PRAYER CHECK-IN
As you know, in the FMCIC 3-Year Ministry Plan, prayer is a major focus. The goal is to help us rediscover what it means to be a movement of prayer, with each local Church being a “house of prayer”. Each local Church is to have appointed a liaison person and these “Prayer Point Persons” have been invited to meet nationally for a prayer time the last Wednesday of each month. They have also been invited to participate in four Prayer Summits. The Summits were designed to help us connect with one another, to train Prayer Point Persons and inspire our Churches. Our Prayer Point Persons would then have training and resources to begin to develop a vital prayer ministry in their local Churches. We have encouraged local Churches to create prayer teams which would consider the following areas of prayer: intercession, healing & deliverance, Sunday morning teams, etc.
Does your Church have a Prayer Point Person registered with the National Prayer Team?
In order to help to make all this happen, FMCIC has been blessed with the ministry of Doug and Margie Newton. I’ll let Pastor Ken Roth, our national prayer team leader, introduce a very generous gift extended to our Churches:
Cliff: Ken, Doug and Margie Newton have been a gift from God to FMCiC. Tell us, who are the Newtons and how have they contributed to FMCiC thus far?
Ken: After 25 years of pastoring in the FMC, Doug and Margie Newton realized they were heavily engaged in ministry and minimally in prayer. They determined to change that and take other pastoral couples with them in this journey through 5-day, prayer retreats with 3 couples at a time. After doing this a number of years they felt the Lord leading them back into pastoral ministry to learn how to develop a traditional, program-driven church into becoming a prayer-centered church. Eventually they were called upon to develop the National Prayer Ministry of the FMUS.
When we decided to conduct our first Prayer Summit, just before General Conference, we heard about them and asked them to do the teaching for us (Bishop Cliff and Karlene had met them at the US General Conference and they became friends). Because of the pandemic, the Prayer Summit morphed into offering 4 successful online prayer summits. They did not come just as imported speakers, but became part of the National Prayer Team as we developed those summits, and they did this free of charge. Now they are offering to coach pastors and churches that want to develop their churches into being prayer-centered, free of charge.
As for their resources, the link for them is included on the Prayer page of our website under “Resources” as: “If My People” Prayer Summit Follow-up Resources: https://fresh-impact.com/fmcic-prayer
Cliff: Newtons, you have made an extremely generous offer to our pastors and Prayer Point Persons. What’s the offer and how do you see it playing out?
Doug & Margie: Because every local church is unique, the questions about helping a church become a “biblical house of prayer” must be addressed individually. We are offering to connect with any local church group via ZOOM in a free diagnostic session that will result in a rough draft of recommendations to help that church develop a plan of action. We can’t schedule more than one church per month, so to set up a ZOOM session contact Margie at: margie@marysplace.org.
Thank you Newtons!! If you are interested in knowing more about the Newtons, I highly recommend their resources at fresh-impact.com/fmcic-prayer. Pastors and prayer teams I highly encourage you to take advantage of this [free] invitation.
MEDIA CONNECTIONS
Church Health Thursdays – This Advent Season: https://fmcic.ca/27503/
News & Stories Blog – Double Whammy – https://fmcic.ca/double-whammy/
New Leaf Learning Centre: January Learning Centre Book Club- with Sylvia Keesmaat – https://www.newleafnetwork.ca/events/january2021-learning-centre-book-club
FM VIDEOS: https://fmcic.ca/category/fm-video-blog/
Intercultural Engagement Team: https://www.facebook.com/groups/IETfmcic
SCOD: Topics Worth Thinking About – https://fmcic.ca/topics-worth-thinking-about/
ANNOUNCEMENTS
None this week
ORDINATION AND COMMISSIONING SERVICES
Leonard Bruce – date and location TBA
Douglas Smith – May 2, 2021 at 2:00 pm, Fellowship of Joy, St. Williams, ON
Wilder Boutin – Centre Biblique Louange a L’Eternel, Montreal, QC – date and time TBA.
FOUNDATIONAL COURSES https://fmcic.ca/foundational-courses/
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:
Nov 5-7, 2021 – location TBA
Wesleyan Theology:
Date and location TBA*
(also available online through FMC-USA: http://fmcusa.org/leadership/courses/)
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! )
SCHOLARSHIPS
2021 APPLICATIONS https://fmcic.ca/scholarships/
LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP PLAN (LSP):
February 15 is the deadline to apply for LSP for any courses taken during the winter semester of 2021. The 2021 application forms and instructions are now available to download from the link above. Please use the application forms marked “rev 2021.”
SPECIAL SCHOLARSHIPS:
October 15 is the deadline to apply for the annual Special Scholarships for courses taken during the 2021 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/introduction-to-continuing-education/
Ordained and Commissioned Ministers (except retirees) are to annually report Continuing Education Units (CEUs) acquired during each year. Check the link above for information on CEUs, the report form and a list of examples of many different types of life-long learning that can be applied as CEUs.
Note: For those who attend the fall Minister’s Conferences or the spring Regional Gatherings, add 6 hours of CEU credit for each event when you send in your annual CEU report.
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CHURCHES IN TRANSITION
Interviewing
Cedar Street Community Church, Simcoe, ON
Church Profiles available
Contact Davika Dotson in the Leadership Development Office to request a church profile – davika.dotson@fmcic.ca or 416-240-7845 (deadline to apply in brackets)
None at this time
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.)
Campbellford FMC, Campbellford, ON (Rev. Jurgen Rausch-Transition Pastor)
Cornerstone FMC, Prince Albert, SK
Dunnville FMC, Dunnville, ON
Harrowsmith FMC, Harrowsmith, ON
First FM Church, New Westminster, BC
Lakeland Community Church, Spiritwood, SK
New Hope FMC, Bracebridge, ON (Rev. Gary Denniss-Interim Pastor)
New Horizons Community Church, Sarnia, ON (Rev. Mary Lee DeWitt-Transition Pastor)
Pineview FMC, Cloyne, ON
Richmond Hill Chinese & English FM Churches, Richmond Hill, ON (Rev. Louis Leung – Interim Pastor)
Trinity Christian Centre, Dresden, ON (Rev. Alan Adams – Interim Pastor)
Warkworth FMC, Warkworth, ON
Whitby FMC, Whitby, ON (Rev. Vic Stonehouse-Transition Pastor)
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Camp Director – Harbour Ridge Camp
Angelic Treasures Christian Daycare Newmarket – SUPERVISOR
