Notes From the Pastor
Every two weeks Hope Fellowship publishes the Hope Fellowship Sun, a newsletter providing information to the church on our ministries and events of interest. The front page includes an article by Pastor Peter or another member of our church. Please enjoy these reprints.
You can also read these notes on our blog: hopefellowshipcourtice.blogspot.com
January 22, 2012
The Banner is the Christian Reformed Church’s monthly magazine. It is available free to any Hope Fellowship household that requests it. At this point, sixty-plus households get it directly mailed to their home.
Evelyn, our office administrator, chatted with the publishers and they discovered that in Canada it is more economical to ship issues in bulk to the church than it is to ship them to individual homes. Therefore, in the future, this is the way The Banner will make their way to us.
We would like to see more of our people reading The Banner because of its excellent content and its ability to connect people within our denomination. For that reason, we are inviting those who are presently not receiving it to contact the office and sign up for their own copy.
To give you a taste of the kind of articles that The Banner provides, please read the following story which we found quite inspiring and challenging.
In northwest Iowa in the 1970s few things provoked as much passion as hog prices, high school basketball . . . or congregational meetings.
Excitement and anticipation thickened the air as parishioners entered the church. This particular congregational meeting was sure to be one of the most important in the history of the church—its significance heightened by the fact that, for the first time, women were granted the right to vote.
The issue at stake was whether or not to build a new house of worship. The building was old and the church kept growing. Perhaps now was the time. I called the meeting to order, read appropriate Scripture, and led in a prayer asking for wisdom and unity without politicking.
Then the floor opened for discussion. An elderly man rose to speak. One of the newer members of the church, he had recently retired from the farm and moved to a new home in this town, bringing with him a reputation as a staunch churchman. He spoke with passion, his defiant opposition to the proposal obvious to all. He enumerated multiple reasons for his stance: a weak economy, low prices, a perfectly good, serviceable old church building.
Listening to what seemed like an unceasing rant, I was wondering how to graciously bring it to a close, when help came from an unexpected source. The man’s demure wife, seated next to him, simply reached up to the bottom of his sport coat and gave two brisk tugs. Immediately the tirade ended, and he meekly sat down. I was perhaps the only witness to this “power” display, and thus for the rest of the evening my most difficult task was not controlling the meeting but rather stopping myself from laughing out loud.
After lengthy discussion featuring the gamut of opinions and emotions, the time came for a vote by secret ballot. The final tally told the future of a congregation eager to move forward and build a new house of worship: more than 85 percent were in favor of the project. On that convincing note the meeting adjourned with prayer. But it was hardly the end of the story.
The next morning the elderly man vehemently opposed to the project took a walk. In the course of his walk he stopped at the house of the church treasurer, where he dropped off a sizeable check made out to the New Church Building Fund.
Had someone convinced him to change his mind? Had a divine epiphany brought this about? Neither of the above. But he was a churchman. This was his church, and the members were his brothers and sisters in Christ. He was one of them, and they had spoken. He had an obligation to support their decision. He had been blessed, and he would do his part.
Few lessons in the history of my ministry were impressed on me quite as indelibly as what I learned from this old man about the blessing of belonging. To be a member of the body of Christ is to realize the joy of belonging, with all its rights and privileges. In a world of warring opinions and ideologies, of clashing agendas and passionate disagreement, the truth and beauty of belonging is a priceless comfort to savor. (written by Harold Hiemstra, a retired pastor. www.thebanner.org/departments/article/?id=3927
Wasn’t that a good read? Now contact the office (905-571-6004, officeadmin@hopefellowship.ca) and ask to be put on the list for a free Banner in your church mailbox every month.
- Pastor Peter
January 8, 2012
Eight days before Christmas, on December 17, Tropical Storm Washi dumped a month’s worth of rain on Mindanao Island in the South Philippines in only a few hours. Forests, denuded by logging, could not soak up the water. Surging flash floods combined with a high tide caused widespread flooding. More than twelve hundred people, still asleep in the shantytowns lining the riverbanks, drowned. Many thousands of adults and children were left homeless.
Although the Philippines are located in South Asia, half a world away, we have a connection with this country through three Filipino households that are part of Hope Fellowship Church. Both Shirley and Lily come from there. But it is through Jerry and Emma that our connection to this natural disaster is very immediate. Emma’s hometown, Iligan City, was the hardest hit by the flooding. Not only that, Emma experienced many personal losses. Emma's niece and two of her children died; her niece’s other two children are still missing. Emma’s brother’s house was washed away. Several in-laws also died. Surviving members of the family are depressed because of the loss of lives.
In light of this personal connection, we must do something. But what?
Jerry and Emma have told us that the survivors need basic clothing like t-shirts and jeans, personal hygiene items like toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap and linens for bedding. They have found a way to ship a box of goods for $60 (every third box is free) to a contact in the Philippines who will make sure that these items are distributed to Emma’s family and others. As of now, they have two boxes ready and they’re close to filling a third box. They are definitely doing something.
If we are willing to donate some of our used summer clothing (all sizes), as well as linens, hygienic products, and even non-perishable foods like dried rice and cans of food, the family is willing to pack and ship it. So we can also do something for their relatives, friends and others.
One of the most helpful ways to respond is by donating money that can purchase aid locally. Therefore, our deacons have decided to hold an extra offering for “Philippines Tropical Storm 2011” on January 15. Thankfully, there are 25 established and 20 emerging Christian Reformed churches in the Philippines, and the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) is working closely with Living Hope Christian Reformed Church in Cagayan de Oro where some of the Living Hope church members’ houses have also been destroyed
When Marja and I met with Jerry and Emma family last week to learn more about the tragedy that had befallen their extended family, Jerry said that The Starfish Story motivated him to do something. As you may recall, this familiar story by Loren Eisley goes like this:
One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?”
The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”
“Son,” the man said, “Don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!”
After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said, “I made a difference for that one.”
Next week, let’s donate the requested items and money and throw some starfish back into the Sulu sea. - Pastor Peter
December 25, 2011
After seeing the shepherds on trial in last Sunday’s Christmas musical, I was prompted to ask a familiar question, “If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” I cited Don Cherry as an example of someone who went public on Hockey Night In Canada with his faith on December 17 when he said, “At this time of year we have fun with Santa Claus, but Christmas is about Jesus being born.” If Cherry is ever put on trial for being a Christian, the prosecutor will certainly introduce last week’s “Coach’s Corner” as evidence.
Actually, every Christian is always on trial. People are watching. Angels and demons are watching. God is watching, too. We’re under constant surveillance in a world that wants to know if we’re really Christians.
But how can you tell?
In the book of Acts, Christians were repeatedly arrested for telling people that God raised Jesus from the dead. Their courage was exceptional; they refused to be silenced. Like the shepherds, they had to spread the good news of great joy about a Saviour, Christ the Lord.
Their example forces you and me to question our willingness to witness to others about Jesus. To whom and to what extent do we proclaim Jesus with our words?
Speaking about Jesus isn’t enough evidence, though. Christian faith is more than words, just as an apple tree is more than wood. The real thing is always proven by its fruit, as Jesus once said.
What kind of fruit convicts someone of being a real Christian?
According to Martin M. Davis, a retired family therapist, author and workshop leader living in Mississippi, “the indisputable proof that we are Christians is that we love each other as Christ loves us.” He bases this on what Jesus said in John 13:34-35, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Here’s where I find an inconsistency in Don Cherry. I have no doubt that he believes in Jesus. I just don’t see anything particularly Christ-like or loving in his Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em videos. Apparently kids singer Raffi is also not impressed. In fact, Raffi, the author of songs like Baby Beluga and The More We Get Together is asking fans to mute the tv whenever Don Cherry comes on. “For years I’ve been watching him get louder and louder,” he told The Toronto Star last week. "He sounds and acts like a bully. That’s not fun and it’s not a good example for the kids who are watching. In this day and age of all the hockey violence, we should be putting a stop to this."
I love Don Cherry and I love the courageous way he reminded hockey fans what Christmas is really about. But his pugnacious approach to Canada’s game has to change if he wants to be convicted of obeying Christ’s new commandment and using the power of Christ’s love to help bring God’s peace on earth and finesse to the rink.
With good words and works, we show a watching world that we might be Christians. By avoiding immoral and illegal activities, we show a skeptical world that we might be followers of Jesus. But only Christ’s love in us for both the loveable and the un-loveable is conclusive proof that we’re Christians “for real!”
My Christmas wish for one and all is that we would be guilty as charged of loving everyone as Christ loved us!
- Pastor Peter
December 11, 2011
As a teenager living in Willowdale, Anthony, my high school buddy, and I would often head downtown Toronto in December to take in the sights. Last Saturday, the Steve Bell concert at Massey Hall (amazing!) provided me an opportunity to relive those experiences.
At City Hall, Marja and I watched the skaters. My eyes were immediately drawn to the three arches over the ice pad and I remembered the day Anthony and I climbed them. Today they’re guarded by gates. Back then they were very accessible.
“How high did you climb?” Marja asked. Not wanting to exaggerate I said, “About a third of the way up. That’s when a security guard called us down.”
Anthony had a clearer memory of that day. We met him and his wife for supper before the concert. When I mentioned the arches he said, “No way, man. We climbed all the way to the top. And it was a police officer who called us down. The first thing he said to us, “What’s your name?” And when we told him, he said, ‘I’ll remember that name if you ever try that again!’”
A City Hall arch wasn’t the only thing we climbed as teens. We also climbed the towering chimney of the secondary school across from the Willowdale Christian School on Hilda Avenue. By jumping, we were able to grasp the lowest rung. We climbed up, up, up and then crawled onto the ledge. To prove that we had actually done it, we took pictures in all directions with an old black and white camera.
I still feel queasy whenever I think about the trip back down. Clinging to a sooty duct, I lowered myself over the side and pivoted my foot in space until it made contact with a rung. My stomach churned. Slowly I climbed back down, my heart racing, my palms sweating, praying for a safe return to solid ground. Anthony made it, too. Relieved to be back on terra firma, I vowed never to do it again. Since then, I have always had a fear of heights.
As we recounted these stories last week, shaking our heads about the foolish risks we took, I thought about God’s protection despite our own stupidity. “Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways,” the psalmist once wrote. I’m glad that God not only forgives but also forgets our youthful mistakes. I hope that we can extend the same grace to our children and youth when they test the boundaries.
In downtown Toronto last week, I was reminded not only of the thrills we used to seek, but also the wonder we would experience as kids as we pressed our noses to the Christmas display windows in the original Eaton Store on Yonge Street. Today, it is The Bay that offers five windows of indoor and outdoor Christmas scenes alive with moving parts and playful figures that capture the holiday season. Marja and I found them and stood mesmerized, especially delighting in the miniature mice sleeping in matchboxes below the floors of a decorated Victorian house. Unfortunately, other than three miniature carolers whose carol sheets were too small to decipher, the window displays made no specific reference to the birth of Jesus. Politically incorrect, I guess.
Re-visiting both the arches and the Christmas window displays got me thinking of a way to be rebellious without risking our lives. What way? Let’s say “Merry Christmas” wherever and whenever we can. It is a greeting that, in our culture’s Christ-free approach to Christmas, is just foolish enough to earn some disapproving looks, yet brave enough to get some adrenalin flowing and make Jesus proud.
- Pastor Peter
November 27, 2011
On Saturday November 19th, members of the Administrative Board, Deacons and staff met for an extended breakfast meeting to discuss a new way to look at our ministries and how they work towards our purpose of bringing people into a living relationship with Jesus Christ.
The Admin Board has embraced the theme of being an “Externally Focused and Internally Strong” church over the last few years (from the book The Externally Focused Quest, available in our church library) and this has now become a regular part of our ministry review discussions. Our next challenge is to take a look at our ministries to see how this theme is actually helping us achieve our purpose at Hope Fellowship.
Stan Baker shared at the Spring Membership Meeting a way of looking at our Christian lives through three words, Believe, Belong and Bless, which are outlined in Chapter 3 of this book. Believe represents our connection to Christ, Belong represents our connection to other Christians and Bless represents our connection to the community around us as we seek to minister to a broken world. The image of a triangular Celtic knot where each side connects to the others is used to help show these connections visually.
Jesus’ challenge in the Bible is to include all three of these connections in our lives each day. If we were to live by ourselves and spend all our time reading the Bible, without community or acts of mercy, we would be missing something. If we were to be part of a small group that only met for coffee, without studying the Bible or seeking ways to help our community, we would be missing something. If we were to mail cheques to a local church without stepping foot in the doors for worship or fellowship, we would be missing something. Even if we are able to make two of these connections, there would still be a gap since you can Belong and Bless through an organization like the Rotary Club without meeting Jesus’ challenge.
Getting familiar with how Christians live out these three connections leads us to the next step of realizing that they all can act as a way to connect someone back to the church and ultimately a living relationship with Jesus. A person can hear a sermon and be moved to learn more about belonging to a church and blessing others; a person can be invited to a church social event and be moved to learn more about Jesus and serving others; a person can participate in a church-sponsored service project and be moved to find out about Jesus and how to become a part of a group that serves in this way.
The challenge that we’ve taken on is to test each of our ministries to see which connection they are strengthening as they help people connect with Jesus, each other and the community. We’ve developed a simple questionnaire for our ministry leaders to rate each ministry to see if these three connections are present and how strong each one is. The Zone Coordinators and Admin Board will then use the results to guide our ministry planning. We will be taking some time to discuss this new ‘Scorecard’ approach at the Membership Meeting on Dec 1st and invite you to join us at 7:30 pm.
While we’re working on this new way of reviewing our ministries, we haven’t forgotten the valuable information that we’ve collected through the Natural Church Development survey. Hope Fellowship has participated in three surveys so far (1999, 2002 and 2007) and we are planning our next survey in the coming weeks. We have already started working on linking the survey questions to the Believe, Belong and Bless connections and look forward to using the results to help us connect closer to Jesus, closer to each other and closer to our community.
- Chris Ritskes
November 13, 2011
Twenty-five years ago Rick Hansen made history when he completed his Man In Motion World Tour after propelling his wheelchair for 792 days and 40,000 kilometres through 34 countries and 4 continents. 126 flat tires did not stop him from covering the circumference of the earth. Neither did his spinal cord injury (SCI). Since then, his foundation has raised more than $250 million, money used to accelerate progress towards a cure for SCI and a more accessible and inclusive world.
On Wednesday, November 2, the 25th Anniversary Rick Hansen Relay, came through Bowmanville. Thirteen persons, each doing a 250 metre section of the tour from the Zoo to the Recreation Complex, were given the experience of wearing the heavy sterling silver medal that commemorates the world tour. It weighs 400 grams and bears the logo “Many In Motion”.
Two of the thirteen Clarington Region medal bearers are from Hope Fellowship Church. They are two of the 7,000 “Difference Makers” that are now carrying Rick Hansen’s cause 12,000 kilometres from Cape Spear, Newfoundland to Vancouver B.C.
Nathan, 11, described his opportunity to participate in the relay as a “once in a lifetime opportunity” that made him “really nervous.” He ended up feeling very good about the whole experience as he was cheered on not only by spectators but also his family.
As each person passed the medal to the next, all wearing yellow jackets and navy blue track pants and toques, the group grew until all thirteen medal bearers were running together. Also in that group was Joan, a special education teacher who works with young students with disabilities. “I took it as a privilege and a real honour to be part of it,” she said. When she passed the medal to the next runner, a 13 year old girl waiting for a double lung transplant, the two windmilled their arms and did an impromptu starburst, followed by a chest bump. In their orientation session Nathan and Joan received their tracksuits and were told that everyone can be a difference maker. “There are ‘Big D’ difference makers who find cures and invent things,” the speaker said. “But we can all be ‘small d’ difference makers by recycling garbage, helping someone or just putting a smile on someone’s face.”
The Royal Canadian Mint also made 7000 copies of the main medal for the relay participants. Joan decided to give her medal to her lifelong friend Elizabeth, who was disabled by a pickup truck in Kingston in 2005 while training for the Sea to Sea Bicycle Tour. “She’s my hero when it comes to paraplegic and spinal cord injuries,” Joan explained. Nathan is probably keeping his prized memento. But his personal hero is his own Dad, Rob, whose below the knee amputation as a result of a congenital birth defect did not prevent him from becoming an elite athlete who competed for Canada in the 100, 200 and 400 metre dashes and running long jump in three Paralympic Games -Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney -and four world championships. Two of his Canadian records still stand.
With such a parental legacy, it is no wonder that Nathan was inspired to apply to Rick Hansen’s 25th anniversary relay across Canada. Speaking about Rick, Nathan said, “Imagine, he went all the way across the world with just his arms. This shows me that nothing can hold you back.”
The apostle Paul said that we can do all things through Him who strengthens us. That includes being a difference maker in our community like Nathan and Joan.
- Pastor Peter
October 30, 2011
In last week’s sermon I challenged everyone who considers Hope Fellowship their church home to take a good hard look at their giving towards the church budget and to prayerfully consider giving through the “pre-authorized debit” program that we’ve dubbed HopePAD. Currently, only fifty-six households do their giving this way.
I made this request against the background of not meeting last year’s budget. That’s right. In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011, we found ourselves $50,000 short. Consequently, our treasurer was unable to send away the full amount of promised ministry shares that support our denomination’s missionaries, church planters and agencies. It also became difficult to pay our operating expenses. It was only thanks to the steady and reliable source of income from the fifty-six households on HopePAD that we made it through the summer with all the bills paid!
Candidly, our giving is consistently short of the amount needed to fund our ministry initiatives. This reality has prompted our church leadership to ask, “What’s going on?” In response, our treasurer supplied us with a non-disclosing Contribution Range report that summarized the different levels at which people have given in the last ten months. I shared it in last week’s sermon; it is reprinted on page 2 of this issue of the Sun. And it is very revealing!
Of course, statistics never tell the whole story. A small donation may represent a huge sacrifice; a large donation may only be a drop in the bucket. But our contribution stats indicate that the bulk of the budget is supported by a faithful few. They also imply that many of us may be poor, poor givers or just poor managers of the Master’s money. Ouch!
Please study the Contribution Range report on the next page and ask yourself three questions. Where does my level of giving fit? Why? And what does the Lord want me to do about it?
The biblical model of stewardship teaches us that all of our income belongs to God and that the first tenth, what the Bible calls a tithe, is to be given away, to the church and to charities. If we were to do this, we would experience financial peace at Hope Fellowship and even exceed our budget.
The world’s financial advice is “Pay yourself first” by saving the first ten percent of your income. Then use the remaining 90% for yourself. The scriptures, however, tell us to “Give to God first” by setting the first ten percent of our income aside as “first fruits” that are used to advance God’s kingdom and help others. Then use the rest is to pay down debt, to save, and to cover emergencies and lifestyle expenses that may include Christian education. This biblical model has worked well for my family. There were years when paying Christian school tuition made it difficult to give or save more. But in those expensive yet rewarding years, God showed us how to live within our means and rely on him more, important lessons that taught us to be content with less.
Our treasurer had an interesting nickname for the fifty-six households that donate by means of pre-authorized debit. She called them “lifesavers” because it was only their consistent income that allowed her to pay the bills.
We need everybody to be “life savers” who will financially support Hope Fellowship’s ministries and maintenance, even when they’re out of town for social or business reasons. That’s why our church’s leaders are prayerfully hoping that many more households will come on board and return their pre-authorized debit forms to the HopePAD Drop Box at the Info Centre.
- Pastor Peter
October 16, 2011
Over the years, parents in many Christian Reformed churches have been asked by their children, “Why can’t I take Lord’s Supper?” At Hope Fellowship parents have been able to say, “You can, after you share your love for Jesus with the pastor or the elders.” Now, throughout the Christian Reformed Church, parents will be able to say, “You can, because you also belong to God.”
That’s because this year’s CRC Synod decided to open the communion table to all children of believing parents. Participation is now left solely to the discretion of the parents who are in the best position to determine if their child understands the meaning of Lord’s Supper and loves the Lord.
Jewish children have always been included in the Passover Feast, the Old Testament precursor to communion. They eat. They drink. They hear the story of the Exodus. Their faith is nurtured by the meal that symbolizes Israel’s liberation from Egypt. As members of God’s chosen people, they belong at the table.
In the same way, children of believers in the Christian Reformed Church will now be invited to eat, drink and participate in the greatest liberation story of all … Jesus’ death and resurrection. In Christ, they belong to God’s new covenant; therefore, they belong at Lord’s Supper.
But can a child meet the criteria of I Corinthians 11? What if a child “drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner” and “brings judgment on himself?”
It is important to know that Paul wrote this chapter to admonish adults who had turned communion into an eating and drinking orgy. No decorum. No respect. No waiting for each other. Some even got drunk on communion wine!
It is also important to realize that children are very capable of meaningful preparation and participation. Bert Witvoet, former Christian Courier editor wrote, “Children can be asked by their parents whether or not they love the Lord (examine themselves), whether or not they understand the importance of belonging to a loving family and church (discern the Body), whether they understand that by eating the bread and drinking the cup they are saying that the Lord died also for me (proclaim the Lord’s death), and whether they treat each other with respect (wait for each other).”
Finally, it is especially important to remember that communion was never meant to be a reward for good behaviour or a mature profession. It is a means of grace by which God nurtures imperfect people and strengthens the faith of struggling believers, whatever their mental ability or age.
As a child, my mom often gave me a peppermint during communion. That gave me a sense of belonging as the plate passed me by. When the wine came through the pew, I would inhale its fragrant scent and again feel that I was part of this mystical, bonding experience with Christ and the church.
In the CRC, the time for only looking and smelling is over for all children of believers. The time for touching and tasting is here for every child in whom a parent sees an age-appropriate understanding of salvation. In the words of the newly revised Church Order, “Each church shall minister to its children and youth … by nurturing their faithful participation in the Lord’s Supper.” (Church Order, Article 63)
The pastoral elders will discuss this change next week and consider its implementation. In the meantime, every parent at Hope Fellowship is encouraged to have a conversation with their children about their love for Jesus, the meaning of communion, and the opportunity to participate fully as young members of God’s covenant.
- Pastor Peter
October 2, 2011
Have I ever told you I have the best job in the world? If you ever see a smug look on my face, it’s because I’m feeling sorry for everyone else, since it’s my job and I’m not giving it up! If you ever see me with a smile on my face, it’s because I love what I do.
Why do I have the best job in the world? Well, I get to work with all of you! My job allows me to connect with so many Hope Fellowship people that just wouldn’t be possible any other way. So many of you have shared parts of your lives with me and I count it a privilege and a blessing. For me, the people I come in contact with are the best part of the day. A day with no phone calls or nobody stopping into the office is a long and boring day.
Not only that, I get to work with Pastor Peter! Enough said? Working with someone who always sees the bright side of things, who is always encouraging and positive makes coming to work something to look forward to every day. I wish you all could have a boss like mine.
And if that’s not enough, I also get to work with our six zone coordinators. If you ever want to see a committed, dedicated, passionate group of people, you should stop in sometime when they are all together. Sometimes it makes my head spin! But they work so well together, and are passionate about serving God in this corner of His Kingdom to the best of their ability.
Working for a church is a funny thing. You get paid, but somehow there is always this expectation, whether its put there by others or yourself, that you work beyond the scope of your job. And these six people do. They are here late, they are here early. They pour themselves into their ministry here at Hope Fellowship.
I was thinking about all of this on my way home from work on Wednesday afternoon. It was a great day. Just before the end of the day I received a story from someone who thought I might enjoy it (good thing I was alone when I read it, because it made me cry) and an unexpected encouragement from someone else. It must have put a smile on my face because everyone I looked at smiled back at me. And I started thinking...what if we could do that for our leaders this month?
October is traditionally “Pastor Appreciation Month” where pastors all over North America are thanked and honoured by those they serve. We have tried over the years to show our appreciation for Pastor Peter and Marja in different ways. Let’s do that again this month, but carry it a step further.
Lets think about those who are in leadership in Hope Fellowship and take the time to encourage them this month. If you are involved in youth ministry as a leader or a young person, take some time to let Alice Brink know that you appreciate her. If you are involved in Children’s Ministry, write a card to Nicole Broersma and let her know one way she has blessed you. If you are involved in Sunday worship services (and that would be all of us!) let Mike Broersma know that his passion for music and worship is a gift. If you are involved in outreach, let Heidi St. Jean know that her enthusiasm and love for others has helped you. If you are involved in community life at Hope Fellowship, find a way to let Pauline know that her hard work to make sure that people get connected at Hope Fellowship is neither unnoticed nor unappreciated. And if you love the way our building is looked after and how things run smoothly because of background administration work, make sure Chris Ritskes knows about that. And, of course, thank Pastor Peter and Marja for their leadership at Hope Fellowship. We are so blessed to have them here. You could thank Ron and Linda for their tireless work to keep our building spotless, you could thank Denise for the financial work she does for us and how she keeps us on track as best she can. Our elders and deacons are leaders, too, and put in many hours of work and prayer as they lead Hope Fellowship.
The possibilities are endless—a card with a personal note, a Tim’s card, an offer of help, a reminder that you are praying. The ripple effect will be far reaching. The outcome will be amazing as people are blessed and encouraged to give their all for the Kingdom work they have been called to do. My cards are ready—now I need to find a quiet evening to write them. Shh, don’t tell Pastor Peter & Marja, Mike, Alice, Nicole, Chris, Pauline or Heidi. I want them to be a surprise.
- Evelyn Oudyk
September 18, 2011
Today we welcome Sheila Dykstra to Hope Fellowship. Sheila is a member here, but is working in West Africa as an Education Specialist/Consultant. She will share a little bit about her work in our service this morning. If you are interested in learning more, Sheila would love to get together with you at some point in the next few days. You can contact her at sdykstra@crcna.org. The following is one of Sheila’s stories of how God is working in West Africa.
Being in Nigeria has given me the opportunity to both bless others and be blessed in the work I do. Mrs. Ngozi Okiyi is one woman who has done just that in my life. She is a guidance counsellor in her school. This is a unique position that not many schools even have. Mrs. Okiyi has a heart for children with special needs. She resonates deeply with acknowledging the various gifts and abilities of each student. She is passionate to see how their needs can be met in classrooms where purely lecturing and note taking takes place and students are being taught to memorize something simply to pass a test. Even though she has a very modest salary by North American standards, she is committed to developing herself so she can develop others. She will pay money out of her own pocket to attend trainings. She is part of our local “train the trainers” group. And in line with her passion, she puts her money where her mouth is. She has decided to take on equipping the teachers and the orphanage school near her house, which is an entire community of children who have unique needs! Every training we have, she will pay for the head teacher of the orphanage school to come as well. Join me in thanking God for her life and pray God will use her to nurture her love of children with special needs in the lives of those around her. I am both blessed and challenged to walk with her. May God give each of us the grace to follow our words with action.
- Sheila Dykstra
Christian Education Specialist/Consultant to West Africa Serving with Christian Reformed World Missions
September 4, 2011
September is here, and we are beginning our Church season with a Week of Prayer and Fasting from Sunday, September 11 through Saturday, September 17. Next week, you will receive a Devotional Guideline with your bulletin to enable you to draw closer to our Lord Jesus Christ during this week as we place the upcoming year in His hands. We give thanks for the blessing of two new Prayer Ministry coordinators, Connie and Jacki. Both women have many years of prayer ministry experience and have been prompted by God to lead our Prayer Ministry at this time.
Connie and her husband, David, have been worshiping at Hope for two years, have attended the New Members Class as well as the 10/10 Leadership Class with Pastor Peter and Marja. They come to us from St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Pickering where Connie has been involved on the Prayer Team, Intercessory Prayer and the Prayer Chain for close to 13 years. We praise God for the gifts that they are able to use here at Hope Fellowship.
Jackie and her husband George, have been worshiping at Hope since it’s beginning. Jackie has served as Prayer Coordinator during the first number of years at Hope. She has also served as Prayer Coordinator for Home Missions in Classis Quinte encouraging prayer coordinators in this eastern region. We give thanks to God for opening up the opportunity for Jackie to partner with Connie in leading our prayer ministry this coming season.
We prayerfully invite you to seek God’s direction in how he can use you in this ministry.
Be Part of the Team
Qualifications:
- Love Jesus (spiritual maturity)
- A passion for the lost and hurting
- A sense of calling by God
- A team player
- An active prayer life
Where Can You Serve?
1) Week of Prayer & Fasting
Consider and participate in the benefits of Prayer and Fasting:
- Indications in scripture that God recognizes fasting as a token of deep sincerity
- Fasting helps with self-discipline
- Fasting reinforces our appreciation for an abundance of good things Fasting allows the mind to enjoy greater depths of concentration
2) Congregational Prayer
Pray during the service. A.C.T.S. – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. Need to be in the Prayer Room before the service. (Additional guidelines available on p. 360 Praying church Idea Book)
3) Prayer Ministry Teams
Be part of a prayer team that prays for others mostly after the Worship service. (p. 171 The Praying Church Idea Book)
4) Prayer Chain
Our Prayer Chain acts like an “alarm system” activated when a special need arises. When someone becomes aware of a special need they contact the prayer leader. Then Prayer Captains are called and they call others on the chain. (p. 67 Praying Church Idea Book)
5) Intercession Groups
Gather with other members that also have a strong sense to pray. They take time to pray for fundamental issues of life; saving the lost, terminal illness, hunger relief, protection from persecution, unity of the church, and so on. (p. 67 Praying Church Idea Book). A group meets every Thurs. morning at church or every other Thurs. p.m. at the church.
For more information check out our web-site hopefellowship.ca “Prayer Ministry”.
- Pauline Kaldeway
August 21, 2011
Four years ago, everyone at Hope Fellowship was given a One Year Bible for Christmas. That got many people reading their Bibles as part of their daily devotions. Since then, many more One Year Bibles have been given out to anyone who requested one.
Seizing an opportunity to connect personal devotions at home and Sunday sermons at church, I began basing my messages on the One Year Bible. In the first year, we focused on New Testament passages. In our second year we focused on Old Testament passages. Last year we concentrated on all the readings from the book of Proverbs, calling 2010 “The Year of Wisdom”. And this year we’re back to the New Testament, referring to 2011 as “A Year At Jesus’ Feet.” Today, in every worship service, you can expect to hear me preach on a scripture passage that you read at home the previous week.
There is one more connection we want to make for an even stronger spiritual life. And that is the link between our personal devotions, the weekly message and our small group discussions. Therefore, starting Sunday, September 18, the opportunity will be provided to join or become a “Sermon Application” group. Existing small groups don’t have to do this, especially if they are already committed to other topics or formats. But a “Sermon App” discussion will be available this fall as an option.
We want to keep things simple enough so that a sermon discussion group can continue even with a guest preacher. For that reason, we are suggesting a discussion format that is very familiar to English teachers and book club leaders: Retell, Relate and Reflect.
Let’s take last Sunday’s message “Making Room At the Table” as an example. In this sermon I used baptism as a current example of a debatable issue that requires us to “accept each other as Christ accepted you.”
In the “retelling” of that sermon, small group participants could remind each other of the different views of baptism that I identified among the people Hope Fellowship. They could then remind each other of the seven principles that Paul taught the Christians in Corinth to help them retain a spirit of unity despite various “disputable matters”. Finally, they could retell the way Hope Fellowship accommodates differing views of baptism while still celebrating the Reformed practice of infant baptism and covenant theology.
In the “relating” part of the discussion, small group participants could share their own experience of baptism. The personal story of my own baptism by my Dad when I was three days old and my Mom was still recovering next door in the parsonage could prompt everyone to share an account of his or her own baptism. The story of the young couple who left the CRC to be re-baptized in a non-denominational church could prime the pump for a discussion about family members or friends who have been re-baptized.
Finally, in the “reflecting” part of the discussion, everyone could discuss the impact of Paul’s teaching on the way they deal with people who love the Lord but think differently about non-salvation issues. How did the text change the way they think? Did the sermon raise questions? What will they do with what you heard? Were they inspired or comforted? What did God say to them through the preaching of the Word?
Right now, we’re identifying small group leaders who are comfortable leading a group through this “Retell, Relate and Reflect” format. Between now and September 18, as we look for more leaders, prayerfully consider adding a “Sermon App” to your life this fall.
- Pastor Peter
August 7, 2011
Prayer, according to Hope Fellowship’s mission statement, is central to the life of the church. That being the case, the Thursday morning prayer group has continued without a break throughout the summer as it has from its inception.
Each week I wonder who will attend. It is summer after all, and people are coming and going all the time. But every Thursday up to six people have shown up. And last week there were eight of us! God is so good!!
What happens during our time together in the prayer room? We spend six hours on our knees facing Jerusalem, burning incense and speaking in foreign tongues. Just kidding.
We begin, at 9:30 a.m., by chatting about our lives. We voice our worries, we joke and laugh, we mention personal prayer requests and we share reasons to praise God. As the conversation continues, we list prayer concerns for our church family, for the broader community and for the world.
We enjoy each other’s company and love to talk, so we have to remind ourselves to actually get around to praying. After someone starts with some opening words of praise and thanksgiving, we take turns bringing our petitions to God in Jesus’ name. Sometimes a participant will choose to remain silent the whole time, and let others pray. It doesn’t matter. People are free to pray openly or silently; to pray briefly or at length.
At 10:30 a.m., one of us closes. We honour the time so that people will return knowing that their one hour commitment will be respected. I’m convinced that this common understanding about the time has protected this weekly prayer time at the church since Hope Fellowship began twelve years ago! Interestingly, three days ago one of our participants actually brought a new wall clock for the prayer room, underscoring the fact that we will continue to respect people’s time.
Long ago, the apostle Paul told the Christians in Thessalonica to “be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances.” In this Bible verse, prayer is in the centre, flanked by joy and gratitude. That tells us that the key to a joyful, thankful life is praying continually.
“Praying continually” does not mean spending every moment of your life with your hands folded and your eyes closed. That would make it hard to keep the car on the road and put supper on the table. It does suggest, however, that we can spontaneously talk to God whenever we wish, while also setting aside regular, continual opportunities for intentional prayer times.
For me, one of those “regular, continual opportunities” is the Thursday morning prayer time with others. In fact, it has become a key building block in my personal prayer life that makes me anticipate Thursday mornings. I think you would look forward to this weekly prayer time, too, if you joined us. Why don’t you, if this time slot works for you? It would certainly make you feel more connected at Hope Fellowship. Of course, if another time would work better for you and others, you could start another prayer group in the prayer room. I dare say that others would join you if only an alternative prayer time was also offered in the evening or on the weekend.
- Pastor Peter
P.S. Speaking of evening prayer times: This fall, from Monday, September 12 to Friday, September 16, the entire church is invited to come together for one hour of prayer each night from 7-8 p.m. Plan now to attend at least one of those nights to help us start the new church year in the best possible way – by praying for God’s blessing on the year ahead.
July 24, 2011
Imagine growing up in poverty, becoming very wealthy, and then giving it all away to liberate children from the same streets where you spent your childhood. This is the rags to riches to rescuer story of Dr. Charles Mully whose life changing encounter with God in 1986 empowered him to forgive the abusive parents who abandoned him and establish the Mully Children’s Family with the money he had gained from his fleet of public service vehicles and real estate holdings. Since then, 7,000 street children have been taken into homes and given an education in his two primary schools and high school. Currently, 2,000 children and young adults between the ages of 1 week and 24 years are part of the Mully family. With the help of donations and volunteers from around the world, MCF also runs farms, operates greenhouses, offers a medical clinic and hopes to develop a University. For his humanitarian work, Dr. Mully and his wife, Esther, have been given prestigious awards by World Vision, the government of Kenya and others.
One of Charles Mully’s biggest supporters is Arvid Loewen, 54, the remarkable ultra-cyclist and grandfather of three from Winnipeg who arrived at Halifax’s City Hall thirteen days, nine hours and six minutes after leaving Vancouver’s City Hall on July 1. That’s 6055 kilometres in thirteen days! On a bicycle! A new world record by three hours, despite taking an eighteen hour break on the ninth day to give his swollen legs a chance to recover! To accomplish this amazing feat, Arvid cycled almost 500 kilometres a day, slept only two hours each night, ate 7000 calories worth of omelettes, KFC and pizza every twenty four hours, and finished with a closing push of forty hours of straight cycling.
Why would someone do this? And how?
Arvid did it to raise money for the Mully Children’s Family, his primary fundraising passion since he visited Kenya and met some of the orphaned and vulnerable children that have been rescued from the streets of Nairobi. His endeavour has raised at least $350,000 that will be used to build a greenhouse and provide food for children like Lillian who weighed only 16 pounds when she was first found and is now a healthy teenager.
As for the “how”, you could point to a support crew in an RV, the prayers of thousands who followed him, the appearance of Charles Mully himself along the route and a God-given tolerance for pain that allows him to keep going despite severe sleep deprivation. But Arvid would point to God as the source of his strength and the One who gave him three motivational words. Saving. Children’s. Lives.
This record setting ride is not his first long distance cycling effort. Arvid, who regularly cycles 20,000 kilometres a year, has cycled from Vancouver to Winnipeg in four days and four hours, raced across the U.S. in eleven days and three hours coming in 10th overall in the Race Across America, and, in 2005, cycled across Canada in thirty days on a modified tandem bike carrying a rotating group of three MCF orphans.
As I reflect on Dr. Mully’s work in Kenya and Arvid’s achievement in Canada, I marvel about what people can do when ability (Mully’s entrepreneurship; Loewen's athletic endurance), a cause (rescuing street kids in Kenya) and faith (both men are devoted Christians) are combined into a focused mission.
Inspired by these two men, I find myself wondering what the combination of ability, a cause and faith looks like in my life. And in yours.
Arvid would probably say, “Grandpas can make a difference. You can, too.”
- Pastor Peter
For more, visit mullychildrensfamily.org and grandpascan.com or read Dr. Mully’s biography, Father of the Fatherless.
July 10, 2011
On May 10, Lisa Guillaume-Koene successfully sustained her classical exam, allowing her to become an ordained minister of the word and sacraments. For many ministry candidates, the two hour examination that covers theology, biblical knowledge, pastoral issues and an analysis of a sermon preached on a text supplied by the Classical Ministries Committee is a grueling affair. For Lisa, however, it will be remembered as a wonderful conversation that encouraged her and inspired the more than sixty delegates from nineteen area churches who listened in.
In the course of her interview, Lisa let it be known that Ecclesiastes was her favourite book of the Bible. As soon as I heard that, I began writing a paraphrase of the best known passage from this Old Testament book of wisdom, the one that became a song called “Turn, Turn Turn” by Pete Seeger in 1959 and a #1 selling hit by the American folk rock band The Byrds in 1965. When, as her pastor, I was given the opportunity to congratulate Lisa on behalf of Classis, I read these words:
- There’s a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven.
- There’s a time to be an insecure teenager in Alberta, wondering what her place is in God’s world, and a time to be a confident woman in Ontario, trusting in God’s plan for her life.
- There’s a time to be a single, and a time to be married to a wonderful, supportive husband.
- There’s a time to long for children, and a time to teach the children you have received from God about Jesus. There’s a time to be energized by the hustle and bustle of the people God fashioned with His hands, and a time to be recharged on the river and in the forest that God also created.
- There is a time to feel scared and question God’s will, and a time to be excited and doing His good will.
- There is a time to feel pulled and prompted by the Holy Spirit’s internal call, and a time to be affirmed by the Spirit’s external call.
- There is a time to prepare for ministry, and there is a time to engage in ministry.
- There is a time to wonder and question and even doubt, and there is a time to profess and answer and believe.
- There is a time to receive from the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and there is a time to give back to the triune God.
- There is a time to be blessed, and there is a time to be a blessing.
- There is a time to feel nervous, pray for help and wonder how things will go, and there’s a time to celebrate, savour and thank God for how well things have gone.”
Today, Lisa combines parenting with a half-time ministry position in Classis Toronto where she is the Ministry Co-ordinator for twenty-two Christian Reformed Churches located between Toronto and Cochrane. Among her many duties, she develops resources for these congregations, helps them reach out to their communities, and strengthens their ties to the denomination and to each other.
One caution: if you ever ask anyone in Classis Toronto about Lisa, be prepared to receive a blank look. That’s because outside of her home church and extended family she goes by the name Elizabeth. In fact, at her ordination service at Hope Fellowship on May 27, many of her out of town guests had fun wondering aloud who this “Lisa” was.
Which only goes to show that for those who are blessed with both a term of endearment and a given name, “there is a time to be familiarly called Lisa, and there is a time to be addressed by the more royal name Elizabeth!”
- Pastor Peter
June 26, 2011
I don’t know when it was engrained in me, but early in my life I learned the importance of showing up. You went to church every Sunday. You went to school unless you were sick. You showed up at the youth group, you showed up at your job, and you showed up at family functions.
Showing up brings many benefits.
First, there’s the personal benefit of gaining from the experiences and lessons that are yours only when you attend in person and stay involved. You grow when you consistently go.
Secondly, there’s the communal benefit of being there for others who are looking for a place to belong, be challenged or be supported. Others grow when those who already attend faithfully go.
In a keynote address this weekend to the graduating class of Durham Christian High School, I emphasized the importance of showing up for the things that matter. To illustrate, I shared the story of a University student who began falling behind in a course and started skipping class to catch up on her assignments. She never did catch up, she continued to stay away and she received a failing grade.
The student had the opportunity to explain her absence to the professor, who told her, “A lot of your grade depended on your presence and participation. If you had showed up and told me about your struggles with the course work, I could have helped you.” Upon hearing this, the student enrolled in the course again, vowed to never miss a class, availed herself of the instructor’s help, and got a passing grade. That’s what you get for showing up!
Sometimes, no one but God and you is aware of your presence or absence. But it says a lot about you when you consistently show up for your scheduled workout, for your personal devotions with God and for the commitments you have made, even if others could care less.
Is absenteeism a problem at Hope Fellowship? In light of the low turn out at our last membership meeting as well irregular church attendance by a growing number of people who call our church home, I must conclude that we’re not showing up the way that we could or should. I’m not worried about those who skip a church meeting or Sunday service because they’re on vacation or visiting relatives. My difficulty is with the view that church attendance is an optional activity, something you do sporadically when it suits you. I worry that other priorities are getting in the way of worshiping God and working with God’s people.
As followers of Jesus, is there anything more important than a relationship with God and encouraging the body of Christ? Isn’t that why New Testament believers showed up regularly at the temple and in each other’s homes to listen to the apostles’ teachings?
The story is told about the elderly woman who lost her hearing but still came to church. “Why do you keep coming?” she was asked. She replied, “I just want to show which side I’m on.”
At worship services or membership meetings, show up. In your small group, show up. For your personal devotions, show up. In your capacity as a volunteer, show up.
Be faithful, whether you feel like it or not. Be dependable, whether it’s convenient or not. Be there, whether it’s going well or not.
It’s a question of character. It’s a matter of commitment.
For your sake, for the sake of those God has placed in your life, and for the sake of those who wonder whose side you’re on, just show up!
-Pastor Peter
June 12, 2011
As another ministry year comes to a close at Hope Fellowship, many of our ministries have been celebrating with year end parties or a BBQ. While the approaching summer is a welcome sight to our staff that are looking for a bit of a break, we still have a bit more celebrating left in us. We’re hoping that you will join us in three distinct ways this month as we keep the celebration going by reflecting on the past year and looking to the year ahead.
On Thursday, June 16th you are invited to our Spring Membership Meeting to hear first-hand about the ways in which Hope Fellowship has been using the time, talents and finances that we have been blessed with in the past year. While part of the meeting will involve presenting the budget, this year we have gone beyond the numbers and have asked the six Zone Coordinators to share a brief summary about how the financial support of the congregation has impacted their work. By celebrating the direct ways in which financial support results in sharing God’s love with our community, we hope to make the numbers come alive so they mean a bit more to each member of our congregation.
The second way that we are encouraging you to participate in our year-end celebration is to complete the Ministry Partnership Renewal form that will be in your mailboxes on June 16th. Completing this form is a direct way for you to join in with the exciting work that’s happening at Hope Fellowship and to respond to the challenge of living out your relationship with Jesus. The Zone Coordinators have briefly outlined their plans for the year ahead in the summaries provided for the membership meeting but in order to put them into motion we need the support of the congregation through time, talents and finances. Be it through volunteering with a ministry, financial support or through prayer, the information you provide on this form will give the Zone Coordinators an idea of how many of their plans they will be able to move forward with in September. In addition, this form highlights the ways in which Hope Fellowship can support everyone in the church through Small Groups and the other opportunities for growth that we have planned in the year ahead. We are encouraging every person 12 years of age and older to complete a Minist
