MCKERNAN BAPTIST CHURCH October 2015
Transcription
MCKERNAN BAPTIST CHURCH October 2015
October 2015 HEARTBEAT MCKERNAN BAPTIST CHURCH HEARTBEAT of McKernan Baptist Church MINISTRY STAFF Senior Pastor Lyle Buyer Executive Pastor Terry Okken Missions & Outreach Pastor (PT) Sam Nikkel Adult Ministries Pastor Dan Schroth Pastoral Care Pastor Sharon Harewood Youth Pastor Dave Schneider College & Career Pastor (PT) Daunavan Buyer TABLE OF CONTENTS 3. Editorial 4. Rest, Renewal, Revisioning 6. Open Doors at C&C 7. Small Groups 8. MBKIDS 10. Financial Update 12. Camp Caroline’s LEAD Program Children’s Ministries Director (PT) Jerilyn Bayer MANAGING EDITOR Naomi Voss DESIGNER Robin Hellewell SUNDAY SERVICES 9:30am & 11:15am 11103 76 AVE NW CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Tricia Unsworth Robin Hellewell Terry Okken CONTACT US: CHURCH OFFICE (MON-FRI 8:30-4:30) 11103 76 Ave, Edmonton AB T6G 0J9 Second floor [email protected] www.mckernanbaptist.ca 780.436.0611 McKernan Baptist Church uses The Canadian Press spelling standards. Our Church would also like to acknowledge the invaluable help of all the article writers for their contribution. Copyright © 2015 McKernan Baptist Church to contact the pastors by email just type “first name”@mckernanbaptist.ca Welcome to our new facility! W hen I look up the word “facility” on my computer’s dictionary, I see words and phrases like “a space necessary for doing something; a resource; and an establishment set up to fulfil a particular function.” These definitions all point to the fact that a facility is not an end in itself. Quite simply, a facility “facilitates.” A facility is never an end in itself but, at its best, it “facilitates” the purposes it was designed to fulfil. As we open the doors to our new building, it is crucial to remember that, at its very best, this building is simply a facility. More specifically, it is designed to facilitate the purposes of God in, among and through our congregation. On the day we hand out this edition of the Heartbeat, we will be dedicating these amazing new and newly renovated facilities God has provided. Thus, we will not only be dedicating a building, but ultimately we will be dedicating ourselves because this building can only facilitate what we initiate. Given this truth, it is so fitting that this edition of the Heartbeat contains stories of how God is fulfilling His mission in a number of different facilities. Certainly our new building is one such facility and as such, I invite you to read the reports from our Children’s VBS Summer Camp, the first big program operated in our new building. A lot of our stories describe how God is facilitating His mission through many different places beyond our building. Two of our youth share how God worked in and through their lives at Camp Caroline. Pastor Dan reminds us of how God wants to work powerfully in our lives as we build intentional relationships in our homes scattered throughout the city. Pastor Daunavan shares how we can facilitate open doors of hospitality to the students in our area, even as each of us realizes our homes can be open doors for God to reach our neighbourhoods. Pastor Sharon reports how her sabbatical took her to one of God’s most significant facilities, the land of Israel, which facilitated the earthly life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. Truly, God’s mission is way bigger than our new facility. So, as we open our doors, let us renew our commitment to God’s mission and ensure our facility will always have significant ministry to facilitate. Lyle Buyer Senior Pastor | MCKERNAN BAPTIST CHURCH |HEARTBEAT | 3 PASTORAL CARE MINISTRIES Sabbatical 2015 Pastor Sharon Harewood Pastoral Care Pastor R est/Renewal/Re-visioning – what is that? Imagine working for an organization, let alone a church, that encourages its leaders to make time for the 3 Rs! The pastors here at McKernan are truly blessed to have the opportunity to take a four-month sabbatical leave after we have completed seven years of ministry. So, what is a sabbatical leave? The word ‘sabbatical’ comes from the Greek word ‘sabatikos’ meaning ‘of the Sabbath’, a day of rest that happens every seventh day. It has come to mean an extended absence from work to fulfil some goal or purpose. I was eligible for leave in 2015, so I had to develop a plan for Board approval indicating how I would use this time for rest, renewal, and re-visioning upon my return to ministry. My leave was approved for March 1 to July 31, 2015, and I returned to work on August 1 after an additional month for vacation. Photo by Megan Voss away and re-entry to my pastoral care position. Starting my sabbatical leave felt a little like falling off a moving sidewalk at an airport! I found myself feeling cut off from people who are important to me and lacking a sense of what to do next. I soon developed a new plan of action and used my mornings for reading Scripture, prayer and meditation. Being still can be hard work but I hear God’s quiet voice much more clearly when there is less busyness in my life. I approached the sabbatical leave in a manner very similar to how I apparently drive my car. According to my two sons, I do not ease up to ‘Stop’ signs, nor do I gradually accelerate. I am a little skeptical about the validity of their comments, but this analogy helps to describe my experiences in terms of preparing for my leave, enjoying time Sharon standing in the Jordan River. 4| HEARTBEAT | MCKERNAN BAPTIST CHURCH | PASTORAL CARE MINISTRIES One of the highlights of my leave was my two week trip to Israel and Greece. What a blessing to experience the wonders of the Holy Land and Greece with people from McKernan! It is hard to express in a few words what this experience means to me, but lifechanging is certainly appropriate. To see where events in the Old and New Testament happened, where Jesus was born, lived and died, and to visit places in Greece where Paul travelled on his second missionary journey were truly amazing! I was particularly impacted by the Garden of Gethsemane where we had Communion. From the Garden we could see the place where Jesus might have been crucified The sunrise over the Sea of Galilee and buried and we could see Jerusalem in the background. The young Jewish man who spoke to us in the Garden was probably about the same age as Jesus when He was crucified! During my leave I also enjoyed wonderful times with my extended and immediate family and cheered for my grandson at several soccer tournaments. I reconnected with friends that I hadn’t seen in years and generally enjoyed a much slower pace of life that included time for reading. I had planned to attend a conference in Calgary directly related to my ministry responsibilities, but it was cancelled at the last minute. However, I did enjoy meeting with several pastors from other churches who have similar ministry responsibilities to learn from their experiences as I prepared to re-enter my pastoral care position. On Sundays I visited several different churches and experienced worship with brothers and sisters in different denominations as well as our own Baptist churches. There is an old song that says ‘I am so glad to be part of the family of God’ and I am, but I return to McKernan Baptist Church with a renewed appreciation for our church family, our pastoral team, and our church leadership. It has been challenging to find my place on the pastoral team again and to settle into our new facility as we start the fall ministry season. I started my leave at full speed and I tried to re-enter ministry at full speed. That plan was not possible as my re-entry was complicated by surgery for skin cancer mid-August (that explains the funny hats I have been wearing!) With the encouragement of my pastoral team, I adjusted my expectations and eased back into work. So here I am, back at work, feeling rested, renewed and with a clearer vision of what God wants to do in and through me. I am not sure my driving techniques have improved, but I am excited about this ministry year and the opportunity to be part of what God is doing in and through McKernan Baptist Church! Pastor Dave & Pastor Sharon. | MCKERNAN BAPTIST CHURCH |HEARTBEAT | 5 COLLEGE & CAREER A s I think about this new ministry year, one of the things that excites me is the continuation of our theme of Open Doors. For the past few years, I have been taking my Masters of Missional Leadership at Rochester College and one of the things that I have been so stirred by is the reality of hospitality. We serve a God in relationship (between Father, Son and Spirit) who invites us into that relationship so we can extend His hospitality to others. I can’t think of a much better expression of hospitality than God inviting us as family to be in relationship with Him. Because of this, I think God is going to surprise us this year as we practise “Open Doors” here at McKernan, in our homes, and in our own journey. Open Doors at College & Career One of the most exciting parts of the summer at C&C was our Wednesday night Bible studies. During some of those weeks, we had the privilege of journeying with people who were either brand new to the Christian faith or still exploring it. Having open doors at College & Career means that as a group we are open to inviting people into our ministries and events even if they do not believe exactly what we believe. Not only are we being given an opportunity to model Christ-likeness to them, we are given the privilege of hearing where they are at and answering some of the more difficult questions they may have. Another implication of having open doors at C&C is for the church as a whole to have open doors towards post-secondary students in our ministries. As a church, we have a large number of C&C students who want to get involved beyond just their 18-25 year old age group, so I encourage other ministries to be engaging with the young people at our church and allowing them to participate. Open Doors to our Neighbours For those of you who were not there when I preached this summer, I did something quite unique. Following my sermon, which was about being intentional in our neighbourhoods, I invited everyone at the service to get into groups based on which neighbourhood they live in the city. Since I have done this, I have heard from many groups who are 6| HEARTBEAT | MCKERNAN BAPTIST CHURCH | now meeting for meals and prayerfully seeking to engage in meeting their neighbours together. While we open our doors as a church, I want to encourage you this semester to be praying about how God is leading you to open your own homes and places of living to others. How is He inviting you to practise hospitality this year? Walking through Open Doors Some of you who are reading this may have just moved to Edmonton. Perhaps you’re just starting a new semester of school or beginning to journey in a new stage of life. I want to encourage you that you are not alone. Over the summer we had many come to our College & Career nights who had just moved to Edmonton. It was incredible to see how, as these people came regularly and engaged in the group, they began to feel like family. I can honestly say that McKernan is a place where, if you choose to engage, you can feel like you are part of a family. What doors may be open to you right now that you have the opportunity to walk through? Perhaps it is attending College & Career or the Crossing; perhaps it’s joining a small group or a men’s/women’s Bible study. McKernan has lots of open doors for you to choose from and I encourage you to walk through the doors God is calling you to. Take a risk, meet some new people. You’ll quickly learn that you are not alone! God is doing some exciting things here at church and it’s up to each of us to extend the hospitality to others that He has extended towards us for the sake of the world. Let’s practise Open Doors in an intentional way, together! Daunavan Buyer C&C Pastor T THINK SMALL S M A L L SMALL GROUPS G R O U P M I N I S T R I ES mckernan baptist church his past week one of our kids made a choice to not be truthful with us...whew, he is normal! It may be normal, but it is still not acceptable. When the doors of truth were finally opened we were able to effectively work things back to a right relationship. Our child would say that the cost of concealment was greater than the cost of confession. As children, it is normal to play ‘hide behind closed doors’, but as adults we need to stop hiding. The Lord is leading a very powerful Small Group ministry through McKernan. Perhaps you are in one. Think about your Small Group and consider these questions: 1. When you went through a tough time in your life, what role did your Small Group have? 2. Is it reasonable for a Small Group to be a primary place where a person confesses their struggles? 3. When was the last time this happened in your group? 4. How equipped is your group to handle that type of vulnerability? Regrettably, we all share ancestors who thought it was better to hide than to face the fear of confessing and coming clean with areas that had them living inappropriately. Most, if not all of us, live in the reality of our safe life (that which everyone can see), and our hidden life (that which stays behind closed doors, and we live in the lie that has us believing it is better to keep it there). Do you actually believe you can stay behind the closed door? Admittedly, most of us would likely say, “Actually, yes!!” Our Small Groups function best when the participants see the benefit of not remaining in isolation, but instead opening their lives to one another. Jesus invites us to confess our sins. What are some hindrances to confessing our sins to God, to ourselves, to another person? Which of those three is the hardest? I remain firmly convinced that God will not heal us until we come clean and acknowledge the secrets hidden behind the doors of our lives. That is why this year we have launched an initiative called the Fully Disclosed Friend (FDF). The idea is simple. Over a period of time identify one person in your life who knows everything that is hidden behind the ‘door’ of your life. As you connect with this person: • Start small and gradually open the door as your openness is responded to appropriately • Give and receive forgiveness • Don’t edit! Friends, there is no freedom in isolation. Jesus invites us into a deep relationship with Him and with one another. As we launch another year of Small Group ministry I urge you to prayerfully consider if the FDF may be the next notch in your group’s life together. The fact of the matter is that many of us have hidden the dark reality of what is at the core of ourselves behind a door. We think that these secrets will go to the grave with us, and yet the reality is that the grave is actually within us. Dan Schroth Adult Ministries Pastor mckernanbaptist.ca/smallgroups | MCKERNAN BAPTIST CHURCH |HEARTBEAT | 7 CHILDREN I couldn’t stop smiling! God is good! He answered our prayers and provided 4 awesome days of Summer Camp. A great big THANK YOU to all who made this happen. A very special THANKS to our Station Leaders who took on big responsibilities: Daina Sparling – Recreation Fern Reirson – Snacks Andrew Siggelkow – Bible Adventure Krysta Siggelkow - Nursery Stephanie McPhail – Thailand Experience Jenna Johannesson – Celebration Leader Kristin Fraser – Worship I can’t wait until next summer! Jerilyn Bayer Children`s Ministry Director W hen I ponder back to the months leading up to Summer Camp, I am reminded of the faithfulness of God. For those who have ever planned a large event, you know there are certain aspects of the process that are out of your control. This is how Jerilyn and I felt about Summer Camp. We couldn’t control how many children attended, the weather, how it would all flow with over 100 individuals, or the people who would be willing to volunteer. Since McKernan hadn’t hosted Summer Camp for a few years, we decided to plan for 80 kids. Two weeks prior, we only had 45 registered. We asked people to be in prayer for us, that this would be a week which would glorify God, and that kids who attended would really sense His presence. We would proceed no matter how many children registered. Of course, God came through! By the first morning of Summer Camp we had 81 children!! Now we had a different problem of not having enough materials!! All our volunteers were amazing, engaging, and participating. The sun even shone all week--some days were over 30 degrees for our outdoor games. I don’t know why we needed to be reminded of this, but God is faithful and when we put our trust in Him, He comes through for us. I Thessalonians 5:24 says, “The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.” Richelle Edmundson Children`s Ministry Assistant 8| HEARTBEAT | MCKERNAN BAPTIST CHURCH | CHILDREN S ummer Camp is one of the highlights of the year for our family. My kids started counting down the days until the next one starts the day after our week ended! For myself, I love how you can hear the Biblical principles that we often take for granted or forget as we get older, but as they are taught to the kids they are made alive and new for the adults too! young worshippers following my lead (and being oh so forgiving when I messed up the words or actions!). Our theme was “Forever God, Forever Love”. Teaching powerful concepts like these in songs, and giving children tools to be able to grow in a life of worship was a true honour and a gift that I am grateful to have been a part of! Kristin Fraser I had the privilege this year of leading a very enthusiastic group of kids in our worship times. The music always speaks to my heart but seeing the joy on their faces and hearing the excitement in their voices as they joined together to sing made the message in the songs come alive. It was so much fun to praise with reckless abandon, waving my arms and dancing around along with many S ummer Camp is always a special time of year, and not just for the children. I really looked forward to Summer Camp this year, especially being able to facilitate it in the new building. My role this year was to be the Celebration Leader. Basically, I was getting the kids excited about worshipping God and learning about who He is to us. Well, the kids had a lot of fun and you could see the love they had for Jesus, but there was one event that took my breath away when it came to how much they loved God. We had the opportunity to collect money for Thai Bibles. Four Canadian dollars would buy one Thai Bible which would be given to a child in Thailand, because we have brothers and sisters in Christ overseas who want to learn more about Jesus, too. We collected money for two days, and to see the passion that the children who attended Summer Camp had for sharing the love of God with others was a moment I will never forget. We were able to raise enough money to send over 100 Thai Bibles to the children of Thailand. Their generosity was a true gift for me to witness and I was in awe again at what children can accomplish, especially when they are seeking out Jesus. Jenna Johannesson T his past summer, I had the awesome privilege of participating in the Thailand Trek VBS adventure. Specifically, I helped lead the kids in the Thai Experience, the time in the morning where the kids got to experience pieces of Thai culture through media, games, and even some tasty treats. As the kids engaged with their group and their group leader, I was able to watch kids of different ages and stages have fun, but also bring the cultural piece around to reflect lessons of God’s grace, love, and desire to be known by them. Along with experiencing the sights and sounds of Thailand, the kids finished VBS knowing they were loved by their leaders, as well as by a loving God. Stephanie McPhail | MCKERNAN BAPTIST CHURCH |HEARTBEAT | 9 FINANCIAL McKernan Baptist Church Unrestricted Fund Summary Income Statement - Period Ended August 31, 2015 Ordinary Income/Expense Income 3000 · Envelope Summary 3100 · Other Income Erase the Deficit Transfer of 2014 Daycare Surplus Total Income Expense 5000 · Administration 5150 - Childrens' Ministry 5200 · Congregational Care 5250 - Executive Ministries 5300 · Facilities 5500 · Missions & Outreach Ministries 5600 · Personnel 5700 · Adult Ministries 5750 · Professional Fees 5775 · Debt Servicing 5800 · Sunday Services 5850 · Hospitality 5900 - Student Ministries 5950 · College and Career Ministries 6200 · Aquisition of Assets 6999 · Uncatergorized Expenses Total Expense Net Ordinary Income Other Information 2014 Cash Deficit Less August Rec General payment made September 10, 2015 Actual $795,970.44 $69,646.51 $115,678.35 $20,340.94 1,001,636.24 1,615,386.00 41,637.42 6,098.35 793.68 660.47 76,669.62 1,236.59 622,221.09 1,453.45 4,186.21 132,016.92 2,348.96 1,005.38 4,261.26 2,621.47 8,193.20 0.00 905,404.07 67,225.00 16,000.00 9,900.00 11,950.00 132,500.00 9,350.00 1,101,761.00 18,000.00 4,900.00 196,000.00 7,750.00 6,000.00 16,400.00 5,650.00 12,000.00 0.00 1,615,386.00 $96,232.17 $0.00 -42,771.74 -16,916.13 $36,544.30 10 | HEARTBEAT | MCKERNAN BAPTIST CHURCH | Budget I t has been almost three years since we began our God’s Unfolding Story building project. While there have been some delays along the way and we still have finishes to complete, it is comforting to be in our own facility once again. $3 million in campaign pledges, and in fact, we have received $323,887.38 in funds over-andabove original pledge commitments. In addition to our campaign pledge funds, we have also received just over $464,000 toward the project. Thank you. As we approach the end of our capital campaign, we want to give you a financial snapshot of the project (see table). If the campaign were to end today, we would be looking at a mortgage of $4.171 million, but thankfully we still have 3 more months to go till the end of the campaign and there is still $771,304 of pledge funds outstanding, and if all of those funds come in, we are looking at a mortgage of $3.4 million. You will see that as of the end of August 2015 we anticipate the project to cost approximately $8.1 million. We are continually humbled and amazed at the generosity and faithfulness you have all demonstrated. We have received just over Thank you again for your amazing generosity! Terry Okken Executive Pastor God's Unfolding Story Building Project as of August 31, 2015 Project Costs MBC Design Delnor MBC Furniture/Equipment Total Estimated Cost $ 416,173.00 $ 7,332,151.00 $ 350,000.00 $ 8,098,324.00 Income Capital Campaign Pledges Received Over Subscribed Campaign Pledges Received Non-Capital Campaign Pledge Funds Received Total Funds Received Toward Project as of August 31, 2015 $ 3,138,053.98 $ 323,887.38 $ 464,420.66 $ 3,926,362.02 Mortgage (if no more funds are received) $ 4,171,961.98 Outstanding Captial Campaign Pledges $ 771,304.32 Projected Mortgage (with reaching 100% of Outstanding Campaign Pledges) Projected 2015 Annual Debt Services $ 3,400,657.66 $ 196,000.00 | MCKERNAN BAPTIST CHURCH |HEARTBEAT | 11 YOUTH D uring this last summer, eight of our High School students had the opportunity to be a part of the LEAD program at Camp Caroline. God used that time to move powerfully in their lives and teach them about who He is, and who He made each of them to be. Here are some highlights from two of those students: Hi! My name is Nathan Klapstein and I am a high school student who is currently part of the youth ministry at McKernan. Over the first two weeks of this past summer, I was given the opportunity to attend the LEAD program at Camp Caroline. The LEAD (previously LDT) program is a program whose goal is to develop students who have a passion for God; they want to ruin you for ordinary living. During the first week of LEAD we focused not only our personal growth but our growth as a group. From blindfolded challenges to climbing mountains, we were given opportunities to invest in our relationships with one another while being pushed out of our comfort zones. In the second week of LEAD, each student was assigned a staff member to work under. This really immersed us in the camp atmosphere, enabling us to pour into the elementary kids at the camp while putting into practice what we learned the week before. It was incredible to see how God used each individual’s unique gifts for His glory! Throughout the two weeks at camp it was evident that God was alive and at work, and I am thankful that I was able to be a part of it. One of the ways I saw God move was on the top of a mountain on our backpacking trip when we were all sitting 12 | HEARTBEAT | MCKERNAN BAPTIST CHURCH | around the campfire. One by one everyone shared their testimonies and despite only knowing each other for a few days, everybody was very open and vulnerable. This really established a strong sense of trust in the group and reminded me of people’s need for accountability as no one can do the Christian walk alone. Being able to participate in some of the work that happens behind the scenes at camp was another memorable part of LEAD. It was incredible to see how the camp is powered by prayer and how the staff has a heart for kids. LEAD was definitely a highlight of my summer as I’m sure it was for many others who were part of the program. I hope to return next year to continue to build from what was started, but until then I will strive to grow closer to God and I encourage you to do the same. Nathan Klapstein YOUTH Hey! My name is Samantha Dyer and I’m currently in grade 12. This past summer, I was given the opportunity to spend two weeks at Camp Caroline volunteering with the LEAD program. I spent the week training in order to spend the following week cocounselling there. During our ‘out-trip’, our leaders had planned a worship session. Unfortunately, we ended up caught in a downpour. All 18 of us LEADs, our two leaders, Pastor Daunavan and the LEAD supervisor (plus two guitars) were huddled under a twelve by twelve tarp. And we weren’t just singing worship songs; we did multiple action songs. When we turned to the more “serious” worship songs, everyone got quiet and started contemplating. After one song, Daunavan shared what God had put on his heart to share with us. He said that the downpour wasn’t an accident and that the rain was God symbolically washing us clean. This was incredibly impactful and many of us ended up in tears. In that moment, we were made so aware of God’s amazing grace. The one theme of my whole experience at LEAD that kept coming back to me was affirmation. After volunteering at VBS last summer, I was unsure that I had made an impact on the kids I worked with. On the Friday of grade 7,8,9 camp this year, I was feeling emotionally, spiritually and physically drained. The guest speaker opened up the floor to the campers in order to give them an opportunity to share what God had been doing in their lives. I remember sharing a look with one of my LEAD friends, thinking that the kids would either make a joke of sharing or no one would actually share. No one went up, so the worship leader sang the song “You’re Beautiful” by Phil Wickham. While listening, I began to cry. The song reminded me about God’s character and love. When the song ended, the first camper came up and shared. Then another, and another went forward. These kids, who couldn’t have been older than fifteen, shared story after story and some of their stories were absolutely heart breaking. Then one of my campers got up and shared. She was sobbing as she thanked her friend, who she had been fighting with, for inviting her to camp. She then thanked both my counselor and I for everything we had done for her during the week. I broke down. It was the first time that I had actually seen the impact I had made in person, and I cried. It was exactly what I needed to hear at that time. It was like God was telling me that by submitting myself to His will, He was able to work through me in order to change people’s lives. Samantha Dyer | MCKERNAN BAPTIST CHURCH |HEARTBEAT | 13 Join our group registration at mckernanbaptist.ca/breakforth 14 | HEARTBEAT | MCKERNAN BAPTIST CHURCH | Ribbon cutting ceremony to dedicate the Sanctuary - 1965 Photo taken by Michael Martens Ribbon cutting ceremony to dedicate the new facility - September 2015 | MCKERNAN BAPTIST CHURCH |HEARTBEAT | 15