CliffsNotes

Did you know that we have a small committee reviewing how to best prepare our ministers (and their families) for retirement and how to continue to missionally and pastorally engage with them after retirement? Retired missionary Debbie Hogeboom is leading the team. This committee has not come about because I […]

Pulpit supply May long weekend – an idea: just in case you had forgotten, we will all be together this May long weekend for General Conference: Be Free! Pastors, instead of looking for a guest speaker why don’t you plan to live stream the Sunday service? For those in BC,

Be Free! And an Ordination The Reverend Todd Stelmach wore a suit (but more on that later). We are in a series of interviews with the Chair of the Board of Administration. Dr. Harold Gonyou is laying out recommendations that we will be discussing at General Conference May 14-17. Remember,

General Conference 2020: Be Free! This is week 2 of my interviews with Harold Gonyou, Chair of the Board of Administration. Remember the goal is that you will have received motions and recommendations months before General Conference so that you can discuss in your local churches. If there are any

What kind of church does Canada need? Over the next several weeks I will outline the recommendations that you and I will be discussing and voting on at General Conference 2020: Be Free! You will also be receiving a General Conference package as usual (it will be digital in our

PRAYER REQUEST: This past week I received several sad phone calls or visits from pastoral families: crisis, health, loss… I’m asking that you commit some focused time this week to pray for our pastors (retired too) and their families. This past weekend I was in BC. I hoped that I

We are free to collaborate… I want you to meet an FM’er from the Ottawa area who attends Chapel Ridge FM. He is the Executive Director of One Way Ministries. I’d like you to hear a little more about One Way because it certainly reflects the FMCiC’s Guiding Principle 1

Intercultural Engagement Team has been diligent in their discernment this past year, and they are continuing to discern God’s direction for the FMCiC and “intercultural mission” around the world.  They are asking good and important questions like: “Where has God gone on before us, and already opened opportunity for life-giving

One of the Christmas traditions Karlene and I have is to give each other and our kids an ornament that somehow reflects the past year – that is, something they’ve done, or accomplished, or achieved. Our Christmas tree tells our story. There are driver’s licence, lifeguards, sports, Bible verses that

Let me start with “soul friends”. It’s Christmas season and I am finding that I am experiencing both melancholy and deep gratitude. Like many of you, my family, as we move into Christmas week, is dealing with loss (my family lost my dad recently). The funny thing about loss is