Steve's Most Excellent Adventure
Churches
Most Sundays I am visiting our local churches across the country. This is one of the most enjoyable parts of my role as National President. We have over 507 churches from coast to coast, and growing.
1. New Beginnings Church in Vancouver reaching the poor of the city
2. Shenstone Baptist (Brantford, ON) honour their longest standing member of 75 years.
3. The North York Chinese Baptist Church family (Toronto) offering four worship services each Sunday.
4. New church facility for our church in Gaspé, QC.
Pastors
One of the greatest assets of our Fellowship family are our pastors. I am convinced the health of our churches is largely dependent on the vitality and vision strength of our pastors. Please pray daily for our pastors.
5. Breakfast with our Ottawa and Gatineau pastors.
6. Pastor Mark Clarke’s recent church plant surpasses 1,100 in 2012. Pastor Paul Johnson pastors the mother church.
7. Meeting with our FEBCAST pastoral couples in Canmore, AB.
8. Pastor Barton Priebe has a vision for church planting in West Vancouver.
9. Pastor Hugo Ethier has a vision for church planting in Eastern Quebec.
Missionaries
In recent months I have had the joy to visit with Fellowship missionaries in Colombia, Venezuela, Poland, Italy and France. Over and over again I was so impressed by the commitment of our missionaries.
10. Two couples starting a new church in La Ceja, Colombia, a “2012 Kick Start” church plant.
11. FAIR Coordinator Norman Nielsen visiting a FAIR project in Medellín, Colombia.
Chaplains
Our Fellowship family has over 50 chaplains serving in areas where our local churches do not often reach. These men and women serve as God’s presence in the community and are a vital extension of the church’s mission to reach the spiritually lost.
12. Chaplain Gord Smith celebrating 25 years of ministry at the Calgary Airport.
13. Head Chaplain, Bryon Fox, in the Air Canada Communications hub at Pearson Airport, Toronto ON.
Conferences
This past spring I attended our six Regional Conferences and was challenged by the ministry of guest speakers, encouraged by the reports of a growing health among our churches, and reminded that other churches must get on mission. It was a joy to see friends from across the nation and make many new friends.
14. Visiting with FEBCAST Regional Director Laurie Kennedy while at the Regional Conference.
15. The Fellowship Pacific Regional Conference was held at Grace Baptist in Hope, BC.
Church Consultations
A new experience for me was my involvement in two church consultations. One in Toronto and a church in Campbell River, BC. A small team visits a church over a weekend and interviews, instructs and develops an assessment of the church’s health with some suggested prescriptions. I am convinced this tool will help many of our churches.
16. Regional Director David Horita lead the consult team at Campbell Baptist in BC.
17. Team leader, Ernest Kennedy at Forward Baptist Toronto.