Entries by Alison

You Can Do This Church

March 26, 2020 /in ,

This is one of those times when it is hard to know what to write. There is so much going on and everything is changing so fast. What do you say? I almost didn’t write anything because there is lots of other stuff to focus on and things aren’t normal, but I wanted to write […]

Talk With, Not About

February 27, 2020 /in ,

The other day, somebody asked me my “analysis” as to how things had gone sideways in a local church.  Attendance, budget, and relationships had all been affected over the course of time and now some folks were looking to get things back on track. There were plenty of things I could have said, but before […]

Arlington Woods 1.5 Years Post Tornado

February 24, 2020 /in ,

On Friday, September 21, 2018, a tornado ripped through the community of Arlington Woods, a neighbourhood in Nepean, ON known for its 100 year old white pines. Several homes were destroyed and dozens of others were severely damaged. Arlington Woods Free Methodist Church’s fellowship hall (the older part of the church building) was extensively damaged, […]

Listen to the Tug on Your Heart

January 30, 2020 /in ,

A friend reached out to me the other day with a very kind offer.  It was along the lines of “I am not sure if you need this, but just know that if you ever need a listening ear or somebody to pray for you, I would be willing to do that.”  It was very […]

What Mr. Church Health Wants for Christmas

December 19, 2019 /in ,

So I know what you all are asking. What can we get the Church Health guy for Christmas?   That’s easy, a puppy. However, if you are asking from a Church Health perspective rather than a personal one I do have a list of things I would like to see as we move through Christmas […]

First Response Bags

December 11, 2019 /in

Thornbury, ON is a small community of 2,200 located at the intersection of Beaver River and Georgian Bay. Erika and Jason Mills moved to Thornbury two years ago to co-pastor Blue Mountain Community Church. The church wanted to focus on children and youth ministry, so Erika started following the local schools on social media to […]

Are You a Light in the World?

November 28, 2019 /in ,

My son recently preached a sermon from the Gospel of John talking about the idea that Jesus is the Light of the World (a theme in John’s Jesus story), and he talked about lights in Advent. It was all good, but it got me thinking… Jesus did say He was the light of the world, […]

Tell Your Stories

October 31, 2019 /in

I have written before that I am a big fan of stories.  I love a good story. But I have noticed that more and more we seem to be telling mostly “bad news” type stories.  We talk about what’s wrong, what needs to be fixed, how bad things are, and stuff like that. Our focus […]

The Corner Church

October 25, 2019 /in

Two years ago, The Freeway in Oshawa, ON went through the Lifeplan process and discerned that God wanted them to find a permanent facility to use for their ministry.  Up until that point, The Freeway met in school gyms on Sunday mornings and had a small office in downtown Oshawa. “Our original vision was to […]

Things Rarely Drift Towards Good and Healthy

September 26, 2019 /in ,

So here is a thing I am slowly learning, and this will seem obvious but hang in with me. I have a great family.  What I have noticed is that when stuff gets bumpy in my family it has an effect on me.  Now, when I say bumpy, I don’t just mean between us. It […]