What About “Missions” Part 2: The Wrights
Last week I sent out the third initiative in our 3 Year Ministry Plan: Intercultural Engagement Team. I mentioned that we are hiring (leaders, we’d love to receive recommendations – click here for the link for the job description). Today I’m very happy to let you know about another important ‘go-forward’ piece for Intercultural Engagement (“missions”) and for us as a movement: the Wrights and Francophone ministry. I’ll let them tell you about it in their own words:
- You’ve been prayerfully discerning your next steps, what do you feel you are being called to?
We have been feeling God call us (back to where we started) to Francophone Ministries. In the late 90’s we took youth teams into Quebec and discovered that French Canada is one of the most unreached people in the world with less than 1% of the population being evangelical Christians. The situation is very similar in France and French speaking Belgium and as a result there are very limited Christian resources in French. Our goal is to help encourage and support our bi-vocational pastors in these areas with cross cultural and theological training and resources to better enable them to reach their communities while assisting with oversight of the work in Niger. We hope to encourage youth cultural exchanges between our churches in southern Ontario (and perhaps beyond Ontario) and the youth in Quebec to build community, encourage the discipleship process and serve the body, expanding their world and view of the church and maybe encouraging the next generation of FM missionaries!
- Because this is a very new idea and work, how will you spend your time in the first few months?
We are visiting our supporting churches to get the word out and generate prayer & support for this new endeavour while we also hope to assemble and equip a team to be involved in a youth exchange sometime this summer. We are presently involved in getting certified to teach TESOL so that we have a natural service entry for reaching out to new Canadians and international students wherever we relocate to. We have been very involved in ministry to international students at our local university and we will continue to be involved in that through the end of the school year and look for ways that we might be involved in that sort of thing in Quebec (or Europe sometime in the future). Sometime in the next six months we will be making a trip to Niger to follow up on the ministry there and hopefully connect with the Africa Area Director for the FMC USA who has agreed to help us oversee the work there and on route we hope to connect with the FMC USA missionaries in Europe that have asked for our help with the work in France & in Belgium to explore what we can do to help with the work there.
- How can churches be involved?
Pray! Pray for the Lord’s leading; for His connections and divine appointments. Pray for those that would be lead to be involved in these exchanges and all the details involved in that. Pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the French speaking world (and the rest of Canada while you are at it!) that they would have a hunger for the things of God. Pray that we would have clear direction on where and when (and if) we should be moving to Quebec. Pray for our family as we will likely be leaving the boys and aging parents behind should we move.
And pray, churches, about supporting the Wrights financially and the Global Missions Giving Streams.
Two more things…
This weekend I enjoyed very much the opportunity, co-incidentally, being in “la belle province”! On Sunday morning I spoke in Pastor Pierre Zidor’s church family, and in the afternoon I lead my first ordination service in French, for Pastor Pierre. Felicitations Pasteur Pierre! Pasteur Pierre had been working in the insurance business when he received his call into pastoral ministry. He has worked bi-vocationally, finished his Masters of Divinity at Acadia while pastoring a growing congregation in Rosemont. Inspiring. I pray that I have the opportunity to lead many more French ordination services.
Finally, I thought you’d appreciate reading this article about our Westport FM. It’s their community acknowledging that the Westport FM Church is accepting responsibility for the community! Thank you Westport. Again inspiring! Here’s a question church leaders: “what would we want to be in the local newspaper for?”
PHOTO GALLERY
Pierre Zidor Ordination
MEDIA CONNECTIONS
Church Health Thursdays – Marc’s Annual Advent Blog: https://fmcic.ca/marcs-annual-advent-blog/
News & Stories Blog – Weyburn FMC & Operation Christmas Child: https://fmcic.ca/16533/
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: Jeff and Jan Steckley – Contemplative practice, second half of life & the art of starting: https://www.newleafnetwork.ca/podcast/ep-53-jeff-and-jan-steckley-contemplative-practice-second-half-of-life-the-art-of-starting/
Faith and Finances Website: http://faithandfinances.ca
ANNOUNCEMENTS
None
Ordination and Commissioning Services Schedule
None
FOUNDATIONAL COURSES https://fmcic.ca/foundational-courses/
Register online through the link above.
Lay Ministers tracking for credentialed ministry and those transferring ordination credentials into the FMCiC need to take the following two courses for full credit – and if possible, the Heart course first and then Wesleyan Theology.
Heart of Canadian Free Methodism:
June 7-9, 2019 – location TBA*
November 1-3, 2019 – location TBA*
Wesleyan Theology:
June 7-9, 2019 – location TBA*
November 1-3, 2019 – location TBA*
(also available online through FMC-USA: http://fmcusa.org/leadership/courses/)
Ministerial Candidates tracking for Commissioned or Ordained Minister are required to take the following two courses for full credit. Those who are already commissioned or ordained are required to either audit these two courses for 1 Continuing Education Unit (CEU) each or take the two courses and complete the assignments for 3 CEUs each.
Culture and the Missional Church:
Date and location TBA
Personal and Church Stewardship:
5-week online course (FRENCH) – start date – TBA
6-week online course (ENGLISH) – start date – TBA
(*locations are selected based on where the majority of the participants reside – so please register early!)
2019 SCHOLARSHIPS https://fmcic.ca/scholarships/
February 15 is the deadline to apply for the Leadership Scholarship Plan (LSP) for any courses taken during Winter semester of 2019. See instructions and the 2019 application forms to download from the link above.
October 15 is the deadline to apply for the annual Special Scholarships for courses taken during 2019 – apply online from the link above
CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS (CEUs) https://fmcic.ca/introduction-to-continuing-education/
Ordained and Commissioned Ministers (except retirees) are to annually report Continuing Education Units (CEUs) acquired during each year. Check the link above for information on CEUs, the report form and a list of examples of many different types of life-long learning that can be applied as CEUs.
Note: For those who attended the fall Minister’s Conferences, add 6 hours of CEU credit when you send in your annual CEU report.
CHURCHES IN TRANSITION
Interviewing
Melfort FMC, Melfort, SK
Church Profiles available
Contact Susan DePlanché in the Leadership Development Office to request a church profile – [email protected] or 289-228-1225 (deadline to apply in brackets)
Caistor Centre FMC, Caistor Centre, ON (Nov 27/18)
Madoc Wesleyan/FMC, Madoc, ON (Nov 27/18)
Weyburn FMC, Weyburn, SK (Nov 27/18)
Preparing Profiles
(If you are interested in reviewing the profile for any of these churches, please contact Susan in 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)
Hampton FMC, Saskatoon, SK
New Horizons Community Church – Sarnia, ON (Kim Henderson-Interim Pastor)
Richmond Hill Chinese & English FM Churches, Richmond Hill, ON (Abbs So and Shadow Lau-Interim Co-Pastors)
Smiths Falls FMC, Smiths Falls, ON
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Intercultural Engagement Team Leader – Free Methodist Ministry Centre
Youth Pastor – Malvern Methodist Church
Associate Pastor – Verona FM Church
