I hope that your local church is a member of EFC. I hope this so that you have an accessible stream of current information about legislation and court concerns – we need to be aware, and a trusted organization helps us have shared information. I say this because at some point during COVID, You Tube became a place of higher learning, and I assure you that as helpful, entertaining and even educational as it can be, it also contains much to be concerned about. EFC is a trusted information source.
I hope that your church is a member because there are many helpful resources. For instance, www.welcomechurch.ca. This is a short training video series that includes conversation questions designed to help your church family become hospitable. It’ll even help you develop a hospitality team. Once your leadership team has completed the program you are able to register your church as a Welcoming Church! You will appear on a digital map with all the other Welcoming Churches across Canada, so that people looking for a church family would have this as another reference point.
“Love is moving” is a resource designed for young adults. A well-designed initiative, which is designed for young people by young people!
I made connections with a couple of prayer ministries in Canada, a creation care ministry, and a ministry with a heartbeat to help Canadian churches become more intercultural! I look forward to what these new friendships might mean for FMCiC.
The Church in Canada needs to discover what it means to be One. EFC is a good rallying ‘place’. I met with Calvinists, traditionalist, complementarians, Pentecostals, Baptists… those within the Kingdom who are different than me, but still my brothers and sisters in Christ. I remembered John Wesley’s statement:
He was not speaking to Methodists but to Christ-followers who were not Methodists. He loved Methodists, and believed that we have a “grand depositum” to offer the world, but he reminds us that we are only one part of the Body!
We, as Wesleyans, highly value koinonia (or “fellowship”) with all who also claim to love and follow Jesus. I encourage your church family to become a member of EFC, and that you personally take time to become familiar with their website www.evangelicalfellowship.ca
Finally, please remember in your prayers our dear brother Nathan Umazekabiri (numazekabiri@gmail.com). Bishop Keith used to affectionately call him “L’eveque de Quebec” which rhymes in French and means, Bishop of Quebec. Pastor Nathan is now retired but has impacted the FMCiC significantly by helping many PQ churches find their way to us. He has pneumonia and is in the hospital.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN
2nd Tuesday of each month: What’s Got You Thinking?
4th Thursday of each month: Church Health Thursday
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Rev. Dan Massey – released from appointment as Pastor at Pine Grove, Seeley’s Bay, ON, effective December 31 (Dan will continue in his appointment as a Regional Coach)
Pine Grove Community Church, Seeley’s Bay – now in transition
Pastor Jason (Jay) McIntyre – approved as a Ministerial Candidate and appointed as Associate Pastor at Barrie FMC, Barrie, ON, effective October 21
ORDINATION SERVICES
None scheduled
FOUNDATIONAL COURSES https://fmcic.ca/
Register online through the link above (Tuition payment is not required when registering for a course. Payment is due 10 days before the course begins.)
Lay Ministers tracking for credentialed ministry and those transferring ordination credentials into the FMCIC need to take the following two courses for full credit – and if possible, the Heart course first and then Wesleyan Theology.
Heart of Canadian Free Methodism:
June 2-4, 2023 – location TBA*
Wesleyan Theology:
June 2-4, 2023 – location TBA*
Also available:
- Tyndale University – “John Wesley’s Theology: Renewing the Heart, Renewing the Church” https://www.tyndale.ca/seminary/course/theo-0629
- Offered January 13 – April 10, 2023 in hybrid format: Two Fridays of “live” class (in-person or online) on January 27 and March 17, plus online lectures and discussions.
- Available for seminary or undergraduate credit
- For more info contact James Pedlar (jpedlar@tyndale.ca)
- FMC-USA https://leadership.fmcusa.org/education/courses
- as a 7-week intensive online course: Wesleyan Theology [#74W] Dr. Robert Vaughan – start date: Nov 1 (2023 start dates to be posted soon)
- as a correspondence course (8 months to complete): Wesleyan Theology (#74C), Dr. Allen Wachter
Ministerial Candidates tracking for Commissioned or Ordained Minister are required to take the following two courses for full credit. Those who are already commissioned or ordained are required to either audit these two courses for 1 Continuing Education Unit (CEU) each or take the two courses and complete the assignments for 3 CEUs each.
Culture and the Missional Church:
Date and location TBA*
Personal and Church Stewardship:
5-week online course – Start Date TBA
(* These course locations are selected based on where the majority of the participants reside – so please register early!)
2023 SCHOLARSHIPS https://fmcic.ca/scholarships/
LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP PLAN (LSP):
The Leadership Scholarship Plan (LSP) provides financial assistance to candidates who are studying to meet the educational requirements for credentialed ministry, or for members of conference pursuing continuing education.
February 15 is the next deadline to apply for LSP for any courses taken during the winter semester of 2023. The 2023 application forms and instructions will soon be available to download from the link above. Please use the application forms marked “rev 2023.”
SPECIAL SCHOLARSHIPS:
The Special Scholarships provide financial assistance to those who are members of a Free Methodist church pursuing post-secondary education to grow in their Christian faith, to those who are pursuing credentialed ministry, and to members of conference pursuing continuing education.
October 15 is the deadline to apply for the annual Special Scholarships for courses taken during the 2023 calendar year – apply online anytime from the link above. Special Scholarships are awarded in late November/early December each year.
CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS (CEUs) https://fmcic.ca/
Ordained and Commissioned Ministers (except retirees) are to annually report hours acquired during each year for Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Check the link above for information on CEUs, and a list of examples of many different types of life-long learning that can be applied as CEUs.
You can now send a report online anytime you have hours to submit for CEUs. Here is the link: https://fmcic.wufoo.com/forms/continuing-education-unit-ceu-report-form/
Note: For those who attend the fall Minister’s Conferences or the spring Regional Gatherings, attendance is now taken at these events so 6 hours of CEU credit for each event will automatically be recorded.
For those who took courses and/or did in-depth research and learning about how to make the changes required during the pandemic (ie how to live-stream services), add the number of those hours to your annual CEU report.
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CHURCHES IN TRANSITION
Interviewing
Hilton Beach, ON – St. Joseph Island FMC
New Westminster, BC – First FMC
Salmon Arm BC – Lakeside Community Church
Sarnia, ON – New Horizons Community Church
Thornbury, ON – Blue Mountain Community Church
Warkworth, ON – Warkworth FMC
Church Profiles available
Contact Davika Dotson in the Leadership Development Office to request a church profile – davika.dotson@fmcic.ca (deadline to apply in brackets)
None available this week
Preparing Profiles
If you are interested in seeing the profile for any of these churches, please contact Davika in the Leadership Development Office [see above] and the profile will be emailed to you as soon as it becomes available.
Bracebridge, ON – New Hope FMC (Gary Denniss – Interim Pastor)
Brampton, ON – Bramalea FMC
Campbellford, ON – Campbellford FMC
Cloyne, ON – Pineview FMC
Dunnville, ON – Dunnville FMC (Rev. Neale Robb – Interim Pastor)
Frankford, ON – Frankford Community Church
Kingston, ON – Polson Park FMC
Madoc, ON – Madoc Free Methodist/Wesleyan Church
Marmora, ON – Marmora FMC
Richmond Hill, ON – Richmond Hill Chinese & English FM Churches (Rev. Louis Leung – Interim Pastor)
Sault Ste Marie, ON – Sault Ste Marie FMC
Seeley’s Bay, ON – Pine Grove
Tillsonburg, ON – Open Arms Church
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
NEW Short-term Preaching Opportunity – New Hope Methodist Church
Unique Associate Pastor Opportunity – Trulls Road FMC
