Midwinter Meditations on Scripture’s Sweet Promises
Winter’s first semester was warm, erring on the side of balmy. Albertans tentatively accepted the lingering fall weather, painfully aware they’d been fooled before by the sudden arrival of a tsunamic dump of snow or a frigid pop quiz.
The Time Traveller’s Question
Imagine an EMC time-traveller from the 1920s visiting us today. Would they find any clue that, of all the churches in town, this was their descendant?
Hidden In Their Hearts
One of the many gifts children give us adults is the freedom to be childlike again. There is nothing more freeing than running in a gym playing pool noodle tag. (The fact that I couldn’t keep up is neither here nor there.)
EMC appoints Director of Global Outreach
On behalf of the Personnel Committee, I am happy to announce the appointment of Gerald Reimer to the post of Director of Global Outreach.
Editorial: If 71 percent of us are introverts, how do fulfill our mission to love others? One hundred little things.
On the one hand, there is this great need—so many heartbreaking situations and so many lonely people. On the other hand, according to a 2019 Angus Reid poll, (A Portrait of Social Isolation and Loneliness in Canada today - Angus Reid Institute), 71 percent of Canadians are introverts, meaning most of us find it difficult to reach out to other people. That’s a tall hurdle, but let’s break it down a bit.
Marketplace Ministry
Genesis 2:15 records work as it was meant to be—getting into the soil, dirt under the fingernails, and tending to the animals, all with satisfaction and joy. God, as part of his good and perfect plan for his creation, tasked Adam to “cultivate and tend” the Garden of Eden. Eve was given as a companion and partner in this calling. How glorious! But then comes Genesis 3—the fall—with its resultant “weeds and thistles” and “hard labour.” Work perfectly designed had become work pretty disfigured. Now it seems that creation itself militates against us in our calling to “tend.” And yet, the calling and blessing of work has not changed.
Conference Council: Delegates focus discussion on ‘Four White Pills’ for ministry
Conference Council delegates gathered on November 25, 2023, in a hybrid meeting. While 22 participated on Zoom from various locations across Canada, 92 met in person at Blumenort Community Church (BCC) in Blumenort, Man.
The Four White Pills — Discussion summary.
Discussion summary about “The Four White Pills” — Kid’s Ministry, Men’s Ministry, Biblical Integration, and Genuine Experience.
EMC Ministerial Discusses “WHO’S IN?”
“Who’s IN?” was the provocative title of the EMC Ministerial meeting held on November 24, 2023. The 79 ministerial members assembled at Pansy Chapel spent the day discussing four variations of that question.
Passing The Baton: How faith get passed to the next generation… or not.
I grew up in Winnipeg until I was sixteen years old. I begin with two brief stories of this formative period that are illustrative of the themes we will explore at the 2024 Leadership Conference to be held at Steinbach Bible College on March 15–16.
A passion for filmmaking builds God’s kingdom
I’ve always loved filmmaking and made tons of little movies as a kid. As I left Bible college, I tried to shake that hobby and focus on ministry, working in the church and camps and with missions. But I’ve spent the last year seeing if I can combine my two passions.
Why are some missionaries silent?
Let’s talk about missionaries who rarely report in The Messenger or through any of our other publications. If you read any EMC missions publications, you will see occasional blank spots—maybe just an initial, no photo, no mission agency listed, no home church. And no details of the work they are doing, only general information about what to pray for. What’s going on? What’s the risk?
Zambia project completed!
This past March, we were able to finally complete a project in Livingstone, Zambia, that had been planned since before the pandemic. In just four days, with the help of a five-person team from a church in Virginia, USA (two men and three women), and some local people, we managed to build two shelters and complete three double toilet structures at several of the Open Schools Worldwide project locations there.
Celebrating God’s faithfulness over 50 years!
Fall 2023 marked the 50th anniversary of La Crete Christian Fellowship. To mark this occasion, a planning committee organized a celebration weekend. October 14–15, 2023, we opened the doors to visitors and regular attendees to give all glory, honour and praise to our faithful Almighty God!
‘The Lord has done great things’ at The ConneXion
“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy” (Psalm 126:3). With great joy and gratitude we share the great works of the Lord in our lives.
A sorrowful goodbye to pastoral couple
Greetings from Pelly Fellowship Chapel. It is with great sadness we said farewell to the Kim family early in 2023. Pastor Frankie Hyounglin Kim has taken a position at the Yorkton Alliance Church. Both Frankie and his wife Minju submitted something to put into The Messenger.
Baptism at Abbeydale a ‘hands-in’ experience
What do a host of curious children, over 100 adults (comprised of more visiting family members and friends than usual), two excited pastors and Sunday, November 26, 2023, all have in common?
The Advent of new birth and peace
In November 2023, a special shower was held in honour of Macey Plett, wife of our Young Life Pastor Travis, celebrating the arrival of their first born, a son, whom they named Zane. The name in Hebrew means: “God is Gracious!”
