Pastor's Report

When Terry told me that I need to start thinking about doing a Pastor’s report, I asked him the question that I am sure every Pastor asks this time of year, how long do I get to speak? I will not tell you his answer as I am sure I will exceed the time limit. I have tried to shorten this, a couple of times, and failed. What I can promise is that I will not preach!

As I sat down to write this Pastoral Report, God tapped me on the arm and said, look around and see where I have blessed you and the church. This report is coming from my heart and my fingers, but most importantly from my talk with God! Let’s count some blessings at our Annual Meeting tonight. It’s not a hard thing to do as the Lord blessed us in many ways this past year.

PERSONAL BLESSINGS
God sure blessed me when He called my family to the town of Two Hills. Cara is a busy Pastor’s wife but she has made my life a whole lot easier. When Terry called with the news that the church accepted me to fill the position of the Pastor she did not hesitate to say yes. With God’s will in mind, we left our families and friends to come to Two Hills. I could not serve as a Pastor without the support of my family.

LEADERSHIP BLESSINGS
I want to say thank-you to the church for their support and making my family feel like we have always lived in Two Hills. I also want to personally thank each and every board member, for their guidance and their mentorship. I know it was not an easy decision to hire a young man from Ontario who has never filled the role of a Pastor before, but thank-you for the opportunity to serve you. We are blessed with a board who cares about the needs of the flock. Thank you all for all you do.

MINISTRY BLESSINGS
This church is a place of prayer and I believe that because of our prayer the outreach programs have been a success. In July we had an incredible week of VBS. The Enn’s, through stories, songs, and videos, captured the children’s attention. Every Wednesday night the church has AWANA, where the children are not only taught Bible lessons, from a tremendous Bible teacher, but they memorize God’s Word. We are only able to have an AWANA program because of those who are were willing to serve as leaders. We will never see the full impact that this program will have in the lives of these children. Terry, hit it right on, when he said, that if this year reaches the heart of two children then this year has been a success. We have been trying to continue a senior’s ministry but it seems as if Satan through sickness and threats of sickness has been able to hinder this ministry from moving forward-but by God’s power, we can overcome.
Discipleship took place within the church. This church is blessed to have Sunday school teachers who diligently study the Word of God and faithfully teach others. I was thrilled to watch our teenagers lead us in our Teen Sunday. As their Sunday school teacher, it is my prayer that upon graduating from High School that they would take a year of Bible School. In fact, I have made it my personal mission to train and prepare our teens for Bible School. The youth group which is lead by the Loewen’s every Saturday night, has been a huge success. Week after week, Brian and Rosella have poured their time and energy into running a very thriving youth group.
I guess you can label me as nosey, but every Tuesday night, I would wait for Cara to return home from the Ladies Bible Study. Then I would listen as she would tell me how much she enjoyed the evening. The men have finally begun their Bible Study, and I believe this will be a time of spiritual growth and a great time of fellowship. I believe that in order for a church to have genuine fellowship it must flow from a family atmosphere. That brings me to the Family Fun Night. In my mind, this has been a big hit, there is little preparation involved, but it has proven to be a favorite.
When I first began preaching in the summer, we went through the book of Joy or the book of Philippians. That book has changed my life and quickly it has became one of my favorite books of the Bible. I am now excited to be studying through the book of 1 John. Early in January I planned out my preaching schedule for the upcoming year. When we finish the book of 1 John we will be diving into a series which is based on the life of God’s Prophet Elijah.

FUTURE BLESSINGS
As you can see, this is a rich church because the blessings of God are abundant. It is almost as if, God has opened up the clouds of Heaven and began to pour out His blessings upon His church. As long as we stay faithful to His Word and continue to seek His Will, we will be able to carry out His Work. The God Who has given us so much, expects much of us in the days ahead. Let’s press on for His glory.
I have claimed Philippians 3:13 for my ministry life verse, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended: but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.”
I believe that our best days are ahead of us, not behind us. To God be the glory!