JUNE 2013

Be Strong and CourageouS

“Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.” - Mark 1:35In our fast paced world, we are so active that necessary time for reflection, prayer, and planning sometimes gets squeezed out. that is why proactive, intentional times set aside to retreat and go “off-site” become even more important. If Jesus, the Son of god, needed these times alone with the Father, surely we need these times with him and with one another even more.

Webster’s dictionary defines retreat in several ways, all of which, in some unique fashion, describe what happens when we decide to step away for planning as a group:

• an act of withdrawing, especially from something dangerous, difficult, or disagreeable• a place of privacy or safety• a period of group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, and study

the elders at north Park and fifteen other leaders withdrew from our normal routine for a leadership retreat on May 4/5. our purpose was to step away from the activity and join a “holy conversation” as we looked toward the future together. We were seeking who it is that god is calling us to be and what it is he is calling us to do. thank you for praying for this time. god answered!

It was an exciting time to reflect together and to hear how it is that god is stirring in our leaders’ hearts. Common themes began to emerge from our small group discussions. With each conversation throughout the day on Saturday, more and more clarity came. north Park’s vision and mission were reaffirmed. Key ministry areas came into focus for our future planning: outreach, discipleship, engaging the next generation, and leadership development. each of those four words or phrases were absolutely loaded with passion and meaning. We acknowledged that for all of this to take place, we needed to update or renovate our aging auditorium, to serve our congregation well now and into the future. and we need to do some creative work on our classrooms to make them friendlier for teaching and discipling children, youth, and adults. Finally, Sunday was a very special time for just our elders in Scripture, prayer, communion, and wrapping up our time together.

of course, the “conversation” has only just begun. It will extend now to our entire staff and to an increasing number of our volunteers and con-gregation. We need each other to accomplish the work god is giving us to do. there is no doubt about that. after some time in worship on the first morning, we spent some time looking at god’s clear direction for Joshua and the leaders of Israel during that era in Joshua 1. any who know that chapter will remember the words given repeatedly “Be strong and courageous.” Why would god be giving us these words for today? Simply because we need them! our work is not finished.

remember in Joshua 1, Israel had just lost Moses and now Joshua was supposed to fill his shoes. “right?!” that’s what everyone would have been thinking. But the truth was that a new day brought new work to be done. Moses job was to lead the people out of the slavery in egypt. now, the next horizon was to cross the Jordan to the “promised land.” this was a new assignment for a new era. the only reason to look back was for encouragement to see god’s faithfulness to his people, and his work through them in the past. though faithful leaders have preceded us at north Park, and have set a fantastic legacy for us to follow, we too have a new work to do. those who have set this great legacy want us to press forward with the same faith they had when they began this great work! and that is at least partly why we must “Be strong and courageous!” trusting his presence will be sufficient for aLL he is calling us to be and do for our next steps together!

Donnie Scearce, Lead Pastor

Th e

Child dediCation

What’s Your storY?

Cathy Thornton, Director of Preschool Ministry

Paul McIlwraith, Teaching Pastor

one of the foundational things we believe as followers of Jesus is that god invites and calls us to life change. god seeks to redeem, restore and re-new each of us, our church community and the community around us. When we decide to follow Jesus - believing and trusting him, following him in life and mission, and listening and responding to the Holy Spirit - we are on a journey of transformation, life change.

So, how have you seen your life change this past year? the rhythm of school, work and the church calendar in our society is usually September to June. as June approaches each year, it is natural for us to reflect back on our year. If you are a student, you reflect back by writing exams or tests that determine whether you continue on to the next grade. In the work world, we reflect back on the projects and results of the past year and then usually plan for a well deserved break in the Summer months before we ramp up again in the Fall. Shouldn’t we have this same time of reflection in our walk with Jesus?

I want to encourage you this June, 2013, to reflect back on this year in your faith journey. Where have you seen god change you? How is your relationship with Jesus different now than it was a year ago at this time? Why is it different? What were the circumstances that changed you? Where did you see god at work in your life? What risks did you take to grow your faith this year?

almost every week, I have the immense privilege to sit with people and hear their “story.” I have been humbled by the steps of faith of many in our church community. a few weeks ago, a woman shared with me the profound experience she had walking with another woman who had a drug ad-diction. She accompanied her to a detox centre, which was way out of her comfort zone, and then ensured that the woman was properly cared for and had a safe place to sleep. What struck me most, however, was when this woman stated to me that god actually used this drug addicted woman to teach her important lessons of faith and full dependence on him. It is amazing what god can teach us and grow us by the people he brings into our lives if we are open to receiving.

I heard another story of a small group who routinely hosts some of the guys from the teen Challenge addiction treatment facility. one of the women in the small group has been battling an illness and when the teen Challenge guys found out, they surrounded her and prayed the most sin-cere, heartfelt prayer for her health. She thought she was serving them and in turn, they blessed her with astounding faith that god could heal her!another woman shared with me about how she had sought the approval of others for most of her life and found herself totally dejected and floun-dering. recently, she has been convicted to turn to Jesus, to rediscover the joy she has in him and the purpose he has for her life. It is a hopeful journey. I could go on about the man who re-established contact with his son after an estrangement, because he believes that love breaks through relationship strains; or the elderly gentleman who continues to serve Jesus faithfully into his nineties, because he sees that there is no retirement plan in the kingdom of god!

new life and life change is springing up all around us! What is your story? How is god changing and growing you in your faith? I would love to hear from you! May god continue to bless you as you journey with him.

the Bible declares that children are a gift from god (Psalm 127:3). one of my favourite north Park experiences is when we take a few minutes from our regular worship activities and invite parents to bring forward their pre-cious gifts - their children - for dedications. Why do parents choose to dedicate their children? What does it mean to them? read these answers from some of the families who participated in our May dedications.

“We wanted to participate in the dedication service because North Park is an important part of our lives and we want to start Hanna off with a good spiritual foundation.”

“For us, dedicating our child to the Lord has two meanings. First, that we take the time to assess how we want to raise Gideon, the values we want to pass on, the traditions that we want to start/continue, etc. that will all point him towards following God on his own in the future. Second, that we acknowledge that Gideon belongs to God: that God is the giver and sustainer of life

and we trust him and thank him for blessing us with this gift. It is meaningful to experience the support and prayers of our church family in our journey of parenthood.”“When we think of child dedication, we think of Abraham climbing the mountain with a willing heart to obey the Lord and sacrifice his son, Isaac. His heart must have ached more and more with every step that he took. We are so thankful that the Lord has entrusted us with Clay and Wesley. Dedication of our children is saying to the Lord that we know our children are his and we want to raise them to serve him. In addition, dedicating our children publicly was important to us because our church family will play an important role in our children’s lives. We are so thankful to know that our North Park family will be there to pray for our boys and to help guide them as they grow; not only physi-cally, but emotionally, socially, and spiritually.”

the great news is that dedications are for all of us – not just for the families who go forward. they remind us that we are all one family – god’s family. these children are our children too. We are given the privilege of walking alongside these parents and children as they grow up in our com-munity. together, we help introduce these children to Jesus. together, we grow and disciple one another. together, we strengthen and hold one another up. We have a part to play, and dedications help us to remember and rejoice in that.

WelCome Jordan & emilYDonnie Scearce, Lead Pastor

Please join us in welcoming Jordan elgie and emily Smit (his fiancé) to north Park when you see them. Jordan began as director of Worship with us on May 22. Jordan and emily are both graduates from Humber College in toronto and are gifted in leading others in worship. Jordan will work with us in planning our weekend services and will provide overall leadership for all of our worship teams. We are grateful to god for his leading and trust you will pray for Jordan and emily as they get married, settle in London, and begin their ministry with us at north Park. Below are greetings and an introduction from Jordan:

Hello North Park! My fiancé Emily and I are greatly looking forward to joining the North Park family! I have heard so many great things about you, and thought I would take a moment to tell you about us:

I was born in London but shortly after, my family moved to Mississauga where, aside from 2 years in Halifax, Nova Scotia and 3 years in Brussels Belgium, I have spent the majority of my upbringing. I was raised in a Christian home in which church community involvement was strongly encouraged and modeled, and thus from the ripe age of 4 have been very involved in the churches I attended. Growing up in a musical family (choir director mom and guitar playing dad) I had the opportunity to take music lessons on violin, piano, trumpet, guitar, bass, drums and voice, and have had the opportunity to use these gifts in church choirs, bands, and worship leading. In addition, a portion of

my teen years (from 2003-2006) I was part of a traveling kids musical called GodRocks!, during which I received my first taste of being in ministry which has helped lead me to where I am today! For the majority of my life, I have attended Portico Community Church (Formerly Mississauga Gospel Temple) wherein for the past 6 years I have been on staff as a Summer music intern, and for the past year and 8 months, their worship leader and music director for their campus in Milton, Ontario.

Now to tell you a bit about my future wife! Emily and I met 4 years ago while working towards completing our Bachelors of Music degrees at Humber College in To-ronto. I met Emily in a 1st year choir that I elected to join in my 3rd year at the request of a friend. My intentions to drop out of the choir however, suddenly vanished when I met the pretty soprano sitting across from me. :) The rest is history. Emily graduated this Spring as a vocal major, and I graduated in 2011 as a drum major.

Emily grew up in rural Ottawa, also in a Christian home where she spent her childhood taking piano lessons and singing in her church choir. In her teens, she took an interest in songwriting, which grew throughout her college years and now is a pass time, which we enjoy doing together. This Spring Emily and I completed a recording project of original compositions and look forward to doing more during our stay in London. As our wedding on June 29th fast approaches, Emily and I are looking forward to starting our married life together in London and anticipate what God has in store for all of us at North Park!

spa daYMonette Benjamin, Admin Assistant for Community Outreach

this year on Friday, May 10, from 11:00am to 1:00pm, we hosted our sixth Spa day for women in northeast London. the event was an amazing day of relaxation, beautifying and friendship. We had such great support by professional volunteers from north Park and the community, and we were able to offer haircuts, manicures, pedicures, massages and a light lunch; all in an atmosphere of acceptance and community. It was a privilege to host about thirty women from the community who were treated extra-specially by about twenty-five volunteers. the love and value that was shown to the women by the volunteers was exceptional.

Here is what a couple of the volunteers had to say about the event:

I really enjoy the Spa Day event that the LRC puts on; it is as relaxing for me as it is for the ladies. It is a chance to fellowship with women who don't necessarily have the money or time to get a massage or take time for themselves. I know I am not there to make any money, and I feel so blessed to be part of such an awesome work of God. Please feel free to ask me again any time. Thanks for having me there. - Shari White (RMT)

My name is Mervat. I have been in Canada for three years. I am so pleased to talk about the Spa Day, where I was volunteering with amazing people. I heard about the opportunity from North Park Community Church where I have been attending for 2 1/2 years. I was so happy when Monette replied promptly to my email to participate with the Life Resource Centre. The preparation started on Thursday when Monette, Donna and I started decorating the room. We put flowers on tables and curtains on the windows. We divided the place into different areas. One place was for hair, another was for manicures, pedicures, facials, makeup and massage. After a few hours of decoration and preparation, the room looked really nice and ready to have all the ladies and professionals.

On Friday, people came, excited to see what the day would be like. I so much enjoyed the day. It was very organized and was an amazing opportunity to be involved with the Life Resource Centre and to see the ladies so happily enjoying it.

I think that what the LRC is doing is a beautiful thing. A lot of people would love to belong to a community like the LRC. Personally, I am glad that I participated in a day like that, the Spa Day. -Mervat Tadrus the Life resource Centre of northeast London is the outreach ministry of north Park that exists to provide support and assistance for new immi-grants and anyone facing difficult life situations. It is our desire to provide dignity and empowerment for men, women and children of the Kipps/Huron/adelaide community.

sunsCream

LRC Day Camps – memoRy anD antiCipation

Kingdom roCK: Where Kids stand strong

Josh Black, Director of Jr High

Steve Cassidy, Community Outreach

Jim Wells (Jazz), Pastor of Children’s and Family Ministry

We are only 60 days away from Sunscream 2013...but who is counting? every year during July, we bring over 150 students in grades 6 to 8 together to have one of the most memorable weeks of their lives. every year the feedback gets better and better, and the amount of students is always increasing. this year on July 22-26, we’ll be experiencing another awesome week of Sunscream!

Last year was my first year of not only running Sunscream, but even being a part of it. I was blown away by the energy of the students through-out the entire week, and had an incredible time getting to know the students and leaders. during the week, we were able to travel to Ipperwash Beach, Bingeman’s Water Park, and Canada’s Wonderland; as well as enjoy a day of wild games and day of inflatables taking over the church property. Starting off our days at the church with singing and quick teaching moments was a new addition to the week and was an incredible success. the feedback on the new changes that were made was extremely positive, and we hope to continue to make progress each year! as soon as the week was over, students were asking how they could sign up for the following year of Sunscream.

on June 3, registration for Sunscream 2013 will open, allowing all students that are in grade 6, 7 or 8 to sign up for an extremely memorable week. the schedule will look similar to last year, including days at the beach, Bingeman’s, and of course, Canada’s Wonderland. Monday and thursday will run from 8:30am until 2:00pm, tuesday and Wednesday from 8:30am until 5:00pm, and Friday from 7:00am until 11:00pm.

Sunscream is always a fantastic opportunity to invite new friends to north Park for the first time, and to experience church in a new way. registration opens for students and leaders on June 3, and can all be done at Sunscream.ca. any questions can be emailed directly to sun-scream@northpark.ca.

“No matter who you are, trust God; no matter how you feel, trust God.”

these were the words chanted over and over at the Life resource Centre Summer day Camp. For many of the kids attending, these messages were nothing like what they’ve heard from friends, family, or their school. these messages became clearer in the Bible story room where sounds, smells and props were used to make Bible stories come alive. I still remember the looks on the kid’s faces when they held a live fish after hearing the story of the disciples catching 153 fish in one catch.

each day was its own experience--waiting for kids to be walked to our centre, ramping up the energy with booming cheers in main session fol-lowed by hilarious skits from the counsellors, and moving on to separate stations for crafts, sports, and short films in the theatre. each day was packed with so much energy, few could get through the day without losing their breath. It is a beautiful thing watching kids make new friends, try new things, and truly feel like they belong in their community. not only did I watch kids grow to trust each other, but I watched them soak up the attention and the encouragement given to them by their counsellors - most of whom have local residence in northeast London. though day Camps end in august, the effect can be felt through the entire year through the relationships that are built. Kids ask me throughout the year – “When is day Camp happening again; Can we please have day Camp again?” the answer is YeS! Camp starts with Kingdom rock on July 1-5 for grades SK-grade 5. other camp dates run from July 15-19, July 29- aug 2, and aug 19 -23 9:00am – 1:00pm. any volunteer help is greatly needed and ap-preciated. If you have a love for kids, crafts, games, or Bible teaching, please contact me at steve.cassidy@northpark.ca for info.

as we enjoy more warm days than cool ones, I am reminded that Summer day Camp is not far off. From July 8 to 12 we will welcome hundreds of kids to north Park for an amazing week of day Camp. With sets of knights and castles, the kids will learn to stand strong for god. Some of the activities will include cool crafts, tournament games, epic Bible stories, fanfare music, and god sightings....just to mention a few. usually about 40% of the kids have a connection with north Park, and the remaining 60% come from the community. a lot of the north Park kids invite friends from their school or neighbourhood.

during the month of May, we focus on putting our volunteer team together for the camp. 50% adults and 50 % teens seems to be the best mix of experience and energy to make this camp go. We have an amazing facility to handle a lot of kids, but the amount of adult volunteers usually deter-mines how many kids we can take. the kids are put in small groups of about 10 with an adult and a teen to travel with them to each event. So, if you volunteer for camp, you will give 10 kids the opportunity to come to camp, with many life-changing experiences along the way. Please begin to pray for the campers and leaders that will be coming to this year’s day Camp. also, watch for tables in the gym where you can sign up to bring in food for the camp. day Camp is all about relationships: leaders with kids, kids with each other, and all of them with god. remember, in 100 years the only thing that will matter to any of us is our relationship with god. You can register your kids and/or volunteer online at www.northpark.ca.

Children’s ministrY intern

leaderCast: todaY, i Will simplY lead bY...

Jim Wells (Jazz), Pastor of Children’s and Family Ministry

Mark Morrison

I am excited to introduce the Children’s Intern for this Summer - rebekah allison!

rebekah presently teaches grade 1 Sunday School every week. She will be involved in the preschool & elementary ages this Summer, including a large part in the children’s day Camp. on behalf of Cathy thornton and myself, I would like to welcome rebekah to our team this Summer.

Hello everyone! My name is Rebekah Allison, and I am absolutely thrilled and honoured to be your intern for Children’s Ministry this Summer. I first started attending North Park a little less than two years ago when I moved to London to study nutrition at Western. Even from the very beginning, I’ve felt a connection to this church; my theory is that I’ve got a bit of North Park in my blood since my parents both attended over 25 years ago when they were students at Western. If I were to describe myself in one word, it would have to be “enthusiastic.” I enjoy exploring and doing activities that are somewhat uncon-ventional, such as jigsaw puzzles, rollerblading, and jumping in puddles in my rain boots. Needless to say, I love hanging out with kids. I’ve been a counsellor at Camp Mini-Yo-We in Huntsville for many years, and last year I started my own children’s entertainment business where I would plan parties and lead adventures while dressed as a princess, pirate or explorer. Over the years, I’ve come to recognize that

my abundant patience, wacky imagination and love for children are gifts from God. It is my desire to use them to bring glory to His Name! Thankfully, God has blessed me with a wonderful fiancée who balances my zest for life and keeps me on track -- but who also enjoys watching Disney movies just as much as I do! We’re getting married this December and are both hoping to attend medical school at Western in a couple of years. I am looking forward to working with the children of North Park this Summer. We are going to have a blast!

on Friday, May 10, north Park hosted the 2013 Chick-fil-a Leadercast. We welcomed 450 leaders from 150 organizations into our building as we took part in a live videocast event from atlanta, georgia along with 130,000 leaders from 750 sites around the world. the theme this year was “Simply Lead” – a simple, yet profound challenge to leaders in a fast-paced culture. each speaker shared powerful insights about how building simplicity into our lives can actually strengthen and stimulate our leadership abilities. Here are some of the many valuable takeaways from the day:

Andy Stanley: Level five leaders don’t feel the need to be the smartest person in the room. they are willing to be the dumbest person.

John C. Maxwell: divide your weaknesses by delegating them. a leader is like a quarterback. He doesn’t get paid to run the ball. He gets paid to put the ball into the right hands.

Jack Welch: You can give a thousand speeches, but nothing has a bigger impact than the personnel decisions you make. this includes who you hire, who you fire, and who you assign to your most important projects.

LCDR Rorke Denver: as leaders, your people are going to mimic your behavior. “Calm is contagious.” So is panic. So is stupidity.

Beyond the fantastic speaker lineup, the day included a Chapters Indigo bookstore, a team photo area, the famous Leadercast café consisting of free lattes (thanks Madison eckert and team!), top-notch catering from north Park’s own Jane and Henry Bruinink, incredible prize packs and grand prize giveaways including a pair of London Lightning season tickets, an iPad Mini, and a $500 gift Card from Lovers atWork office Furniture.

as we conclude another year, I would like to personally thank our planning team who gave so generously of their time and made incredible con-tributions to make Leadercast an unforgettable experience! the committee consisted of Breanna Black, Yvonne Heeg, Charity nairn, Matt Stiller, Matt eckert, tracy Caine, Jeff House, and anita Quenneville.

Finally, our team would like to thank our north Park family for being the hands and feet of Jesus on event day. We leave our efforts in god’s hands and continue to ask that he speaks into the lives of those who were present. We hope to see you at next year’s Leadercast event on Friday May 9, 2014!

beKKers FareWell

liFe resourCe Centre summer interns

Donnie Scearce, Lead Pastor

I first met James when he spoke at a north Park sponsored golf event. He was so transparent and personable. I thought to myself, “I have to get to know this guy.” over the coming years, I had the chance to do just that. and am I ever grateful to have had the chance! My life has been blessed so much by James.

My guess is that there are literally hundreds of people in the north Park and London community who could write very similar words to those above. You may have met him in different circumstances, but you have found him to be warm, gentle, caring, and to have just the right words to be spoken to you in a moment when you perhaps needed them most. James has this rare combination of a keen intellect and a big heart for people.

Monette Benjamin, Admin Assistant for Community Outreach

they are back! george Johnson and Massah tarawalley will be joining our staff again this Summer to run our Summer day Camps and to oversee our community Summer students. george and Massah both did an outstanding job last Summer and we are excited to see them learn and further develop their leadership skills. Last year we were able to double our day Camps because of Massah and george and we are looking forward to their creativity and enthusiasm to run great children and junior high camps again this Summer. Welcome back george & Massah!

“Hi! My name is George Johnson; I recently finished my first year at Western University. I am a person who enjoys hanging out with friends and having a good time. I love to try anything new, fun, and interesting. I spend the majority of my time playing sports, because I believe that sports can bring people together to reach a common goal; which is beating the other opponent. Other things I enjoy are long walks on the beach, but not swimming because I can’t swim. Last Summer was probably the most memorable Summer I had in a while. Working for North Park allowed me to do what I love most; which is running around having fun. I plan to make this Summer even more memorable for me, our staff and especially the kids.” George Johnson

“Happiness is not enough to describe the way I feel about returning to the LRC to work as a Summer student. My name is Massah and I am a fourth year Social Work student at Kings University College with future interest in community work. My decision to become a social worker was influenced by past experiences and my passion to care for people, from infants to the elderly, helping them overcome life’s most difficult challenges. In June 2012, I had a great opportunity to work as a Summer student for the Life Resource Centre. I loved planning and implementing Day Camp activities for children in grades 2-9. In addition, I liked the professional attitude of the employees as well as the safe and welcoming work place environment that was provided to me. The LRC believes in their employees and promoted respect for diversity. Moreover, the LRC seemed to really think about my future growth as well as professional progress. The LRC

fosters community inclusion and promotes resiliency in newcomers which is a key component for community work. Through my interaction with the children, I realized they were very happy to be part of the community that provides them with free Summer camp; it created a sense of belonging, a safe place for learning and socializing for children.

Through this job, I was able to improve on my leadership skills, build stronger working relationships with the volunteers, the children and other Summer students. What a great place for learning! Coming back is another great opportunity for me to improve on my past experience but also bring to practice essential theories learned in school, into a diversity community.” Massah Tarawalley

James has served north Park faithfully for almost twelve years, and has done so with excellence. He is one of the few who have served in a vari-ety of roles, from Pastor of Spiritual Formation to executive Pastor to acting Lead Pastor to his most current role of Pastor of Community Life. and he has given 100% of himself to each of those roles, as far as I can tell, with one primary motive: to love people. recently our Seniors

invited James and I to say a few words to them about James’s departure. I shared with them from 1 thessalonians 2:8. “We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives too.” James loved you so much that he gave you not only a message about god, but his own life, for almost twelve years. He has indeed been a faithful servant at nP.

unless they’ve “been there,” few people understand, of course, that a person like James cannot do this without a wife who is supportive and who can also keep things in balance when needed. Caroline has been able to do just that and keep their family thriving through these years of sometimes heavy ministry demand.

the leading of god is genuinely mysterious and wonderful to me. Why he leads one person here and another there is more than I understand; but like many of you, I have seen over and over again the amazing fruitfulness in the kingdom that comes with change. at the human level, it seems that usually there are a number of identifiable factors that bring about change; timing, opportunity, what a.W. tozer calls a “holy discontent”, children, education, finances and other reasons all seem to align under god’s sovereign leading. What we can count on this time is that one of god’s choice servants, James, after a long and fruitful ministry here at north Park, is being called by god to temple Baptist Church in Sarnia. We can gratefully celebrate James’s departure, knowing he has been faithful here and will be a huge blessing to his new community of faith.

at north Park we are committed to investing in the lives of young men and women who have the heart, vision and skill to make a passionate and positive difference in the world. With 30% of the world’s population under the age of 18, we can’t help but want to identify and stand beside young leaders who will take up the cause of transforming the world for young people. It is this heart that caused us to create a Youth/global Internship that enables someone to obtain the training they need to be strong and effective in a rapidly changing world. Cameron and rebekah Korpan emerged in the last year as having the right mix of life and ministry skills to enter into this new initiative. It was actually their journey that inspired us to create this new internship! Cam has a global Studies degree and both he and rebekah have served in places like thailand, uganda and eastern europe. together with their newborn baby elizabeth, they entered the Youth/global Internship early in 2013.

the two Year Internship is designed to equip them with the skills and vision necessary to be strong and effective for a lifetime of service in global Mission. Both Cameron and rebekah have a long history of service in our Youth Ministry, and will continue to focus their efforts there on a regu-lar basis. the Internship will engage Cameron twenty hours each week in our Youth Ministry under the mentoring of Kevin norcross, Pastor of Sr High. one of Cam’s core responsibilities is the launching of a new outreach initiative called rock City, where he is hosting a weekly “music gathering” with students who might not otherwise come to a church. this is an excellent opportunity that will stretch Cam’s leadership gifts and faith, as well as provide him with a real life opportunity to see god at work. rock City began in May and is off to a great start with up to twenty students growing and learning together.

a second component of the Internship is Seminary training, as we believe that it is important for our global workers to handle Scripture effectively. Cameron will be taking courses at tyndale Seminary towards a Masters of theological Studies. He will begin his courses during the Internship and then continue over the years in a “continuous learning” format.

the third component of the Internship is global engagement. during their 2 years, Cam and rebekah will be engaged hands on in relationship building and learning that is designed to broaden their understanding of the world and the way in which the global Church is making a difference. our hope is to provide them with the big picture of the Church and develop in them an appreciation and respect for all that is happening in the world. a team is already in place working with Cam and rebekah to discern strategic ways in which they can travel and learn. david Stiller is acting as a research Mentor for Cam and together they will draft important research initiatives that will benefit Cameron’s learning experience.

Wafik Wahba, director of Missions at tyndale, is working with us to ensure that Cam and rebekah engage globally in ways that meet Cameron’s requirement for tyndale’s course assignments. the goal is to deploy them into global engagement during the Internship among youth in Canada, in the setting where they sense a calling (eastern europe) and then out into new and dynamic regions where north Park is working. adding the Seminary training to the global engagement research will stretch Cam and rebekah and increase the impact of their travel experiences.

We have designed the Youth/global Internship with a flexible staffing framework where we ask each participant to raise the related costs. Cam and rebekah are required to raise $24,000 per year ($2,000 per month) for two years, in order to confirm their participation in the Internship. If you would like to join Cameron and rebekah’s financial support team simply write “Korpan Internship” on your designated gift today. Look for more ways you can stand with them over the coming two years as together we equip this dynamic young couple to make a positive difference in the world. Contact Cameron and rebekah at korpanfamily@gmail.com and visit with them to learn more about their life and work.

north parK’s Youth/global internship

Jr high retreat

Ron Burdock, Director of Global Outreach

Josh Black, Director of Jr High

another Jr High Spring retreat has come and gone, and this year’s FueL Wars 2013 was filled with great teaching, worship and of course, games! We were honoured to bring Jeremy tozer and Jordan elgie to work with and mentor our youth worship team which consisted of Heather Skeoch, tyler Macdouell, Matt dresser, Mitch Persaud and Michael Cunnington, our incredible grade 8 drummer. Steve Macdouell came from Forward Church in Cambridge to teach our students and the feedback was incredible! on Saturday night especially, when Steve spoke on how Jesus calls us to smash our idols, our students were able to write the things they consider idols in their lives on a piece of paper, which they then ripped up and threw on the floor as a symbolic way of saying that they were done serving that idol and they wanted to focus on god. to get a sense of how our students were affected during our retreat weekend, we asked three of our students to tell us what they enjoyed most about the retreat:

The part where God spoke to me the most was when my small group and I talked about our faith together at the top of the hill. That was the part of the retreat that had the biggest impact on me. I asked myself questions about my faith that I never had before. I decided it was im-portant for me to read my Bible more and started a Bible reading plan. I really enjoyed watching other girls in my small group grow in their relationships with God and being together in God’s creation. - Megan B (Grade 8)

I really enjoyed the retreat, and especially enjoyed being able to chill with some of my friends, and do what I love to do to: drum. It was amazing to see how people were affected by the sessions and it changed me too. I loved the retreat and I wish that I could go again. - Michael C (Grade 8)

I am so glad that I went on the retreat. It was such an awesome experience. I had so much fun hanging out with my small group and getting to know them better. Both the games and food were awesome, especially the tacos in a bag! I really enjoyed Jeremy leading worship as well as Steve’s speaking. I had so much fun! - Michael E. (Grade 6)

Like each year, after our retreats, we’re able to sit back and thank god for the incredible time that we were able to have together. We are so thank-ful for the way that god spoke to our Jr Highs, and are constantly asking god to continue to work in their lives, even after the end of the retreat.

CommunitY liFeBIRTHSEmma Kathleen Dresser-Cook (March 31) - Parents Brandon & LindsaySophia Joy Stuart (May 12) - Parents Graham & Sarah, Sisters Grace & Olivia

DEATHSTatyanna Kuchin (April 24) - Mother of Galia BrownLucia Hleka Zizi (April 28) - Mother of Tendayi GwaradzimbaGladys Yokom (May 2) Adeline Wiebe (May 2) - Mother-in-law of Ann WiebeJames Street (May 5) - Grandfather of Alisa DonaldsonEdward Perkins (May 18) - Husband of Marjorie PerkinsViola Phillips (May 20) - Sister of Sheila Williamson

BAPTISMSJenny Allen (May 18)

To the many kind & thoughtful people who sent me cards and get

well wishes, who offered prayers on my behalf and provided tasty food

which Jim and I enjoyed.

I would like to express my sincere and heartfelt thanks. Everything

was greatly appreciated.

Blessings to all of you,Bernice Hodgins

We would like to take this opportunity to express our deep appreciation to Charlie Richardson for his years of service as our Offering Counting Coordinator.

He and his wife Margery have served faith-fully and diligently in this important area for many, many years. Blessings to you both, and a huge THANK YOU for all that you have done!