Category: update

Roof Update

Our roof is leaking and needs to be replaced!

At the April meeting, Ministry Council approved a recommendation by the facility team to replace the flat roof. The total cost will be $115,000 (including the contractor quote and a 15% buffer). Our reserve fund containing $150,000 will be used temporarily, but we are asking the congregation to help recuperate all funds through special donations to the roof and any future expansion.

Please prayerfully consider giving a one time or ongoing offering – over and above what you regularly give – to help pay for the roof repair. Special donations marked “building fund” will go to the roof replacement as well as to future building enhancement.

An Update From The Claussen’s

the following is a verbatim update, sent to us by Andrew Claussen, one of our missionaries in Indonesia

Last month Amberlynne became bedridden and we suspected pregnancy, but took her to town to verify that it was a baby causing all the issues and not a virus. She is doing much better now that she is moving out of the morning sickness stage. We are now in town for the next month because Amberynne’s local OBYGN (she is Aussie), said she needs to stay here and regain the weight lost while sick.

Because of the nature of Amberlynne’s births she can’t deliver in country. Our original plan was to go to Singapore and then come back for the final 3 months in Papua, but after listening to the counsel of our co-workers, we have decided to come home 5 months earlier for our Home Assignment. Initially, we were disappointed that we weren’t finishing out our 4 year term. But as we have processed the decision, we have peace. We are exhausted physically, emotionally and spiritually and are looking forward to resting.

Our plan currently is to arrive in the USA the first week of December. Going from 3 years of perpetual summer to winter will be an interesting experience. We will mostly be in Washington state during home assignment (H.A.) I plan to work with my brother (to subsidise our 24k Worldteam salary) volunteer at our home church, and get medical training for the field as well.

That being said, the first couple of months, we want to take a break from ministry. We have spent 3 years pouring into others with without being filled ourselves. We are looking forward to worshipping together with other believers and being fed the word of God by someone other than ourselves. In the summer we plan on being on the east coast with the intention of speaking at churches. We will get in touch when we have figured out those dates! We’d love for the opportunity to share some morning. We’re also planning on stopping in a second time, but haven’t worked out the exact timing yet.

There are some ways you could help us prepare to come home…

1. Pray for us to end well here. While we are excited and anxious to be home in a culture and language we completely understand, yet we want to finish well. That means taking the time and energy to say goodbye culturally and to make sure our house and ministry is set in order for our year long absence.

2. Pray for our national co-workers (Yohanes and Elies (ay-less). Our team is a mixture of gifts and talents. We all bring something important to the table, and when one is gone the rest feel it. Our co-worker, Delila (Elies’ wife), is also pregnant. If her pregnancy continues, they will also be leaving the village for a time.

3. Pray for our kids. The village is a real struggle for them. While coming home will be a huge blessing for them, please pray that Danokit will have a special place in their hearts despite the hardships and loneliness of Danokit compared to the plethora of family and great blessings that America offers.

4. On a more practical side… our clothes are all sun faded and moldy and are more appropriate for the tropics, not the cold rainy Washington winter so we will need to update our wardrobe . Any gift cards would be awesome! We aren’t picky. Our favourite places are Walmart (yes, we are one of THOSE people), Target, Old Navy, but really… we will take anything. And if people have 3 or 4 bucks left over on a card, we’ll be happy to take those. And on that note, we also wouldn’t be against any restaurant/fast food/gas gift cards 🙂 I’m not really sure how that works with Canadian gift cards? Maybe that wouldn’t work?

Tickets aren’t purchased yet so plans aren’t finalised. I will let you know more as plans develop.

(learn more about the Claussen’s on their website or their ministry facebook page)

If you’re interested in supporting them, contact us and we’ll connect you with our Mission’s Planning Team.

Let Us Feast!

Before the sermon last Sunday, Pastor Jason asked the congregation to complete a brief survey to determine if there was any interest in beginning a monthly congregational meal.

The following questions were asked:

       1. Would you be interested in eating monthly with other HMCer’s?

       2. What scenario would be best for you?

    • Wednesday supper at 6pm before Family Ties
    • Sunday supper at 5 or 6pm before a time of Praise and Worship
    • Sunday evening dessert, after a time of Praise and worship

       3. Which would you prefer: potluck or food provided for a small fee/donation?

In all, 159 surveys were completed and 112 said that yes, they would like to share meals together with the most checks going to a Sunday evening potluck meal before a time of Praise and Worship. A good group of people also indicated that they would be willing to help with a recurring event like this which is an amazing blessing.

We want to thank everyone for their response to these questions and we are excited for what this means as we continue to move forward and build up the community of HMC.

Planning for the fall is well underway and we will keep you posted as to what this will look like.

If you did not get a chance to contribute to the survey your opinion is always welcome. Use the comment form below and share your thoughts – we would love to hear from you!

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.