BCYD NETWORK NEWS | DECEMBER 2020

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MINISTRY ARTICLES

From our District Leaders

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THE SHIELDS OF VICTORY

Leading forward amidst adversity and crisis

SUMMIT PACIFIC COLLEGE

Upcoming Graduate Studies and Courses

BC & YUKON DISTRICT OF THE PENTECOSTAL ASSEMBLIES OF CANADA

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AROUND THE DISTRICT

Ministry updates and churches in transition

2020

DECEMBER EDITION

Ken Russell | District Superintendent It’s hard to believe the end of 2020 is at hand, and I am sitting at my laptop typing out this year-end Christmas message for our constituency.

This year has certainly proven to be a Hallmark presentation (much like the sappy movies that Brenda forces me to watch) full of plot twists, sudden storms, misunderstandings, crises,

surprises, and unforeseen challenges.

At this same moment last year, if someone had told me that 2020 would usher in the worst global pandemic of modern history, I would have laughed out loud. Well, I’m not laughing anymore, nor giggling, not even smiling these days very much.

I often find myself tearing up.

Even though the past nine months have been puzzling and stressful at times, they have been rewarding, worthwhile and surprising as well.

The pastoral leaders with whom I serve in this great District Network have impressed me with their resilience, perseverance, and determination to create new ministry >> CONT. PAGE TWO

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>> CONT. FROM PAGE ONE

and missional streams within the desert-like experiences of this pandemic. Just before Jesus left this earth, He gave everyone two incredible gifts. Jesus gave us His Holy Spirit as a comforter, counsellor and guide. But Jesus also gave us each other. As Christian brothers and sisters, we comfort, counsel and guide each other with words of encouragement, prayers of faith and acts of loving-kindness.

I am so grateful for the family of God.

Your ‘presence’ is more important than a ‘present,’ a gift card, clothing, or tech gadget. Give yourself entirely and wholly to those who are suffering in the isolation of this pandemic. Being the ‘present’ may require some electronic support, but spend time with people you love and cherish, because everyone matters.

Brenda and I love spending time with leaders and labourers in our network. We look forward to the day when we can share a meal, laugh together, and look back over the challenges of 2020 and say… we were actually ‘better together’ – even with masks!

If you’re a typical male, you (and I) have purchased zero gifts at this point in the Christmas season. It’s not because we don’t care about our loved ones, it’s probably due to procrastination, and we have not yet gotten around to purchasing an acceptable gift for anyone, let alone our spouses (if you’re blessed to be married). If you’re like me, you faintly remember giving your wife something last year, but you could tell by her reaction to it last year, that she was not dreaming of getting an auto emergency kit, even though it was the deluxe model with booster cables and an air compressor! Gifts like these violate an important rule, but the typical male has no idea what this rule is, who made the rule, or why his wife was too upset to tell him about it. Just sharing the experience of a close friend!!

Merry Christmas, Everyone. It’s an honour to serve you as District Superintendent.

Well, let me close with an important point. Through His incarnation, Jesus demonstrated the critical rule of giftgiving.

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Seth Greenham | Director of University Christian Ministries reminder that a large part of the Christian faith is faithful endurance while we wait for liberation. Even as cases rise and Christmas plans are adjusted, there is the hope of a vaccine and a return to a new normal, with less restriction in the new year. I am looking forward to a few hugs, some travels, and some wedding receptions missed during the COVID season. Even with so many deaths due to the virus, our hope in resurrection comforts us. Hope makes waiting tolerable.

This advent, I am reminded that I am still waiting, patiently enduring, doing the work of the Kingdom in the hope of the King’s imminent return. It is this hope that inspires our mission at UCM to students across the province, that although they live in darkness, they might see a light and be drawn to the King in the manger during this Christmas season. That is why our staff have been diligently working all fall despite the challenges of COVID to give hope to students in this difficult time. We hope you too will able to rejoice this season in the birth of the Saviour, the hope of His return and for a vaccine in the new year.

I love advent season, a four weeklong practice of reflection on waiting for the Saviour to come. As we read the Old Testament promises, sing Christmas Hymns, light candles, and maybe get a bar of chocolate or a special treat from an advent calendar. There is a longing mixed with joy as we know the baby Jesus’ triumphal arrival is just a few weeks away.

During this COVID season, I have been reminded that for much of the redemption story, we have waited in troubling times and through troubling signs, without the assurance of hindsight. From Abraham, Moses, David and the Prophets to Matthew is a long time. A time of distant hope during present suffering.

For the church, the wait from ascension to the inauguration of the Kingdom has been 2000 years and counting. Waiting is the posture of the church.

COVID and its restrictions around work, travel, celebrations, family, and friends have been a good 3

Harold Gutierrez | Director of International and Indigenous Ministries Being just a few weeks away from the curtain call of the most unusual year of our lives could draw a sigh of relief in some and concern in others. If you find yourself struggling to rescue positives or finding victories to celebrate, you are probably not alone. A year marked by cancellations, restrictions, sudden changes, and emotional and financial crises is something most people would want to forget quickly. However, in my opinion, a good leader should evaluate and look for positives even if the circumstances make finding positive things like finding a needle in a haystack.

This brief story displays the kind of response that we are to have in times like the ones we live as leaders. A leader who adapts well celebrates the start of the new normalcy rather than laments the old normalcy's loss. We must find ways to score the same victories we had before. Amid all the cancellations and shifting we have had to do, there is always room for the Lord to give us victories.

Those victories might look different like the bronze shields in the story. Still, they are victories nonetheless, and they are worthy of being celebrated.

In the Bible, King Rehoboam, Solomon's son, witnessed an enemy king sack his palace and took away the golden shields that his father hung on the walls. The golden shields were not just ornaments. They pointed to a golden age in Judah in which the kingdom was united, strong, and prosperous. Rehoboam had to respond to the new reality of a divided and vulnerable kingdom. 1 Kings 12:27 says, "King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned them to the officers of the royal guard who protected the entrance to the royal palace." The young king adapted and hung shields with a less luxurious material (bronze) but useful for the nation's times.

There is always room for the Lord to give us victories.

Though victories may be hard to find, we must celebrate what the Lord has done among us under the status quo because therein will lie our ability to inspire hope in others; to demonstrate faith in troubling times, and to remain expectant of what the Lord is yet to accomplish. The next few weeks are a time to reflect, celebrate, and hope so that we can achieve great things with the help of our faithful God in the coming year.

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Allen de Jong | Youth, Young Adults and Family Ministries Director For anyone who has been in ministry throughout this pandemic, the word “pivot” has probably come up in a lot of conversations. It has become somewhat of a buzzword in most church circles, used to describe how pastors have shifted things in their ministries in order to still reach out and minister to people. Being a big basketball fan, I am quite familiar with the concept of pivoting. The pivot is a move players use when they come to a standstill with the ball. The player is allowed to move one of his feet while leaving the other one firmly planted on the ground.

simplicity of the message we hope to communicate.

We don’t need to re-invent the wheel; we just might need to change to our off-road tires.

With our NextGen ministries initiatives, we’ve been forced to make a big pivot as we look to Historymaker 2021.

Judging where things are at, it seems inevitable that we will need to tweak how things look once again this year.

Our “pivot foot” will be moving to more of an online format this year, which is going to be a difficult adjustment for some leaders. However, our other foot will very much remain planted. HM has always existed to create the potential for a life-altering encounter with God for students and leaders. It also serves as a momentum boost for youth groups as they gather with other groups from all over western Canada in one unified event. I believe these things can still happen this year. In fact, I believe these things can still happen WELL. This year is going to give us the opportunity to partner better with local youth leaders, and empowering them to help make Historymaker special and tailor-made for their own youth context.

This enables him to create space, to think, and to set up the next sequence of play. In this way, I think the pivot is a great picture of what I’ve seen in a lot of ministries over the last several months. After coming to a grinding halt in the spring, leaders were quick to begin moving things around in an effort to make space for ministry to continue.

There have been successes and failures, and for a lot of us, the pivots continue to happen (COVID seems to have a way of keeping us on our toes).

I want to encourage all of us, though, that as we pivot and try to create new ways of reaching people, we can’t forget to keep our other foot planted. Even though the form and method of delivery might change, the message and the mission need to remain the same. As we continue to venture into unknown territory, we can’t get so caught up in innovating and creating that we forget about the

We look forward to hearing testimonies of how God will once again change students’ and leaders’ lives, even amidst the craziness of a pandemic! Please pray for us as our team continues to plan and prepare for this pivotal year.

Cheers and God bless!

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Summit’s School of Graduate Studies offers several programs that serve different educational needs in our fellowship and beyond. With the help of our new learning management system (Canvas), Summit is able to maintain a great learning experience both online and via video conference. Applying is easy and available any time of the year.

Visit our website for more information.

SPC School of Graduate Studies Programs:  Master of Arts in Youth Ministry (48 credits)  Certificate in Studies in Pentecostal Theology (15 credits)  Certificate in New Testament Studies (15 credits)  Certificate in Church and Non-Profit Leadership (15 credits) >> FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT UPCOMING COURSES VISIT

GRAD.SUMMITPACIFIC.CA OR CONTACT GRADSTUDIES@SUMMITPACIFIC.CA

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 Scott Petersen was elected as the Lead Pastor for Burnaby Christian Pentecostal Church. Scott (and Kari) will begin his ministry role at BCPC on December 1st. His ending at River Valley Church in Mission was Sunday November 29.

 Doug Lancaster was elected as the lead pastor of New Life Assembly in Clearwater, BC. Doug and Naomi are from Saskatchewan, and they will begin this new role in January 2021.

 Doug Stark was elected as the Lead Pastor of Crossroads Pentecostal Church in Cache Creek. Doug will begin his new role by mid December. Doug has postponed his start date until March 1st, 2021 and Scott Chadwick will continue to serve as interim pastor until then. Doug’s last day at Fort St James is December 31, 2020.

 Gordon Warriner has resigned as Lead Pastor of Bethel Assembly in Dawson Creek, BC. Gordon and Linda will be concluding their ministerial leadership by January 30th 2021 and then entering into retirement.

 Jim & Marlene Raddatz concluded as Prayer Coordinators and Directors of Legacy Builders for the BC & Yukon District.

 Wes Harder was elected as the Lead Pastor of Glad Tidings Church in Armstrong, BC. Wes and Heather currently serve as the Lead Pastors of Bethel Assembly in Charlotte City, Haida G’Wai and also as Lead Pastors of Cedarview Assembly in Port Clements, Haida G’Wai. Pastor Wes will begin his new role in Armstrong on January 30th, 2021.

 Bella Coola Pentecostal Assembly

 Nakusp, Saddleback Community Church

 Burnaby, Iglesia Pentecostal Emanuel (Spanish-bilingual

 Port Alice, Oceanview Assembly (Bi-Vocational)

 Cherryville, Gospel Church (Bi-Vocational)

 Salt Spring Island (Church Replant Opportunity)

 Dawson Creek, Bethel Assembly

 Vernon Family Church

 Haida G'wai - Bethel Assembly in Charlotte City, and Cedarview Assembly in Port Clements

 Yukon, Watson Lake Community Chapel

Whether you’re a pastor, board member, support staff, volunteer, or something else, we hope that this will be a site you frequently reference to find new ideas, inspiration, creative resources, ministry tools, and technical guidance.

visit l e a d f o r w a r d . c a

Vi s i t bc . pa oc . or g /events for 2021 upc oming ev ents .

Vi s i t s ummi tpa c ific .c a /ev ents for S ummit Pa c ific C olleg e 2021 upc oming ev ents .

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Marj Pettinger – Counselling Coordinator Derek Koch – Marketplace Ministers and Chaplains Coordinator Jim & Kathryn Richards – BC Building Society Coordinators

Ken Russell – District Superintendent Darwin Pichette – Assistant Superintendent for Operations Len DenBraber – Assistant Superintendent for Multiplication Mark Lewis - Assistant Superintendent for Revitalization Seth Greenham – University Christian Ministries Director Harold Gutierrez – International and Indigenous Ministries Director Austin Toews – Children, Preteen and Family Ministries Director Allen de Jong – Youth, Young Adults and Family Ministries Director

Bruce Brown, Jim Caruso, Len DenBraber, Hannah Dutko, Dave Funk, Jaz Ghag, Derrick Hamre, Mark Lewis, Lucas Mitchell, Rebeca Monzo, Angie Penhall, Darwin Pichette, Kim Quigley, Ken Russell

Bill Ashbee (Fraser Valley), Marco Bessa (Thompson-Shuswap), Wes Daase (Delta/Surrey/New West), Peter Lewis (South Island), Gary Maaser (Far North), Lorrie Anne MacLeod (Kootenay), Paul Moores (Vancouver), Dave Murphy (Northwest), David Postal (North Island), Dan Starlund (Indigenous), Cliff Siebert (Okanagan), Rich Phillips (Cariboo/Prince George)

Val VanderMeulen – Admin for Church and Clergy Records Carol McPhail – Bookkeeper Devan Sylvester – Admin for Communications Janet Rana – Admin for District Conference and Seminars Cynthia Oldendorf – Admin for Ministry Operations Laura O’Reilly – Admin for Events Kirsten Anonby – University Christian Ministries Assistant Director Jennie Belbeck – University Christian Ministries Ministry Support Specialist

CONTACT US

Trevor Kempner (North Island), Rex Ng (Vancouver), Steve Pederson (Far North), Shaun Romano (Kootenay), Bart Thomas (Okanagan), Rob Young (Northwest)

20411 DOUGLAS CRESCENT, LANGLEY BC V3A 4B6 BC.PAOC.ORG | INFO@BC.PAOC.ORG T: 604-533-2232 | F: 604 -533-5405 BCYDPAOC 8

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