The Free Methodist Church in CanadaMarch 2006 - Volume 3 Issue 2

Reflecting the diversity of ministry expression withinthe Free Methodist family

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Dan Sheffield, Editor-in-ChiefLisa Howden, Managing Editor and Production

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COVER

Six Questions for Leadersby Bishop Keith Elford

PAGE 2

Editor’s Desk

Music at the Next Church:Sweet Darkby Clarence Wilms

PAGE 3

Journey: Searching for God’s Callby Alan Retzman

Missionaries to Canadaby Jared Siebert

PAGE 4

Formulas for Lifeby Dean Angell

PAGE 6

Student MinistriesAbove all things . . . We Must Rock!by Larry Jones

Passages

PAGE 7

Missions in our own backyardby Doug Dawson

Debbie Hogeboom returns to Kenyaby Debbie Hogeboom

GOD HAS GIVEN US THIS VISION TO SEE healthycongregations within the reach of all people in Canada andbeyond. Of course, for us to see this happen we needhealthy leaders who lead with godly discernment and skillin sync with what the Holy Spirit is doing. But where canwe go for leadership principles to help us keep moving in astate of health as churches and as leaders?

It has been suggested that if we want to understand howGod works in creating and sustaining life, we should learnto think organically and observe principles that are evidentin nature. Here are six observations with six questions foryou to consider…especially if you lead a ministry.

Healthy organisms have interdependent parts.The Bible makes it clear that the church should think ofitself as a body and observe the way that the individual

parts are integrated into a wholesystem to make the body capable ofdoing much more than any individualpart could. Each part is important,but functioning on its own, its impactis limited.

Question: How is the ministry that you lead integrated intothe overall intention that God has for your church andcommunity?

Healthy organisms multiply. An organism does notgrow endlessly, but reproduces a form of “growth” thatmultiplies itself. For example, a tree does not keepgetting bigger only; it seeds new trees, which in turn

produce more trees and eventuallythere is an orchard. This is also part ofwhat the Scriptures are getting atwhen the family is introduced as ametaphor of the church. Children areborn into a family as a safe andsupportive place to grow and mature,

but ultimately, if at least some children do noteventually mature and have their own family, that partof the human race will become extinct.

Question: How is the ministry you lead planning to reproduceitself to build the family of God? (e.g., small groups birthingmore small groups, congregations planting morecongregations, leaders raising up and mentoring new leaders,etc).

Healthy organisms are able to transformenergy–even negative energy. Through the ages,

the Lord has used persecution and crises to advance Hiswork. Crises, like viruses, attack thebody and if the body ignores, or evenworse, embraces this hostile energy, itwill be weakened and can ultimatelybe destroyed. On the other hand, ifcrises are faced with godly courage andtrusting faith, they can strengthen the

body. Prayer becomes more earnest. People shake offlethargic indifference. The crisis is overcome by aunited response from the body.

Question: How does the ministry you are leading respond tocrises?

Healthy organisms have systemsthat work to sustain it. Trees growleaves because leaves do the work of

p h o t o s y n t h e s i s .When leaves fall off atree, they are notgarbage. If left to theprocesses of nature,they rot and turn intohumus that provides

nutrients for the further growth of thetree.

It takes energy just to lead a ministry. But what if everyleader, while leading, also invests energy in anotherperson who wants to learn to lead and gives themopportunities to learn to lead by observing and doing?When the project is over, the work is done, but perhapseven more importantly, another leader is on the way tocompetence. Keep this up and soon there will be awhole group of leaders to sustain and expand theministry into the future.

Question: As you lead, is someone developing godlycompetence alongside you as a leader?

Healthy organisms benefit from symbioticrelationships. The oxpecker is a tiny bird that existsalongside wild animals in Africa. By picking ticks off

the bodies of large animals likeantelopes or zebras, this little bird getsit groceries and the large animal staysfree of blood-sucking bugs.

This is an example of symbiosiswhich is defined as “the intimate livingtogether of two dissimilar organisms

in a mutually beneficial relationship.” Diverse spiritual

“There, on the

other side of the

glass, was a

magnificent

mountain of

certain fun. I

could almost

feel the hours of

endless

enjoyment.

Questions - continued on page 2

First things firstMy 18-month old nephew loves to playwith building blocks. We spend muchof our time, when I am visiting,erecting monstrous towers. Hisfavourite constructions are the onesthat end up being as tall as he is, andbecause he is so young he lacks thepatience and skill to make sure the

base of his tower is wide enough to support the greatheight of the blocks. Ultimately they begin to swayprecariously as more and more blocks are placed on top. . . it inevitably collapses.

This picture, to me, describes our lives without Jesusas our source. Spending time with him and reading hisword is a prerequisite for personal growth. It is one of thethings that we need to share with new believers and yetsometimes in our busy-ness it can be the first thing that isset aside. RA Torrey, an American evangelist, once said,“We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to havepower. We have a great deal of activity, but weaccomplish little; many services but few conversions;much machinery but few results.”

Dr. Richard Dobbins, founder of EMERGE Ministries –a full-service Evangelical Christian mental health centrededicated to helping churches minister to the needs ofChristian believers – has said that the most commonthread in all the people who have sought help afterexperiencing burn out or a moral failure was that they didnot have a regularly scheduled or daily devotional time.John Wesley wrote, “The neglect of prayer is a grandhindrance to holiness.”

And so, I have made a commitment to guard mydevotional life and not just slot it in during the day at aconvenient time. Because the problem is that there isnever a convenient time – there is almost alwayssomething else that needs to be done – pressing issues,“good things”, but distractions nonetheless.

Ensuring a strong foundation through prayer andreading God's word – these are building blocks for theChristian life. There are so many great lessons you canlearn while playing with an 18-month old.

Lisa HowdenManaging Editor

M O S A I C 2

gifts and ministries can exist in mutual indifference or in competition that causes conflict, but howmuch better if the Creator's plan for symbiotic interdependence is practiced.

Question: Does the ministry you lead compete with others or are you intentionally looking for ways to formmutually beneficial (win-win) relationships with other ministries that have a very dissimilar focus from yourministry?

Healthy organisms bear fruit. This may sound like the same observation as the principle ofmultiplication above, but let's return to the apple orchard. Every healthy tree multiplies itself while

at the same time fulfilling its creator's purpose to produce a crop of apples. If it isnot producing apples (they have the seeds in them for future trees), they will notmultiply. Sometimes ministries are created, but after a while, they become less andless fruitful for a number of reasons (changes in the ministry area; loss of leadership,passion or focus, etc). If a ministry loses its fruitfulness, there is no possibility ofmultiplication. Sometimes with a bit of pruning, ministries regain their vigor;sometimes they need to be chopped.

Question: Is the ministry you are leading still producing the fruit for which it was created?

Astute readers will know that I have been drawing your attention to the Six Biotic Principles identifiedby Christian Schwarz in his book, Natural Church Development. I think that he had some greatinsights. If we keep them in mind, they give us good questions to keep asking ourselves as we worktogether to develop healthy congregations in Canada and beyond, led by healthy, godly, competentleaders. I encourage you to think about these six principles and ask yourself the questions in connectionwith the ministries that you lead.

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

Natural Church Development resources <<www.ncdcanada.com>>

Next Church in Kingston, Ontario, hasalways strived to be innovative when itcomes to doing church. In 1999, when sixcouples signed on the dotted line to plantthe Next Church in a downtownneighbourhood, everyone agreed thatgood music would be a draw.

People attending Next at the timewere saying, “I love the music, how can Ishare this music with other friends andfamilies?” Al Doseger, pastor of Nextthought the best way of sharing the musicwas to make an album, especially giventhat one of the founders of Next, MattBaetz, was the owner of a recordingstudio.

In 2000, Next released Around 11, acollection of original and cover songs thatwere Sunday morning favourites. Thealbum was used as a “calling card”, given to theNext community and visitors free of charge.There was an overwhelming response. Peoplebegan to ask shortly thereafter, “when will anotheralbum be coming out?”

In response to that question, the leadership ofthe church approved the making of a second albumin the early part of 2005. It had always beenunderstood that if a second album was to be made,it would need to be comprised of originals, newsongs that were unique expressions of the peoplewithin the community. Around this time, a waveof newly composed songs began to emerge inaddition to ones already part of the church'srepertoire.

The next step was to ask musicians to submit abare bones recording of their songs. The responsewas amazing with over 20 pieces submitted byvarious musicians. A group was formed to review

the songs on the basis of musicality and lyricalcontent and to reduce the number of songs for thealbum down to 15. Once that was done, therecording of the album began in June under Matt'sdirection. The album was completed in December.

The end result is Sweet Dark, an eclectic musicalmix that reflects the diversity of the Next Church.The songs explore issues surrounding faith andrelationship with God. The album mirrors thetension felt between belief and unbelief, struggleand grace

To purchase Sweet Dark or listen to any of thesongs from the album go to<<www.nextchurch.com>>.

Clarence Wilms attends Next Chuch in Kingston,ON

Music at the Next Church: Sweet DarkNo, this album is not about a piece of chocolate -or is it?

Questions [continued from cover]

You have had the opportunity to build skills and experience in thefull range of development and fundraising, such as directappeals, special events, and major gifts and planned giving.Marketing and branding have been particular areas of strength.

But….. working towards the alleviation and even the eradicationof Poverty in a world full of injustice for the poor has a very realattraction for you.

Now is your chance to reenergize your career and truly make adifference.

Is searching for a Director of Development

World Relief Canada is one of Canada's most well respected andrelevant NGO's working internationally in Africa and Asia,sectorally in food security, agriculture and microfinance. WRC isa key partner in the Canadian Foodgrains Bank as well as beingin a leadership position within the Integral Alliance, aninternational body of like agencies, as well as being a recipientof ongoing program funding from the Canadian InternationalDevelopment Agency (CIDA).

WRC partners with the church in Canada and overseas torespond to the basic needs of the world's most oppressed, poorand suffering people, empowering them to meet their own needs.

Using a full range of fundraising methods you will engageindividuals, businesses, foundations and the church communityin soliciting support for World Relief Canada's programsdesigned to respond to the basic needs of the poor and sufferingpeople of the world.

To respond to this opportunity, please contact Laurie Cook, CEOemail: lcook@wrcanada.org

600 Alden Road, Suite 310 - Markham, Ontario L3R 0E7Phone: 1 800-567-8190 or 905-415-8181

3 M O S A I C

ERIC SANDRAS, author of Buck Naked Faith, (Nav Press) was looking for amodern day example of real community and feels he found it when hediscovered the Church of the Savior in Washington D.C. Gordon Cosby, theoctogenarian founder, is still active in it. The Church of the Savior is a placewhere seekers could mature in their calling without becoming ingrown, isolatedor irrelevant to the needs in the community. “Gordon's community,” saidSandras, “is simply a place to discover God's call on their lives that could changesomeone's world.”

Internships help women and men inour congregations discover and live withintheir call. We have had internships since2000. We started with four in the first yearand have had up to eight per year eversince.

Some internships help a passionateperson to investigate a call. Otherinternships will help a candidate clarifytheir call by sharpening their gifts andgraces. Still others can use an internship asa launch into full-time ministry. Toqualify for an internship a candidateneeds to build a relationship with thesupervising pastor. A plan to discoverGod's call needs to be developed betweenthem. There are checklists for pastor and intern to complete on our website.<<www.fmc-canada.org>>

In 2000 we had $25,000 invested in interns. In 2005 we increased that to$46,000. Expanding internships even more will happen as funds becomeavailable through Leadership Giving Streams. This is just one of the waysLeadership Giving Streams is helping to create leaders for now and the future.Thanks for investing in leaders through the Giving Streams.

Rev. Alan Retzman is Director of Personnel for The Free Methodist Church inCanada

More on Internships visit <<www.fmc-canada.org/main_leadership-development.htm>>

A Piece in the Journey: Internships

Tyndale Seminary, a transdenominational graduate institution in the evangelicalProtestant tradition, invites applications and nominations for a full-time tenuretrack faculty position as the Chair of Wesley Studies. The position involvesteaching courses in Wesley studies and related fields, engaging in scholarlyresearch, supervising theses, and linking with students and constituents fromWesleyan denominations. Desired qualifications include a PhD (or equivalent) ina relevant field, a proven record of teaching and scholarship, and a commitmentto a Wesleyan theological stance. Letters of application should be accompaniedby a current curriculum vitae, a sample of scholarly writing, and the names andcontact information for three references. The search committee will begin itsreview of applications immediately and will continue until the position is filled.Interested candidates should submit documentation in confidence to: The WesleyChair Search Committee, c/o Ms. Cathie Kearsley, Director of Human Resources,Tyndale University College & Seminary, 25 Ballyconnor Court, Toronto, Ontario,Canada, M2M 4B3. Email: employment@tyndale.ca

“…much more can be accomplished through ten

people who discover and live within their call

than 100 who are unsure.” Gordon Cosby

MISSIONARIES TO CANADA

EMIL BRUNNER once said, “The Church exists by mission as fire exists byburning.” In short, no mission – no church. If mission is central to theexistence of church than it is important to see ourselves as the missionaries. AllChristians must see themselves as missionaries to Canada. Why? Because Godhas not commissioned anyone else directly with this task. Because there is noone else with as deep of an understanding of Canadian culture than Canadians.Because our church won't exist without this as our central duty.

First, we need to place holy living at the forefront of our missionaryactivity. Holiness, as it has sometimes been practiced among Christians,resembles smug self-righteousness. This is not the kind of holiness God callsus to. Holiness, as it has sometimes been practiced among Christians, is moreabout things we don't do than the things that we do. This is not the kind ofholiness God calls us to. The kind of holiness God calls us to is described in 2Peter 1:

…add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and toknowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and toperseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and tobrotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasingmeasure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive inyour knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Note that these earmarks of holiness are specifically designed to keep us frombeing “ineffective and unproductive”. Persons who add faith, goodness,knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness to others, and loveto their repertoire for living have a powerful effect on all things they come intocontact with. There is nothing in our society that cannot be transformed bythese elements of holy living.

The practice of hospitality is also central to our missionary work. It wasthe hospitality of God that made it possible for us, as strangers, to becomemembers of His family. As we participate with God in the work of Hiskingdom, hospitality will play a central role in our work. It will be over ourdinner tables, in the booths of restaurants, and over cups of Tim Horton'scoffee that God will make His appeal to the world through us.

Keeping our accountability relationships focused on engagement ratherthan avoidance will be important in our missionary work. Often the focus ofaccountability relationships has been that of avoidance of the world ratherthan safe engagement with the world. It's a common experienced amongmodern Christians to have no friends outside of church within three years ofbecoming a Christian. This trend cannot continue if we are to effectivelyengage our world. God promises that he will keep us safe as we engage theworld and that “greater than he that is in me than he that is in the world”. If wechoose to disengage for fear of our spiritual safety weeffectively loose our saltiness and hide our light.

Rev. Jared Siebert is Director of Growth Ministries for TheFree Methodist Church in Canada

<<www.lifecycleproject.org>>

Missional Church Discussion:<<www.lifecycleproject.org/wiki/index.php?title=Missional_Church>>

M O S A I C 4

Ispent time running this past summer. I have tried to stay consistent sinceJanuary 2005, although I upped the ante a bit in the summer and ran everyday. One day, when we were in Northern Idaho, I wanted to try a new trail. It

was great, fun and exciting…for the first 100 ft or so. The terrain on the newtrail changed soon after I began and I started running over roots and rocks,dodging branches and jumping logs! It was nearly impossible to set any kind ofsteady pace. After just a few feet, I found myself wanting the open road againwhere I could see clearly ahead and where I did not have to worry about rootsor rocks and things that could tangle me up.

This incident reminded me of a poem. It's called:

“AUTOBIOGRAPHY IN FIVE SHORT CHAPTERS”

Chapter 1 I walk down the street.There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.I fall in . . . It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter 2 I walk down the same street.There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.I pretend I don't see it.I fall in again . . . It . . . takes a long time to get out.

Chapter 3 I walk down the same street.There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.I see it is there.I still fall in; it's a habit . . .I get out . . .

Chapter 4 I walk down the same street.There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.I walk around it.

Chapter 5 I walk down another street.

I've noticed that I sometimes step into the same mud puddle over and overin my life and I make the same mistakes over and over again. I have realizedthat there are some negative cycles that can be very damaging if they get out ofcontrol. One day, I wrote out both the good and bad patterns and rhythms Isaw in my life. These patterns can be summed up in a few phrases: “Bigger isbetter.” “More is good.” “Busier is best.” “Pleasure is comforting.” “Adventureis fulfilling.” “Experience is best.” “Immediate is great.”

These patterns are sometimes positive, and sometimes they can benegative. For example, I enjoy a full day. I like to crunch in about three extrathings in the day just to see if I can get them done. It's kind of fun. But,sometimes, I ride that edge too much and then the pressure mounts. The timecrunch occurs and all it takes is one extra construction project or one speedtrap and, all of a sudden, I'm not having any fun and neither is my kid, who islate for soccer.

This past summer had a classic vacation story. I woke up one morning, andsaid to my family, “Let’s drive to Montana and see the country aroundMissoula.” So, we packed some lunch and off we went. Adventure. Nature.Shopping. Restaurants. 170 miles from home. Awesome. But, then it's 10

p.m. and I suddenly look at my family and they are whipped. And, we've got athree hour drive still ahead of us. The adventure was not nearly as exciting forPam and the kids as it was for me. They slept, I drove and it began to rain.

Now, as it turns out, these two examples – running on a new trail and myfamily road trip – were not life threatening, just a little uncomfortable. Icertainly have more destructive patterns of behaviour. But my point is, that allof us have these patterns and if we really take a good look at them, some ofthose patterns have the ability to hurt us, sometimes deeply, and the peoplearound us.

So, here's what I'm learning or trying to learn about negative cycles in mylife. Here are some quotes from my black journal book about mud puddles.

WISDOM FOR MY LIFE

If you don't know how you got into the cycle, you won't be able to findyour way out.

If you don't know why you did it, you won't be able to change yourmotivation.

If you are determined to only learn the hard way, you will find it hard tolearn.

If you can connect the dots and see the relationship between cause andeffect you will be free from much unnecessary pain that mud puddlescan create in life.

Never see your circumstances as isolated from your actions. Quitblaming. If you are in the mud, you are the one who walked in there.

But, the questions is, “How do I get out of the mud puddle once I'm in?” Or,better yet, “How do I prevent myself from getting into the mud puddle?” I believethere is a formula for answering these questions. That formula is best capturedin one word…INSIGHT.

Insight is the ability to see and understand life clearly and the ability to seeand understand the inner nature of things. Insight is what allows us to readother people and situations with wisdom. Insight is what makes our intuitionand truth line-up on the same plane. And it's what allows us to make rightdecisions and right choices in our lives and in our families. If we live withoutinsight, we may come to live with great regret. Insight is a rare gift from Godand a blessing. It's rare because it takes a lifetime to develop and few of us findit. It's a blessing because I believe God alone has the ability to multiply it in ourlives. Insight is not just a human skill that we can hone. It's a supernatural giftgiven to us by God's grace and mercy.

Insight is not a genetic thing or a birthright. It's not a chance thing, either.It's not as if you wake up one morning and all of a sudden you have greatinsight. No. Insight gets developed in our lives by God's grace and by uschoosing it.

Insight is a choice and it grows within us, as we make choices in our livesand as we walk with Jesus. These choices create amazing things that shine lighton the path ahead of us and stops negative patterns of behaviour fromovertaking our lives. Proverbs 2:2-5,9-11 says,

“Turn your ear to wisdom and apply your heart to understanding, andif you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if youlook for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then youwill understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.

5 M O S A I C

Then you will understand what is right and just and fair-every goodpath. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will bepleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understandingwill guard you.”

There are three words that can be gleaned from this passage to help usbecome more insightful human beings. They are Discipline, Discernment, andDiscretion. Discipline is training that produces self-control so we do not fallinto a mud puddle. Discernment is the ability to see a mud puddle before itcomes. Discretion is the ability to act cautiously when approaching a mudpuddle. These three words are keys to the secrets to life which often are notvery complicated. But, the secrets are difficult to fully experience in life.

Most of us know that choosing to eat well would make a huge difference inour health and in the aging process. We know that good daily food choices candramatically change our quality of life for the better. But, so many of us arecaught up in a negative cycle with food. We eat because we think food willmake us happy or we eat because we don't have anything better to do or we eatbecause we have an abundance of food in Canada. But, how often do we eat

with the nurture and care of our bodies in mind?We often forget that discipline, discretion anddiscernment with food will get us out of somedestructive negative health cycles. To be aware ofour eating patterns and to act on that awareness isinsight. Often, insight is all about prevention.

Let's examine another example. In our culture,we have a “buy now, pay later” mentality. To talkabout discretion, discernment and discipline in aconsumer-based society is a lot like swimming upstream. That new SUV or bigger T.V. or granderhome or great business deal just loses its shinewhen payments are strapped to your back andyou become enslaved by debt. The Bible makessome great statements about money. In fact, ittalks more about money and how it affects usthan it does about almost anything else.

The Bible says that money and material thingsactually belong to God. He is the owner and giver

of life and He owns and gives everything, including our pay cheques. Our roleas human beings in creation is to manage or be good stewards of God'sresources. We have the responsibility of managing God's stuff so we can makea difference for good with what we've been blessed with. Giving money, beinggenerous and using God's resources to bless others should be our #1 priority.But, what often happens is that we forget discipline, discretion anddiscernment and instead we become good consumers rather than goodstewards. We become great at buying on instant credit to satisfy our selfishdesires. We then end up with a huge debt that requires so much of our cashflow that we can't give to things that are truly important. The truth of thematter is that it's not wise and it's not what God desires for our lives. He knowshow much our heart shrivels when we are not practicing generosity and Heknows how pointless it is to pursue money for selfish gain. Ecclesiastes 2:1-11(NIV) said,

“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart nopleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the

reward for all my labour. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands haddone and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, achasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”

The “formula” of discipline, discernment and discretion works in everyarea of life, whether that be your time schedule, your friendships andrelationships, or your daily tasks. My bet is that following the “formula” for ashort time will see a huge pay off in your life.

Can you imagine this “formula” working in your spiritual life, as well?Imagine if you made some very small but significant disciplined choices todevelop your soul. What if you just took 30 minutes every morning (orwhenever) to explore and invest and develop your spirit. You could learn toworship or you could study God's Word or you could simply sit and let Godhave a bigger piece of your mind and heart and life. A short, daily spiritualroutine of thirty minutes emphasizing discipline, discernment and discretionover a year can make such difference of lasting eternal proportions.

In a certain part of Malaysia, a specific kind of bamboo is grown that is veryvaluable. The farmers who grow it know all about the wisdom and patienceand discipline that it takes to produce the results they desire. In the first year,they plant the seed, water and fertilize. Nothing visible happens in the firstyear. In the second year, they continue to carefully water and fertilize all year.Nothing visible happens in the second year, either. In the third year, morewater and fertilizer are needed, yet nothing happens. There is absolutely novisible evidence that the three years of work are even close to being successful.The fourth year comes around and water and fertilizer must still be applied, inthe right amounts and at the right time. But you guessed it. Nothing happens.In the fifth year, the farmers diligently water and fertilize. And, suddenly, thebamboo grows ninety feet in thirty days. Not nine inches in thirty days, notnine feet in thirty days but ninety feet in thirty days! From zero to the heightof a nine story building in thirty days. This is what happens with small steps ofobedience, small actions of discipline and small steps of faith. These stepsproduce amazing results over time.

There is great regret in life when we stay on the same street trying to getaround the same mud puddles. But, there is great reward in walking on acompletely different path called insight. Proverbs 4:18, 25 - 27a, says, “Thepath of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till thefull light of day.”

Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Makelevel paths for your feet and take only those ways that are firm. Do not swerveto the right or the left and the blessings will flow.

Rev. Dean Angell is Lead Pastor at Lakeview Free Methodist Church inSaskatoon, SK.<<www.lakeviewchurch.com>>

“Insight is the

ability to see and

understand life

clearly and the

ability to see and

understand the

inner nature of

things.

Passages

M O S A I C 6

APPOINTMENTS

Floyd Babcock, Intentional Interim Pastor, WesleyChapel FMC, Toronto, ON, effective January 8, 2006.

Ann Foster, Assistant Pastor, Smiths Falls FMC, SmithsFalls, ON, effective January 22, 2006.

Raymond Hartman, Pastor, Caistor Centre FMCCaistor Centre, ON, effective January 22, 2006.

Karen Martin, Pastor of Care, Trulls Road FMC,Courtice, ON, effective December 9, 2005.

MINISTERIAL CANDIDATES APPROVEDSherry Thomas (Barrie FMC, Barrie, ON)Philippe Reichenbach (St Henri, Montreal, QC)

CHURCHES IN TRANSITIONAthens FMC, Athens, ONAvonlea FMC, Avonlea, SK Crossroads FMC, Salmon Arm, BCEastern Koinonia FMC, Toronto, ONEdmonton FMC, Edmonton, ABLakeland Community, Spiritwood, SKMarmora FMC, Marmora, ONMountain Ridge Community Church, Abbotsford, BCO'Connor FMC, Kakabeka Falls, ONPineview FMC, Cloyne, ONRichmond Hill Chinese FMC, Richmond Hill, ONWeyburn FMC, Weyburn, SK

PASTORS IN TRANSITIONJohn BakerDavid MacPhersonDon MillerRodney PetersonJoan StonehouseVic StonehouseMike SzaboCam TaylorDale Vinkle

ABOVE ALLTHINGS. . . WE MUST ROCK! This is the first of 10 Commandments forthe “Church of Rock”, a Friday night ministry for kids and youth at Queensway Church in NiagaraFalls. But before you think that this is just another typical youth ministry where a bunch of churchkids hang out, let me tell you a bit of our story.

A little over two years ago, my wife Janna and I were wandering through a local mall on a Fridaynight with our kids. Despite being bored out of my skull – I have a very strong aversion to shopping– God used that night as a catalyst to whisper an idea into my heart about future ministry. What Inoticed that night was literally hundreds of kids just hangin' around with seemingly nothing to doand nowhere to go. As I sat on a nearby bench while my wife kept Zellers in business for over anhour, I came to realize that the language and culture of this next generation of youth was basedprimarily around music (each one had an MP3 player glued to his/her head), skateboarding (I sawflips, trips and even a few epic spills) and fashion (let's just say each kid had a unique way ofexpressing themselves!). Most of all though, I saw that each kid acted as though they desperately justwanted somewhere to belong and fit in, and that this was the place that they felt most at home. Theywere seeking approval from their peers, and would do almost anything to get it.

In short, what I saw was community. I couldn't help but be moved by that and convicted to askmyself the question “Can't the church be doing more for kids like this”? The burden God put on methat night was a little unexpected, as I never thought I would find myself immersed once again intoyouth ministry in any way. My wife and I had been involved in youth ministry for five years or sowhen we were first married, but since having our own family we felt God pull us in other directionsof ministry. However, as with many times in the past when God spoke an idea in my heart, I pushedit into the recesses of my mind, assuming (or hoping) that it might go away.

A couple of months later, my wife and I watched School of Rock, a movie starring Jack Black. Thisis the story of a down-and-out, pseudo rock star whose dreams of superstardom have been crushedby the unfair trials of life. As he attempts to get his life together after being kicked out of yet anotherband, he takes a job pretending to be a school teacher at a rich prep school. Realizing that he knowsnothing about educating children, he turns to his only source of passion and knowledge – rockmusic. From there, mostly by accident, he ends up teaching the kids valuable life lessons through themedium of rock and roll. The movie resonated deeply with me for a couple reasons. For one, I toohave long dreamed of being a rock star – but unfortunately have always been a little short (somewould say a LOT) in the talent, money and opportunity departments. Passion I had, but that onlytakes you so far. Second, I was once again reminded of the enormous power of music, and how Godhad used it in many different ways to draw me into relationship with Jesus and to continue totransform my own life over the last few years. I watched that entire movie three times that night (mywife thought I was going insane or hitting an early mid-life crisis) and at one point I just blurted out“we need to start a Church of Rock for kids in our community”! The dream was born.

As I thought more and more about the idea, the scripture that immediately came to mind wasone that had encouraged and challenged me for many years. In his first letter to Timothy, theApostle Paul writes “Do not let anyone put you down because you are young, but set an example forother believers in your faith, life, love and purity”. This became the biblical foundation for theChurch of Rock, which would attempt to mentor kids to be passionate disciples of Jesus, a moveaway from just tolerating them until they “matured”. It became a response to what I felt had beensorely lacking in youth ministry in our current culture.

In my decade of watching youth ministry in our city, I often heard church leaders talk about howour youth were the “leaders of the future”, but then turn around and relegate them to the basementwith limited resources and funding. I have even heard the argument that “kids don't have anymoney”, suggesting that building a ministry for them and around them was somehow not aslegitimate as other ideas. Kids in our community need Jesus, and unfortunately I had beenwitnessing the progressive migration of our youth away from anything that resembled Jesus and Hischurch. Just as people in the past have seen the importance of sharing the gospel in the language ofthe people, I am firmly convinced that God can use music as a means to reach our young people withthe transforming power of the gospel.

I quickly realized, my wife and I could not take on this type of idea alone and the next logicalstep in the journey was to float this somewhat nebulous idea of a “Church of Rock” to a trustedgroup of seven to eight friends. Their response was awesome, not just in support for the idea butmore than that – each one willing to jump on board and to serve alongside in whatever way theycould be used. That I did not expect. Since that time a few more people have jumped onto the

The guest speaker at the EFC National Youth Forum back in January was MichaelFrost, a noted Australian Christian communicator and evangelist. While I don'tresonate with his somewhat negative perception of the “traditional” church, I do

appreciate his passion for the need to engage the culture around us. The apostle Paul knew theimportance of reaching out to the world around him: “I have become all things to all men, sothat by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel …” (1Corinthians 9:22-23). In terms of making connections with youth, there are many points ofentry (sports, technology, academics, boarding etc.) that allow one to develop relationships oflove and caring. Check out the story of how God led Larry Jones and Queensway Church intoan amazing opportunity of ministry to the young people in their community.

Andrew Brown is Student Ministries Director for The Free Methodist Church in Canada. Youcan contact him at andrew@fmdog.ca

Invite your participation in the campaign to fully endow

The Donald N. & Kathleen G. BastianChair of Wesley Studies

at Tyndale Seminary

At present, we have raised $860,000 in cashtowards our goal of $1,200,000.

Friends, alumni and supporters of Christian highereducation are needed to accomplish this goal.Both cash donations and planned gifts arewelcome. For further information, please contactLloyd R. Eyre, President, Lorne Park Foundation orNorm Bull of the Free Methodist Foundation inCanada.

Lloyd R. Eyre, President Norman J. BullLorne Park Foundation Free Methodist FoundationP.O. Box 871 in CanadaPeterborough, ON 4315 Village Centre CourtK9J 7A2 Mississauga, ON L4Z 1S2705.745.7585 905.848.2600lreyre@cogeco.ca bulln@fmc-canada.org

7 M O S A I C

Church of Rock bandwagon. The next step was to sit down with my Senior

Pastor, Jennifer Anderson, to hammer out the visionand purpose behind what I wanted to do. In onememorable afternoon, we came to focus on thestatement, “igniting the next generation” – whichdefined the core of what we felt God calling us to – torespond to the rapidly changing needs of the nextgeneration and to infuse their lives with the power ofJesus and his love for them. Using the term “ignite” asour base, we outlined the following core values for theChurch of Rock:

� Investing our time, resources and energy into thenext generation

� G rowing kids to recognize their unique diversity� Navigating kids through life � Identifying each kid's unique purpose in life� Transforming kids by mentoring the character of

Christ� Empowering kids to discover and use their gifts

Just imagine, 10-12 adults giving up every Fridaynight to serve the kids in our church and ourcommunity. Believe me, that is no ordinary feat! Wehave found that serving God together in this way hasbrought us even closer together, and sacrificing part ofour lives for this ministry is one of the most rewardingthings we have done as a group. I've found that servingwith people you love and trust implicitly helpsovercome a lot of the frustrations that can come alongwith youth ministry – like burnout and the feeling thatyou are on an island at times. I could never have donethis without this small group made up of some of mybest friends: Chris and Christine Milne, Jody andCarrie Zimmerman, Dana Andrews, Susan Dyet,Janine Zimmerman, Mike Hunt and RachaelMonaghan – not to mention my wife Janna and PastorJenn. God is smiling at you, gang!!

The launch date was September 17, 2004, with 18kids in attendance, along with 8 leaders and a few littleones (kids of leaders) who tag along for fun. Since thenwe have grown to at times topping 35 kids on a Fridaynight, mainly between Grades 4-8. The kids learn howto sing and write lyrics, play drums, guitar andpercussion, work with puppets and drama as well as allsorts of other fun stuff. Each kid also earns “RockBucks”, a system that allows them to collect fake moneyand purchase prizes a couple times a year. The kids taketurns doing spotlights on Christian bands, and often wewill do a lyrical study of a song to see what thesongwriter is really trying to say – both secular andChristian. To this point, the kids have written 6-7 oftheir own original songs, mostly based on scripturefrom our devotions or from their everyday life. The kidsfirst song, written during the second week of Church ofRock, is called Never Say Never, and is based on 1 Peter

2, which was another scripture that God prompted meto use as a foundation for the ministry. It says “Come toChrist, who is the living cornerstone of God's temple.He was rejected by the people, but he is precious toGod who chose him. And now God is building you, asliving stones, into his spiritual temple”. Carlee Kaobeland Cherry Lapointe, Grade 7 and 8 at the time, wrotethe following words:

We are the living stones, Jesus holds us togetherStand up tall and strong, never say neverWe all can stand forever, without Jesus we'll fallBelieve in the Cornerstone, never say neverHold your head up high, spread your wings and flyWith the help of God, we'll never die, we'll never die

I couldn't write that in a million years. Neither ofthose two were “church kids” either, just friends offriends who loved music and wanted a safe place to useand explore their talents. To me it confirmed that Godcan speak to and through people in many ways, even (ormaybe especially) through our youth. The kids havefundraised over $4000 in two years to purchase newequipment such as drums, guitars, sound equipmentand other wacky stuff, and we recently bought a multi-track recorder so that we can actually produce the kidsmusic onto CDs. To date the kids have hosted two“Rock Bashes”, where they invite their parents, friendsand our Queensway Church family to see themperform their songs and showcase their talents.

We are not quite sure what the next step is in theChurch of Rock journey. For most of these kids, 75% ofwhom have never been to church before, Church ofRock is church for them each week – it's theircommunity. I can't imagine seeing them move on to thenext “program”. They have become part of our lives. Inmany ways, seeing them grow and mature has impactedus as leaders as much or more as they have beeninfluenced by our team. To me, it's never been just aprogram on Friday nights, but a church within a church– although admittedly a very LOUD one! If you everfind yourself in Niagara Falls on a Friday night withnothing to do, drop by and see us – you might just likeit.

Larry Jones is the Associate Pastor (and El Capitano!)at Queensway Free Methodist Church in Niagara Falls,ON.<<www.vaxxine.com/qfmc>>

WHAT ARE THE LEADERS SAYING?"I wanted to be involved in a newworthwhile, upbeat youth ministryIt’s the School of Rock in realityDana Andrews (guitar teacher)"Kids are learning aboutinteracting in community - allthrough music".Rachael Monaghan (singing/songwriting leader)

WHAT ARE KIDS SAYING

ABOUT CHURCH OF ROCK?

IT'S EASY TO FIND OUT, JUST ASK THEM!

"It’s an awesome

Friday night ac

tivity

where everyone f

its in and we ar

e one

family".

Carlee Koabel

"It’s an amazing

place to be! I

love

playing in my ba

nd with Brendan,

Josh

and Dana".

Matyas Nagy

"I’ve learned th

at God is always

ther

you no matter wh

at you do or say

".

Kaitlyn Roy

"I’ve learned to

be yourself and

not

act like someone

else. I listen

bett

too"!

Kelli McConnery

"It’s about play

ing guitar and b

ein

Church of Rock g

ave me the inspi

ra

to play guitar".

Derek Koabel

"Everyone feels

that they belong

,

nobody is rude o

r judgmental abo

u

anyone else. The

first time I ca

m

and sat down at

a drum set, I di

d

what any of them

were even calle

I can play and I

even have my ow

Steven Greenwood

"Learning about

God can be fun.

Nicole Merritt

Missions in our own backyardby Dan Sheffield

Taking Jesus to the StreetsLast summer I went on a mission trip, actually our entire family went. Weprepared supplies and packed the van and travelled for 10 minutes to ourdestination, downtown Tillsonburg! Yes, that's right, downtown Tillsonburg.Our supplies consisted of cans of cold pop, tracts and Bibles in Spanish andfriendly smiles. In parking lots, malls and along the main street we shared thegood news with some of the Mexican migrant workers who make this area theirhome for three to four months each year.

As part of the South Western Ontario Spanish Initiative we reached out tosome of the 18,000 migrant workers who live part of the year in the area fromSimcoe to Windsor south of the 401. This summer we partnered with theGurrola family from Mexico. Victor, Chayito, Karla, Ale and Dani Gurrolavisited Ontario for three weeks. Victor is a bank manager in Mexico and a God-gifted evangelist. They spent their weekends in Tillsonburg along with Lloyd andBarb Peterson from Wilkesport. OnFriday afternoons and evenings whenthe workers would come into town toshop we would divide into teams andcover the town. The cans of cold popattracted many people. Striking up aconversation in Spanish, Victor wouldask where the person was from inMexico, talk for a while about “home”and then flow into the hope that Christoffers. Often groups as large as tenwould gather around and listen to thegood news. Many would accept tractsand some would take Bibles.

Over the six weeks that outreachoccured about fifty migrant workersbegan a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. PraiseGod! Many would come back the following weeks withmore questions about Jesus.

After the Gurrola family went back to Mexico, othersfrom the Sarnia congregation came on Fridays to help.

One encounter stands out for me. On one of our tripsto a strip mall we encountered a man representing a cultwho was handing out literature in Spanish. Iapproached one of the recipients, and through brokenSpanish and the help of Chayito who didn't speak much English, we told the manthat the truth he was looking for was in the Bible, not in the magazine that he had

received. We gave him a Spanish Bible and prayed with him. About an hour laterwe saw him sitting with some friends, reading the Bible to them and the big smilehe gave us told us the joy that was in his heart. We again saw him a week later andhe remembered us and shook our hands vigorously. I wonder what influence hewill have when he returns to his family and friends in Mexico?

We also had the opportunity to meet a Spanish speaking congregation inAylmer and a pastor of two Spanish churches in London. Didyou know that there are ten Spanish churches in London?

Good things happened in Tillsonburg last summer and weare hoping for better things next year. On our wish list: astorefront location on the main street where we can offer atelephone so that workers can phone home with some privacy,videos in Spanish to share the gospel, English lessons for thosewho want to learn the language so that they can communicatebetter on the farms, Bible studies and Spanish speaking peopleto share the good news.

How can you help?

� Pray for the right person(s) to come to Tillsonburg and area nextsummer who will be available to share the gospel for the months ofAugust-October.

� Pray for a storefront location to open up. Give financially to helpmake our wish list a reality. (The Spanish Initiative is a Conferenceapproved project).

� Pray for all the migrant workers who take the good news of Jesusback home with them.

� Pray that what has begun in South Western Ontario will continue.

Maybe God is speaking to your heart to come to Tillsonburg nextsummer and minister to this mission field on our doorstep.

Please contact Pastor Doug Dawson at the Tillsonburg FreeMethodist Church.

Rev. Doug Dawson, Senior Pastor at Tillsonburg Free Methodist Church

DEBBIE HOGEBOOM RETURNS TO KENYA

Debbie’s colleague sent her an email recently about ministry at the church sheworked with over the past few years.

“There is a very strong basketball team at Light and Life now. It is under theleadership of a young man by the name of Herbert. He has mobilized the youthand they have come up with rules to govern themselves as church youths, aroundthe church property. They have a wonderful theme, “Youth Against Drugs andAlcoholism”. They have played in three different tournaments in Kericho andthey have improved their performance with every match they have played. Lastweekend they went to Kipchimchim for a basketball tournament and they werenumber one. This coming weekend, they will go for another tournament thatwas organized by the Kipchimchim school and they asked our church to be themain sponsors of the tournament. What they expect from the church is that thechurch funds the tournament by producing two trophies for the tournament. 11teams will be participating in the two day tournament. They will then give ourchurch an opportunity to conduct the opening speech by giving a lecture on thedangers of drugs and alcohol to the youth. Also after the tournament is over andbefore they give the trophies, the church will be given yet another opportunity.Pray for these boys, together with the Light and Life Church council. Pray forthese guys and for God’s special spirit to pour afresh on the lives of these young

boys. These youth have promised to join the church and become

members of our church. Their leader Herbert came to church last Sunday andmade a commitment to make Light and Life his home church. This is a verysmart young man, he is working with a legal firm in town as clerk. The rest ofthe group plans to come soon, they are still asking questions at how they will bereceived in the church and they are afraid to be called in front and mention theirnames. I trust that things will work out okay, also pray for Patrick as he workson helping these boys join the church.”

Keep the youth ministry and sports evangelism at Kericho in your prayers.Light and Life Church is located in a slum with much need for this kind ofoutreach but it is tough and sometimes discouraging. We have been praying along time for someone to take leadership in this area and he has answered theseprayers. Praise the Lord!

Debbie returns to Kenya, March 27, 2006. She will be taking up a newassigntment in the city of Eldoret where a new church plant is underway. Shewill continue Christian education development and training for the FreeMethodist Church in Kenya.