CliffsNotes – November 7, 2017

Last Thursday I had the privilege of being a part of the New Pastors Orientation. Pastors Erika & Jason Mills from Blue Mountain, Pastor Craig & Marcia Peters from Polson Park, Pastor Jacob & Tara Shiner from Cloyne, and Pastor Kathy & Dave Casement from Verona. Welcome to each of you! From what I hear, and from what I experienced, you make our movement stronger and we’re grateful that God has lead you to us.

The Board of Administration (BOA) met this past weekend. Did you know, that monthly, the Ministry Centre sends out a short video (one minute-ish in length) for you to show in your Sunday morning worship time? We have asked that your local church would show it one time during the month, during announcements or wherever you see fit. It is one more way that we can COMMUNICATE and stay CONNECTED about our movement. I write all this in order to say that this month’s video is an interview with the Chair of the BOA, Harold Gonyou. Click here to see the video: https://vimeo.com/241628659

As I process all that the BOA worked through this weekend, I find myself very grateful for these men and women. There were difficult conversations, budgets, reports and plans to move forward. We are currently working through the book together Pursuing God’s Will Together: A Discernment Practice for Leadership Groups (highly recommended for your board) and we are taking our time discussing it, one chapter at a time. In the end, all conversations at the BOA were grace-filled, and always concerned with being in step with Holy Spirit. It is a beautiful thing for me to report that at every level of leadership the FMCIC is united: Personnel, SCOD, Nominating Committee, MEGAP, NLT, support staff, and BOA are all “excited” (Harold’s word) for our future together!

On Sunday I was invited to celebrate New Hope Methodist’s 106th anniversary. I stood up to preach to a sea of blue and white jerseys (the Maple Leafs), and I felt like a missionary, bringing and being a light to darkness (the Maple Leafs fans). It’s funny, because I think that the last time the Leafs won, the Newmarket church was in her infancy!
I love the initiative of the leadership to pursue partnerships, partially a financial decision, but I believe a wave of the Spirit. I strongly believe that local churches, Christian agencies, denominations even, have to explore the ministry potential of partnerships. In Barrie, I called the network of larger churches together to discuss the viability of purchasing together an old fire station in the downtown that would house several Christian ministries that the churches supported (Out of the Cold, soup kitchen, drop in center, etc). There was great interest in the project that we called “Under One Roof”. IMAGINE what that would have said to the city! IMAGINE a sign that had all these ministries listed, and something in the literature that said “and the Church in Barrie is making this happen!”

This call to come together, work together, partner is part of our Free Methodist DNA – Catholic Spirit! Your local Free Methodist church brings this to your community, it is a part of our unique contribution to the Kingdom. In fact, I believe that part of what it means to “accept responsibility for our community” is to help mobilize the Church (all evangelicals in town) into united prayer, evangelism and perhaps fellowship.

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SAVE THE DATE2018 REGIONAL GATHERINGS

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PHOTO GALLERY
New Pastors Orientation
BOA Meeting
New Hope Methodist Church

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MEDIA CONNECTIONS

Church Health Thursdays -Why Mid-Size Churches Get Stuck: https://fmcic.ca/why-mid-size-churches-get-stuck-not-prioritizing-childrens-ministry/New
News & Stories Blog – Being Ambassadors Outside the Church Walls: Conversation with a Millenial ‘Done’: https://fmcic.ca/being-ambassadors-outside-the-church-walls-conversation-with-a-millenial-done/ New
the conneXion
– a Free Methodist theology blog: 3 Minute Theology 2.5: Knowing the Bible Inside Out: https://fmcic.ca/3-minute-theology-2-5-knowing-the-bible-inside-out/
New Leaf Podcast: Learning Party Talks – Mark Groleau: https://www.newleafnetwork.ca/podcast/ep-50-learning-party-talks-mark-groleau/ New
Faith and Finances Website: http://faithandfinances.ca
Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/FMCIC
LifePlan Study Team Files


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SCHOLARSHIPS

The next deadline is February 15, 2018 to apply for the Leadership Scholarship Plan (LSP) for the winter semester of 2018.  More information is available at this link:https://fmcic.ca/scholarships/

FOUNDATIONAL COURSES

Heart of Canadian Free Methodism:
June 1-3, 2018 in Western Canada (location TBA*)

Wesleyan Theology:
June 1-3, 2018 in Ontario (location TBA*)
(also available online through FMC-USA: http://fmcusa.org/leadership/courses/)

Personal and Church Stewardship
6-week online course – begins January 29, 2018

Culture and the Missional Church:
Next course date and location TBA*

(*these locations will be selected based on where the majority of the participants reside – so please register early!)

Registration is online for all courses at this link: https://fmcic.ca/foundational-courses/. Those tracking for credentialed ministry should take the Heart course first and then Wesleyan Theology if possible.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

Jacob Shiner – approved as a Ministerial Candidate and appointed as Pastor at Pineview Free Methodist Church, Cloyne, ON, effective November 1, 2017

Ordination and Commissioning

  • Laurie Lemke – Vennachar Free Methodist Church, Vennachar, Ontario – December 10, 2017 at 3 pm at Vennachar FM Church

CHURCHES IN TRANSITION
Interviewing
Harrowsmith FMC, Harrowsmith, ON
Rustle FMC, Kingston, ON
Sault Ste Marie FMC, Sault Ste Marie, ON


Church Profiles available
Contact Susan DePlanché  in the  Leadership Development Office to request a church profile – [email protected] or 289-228-1225.
None

Preparing Profiles

(If you are interested in seeing the profile for any of these churches, please contact Susan at the Leadership Development Office [[email protected] or 289-228-1225] and the profile will be emailed to you as soon as it becomes available.)

Athens FMC, Athens, ON (Angel Valentin-Transition Pastor)
Asbury FMC, Perth, ON
Caistor Centre FMC, Caistor Centre, ON (Mary Lee DeWitt-Transition Pastor)
Centennial Chapel FMC, Kamloops, BC (Vern Frudd-retiring May 31, 2018)
Cornerstone FMC, Prince Albert, SK – (Dyan Mouland – Transition Pastor)
Dunnville FMC, Dunnville, ON
Grapeview FMC, St. Catharines, ON (Dan Sheffield – Transition Pastor)
Madoc Free Methodist/ Wesleyan Church
Marmora FMC, Marmora, ON
Melfort FMC, Melfort, SK
Odessa FMC, Odessa, ON
Tabernacle de la Grace, Montreal QC
Thunder Bay FMC, Thunder Bay, ON (Andre Korstanje retiring July 2018)
Warkworth FMC, Warkworth, ON


Functioning with approved local arrangements
Avonlea FMC, Avonlea SK
Campbell’s Bay FMC, Campbell’s Bay, QC (Orville White)
Church On The Hill, Orillia ON
Cordova Mines FM Fellowship, Cordova Mines, ON
Dryden FMC, Dryden, ON
Eglise Chrétienne Méthodiste Libre de Le Gardeur, QC (Duplan Auguste Lython)
Enterprise FMC, Enterprise, ON
Killarney FMC, Killarney, MB (Raymond Riglin)
Markham FMC, ON (K.K. Leung)
Pineview FMC, Cloyne, ON
Richmond Hill Chinese & English Churches, Richmond Hill, ON (K.K. Leung)
Roblin FMC, Roblin, MB (Heath Butler)
Surrey FMC, Surrey BC (Nathaniel Prakash)
theStory, Sarnia, ON
Timmins FMC, Timmins, ON (Lewis Byer)
Wesley Chapel Japanese FM Church, Toronto, ON (Misa Mochinaga)
Wyevale FMC, Wyevale, ON
Yarker FMC, Yarker, ON (Ken Babcock)

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PASTORS IN TRANSITION

Glen Coates
Roxanne Goodyear
Kim Henderson
Fred Merritt
Derek Spink
Grant Wolfe
Mary-Elsie Wolfe
Wesley Wood


EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Associate Pastor – Barrie FM Church
Associate Pastor – Trulls Road FM Church