Category: guest post

Proclamation

A report by Gloria Burrow, submitted to the Canadian Bible Society following her experience with Proclamation.

Proclamation is the reading of God’s word aloud in public and in its entirety from beginning to end traditionally over a 10 day period. Reading schedules have been developed integrating Old Testament readings with Psalms & Proverbs and New Testament readings.

[from the Canadian Bible Society website – read more]

The beautiful sanctuary at Carrick Camp

For anyone planning a “Proclamation” in their area, rest assured that it will be well worth every effort, every prayer and tear, and every hour of dedicated planning.

I felt such an urgency to be renewed and refreshed, to learn what God would have to say to me through His Word – not waiting for a year to read it alone in my home – but reading and listening consistently, hour after hour, for the purpose of drawing closer to the Lord.

Rolling through my mind during those long months of preparation was the determination that “come what may”, we will accomplish this, even if I needed to do many of the readings myself. Of course, I didn’t need to worry since we had almost 300 people sign in to read several times each, and we had a team of approximately 25 strong, willing leaders, who took on various aspects of the 10 day operation.

I marveled at the unity and joy in the preparations. 

Members of the HMC Staff Team spent a morning reading

From 7:00 am – 7:00 pm each day, groups from various churches, family connections, and individual readers came. It was a delight to meet and chat with them and then listen to each of them as they read – noting the strengthening of relationships within these small groups as they focused together on God’s Word has been something to ponder and remember.

I believe, for those who participated, God has given new desires and a fresh glimpse of how much we need this daily “road map” – our guide and comfort.

The positive comments are on-going, and very encouraging:

One young man who was reading from Proverbs and had been wrestling with a difficult work-related situation later said, “I got my answer while reading. Now I know how to handle that. I’ll let God deal with it.”

A young mom who came to read a few times gave her heart and life to Jesus at break-time, and is being nurtured by the gracious lady who prayed with her and was sensitive to her need that day.

An older man came often to read. He and his wife were pillars throughout the 10 days even though they hadn’t really planned on it. At the close of our forth day this man quietly confessed to me and a few others that he had doubted this event would be of much value, and in the beginning he thought it would be nothing but a religious exercise and a waste of time. “I was so wrong,” he said, with tears running down his face. “God is doing a good work in me and many others.”

Every day, one lady drove 45 minutes to be there for 7:00 am and she stayed until it ended at 7:00 pm. If she missed even a few minutes she would record the scriptures she missed and read them at home. She is a very busy lady with a unique ministry but was amazed to realize that the days of Proclamation were not booked on her calendar. She kept them open for the right purpose and was extremely blessed by it. When Proclamation ended she was so thrilled to feel that she had taken in the whole Bible.

Neighbors of the camp, who had known for years it was there but had never attended, signed up to read. Later we met some of them at the Sunday evening concerts at the camp during the summer at the camp. It was a beautiful setting and great exposure for the ministry of Carrick Camp.

A man who had already read with a group came back later in the middle of his work day and said he just “had to” sign up to read again.

So, all we can say is that God’s Spirit was truly at work.

The Festival of Praise – mostly music and our community choir – was an amazing climax with about 200 people present. This also gave opportunity for many to share financially, adequately covering expenses and providing a generous donation to the camp and to the Canadian Bible Society.

The Name of Jesus is the Name about all names and praise God, His Word is true and powerful!

Resources ~ Part 3 ~ The Time of the Church

by guest writer, Caleb Dyck
first shared on his own site, Truth Set Free 

Read Part 1
Read Part 2
 

How good is the church at using the time that it has? I am thinking of both how it utilizes its time throughout the week, and then how well the church is using the opportunities that are unique to its current place in history.

First of all, how well does the church make use of its time during the week? Most churches that I have ever been involved with have been very busy places. Almost every night of the week has some sort of ministry happening. The staff of the church are always busy, and the volunteers are often stretched to their capacity. However, are our churches busy with the right things? We have ministries for people in every stage of life. But, are we actually being effective?

Most churches can not possibly field a team of staff and volunteers that can effectively cover the wide array of ministries that are possible. They only have a limited amount of man hours to contribute to any cause. So, would it be more responsible to focus the majority of the time on a few ministries that can really make an impact, or is it better to try to spread out enough to touch each of the bases?

I don’t know if there is any one answer. I think that each church needs to prayerfully consider how to be the best stewards of the time that they have and then move forward into the areas that they feel they have been called to work in.

Secondly, we are part of a global church that exists in its own unique spot in history. Each generation of the church has its own set of challenges, along with opportunities to advance the kingdom of God. Each generation builds on the foundation of the saints who have gone before. As the church of the present, we have a period of time that is allotted to us. What each local church needs to do is look at what ways they can contribute in our current context. The church is notoriously bad at keeping up with the times. As a church, we need to make sure we are aware of what is going on in the world around us and respond to the needs in a timely manner.

We don’t want to be the church that completely missed the struggles and needs of our generation.

We don’t want to be the church that is clueless to the bigger picture of our generation.

I want my generation to be the generation that seizes the day and fearlessly presses forward and storms enemy strongholds.

I want my generation of church to stand on the shoulders of giants of the faith and make a stand that reverberates for succeeding generations to come.

I hope that I am not disappointed.

Resources ~ Part 2

by guest writer Caleb Dyck
This post was first shared on his own site, Truth Set Free

In my first post about being responsible with our resources, I mentioned three big areas. These areas are time, money, and talents. In this post, I am going to discuss the idea of being held accountable for how we spend our time. We are a people who are easily distracted, and we like it. We know that we waste time, but those darn cat pictures are just so fun to look at. 
 
In my own life, I have wasted an incredible amount of time. The amount of time that I have spent watching television, playing video games, or mindlessly browsing the internet is simply embarrassing. I spent several years with grand plans of doing something great with my life and making a difference in the world, but when it came right down to it I would just waste the evenings and weekends on mindless entertainment and amusement. The worst thing was that I knew exactly what I was doing, but I didn’t have the willpower to actually do anything about it. After all, why save the world today when you can put it off until tomorrow?

Those days are now behind me, but I still sometimes wonder just how much time I still waste. I am a decently busy individual. I work a normal, full-time job, have a family to spend time with, volunteer in a couple of different capacities, and take classes on the side. Often, with everything going on at once, I have a hard time slowing down and designating time for the important things like investing in my spiritual needs. Sure, I am involved in a couple of different ministries and I am in the process of preparing for a future of serving the church, but my spiritual relationship is more important than acts of service. Especially with the advent of smartphones and other electronic devices, all my free time can easily be absorbed in mindless things like social media and entertainment. I can often find myself at the end of the day without finding time for prayer, and I know that if I was more interested in talking to God than I was checking status updates, I would have found plenty of time for prayer.

In order to combat this, I need to do a couple of things. First of all, I need to make sure I am creating strict priorities for myself. I intellectually “know” that prayer is a priority, but I don’t live my life that way. That needs to change. Also, in order to have an honest picture on how much time I waste on my phone, I have put an activity tracker app on my phone that tracks how much time I spend on my phone, and what I am doing in that time. I am somewhat afraid of what I will find. My goal is to be spending more time in the Word and in prayer each day than I spend wasting time on my various digital devices.

I don’t know how much time I have on this earth. I have spent years of my life on nothing of value, and those are years that I will never get back. While it is easy to look back and lament the lost time, there is nothing that I can do now to change the past. I need to now make sure that moving forward I am making the best use of my time. For the remaining time that I have left, I hope to learn to be a faithful steward of what I have been given.

  
Next post, enough about me, how is the church managing its time?

Resources ~ Part 1

by guest writer Caleb Dyck
This post was first shared on his own site, Truth Set Free

We have all been given a certain allotment of resources by our Master, and we will all be called to account for how we used what was entrusted to us. Everyone has received something different and unique. While we can break down these resources into categories, subcategories, and down to the most intimate detail, the three big areas that I would like to look at our time, finances, and talents. I want to focus on these three because I feel that as a (North American) church these are what we squander and waste away more than anything. 

Some people may be blessed financially and use their wealth to further the advance of the Gospel but waste their time in frivolous pursuits.

Some may be poor and work 60 hours a week to provide for their families, but they may have other talents that they have been given that they can use to bless those around them.

Everyone has something to give, and as a North American church, we have been given incredible resources and have the opportunity to put those resources to use. Are we going to hide them away, squander them, or are we going to invest them in what is truly important?

 
We need to look at our own lives and be critical of how we spend our time, money, and gifts. If you were performing an audit on your own life and habits, how would you score? I know that for most of my own life I would have returned dismal results. In the next couple of posts I’ll be taking a look at each of the different areas in greater detail and discussing ways that we personally and as a church can make better use of what we have been given for the glory of God and the advancement of His kingdom.

Ice Cream Social

Guest post by Michelle McLaughlin

Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good

A table was laid out with sundae dishes and a variety of sundae toppings to choose from.  Paper ice cream cones dangled from the ceiling.  Pots of fresh mint from Joan McCutcheon’s garden decorated the centre of the tables.  The room buzzed with ladies gathered together enjoying make-your-own ice cream sundaes and waiting to listen to the words Ruth Shelley had to share.

This event was reminiscent for me of one year earlier when a group of ladies had gathered in this same space enjoying our first Ladies Social event which involved strawberries, hats and listening to a dear lady share her story with us.  I remember the excitement I felt when I had first saw the poster advertising the Ladies Strawberry Social.  The idea of an evening of just ladies met a need in my life that I hadn’t quite realized I needed.  Seeing the roomful of ladies that attended that first event confirmed in my mind what a blessing the evening was going to be.   And so, one year and 10 events later, we joined together again to share a sweet ice cream treat, chat, laugh and listen to what God wanted to share with us. 

Ruth began by relating stories of her association of ice cream with the gathering of her family on Sunday evenings while she grew up.  It later became part of a tradition with her seven children.  She referenced how memories are made and relationships are built over the sharing of such a delicious treat.  The media even uses it in movies and tv shows as a source of comfort in times of trouble.  She then wisely led us into God’s word to Psalm 34:8 “Taste and see that the LORD is good.  Oh, the joys of those who trust in him!”   She shared with us how she has tasted God’s goodness when she turned to Him and His word in the midst of problems she has faced in her life.  She encouraged us all to seek the Lord when we need comfort. 

I went this June evening expecting to enjoy a sweet treat and the company of lovely ladies.   I was reminded that while it is good to enjoy the pleasures life offers us of sweet fellowship, eating decadently now and then and even an evening away from the usual routine, there is nothing that compares with the sweetness of the Lord when we lean on Him.

HMC Ladies Socials

What Is Worthy?

Guest Post by Caleb Dyck, worship leader.

instructions for worship: loving God
I must confess that as I sat in church this crisp March morning, somewhere partway through the first point of Pastor Jason’s message, my eyes began to glaze over.  Was I tired? No. Was I bored or disinterested?  Also, no.  You see, Jason said something that I had heard many times over, and yet, something sparked…

“Worship is the idea of ascribing worth to someone or something”

The basic idea or definition of worship as described in most evangelical circles is that worship is us declaring or attributing to God the worth that He is worthy of.  As God is infinitely worthy, He is worth infinite worship.  Now, I think that most people will agree that worship is not just the singing of songs or raising our hands or even just praying.  Rather, we are called to worship with our entire lives, our entire being.

Having heard this all before, I was surprised when my ever active mind took that definition and ran with it.  So, as Jason continued on, my thoughts raced along a track parallel to the central theme of the message.  What in my life am I ascribing worth to?  If there was an honest, objective overview of my life, what would stand out as being worth the most to me?  I obviously know the right answers to what SHOULD be important, but does my life lend evidence to support this?

In our own lives, what are we saying is most important in the way we spend our time, our efforts, our resources?  Do we spend all of our spare time in finding fulfillment in relationships, family, entertainment?  I can say that part of my worship is tithing and yet if I was spending more money on fast food every month than giving, what would you say is worth more to me?  If I say that I worship by serving others and yet am more concerned about my “me” time every evening than getting involved serving my local church, what is my life saying is most important to me?

Now, I am not saying that everything breaks down into an elaborate system of charts and graphs, and if the tithing and serving clocks is at more hours and dollars than fast food and down time then I have this worship thing in the bag.  That’s not really the point.  If that was the end goal then the Pharisees had it down to an art form all those years ago.  Obviously worship is a heart issue.  But still…   What does our life say about what is most important to us deep down in our hearts? 


Senior Youth Snow Camp

Guest Post by Brian Austin (youth leader)

More than once, Snow-Camp has been celebrated in half-frozen mud, but this year it fully lived up to its name. We rolled into Riverview Bible Camp near Scone at about 5:30 P.M. on Friday. Minus the bus, every vehicle was packed with bags and bodies, kids wound up and raring to go. The more “mature” types were also pretty keyed up, although many of us had already put in a long day. We’d made an earlier trip with sound equipment, cardboard and carpeting to help keep feet dry. – And food! Do you know how much it takes to feed a bunch of teens for a weekend? Everyone got somewhat settled, then we headed to the gym.
We started with a few announcements followed by a surprise Birthday Party for someone reaching that magic age when the government offers an early pension. I did say “Senior” Youth, didn’t I? But these teens are a wonderful bunch and I’d be a proud Grandpa to any or all of them.
Jasmine Koch and her team led us in worship at each session. For our first session Mike Krotz read scripture passages and the limited background information the Bible gives about Barabbas (the murderer released during Jesus’ trial when Jesus was sent to the Cross). Then Barabbas himself, somehow bridging 2000 years, shared his view of events surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus. Special speakers, Yorge & Melissa Von Hatten Baer shared with openness and vulnerability before we broke into smaller groups for more in-depth discussion.
Saturday and Sunday mornings saw leaders crowding around the coffee pot before an early meeting and prayer time, then youth devouring pancakes, toast and cereal. Basketballs threatened tables of food in the gym, as well as heads and chairs. Rousing games of Dutch Blitz had hands slapping and voices shouting. The wildest game, exhausting in knee-deep snow had two teams defending snow towers. Even our senior Pastor got into the fray. One of our younger youth seemed to find sitting on Pastor Jason warmer than sitting in the snow itself, and took great pride in his achievement. The old guy of the weekend isn’t sure he wants to be remembered for repeatedly attacking his Pastor, dragging him off the tower and throwing him into a snow-bank. He is also pretty sure that some games weren’t meant for Grandpas.
Rebecca Grierson braved nasty road conditions to bring our Saturday night banquet, made even more delicious with the appetites our romp in the snow created. Semi-Formal attire did not dampen enthusiasm for wild and crazy pictures, the portrait studio presided over by Heather Winkels and Kristina Dyck.
Yorge & Melissa shared twice on Saturday and again Sunday morning. We had great fun and a wonderful spirit prevailed with an openness, honesty and vulnerability that enriched youth and leaders alike. It’s not always that fun and spiritual richness happen together, so we are truly thanking God.  Our final session included a quiet reflective time, with six stations youth and leaders could visit as they chose. These included: “Give it to God,” “Cross Training,” “A Word of Encouragement,” “Prayer Requests,” “Items of Praise,” and “Communion.” Tears could be seen in youth and adult eyes a number of times.

Thank You. . .

  • to Mike and Karen Krotz for leadership. It takes a team to make a retreat like this work, but every team needs leadership. Yours is guided by a love for God and a love for every one of these kids.
  • to all volunteers, those who stayed for the full weekend and those who came in to help with one or more meals.
  • to those who prayed for us.
  • to Allan and Marie Edgcumbe for providing and maintaining a wonderful facility where God’s presence is always invited.
  • to each teen. It really is great fun being with you. We learn so much from you any time we let ourselves.
  • Most of all, Thank You to God, for meeting with us, for safety and protection, for touching hearts and minds.  

{stay tuned for photos and a video from the event}

Ghana 2014

A Missions Update from Neal & Aggie Stretch

Imagine the very thought of ‘seeing’ 3,500 children in under two weeks; traveling to 8 different villages to set up a clinic; making some sense of the culture and history of a place. 

A mission trip is many things: absorbing unfamiliar sounds, smells, noises, scenes, dialect.  More closely, embracing people’s sorrows, joy, stories long past, current dilemmas. On a mission trip one must cooperate with a team of seemingly like-minded individuals.  Prayer, planning and much good will made this mission trip a success.

The team, made up of 7 Canadians and many more Ghanian doctors and nurses delivered care to 3,500 students and staff.  After 10 years of visiting these same villages, many of the students were healthy, requiring only deworming medicine, vitamins and a kind word.

Narious and Joseph, both of whom have recently graduated from Accra Medical School, were part of the team.  They, along with 3 other medical students, had been supported by doctors from the Hanover Area so they could complete their studies. Monies were supplied for their tuition and boarding.  They in turn, offer their expertise to under-serviced areas in Ghana.

Our connection to IN Ghana staff continues to deepen.  Some nurses have been on the field with us 5 times.  Cromwell headed up the team.  We have known him for the 10 years we have been part of their wonderful organization.

We appreciated the glory of finding a pair of eyeglasses in a box of hundreds.   Students breaking into beaming smiles, turning their heads in wonder, then reading the list on the board, ‘Lord, peace, desk, school, love’.  We were moved by the young teen who made her way to the clinic with a terrible wound on her foot; the 2 year old with a broken arm that had not been set properly.  There was much chuckling in the dispensary, figuring out language and the best way to entertain those waiting. 

A visit to Cape Coast and the Slave Castle plus a walk in the tree canopy, 100s of meters above the ground, left some of us a little shaken, maybe more thoughtful.


Our last stop was at a fishing village.  It had all the earmarks of paradise.  Aqua surf foaming onto a pristine beach.  Ancient palm trees arched by wind and weather.  Colourful fishing boats in the shade.  Observing and chatting with the villagers I realized the environment did not match their plight.  The encounter pushed me back to our first visit in 2003, where I had my first view into the injustice of poverty and the poverty of injustice. 

We were struck by the fine, sensitive work IN Ghana has participated in for many years, bringing young boys off the fishing boats and into school. 

We were careful to debrief with the team in the field.  We have met since.  Several of us have needed more intense assistance to be properly debriefed.  There is such an accumulation of memories after sundry trips.  (We have offered debriefing services to the local mission team headed for Haiti, plus information to Barrie Mutrie who often goes to Zimbabwe).

There are many to thank for the richness of this experience.  Above all we acknowledge God’s persistent  provision and unfailing love for all of us, His precious children.

Tales From The Mission Field: Surplus Prayer

Guest Post by Aggie Stretch

There is no such thing as ‘prayer surplus’ when planning a mission trip.  We encourage a Ten To Pray ideal.  Ten friends and family to institute, ‘Don’t worry about anything, pray about everything’ Phil 4:6.  This grafts others into the mission branch. 
Here is an example of faithful prayer:
Upon our return from Ghana, Anna approached us to say she had been praying through Psalm 91 while we were away.  It begins beautifully with, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty”.
The verses she felt compelled to repeat were, “For He orders his angels to protect you wherever you go.  They will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your foot on a stone.  You will trample down lions and poisonous snakes….”  
She could not know that we had come within 2 feet of a python: 6 inches in diameter and about 5 feet long, while walking down a dark lane in the night time towards the main road in Amrahia.  Anna is one of our Ten to Pray. She has prayer journeyed with us for 10 years. 
 She is a faithful friend; we serve a faithful God.