the free methodist church in canada
EPISODES
Remembrance Day
Father of all, since the fall of humanity, we’ve let our judgement be clouded by sin.
Where there is sin there is war, sedition, separation of wealth, and greed. Yet there can be contrast, beauty in a stark environment. Duty, loyalty integrity, courage.
An ethos of a soldier, sailor, or air crew can be what the world needs to restore hope. Grant that we, the Canadian Armed Forces, always stand on behalf of a country under Your rule, doing so with love for those who we serve wherever we call home, until You call us to our true home, to wear the uniform well.
We ask Your prevenient love go before us into the hard places in life. Give prompts to our families and churches to pray for us and keep them safe in our absence. Ultimately, we ask Your guidance to provide the measure of responsible grace we can extend to the under trodden in our own country and around the world. Amen.
– written by Padre Andrew Klinger
Bishop’s Nomination
Anniversaries and Ordinations!
On Sunday, October 18th, Zion FMC celebrated their 125th anniversary. This past Sunday, October 25th, Polson Park FMC celebrated their 65th anniversary, and Rev. Velma Shewfelt (Lead Pastor at Church on the Hill in Orillia, ON) was officially ordained in the Free Methodist Church in Canada!
FMCIC Staff Retreat
On October 19 & 20, the staff of the National Ministry Centre met in Pickering, ON for their annual staff retreat.
Rev. Kevin Stenhouse has been in the role of Director of Ministerial Formation now for almost 2 years. Effective November 1, 2026 he is being promoted to the National Leadership Team, and becomes a Senior Director.
Congratulations Kevin!
The Role of SCOD
I’m introducing you here to the Study Commission on Doctrine (SCOD) of the FMCIC. These individuals were elected at General Conference 2024. (Rev. Jay McIntyre also served with us until recently, when he asked to be relieved of this responsibility, as he has taken on the national role of connecting “Next Gen” leaders and ministers.)
SCOD serves the FMCIC in three major ways. First, we reflect on doctrinal and theological themes that either we or others request us to consider, and we write Position Papers on these themes. For instance, several months ago, we posted a paper on Marriage and Human Sexuality. We are about to add two more papers to our page on the website—one on gambling and one on end-of-life issues. More are in the works. Position Papers expand on The Manual’s paragraphs, giving more rationale and Scriptural support on the subjects, interpreting and articulating Free Methodist thinking on various issues.
Secondly, SCOD serves as the Editorial Committee for The Manual. We are working on a comprehensive update, to be ready in time for General Conference. Many changes are minor (titles of positions or departments have undergone changes, grammar and punctuation are being corrected), but others will require Resolutions.
This brings us to our third function. SCOD serves as the Resolutions Committee for the General Conference. All resolutions that are submitted by societies or delegates will be considered by SCOD. They can then be sent to Conference for consideration and a vote, or revised with the authors’ consent, or deemed unsuitable but reported out to all the delegates. In that case, Conference could overturn that decision by a 75% vote of the delegates to bring it to the floor for discussion.
Your Study Commission on Doctrine will be extremely busy between now and April 15-18, 2027. Pray for us!
Study Commission on Doctrine (SCOD) – October 2026
Pictured above:
Back row – Rev. Michael Kluthe, Bishop Linda Adams, Rev. Dr. Matthew McEwen
Centre row – Rob Webb, Pastor Sarah Newman, Debbie Yeboah, Rev. Dr. James Pedlar
Front row – Amy Bratton, Rev. Dr. David Schuchardt
October 6th Update
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Adam Kline, Director of Intercultural Missions, shares this week in anticipation of September 30th, our National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Orange Shirt Day). Pastor Adam recently visited Wawota Free Methodist Church and spoke with Pastor Beverly Kay and Lima Nanai from Loko Koa Mission (Bring Back the Buffalo Project).
Free Methodist Connectionalism
Free Methodism has “connectionalism” at the heart of our self-understanding. We believe that our lives as followers of Jesus must be deeply and meaningfully connected with others who devote themselves to Him. Local churches are one expression of that—and, for pastors and leaders, our fall Ministers Conference is another vital experience to enhance our connection. To read more, please click here.
Leading with Prayer
Here is the link to the pdf referenced in the video: https://fmcic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Leading-with-prayer-monthly-devotionals-links.pdf
It’s A Wrap…
Back To School Prayer
Back To School Prayer (by the National Prayer Team)
Dear Heavenly Father,
As children, youth and young adults return to school for another year of learning, we entrust them to Your loving care, guidance and protection. They are precious to us, and we are thankful that they are even more precious to You.
We pray for all those who teach, lead and support them. Give educators wisdom, patience, compassion and strength as they help their students grow in knowledge, understanding and character. May classrooms and campuses be places of discovery and creativity, where students are encouraged to explore the wonder of Your creation, develop the gifts You have given them, and grow into the people You have created them to be.
Be especially near to those who approach this new school year with uncertainty or fear. Comfort the child entering a classroom for the first time, the student beginning at a new school, the young adult leaving home, and the parent learning to let go. Give them courage for what is new, peace in moments of anxiety, and the assurance that You are always with them.
Be with everyone impacted by the back-to-school transition: children, youth, young adults, parents, teachers, administrators and support staff. Bless their relationships and their work. For those who know You as Lord and Saviour, may they be shining lights of Your goodness, grace and love wherever You have placed them.
Surround them with Your peace and protection. Guide them with Your wisdom. Give them kindness toward those who are lonely, courage to stand for what is right, perseverance when learning is difficult, and humility to ask for help when they need it.
May this school year be filled not only with growth in knowledge and understanding, but also with growth in faith, character and love.
We entrust this new school year to You, confident that wherever they go, You go with them.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
An additional prayer for students:
Dear Lord
Use my eyes to notice someone who needs a friend.
Open my ears to listen and learn.
Help my mind to discover new things.
Remind my heart that You are near when I am worried or afraid.
Help me to be kind, patient and loving to others.
Give me courage to do what is right.
Help me use the gifts You have given me.
And wherever I go today, help me shine Your light.
Amen.
Our team is back home now and reflecting on the time we spent together with our FM family in Sri Lanka. Thanks for all your prayers. If you would like to see more pictures from our time there visit our Flickr album. https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjD3cYb
Water baptism is a powerful thing! On Sunday, the lineup of baptismal candidates included converts from Hinduism, a woman who had been delivered from a demon, and several teens who have been raised in the church. Old and young, male and female, privileged and embattled, all came to the water for one reason. I never tire of seeing this dramatic enactment of dying with Christ and rising in resurrection life!
We are in the middle of long days of study and discussion on Free Methodist history, polity, and global expansion. It’s fun to see students grasping new things for the first time! We’ve had lively discussions on cross-cultural expressions of the gospel. The learning never ends!
Thanks for your prayers. Don’t stop now! We still have our Annual Meeting and more churches to visit.
Sri Lanka Trip
Paula Moriarity is part of the team that is getting ready to head out on the annual trip to Sri Lanka.
Wesley Acres Family Camp
This week, Bishop Linda is at Wesley Acres Campground in Bloomfield, ON.
Intercultural Youth Retreat – Continued
In my weekly Tuesday “Learning with Linda,” I love to spread good news about what God is doing in our movement across Canada. Last week, we got a quick look at the Intercultural Retreat happening in Montreal. This week we have the chance to learn more about how the week was experienced by dozens of teens, young adults, and leaders. A huge thank-you to Lindsay Noel and Adam Kline, who organized and co-led the event. Well done!
-Bishop Linda
“Our first two full days together saw new friendships form, many young leaders step up to guide us in prayer and worship, and a lot of intercultural sharing and study of scripture. As organizers, from the very first song, we were surprised and inspired to hear all voices united in praise and passion! And in our times of teaching there was serious engagement and a desire to know more!
Our last two full days were filled with exploration and testimony. We spent Thursday in downtown Montreal attending the YWAM Jubilee Conference where our young leaders were invited to pray in new ways and practice evangelism. We then took that invitation to the streets, walking and exploring the city and learning about the unique challenges of a Francophone mission field.
On our final day together we sang, we danced, we prayed over one another and expressed our immense gratitude for all the volunteers and organizers who made this retreat possible. Thank you all for your prayers and support…we are excited to see God continue to move through this next generation!”
-Adam Kline, Director of Intercultural Missions
Intercultural Youth Retreat
The 2026 Intercultural Youth Retreat has begun! Yesterday everyone arrived at Villa de Brome Retreat Centre (an hour east of Montreal). Many drove in from across Quebec and Ontario; others flew in from Calgary, Weyburn and Roblin. We have 50 youth and young adult participants and 10 leaders. We are 1st and 2nd generation newcomers to Canada, some of Indigenous heritage, and others of settler descent. We speak French, English, Creole, Kirundi, Swahili and are worshipping together in all these languages.
We are incredibly grateful for those churches and individuals who gave generously and helped us raise $15,000 to assist with the expenses – THANK YOU SO MUCH! And we ask you all to continue to pray for us each day this week. These young women and men have come to make memories and have an experience, but more importantly, to seek God, discern His call upon their lives, and encounter His presence through a mighty mosaic of culture, language and expression!
Thank you for praying, and for lifting up this next generation of leaders!
– Adam Kline, Director of Intercultural Missions
Family Camp at Arlington Beach
This week, Director of Ministerial Formation, Kevin Stenhouse, provides a glimpse into Family Camp at Arlington Beach Camp in SK.
Family Camp at Arlington Beach in Saskatchewan is underway! This year the theme is “Being a People of Change in an Age of Despair” and I’m speaking all week from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. The camp offers two worship experiences every day: in the morning, the (incredibly!) energetic staff take the stage and set up the day’s activities for people of all ages, then, in the evening, a band made up of musicians from churches all across the province lead a beautiful worship service.
Probably the thing I’m most impressed by here is the family atmosphere. Actually, it’s more than an “atmosphere” – it’s really family! I see people from different churches spending time together laughing and playing games. I see families from the same church all camping together and sharing the mosquito repellant. And I see the joy of multi-generations – grandparents, parents, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren – continuing the tradition of camping at Arlington Beach. Wonderful!
– Kevin Stenhouse
Bishop Linda at Maple Grove
https://fmcic.ca/give/
Staff Engagement Day
This week for LWL Bishop Linda has invited Deva Ratnam, Senior Director of Finance and Operations, to share about our recent Staff Engagement Day.
“The FMCIC Ministry Centre held its Staff Engagement Day, with the theme of efficiency versus effectiveness — the difference between being busy and actually getting the right things done. The day opened with worship and prayer, which set the tone for everything that followed, then moved into the morning sessions. I lead an interactive activity where I walked everyone through Rocks, Pebbles, and Sand — a simple way to figure out what your real priorities are versus what’s just filling up your day. Bishop Linda followed with a framework for urgent versus important, one she’d first used with our teams in Sri Lanka, and that session got people talking honestly about where their time actually goes. Jervis closed out the morning with RACI, helping the team clarify who’s responsible and accountable when working together.
After lunch, everyone played a team-building game that had people laughing and moving around, a welcome break from sitting and listening, and a reminder that the team works better together when they’ve had some fun, too. The day wrapped up with a session on the tools used day-to-day (Salesforce, SharePoint, AI), and the NLT closed out by taking questions from staff. But honestly, what people will remember most is the game, the meal, and spending real time with teammates they don’t see enough of. That’s part of why this day matters: doing the work well isn’t just about systems and frameworks; it’s about looking after each other along the way.”
– Deva
