are dejected, angry, hurt from lost dignity, and seeking to restore this aspect of their spiritual life, we will earn their trust. Only then can we show through our actions and words that God’s Kingdom is truly an inclusive and Eternal Nation characterized by mercy, grace and love. By seeking the well-being of others we will find greater spiritual health ourselves as individuals and churches.”

In a follow-up to the confession resolution, it was further resolved that Free Methodists should, “by the leading of God’s Holy Spirit, make individual and corporate efforts to repair the broken relationships between the Church and its members and First Nations people.”

David Kneeshaw, a delegate from Centennial FMC in Kamloops, BC, works as an engineer for the Tk’emlups Indian Band. In an audio-visual presentation Kneeshaw asked the questions: “What does a cup of cold water look like to a First Nations person? What does good news sound like to a First Nations person?” He suggested “being invited to church is generally not a cup of cold water, generally not good news.” The Study Team report offered a number of ideas for developing relationships with First Nations people – find out who and where they are; offer practical help; become a learner – ask; invite participation in hands-on activities.

A couple of key resources to read: Calvin Helin’s Dances with Dependency, and Richard Twiss’ One Church, Many Tribes.

Kneeshaw, who was a member of the Healthy Churches – Here and Beyond Study Team, concluded his presentation by asking “What is God’s Mission for us today as we consider our First Nations and other ethnic groups? Restoration of dignity and respect through personal agape-love relationships is the place to start. As we do this, our churches can’t help but become healthier! The salt and light of Christ will be broadcast into our world.”

If your church lives in a community with a significant First Nations population and you would like help to investigate needs, or intercultural training to empower your involvement, please contact our office [pakkianathev@fmc-canada.org].

Several First Nations united in worship dance - Haida, Secwepemc, Mohawk, Lakota.

In open forum discussion on the Friday night before the resolution went to the floor for voting, various concerns were raised by delegates to the conference. This resolution proved to prompt the most discussion of any of the resolutions from the Healthy Churches Study Team. Of particular concern was the notion that, for all intents and purposes, very few in attendance may have actively or inactively actually oppressed First Nations people. Some, representing churches located near reserves, suggested they were, in fact, trying to be agents of reconciliation. Study Team members, however, suggested the resolution was addressing general, collective responsibility rather than specific individual actions.

It was apparent that many in attendance were unaware of Canadian Free Methodist involvement in First Nations outreach from the 1950s through the 1990s, particularly in Saskatchewan and Alberta. At one point there was even a national Director of Native Ministries for the FMCiC. [Information about this period of our history is available via the Intercultural Ministries section of our website.]

In the preamble to the resolution, study team members wrote “It is Jesus’ heart desire that their dignity, which has been destroyed through these circumstances, be rebuilt so they can recognize, then receive God’s mercy and grow in His love. The Free

Did you know..?

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In 2006, the number of people who identified themselves as an Aboriginal person, that is, North American Indian (First Nations people), Métis and Inuit, surpassed the one-million mark, reaching 1,172,790. This figure accounts for 4% of the total population of Canada.

Aboriginal people in Canada are increasingly urban. 54% live in urban areas (including large cities or census metropolitan areas and smaller urban centres). In 2006, Winnipeg was home to the largest urban Aboriginal population (68,380), followed by Edmonton, Vancouver, and Toronto. An estimated 40% lived on reserves, while the remaining 60% lived off reserve.

Over 60 different Aboriginal languages are spoken by First Nations people in Canada, grouped into distinct language families. The most-spoken aboriginal language is Cree (87,000), part of the Algonquin language family.

[Statscan data]

Free Methodists should, “by the leading of God’s Holy Spirit, make individual and corporate efforts to repair the broken relationships between the Church and its members and First Nations people.”

Confession resolution General Conference 2008