REFLECTING THE DIVERSITY OF MINISTRY EXPRESSION WITHIN THE FREE METHODIST FAMILY | Spring 2016 | Volume 13, Issue 1
Mental prayer in my opinion is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us. The important thing is not to think much but to love much and so do that which best stirs you to love. Love is not great delight but desire to please God in everything. Teresa of Avila
(1515-1582)
INSIDE Others can Help us: Especially when We’re Desperate
Praying Meaningfully Together
FEATURE Now You Pray
A State Of Prayer
Dave Moriarity
page 15
Bishop Keith Elford
Marc McAlister
page 8
page 3
page 4
MOSAIC is a publication of The Free Methodist Church in Canada | www.fmcic.ca
Jan MacPhail
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
PRAYER STEPS I was still very new to my faith when I confessed to my youth pastor that I was struggling to be consistent in my prayer life. I remember feeling really ashamed to admit that I was having a difficult time – I kept thinking, “what kind of Christian has trouble talking to Jesus?” (I was a very young believer . . .) MOSAIC is a publication of The Free Methodist Church in Canada 4315 Village Centre Court Mississauga, Ontario L4Z 1S2 T. 905.848.2600 F. 905.848.2603 E. lisa.howden@fmcic.ca www.fmcic.ca For submissions: lisa.howden@fmcic.ca Dan Sheffield, Editor-in-Chief Lisa Howden, Managing Editor and Production
After encouraging me not to be discouraged, my pastor outlined a plan to help me that I still keep tucked away in my study Bible. Step number one, schedule a time to pray: if you don’t have a plan – a time set aside for you to pray then you will be distracted by the busyness of life and it will be easy to put off. Step number two, make it a priority: Prayer has to be moved up the list of daily priorities, so it is high enough to challenge anything that might have been considered more urgent and important. Step three: just do it (I think he may have borrowed this one from Nike): getting started is the way to begin. Don’t wait until you are “in the mood”. Don’t look for the “right time” or “right place”. Obstacles to prayer will always present themselves; they make for wonderful excuses why you should not pray. Ignore them and focus on just getting started. Step four, start small: no one who starts running begins with a marathon! You have to work up to it. Prayer is a lot like running in this respect – it is probably a bad idea to plan to pray for three hours if you are unused to praying – begin with baby steps and focus on growing closer to Jesus through prayer. The focus of this issue of the MOSAIC, as you might have guessed, is prayer – desperate prayer, meaningful prayer, how to pray, the benefits of prayer, and a story about learning to pray using the Our Father – just to name a few. I hope that you enjoy these stories, but more importantly that we become increasingly aware of and surrendered to Him.
Lisa Howden, Managing Editor | lisa.howden@fmcic.ca
CONTENTS
PRAYING FOR A BROKEN WORLD
FEATURE
COLUMNS
Now You Pray ........................................................................... 8-9
MINISTRY AREAS On my mind — Bishop Keith Elford Others can Help us – Especially when We’re Desperate ............. 3 Church Health — Marc McAlister Praying Meaningfully Together ................................................. 4c Church Planting — Jared Siebert How To Pray For Church Plants .................................................... 5 Leadership Development — Kim Henderson The Benefits of Prayer ................................................................... 6 Stewardship Ministries — Sandy Crozier A New Me .................................................................................. 12 Global Ministries — Dan Sheffield Praying for a broken world ......................................................... 16
16
Editorial — Lisa Howden Prayer Steps ................................................................................ 2 Photo Gallery ...................................................................................6 Poem: Am I Really Here?.................................................................9 Passages ....................................................................................... 10 The Little Big Picture — Alison McKinnon Finding Our Way In Prayer ......................................................... 11 Financial Q&A — Sandy Crozier FMCiC Church-Building Financing Programs ............................. 12 Our History — Dan Sheffield Improvisation Required ............................................................. 13 Family Camp Dates ................................................................... 14 Student Ministries — Jan MacPhail State Of Prayer .......................................................................... 15
on my mind OTHERS CAN HELP US – ESPECIALLY WHEN WE’RE DESPERATE FOR THE FIRST SEVEN YEARS OF MY EDUCATION, the teacher in our one-room school was a Presbyterian named Mrs. Mustard. She was a nice lady and lived before us as a committed Christian. I don’t know if it was her idea or a Ministry of Education requirement, but each school day began with the reading of Scripture and then with us standing by our desks and rattling through the Lord’s Prayer. Each day ended with mumbling through Laban’s Mizpah benediction (“May the Lord watch between me and thee while we are absent one from the other”) before we tore out the door to freedom.
He was right. As we mature, to get the most benefit out of prayer, we need others to help us (as Jesus did in the Lord’s prayer) to know how to actually stop ourselves and consciously feel/think about God as we approach him - hopefully confident in his goodness and mercy but not forgetting his justice and righteous holiness. How do we express what’s on our mind with searching honesty about ourselves? Will it even occur to us to think about more than our urgent list while we are in the prayer moment? How does a beloved son or daughter who deeply loves the Lord leave his presence?
In my home and at our church, we didn’t use the Mizpah benediction and the Lord’s Prayer was regarded as a “nice prayer”, but I had the idea that one had to be careful about saying it too often or one could slip into the sin of “vain repetition”. So prayers like that were reserved for special occasions like Holy Communion. Informal, heartfelt, spontaneous prayer was what worked best for God. Actually though, I have found over the years that heartfelt prayer can take many forms – all the way across the spectrum from, on one side, sitting before God in heartfelt silence to, on the other side, praising and beseeching Him with ecstatic utterances.
To be honest, when there are too many squirrels running around in my head and, no matter how hard I try, I cannot put more than two of my own sentences together in prayer, I have found great value in internally, repetitively, shouting several prayers above all the competing chatter.
Last Sunday, our pastor wisely introduced the use of a written prayer for our Remembrance Day moment by acknowledging that all kinds of prayer expressions are useful and should be used, but for this moment in the service, we were going to use a written prayer because such prayers not only give us words to say together as we express ourselves corporately to God, but more importantly, they can teach us how to pray.
Naturally, one is the “Our Father” taught by Jesus. Another is the “The Collect for Purity”: Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name through Christ our Lord. Amen. A word of comfort for those who may worry if I am going formal and liturgical. Relax. I only go there when I am desperate. Keith Elford is the Bishop for The Free Methodist Church in Canada | keith.elford@fmcic.ca
Read the Bishop’s Notes They are sent out every Tuesday – if you would like them to be emailed to you let us know at info@fmcic.ca You can also read them from our homepage @ www.fmcic.ca/ category/bishop-notes/
The Free Methodist Church in Canada :: MOSAIC :: 3
{ Church Health }
PRAYING MEANINGFULLY TOGETHER Once a month I meet with my accountability partner. Normally we spend a couple hours over lunch laughing, checking in with each other, talking about what God is doing in our lives, etc. And we always pray together. Pretty normal. But last time, something odd happened. I was praying, when I sensed something going on beside me. So I continued to pray and turned my head to the left to see if indeed there was something happening. There was. A woman was standing beside our table, hunched over and listening in. I finished the sentence I was in the middle of and said, “Hi?” “Hello. Oh, I am sorry. But are you guys …. praying?” she asked, still hunched over and staring. “Well we were,” I said, not sure where this was going. And then she just sort of stood there and stared. We didn’t know what to do or say next and apparently neither did she. So I tried again, “We were.” That snapped her out of it. But she still wasn’t sure what to say next, so she told us what church she went to and what church her friend went to. Then she walked away.
That was weird. But I think she was thinking the same thing. That was weird, those two guys praying like that. And that raised a question for me. Was what we were doing that odd? I mean, this woman went to a church that would pretty much be on the same page as us in all the important areas. I think her confession of what church she went to was meant to tell us that she was on the same “team” as us. So praying shouldn’t be weird for her. But there she was – staring like she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing.
If we are going to be the church God longs for us to be, we need to get back to the practice of praying together. As God’s people. In all kinds of settings.
Was what we were doing so odd? I guess so. But what was odd? Not the praying part. And let’s take away for a moment the setting, because I don’t want this to be about the setting. (I know not everyone would be comfortable praying in that setting and that’s fine. This isn’t about that. Besides, the woman didn’t praise us for our “courage” – so I think she found something beyond the setting odd). So it must have been the fact that we were praying together. Is that so odd? I guess so. But it shouldn’t be. Scripture tells us we are to be in the habit of praying together, but I fear we have fallen out of that habit. If we are going to be the church God longs for us to be, we need to get back to the practice of praying together. As God’s people. In all kinds of settings. We need to be praying together. It is good for us and good for the church. One of the symptoms of an unhealthy church is that the people stopped praying together. Of course, the antidote would be that we would start praying together. And I don’t think this means starting another prayer service or making the Sunday morning prayer time longer (although I am against neither of those.) I think it means people like you and me making sure that part of our life together involves praying together. Meaningfully. For each other. For the church. For our communities. And maybe it will seem weird at first. But it shouldn’t. And over time it won’t. We will discover instead that praying together is part of the lifeblood of a healthy church. So, devote yourselves to praying together. Marc McAlister is the Director of Church Health for The Free Methodist Church in Canada | marc.mcalister@fmcic.ca
TWITTER FEED @ mcalister_marc 4 :: MOSAIC :: Spring 2016
CHURCH HEALTH BLOG
fmcic.ca/category/church-health/
{ Church Planting }
HOW TO PRAY FOR CHURCH PLANTS Church plants tend to move through four basic stages: [1] the Idea Stage, [2] the Core Team Stage, [3] the Initial Public Engagement Stage, and [4] the Maturing Stage. Each stage comes with its own unique set of challenges and opportunities. Each stage requires its own unique brand of wisdom and courage to navigate. Here are a few suggestions that will hopefully help you focus your prayers where they are needed most. The Idea Stage
Churches in this stage are trying to understand two things: [1] Is God asking us to start a new church? [2] What kind of church does He want it to be? These are two of the most important building blocks of a church plant. As they move forward into public ministry they will face all kinds of challenges. They will frequently face the temptation to quit or to not courageously live up to their calling. The only thing that will keep them going during these times is confidence in what they heard from God. Here are some things to pray about for churches in this stage. Pray that they would be receptive listeners and take the time and care to hear what it is that God wants to say. Pray that God would send them many powerful confirmations to sustain them on the road ahead. Pray that they would develop a supernatural confidence through this process. The Core Team Stage
Churches in this stage are trying to work out what this new church will look like. They are bravely taking new steps and trying things they often feel ill equipped to do. Some may be fearful due to the size of their calling or disheartened by lack of resources or slow progress in realizing that calling. These can be tough days. Here are some things you can pray about for churches in this stage. Pray that God would grow their faith. Pray that He would teach them how to walk by faith and not by sight. Pray that they would turn their fears over to God and exchange them for faith and patience. Pray that they would not allow the enemy to confuse or frighten them.
They will also, most likely, be getting their first real taste of spiritual reprisal. Church planting, if you think about it, is an inherently aggressive act. It is an attempt to establish a beach head, a new worshipping community where there wasn’t one before. The enemy isn’t going to take all of this lying down. His slings and arrows will come from all kinds of different directions and in all kinds of different ways. Here are some things you can pray about for churches in this stage. Pray for their ongoing protection. Pray for their health. Pray for their safety. Pray for their relationships with each other and with the surrounding community. Pray for their continued confidence in what God told them to do. The Maturing Stage
Churches at this stage face a whole host of new challenges. They’ve received their package of seeds from God marked, “Church.” They’ve faithfully planted them in the soil of their community. A spiritual garden has taken root and it looks like it’s here to stay. So now what? Churches at this stage are a mixed bag. Some of what grew is what they expected. Some it isn’t. Sadly, some of it also appears to be weeds. Churches at this stage need to switch from survival mode into gardening mode. Survival mode means taking quick and decisive action and hoping for the best. Gardening mode is slower, more cautious, and more patient. This stage can be panic inducing for adrenaline junkies. Here are some things you can pray about for churches in this stage. Pray that God would help them avoid all or nothing thinking when they look at what grew. Pray that God would deepen their patience and love for what did grow; even for the unanticipated stuff. Pray that God would release and send new kinds of leaders to help the church enter gardening mode. Pray for leaders who are patient as they nurture, prune, weed, and strengthen. As you can see there are lots of things you can pray when you pray for church plants. Hopefully some of this can help you focus what you pray for.
The Initial Public Engagement Stage
This stage can be very exciting. At first. All of that time spent planning, dreaming, and praying is finally coming to fruition.
SEABASS TRAVELCAST
Follow Jared as he chats with church planters and leaders about their stories
Jared Siebert is the Director of Church Planting for The Free Methodist Church in Canada | jared.siebert@fmcic.ca
TWITTER FEED @jaredsiebert
The Free Methodist Church in Canada :: MOSAIC :: 5
Here are some of our latest community images! They help to connect us and tell the story of who we are and what we do. You can check out even more pictures on our flickr site: www.flickr.com/photos/fmc-gallery
Photo Album What’s been going on?
6 :: MOSAIC :: Spring 2016
Starting at the top row (left to right) • Eastern Ministers Conference at Wesley Acres with Sister Sue Mosteller. • Sister Sue Mosteller guest speaker at Ministers Conference (east and west). • Kingsview (FMC)-Dominican Republic Sponsorship Program – 10th anniversary celebration • Bishop Keith and Donna Elford and Greg Ford attend the FMC World Conference in Port Shepstone, South Africa • Ian and Alice Van Norman awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Tyndale College and Seminary • Current Board of Administration (BOA) Members • Marc McAlister presenting at the BOA meetings at the Ministry Centre • Rev. Kevin Stenhouse receives his ordination certificate from Bishop Keith Elford • Annual Camping Summit Meeting at the Ministry Centre • National MEGaP Meeting held at Mount Carmel, Niagara Falls • Kevin and Maria Tomkins wedding celebration • FMC - Ghana Mission District, Annual Mission Meeting in Accra, Ghana
{ Leadership Development }
THE BENEFITS OF PRAYER When it comes to prayer, I know people who believe that it is talking to God. Period. Anyone sharing that God talks back to them is nuts. Yet God does speak to us, in many ways. Prayer is a means of grace. It is an ongoing conversation with God where we speak to Him, we listen for His response, we obey and through this we are transformed. In what ways are we transformed through prayer? Christ-followers know we are being changed when we see evidence that we are becoming more and more like Christ – the fruit of the Spirit is more evident in us. We have new insights and understandings about ourselves and others and we see that love is the true motivation for what we do. As one who is very interested in science, I am curious to learn what science has to say about things like prayer as science cannot prove or disprove that God actually exists. So I did some reading and in a 2014 Psychology Today article, Dr. Clay Routledge lists five benefits of prayer that are supported by scientific research: 1. Prayer improves self-control
Research participants who said a prayer prior to a mentally or emotionally exhausting task were better able to exercise selfcontrol during that task. 2. Prayer makes you nicer
5. Prayer offsets the negative health effects of stress:
Researchers found that people who prayed for others were less vulnerable to the negative physical health effects associated with financial stress. Praying for personal material gain did not lessen the effects of stress. The research indicated that it was the focus on others that seemed to be contributing to the reduced stress. All of this raises some questions for me such as what research is actually being cited in the article and who or what were the participants in the studies praying to? Still I’m intrigued that there is scientific evidence indicating that prayer – a behaviour usually associated with the ‘irrationality of religious belief ’ can be beneficial for people. This is not a surprise for Christ followers who have been prayer practitioners for centuries! If you would like to explore prayer further, I recommend Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God by Dallas Willard. And if you are in a season when it’s tough to pray – the words just won’t come – then try reading written prayers. I think you’ll be amazed at how on point they can be to help you express what’s in your heart. I also suggest Guerillas of Grace: Prayers for the Battle by Ted Loder and A Heart Exposed: Talking to God with Nothing to Hide by Steven James.
Researchers found that having people pray for those in need reduced the amount of aggression they expressed following an anger- inducing experience. In other words, prayer helps you not lose your cool. 3. Prayer makes you more forgiving
Researchers found that having people pray for a loved one or friend made them more willing to forgive those individuals. 4. Prayer increases trust
Next Foundational Courses
Recent studies found that having people pray together with a close friend increased feelings of unity and trust. This finding is interesting because it suggests that praying with others can be an experience that brings people closer together and strengthens relationships.
Kim Henderson is the Director of Personnel for The Free Methodist Church in Canada | kim.henderson@fmcic.ca
Wesleyan Theology Ontario – May 6-8, 2016 at Holt Free Methodist Church, Mount Albert, ON Western Canada – May 16-20, 2016 at Briercrest Seminary, Caronport, SK Ontario – November 4-6, 2016 (location TBA) Culture & the Missional Church Ontario – June 24-26, 2016 at Bramalea Free Methodist Church Personal and Church Stewardship English Online course – 8 weeks, September 12, 2016 French Online course – 8 weeks, date to be determined Heart of Canadian Free Methodism Ontario – November 4-6, 2016 (location TBA) Quebec – [French] (date and location TBA) The Free Methodist Church in Canada :: MOSAIC :: 7
Now you pray I’m a new pastor. I started my first position a few months ago. My first day, I moved all of my books and personal possessions into my office, sat down at my desk, and looked around, thinking to myself, “What now?” And I felt God saying to me, “Now, you pray.” So I began to pray for the church, our town and for myself, as I sought out God’s vision for the church. God impressed on me the need for prayer in our churches, so I decided to start with a small group study on prayer. I had run a prayer study at The FreeWay Free Methodist Church, which was well received, so I decided to start there. The study is called, “The Prayer Course.” It is a free, six-week study that was put together by Peter Greig who is the founder of the 24-7 prayer movement, pastor of Emmaus Road, in Guildford, of the United Kingdom, and director of prayer for Alpha International. The website is www.prayercourse.org.
The six week course covers six topics by praying through the Lord’s Prayer, covering Adoration (Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name), Petition (give us this day), Intercession (your kingdom come), Perseverance (your will be done), Listening (our daily bread) and Spiritual Warfare (deliver us from evil). I highly recommend this study to everyone. It has been a great learning experience for myself and the people who attended the study.
We have a smaller sized church, roughly 60-70 people come on average to a Sunday morning service, so when I started the study, I thought it would be great if eight to ten people attended the study. I was absolutely blown away when over 20 people showed up, to our home, on that first Sunday night. My wife is also a gifted leader, so we were able split the group into two smaller groups, to encourage discussion. Paula led one group, and I led the other. To our surprise the group grew throughout the study with about 27 people coming in total. I was truly amazed how people made the study a priority in their life. There was an excitement around prayer in our church. People shared their personal stories about how they have seen God working in their life, how they have seen Him answer their prayers, and also the pain and anger that has been felt when it
QUOTES from those who attended Pastor Dave’s weekly prayer study group “I have really enjoyed the prayer course because it has given me practical ways to not only increase the frequency of my prayers, but how I pray as well.” “Coming to the prayer group has given me a new perspective on how to pray, and helped me to become more confident in talking openly about prayer.” “I have learned now that I must, ‘Pray Jesus into a situation rather than praying the devil out.’” “Prayer draws us closer to God! When we pray God moves! God hears our prayers! I need to pray more!”
8 :: MOSAIC :: Spring 2016
“Learning different approaches to prayer was very eye-opening. I had never realized how important spiritual warfare is in my life.” “This study has helped me understand the power of prayer and how to use it to its fullest potential.” “The prayer study has helped enrich my daily prayer life. I have also found myself reading the Bible more, striving to grow closer to God. Creating my prayer list has helped me focus, and following the order of the Lord’s Prayer has helped my prayer life.”
“Through prayer I have come closer to God. Through the weekly prayer study I have come closer to fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We have had fun, laughed and also had serious moments. Now I must practice what I have learned.” “Great presentation format! Informal conversation during six weeks of concise, clear, easy to follow, and practical sessions.”
seems that their prayers seemed to have gone unanswered. As a result of our study on prayer we have even had one of our worship leaders change the order of our Sunday morning worship service, in order to include the children during our prayer times. He said, he wanted the children to witness their parents come up to the front to pray. He felt it was important for them to see the value we were placing on prayer as a congregation so that same value can be instilled in their lives as well. It was great to see people grow in their prayer life. Afterwards we had comments like, “I have always felt a bit intimidated to pray out loud. The prayer study has taught me that it’s okay to start with a simple prayer because Jesus hears any prayer and takes it to the Father for us.” That’s all that I ask from people, that they are moving in a direction that gets them closer to God. Hearing that people are deepening their relationship with God was an encouragement to me and has strengthened our church body as a whole. David Moriarity, Pastor at Cornerstone Community Church in Almonte, Ontario pastordave.cornerstone@gmail.com
“I thoroughly enjoyed the sessions. They were easy to understand and just enough information was given. I would recommend the course to other people. It will really help me in my prayer life.” “Enjoyed the prayer study and thankful for Pastor Dave and Paula hosting the group.” “Two things impressed me most about this study: Firstly, The Lord’s Prayer broken down and can be used as a guide to pray what is on your heart. Secondly was the section on specific prayers. In the past most of my prayers could best be defined as blanket prayers - general coverage of “stuff.” I really did not understand how to break it down to specifics. In the last few weeks I have learned how to pray specifically for things I was thinking about or planning on doing or decisions I needed to make or for someone specific.”
Am I Really Here? Am I really here with all of me? Nothing held back so you can’t see? Nothing wrapping darkness ‘round my feet? Am I really here? Complete? You are my first and only one In spite of everything I’ve done You counter busyness with grace And lovingly approach me face to face It takes a while for all the noise To settle with life’s addictive toys Fine dust falls on fragile words Where you have spoken but have I heard? Take me to your favourite place Where we can once again embrace? Let all pain be both yours and mine And let our hearts in tears entwine I would be deeply loved by you I would be still and broken too If that would mean I would hear you say That I am loved by you this day This poem was written by a Free Methodist Pastor while attending the 2015 Ministers Conference at Wesley Acres, Bloomfield, ON
The Free Methodist Church in Canada :: MOSAIC :: 9
{Passages} APPOINTMENTS
Dave Moriarity Lead Pastor Cornerstone Community Church, Almonte, ON
Nathan Colquhoun Lead Pastor theStory Sarnia, ON
Steve LLapp St Lead Pastor Next Church Kingston, ON
Ben Spears Associate Pastor Arlington Woods FMC Ottawa, ON
David Schuchardt Study Commission on Doctrine
Dave Heasler Transition Pastor Polson Park FMC Kingston, ON
Larry Robinson Nominating Committee
Ch d Vankoughnett Chad V k h tt Executive Director Arlington Beach Camp and Conference Centre
Gary Walsh Executive Director Wesley Acres Retreat Centre and Campground
Gary Landers Transition Pastor North Grenville Community Church Kemptville, ON
Victor Stonehouse Transition Pastor Peterborough FMC Peterborough, ON
Daniel Graham Lead Pastor Peterborough FMC Peterborough, ON
Lloyd Ll d Eyre E Summer Pastor Wesley Acres Retreat Centre and Campground
Trevor Swanson Transition Pastor, Mewassin FMC Alberta, ON
Darryl Dozlaw Church Planter, Riversdale Neighbourhood Saskatoon, SK
David Stephenson Co-Pastor The Journey Ridgeway, ON
Kathy Stephenson Co-Pastor The Journey Ridgeway, ON
J Jonathan th G Grantt Associate Pastor Trulls Road FMC Courtice, ON
Luke Haggett Lead Pastor Chapel Ridge FMC Stittsville, ON
Ken Roth Associate Pastor Chapel Ridge FMC Stittsville, ON
MINISTERIAL CANDIDATE
Liisa Farrugia Network Leader
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Seth Freeman Network Leader
Dyan Mouland D M l d Summer Chaplain Arlington Beach Camp and Retreat Centre
Bruce Kellar Transition Pastor Frankford FMC Frankford, ON
Stephen Lapp Next Church Kingston, ON
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FINDING OUR WAY IN PRAYER The past few months I have spent a lot of time reading and thinking about prayer. I realize I should also have spent time praying about prayer but sadly that didn’t dawn on me until I sat down to write this. And that’s the problem. My prayer life is hasty, inconsistent and awkward which then leads to feelings of guilt and shame. Not being a big fan of guilt and shame I decided to pay some attention to my prayer life and sort some stuff out. A while back I realized my everyday prayer life included falling asleep mid-prayer, distractedly trying to stay focused or just not showing up at all. I imagined God sitting in my living room waiting for me. He waited while I started a load of laundry, did the dishes or played some stupid game on my phone. He sat there patiently while I ran in and out saying, “Hang on I just need to clean the bathroom. I’ll be there in two minutes after I send this email. Whoa, look at the time I need to pick up the girls from school. Can we chat after dinner?” I was really disappointed in myself because prayer is yet another discipline I have failed at much like exercising, eating healthier and sticking to a budget. Clearly, if I was more disciplined with prayer, I might have a shot at the others. I could at least pray about them. Thankfully every time I popped my head back in the living room God was still sitting there patiently, lovingly waiting for me. I was so frustrated with myself and this pattern of non-prayer. Jesus intentionally stepped away from the disciples and crowds to pray. I had to stop squeezing it in or hoping I would find time. I had to set time aside and show up. For me that’s in the morning, after the rowdy people have cleared out and just before I get into bed at night. So having sorted out the when, I focused on the what. I purchased Phyllis Tickles’ book The Divine Hours, a book of fixed hour prayers. It includes morning, mid-day and evening offices which include prayers, hymns, responses, and readings. Reading the Call to Prayer or Greeting gives me the words of adoration that I struggled to find. After my reading I focus on a person or situation. I no longer worry or stress about sounding awkward or finding the right words or asking for the right thing. “He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans.” – Romans 8:28 The Message
My guilt and shame have mostly evaporated. There are days when I don’t step away to be still but more often there are days that I do. It’s not perfect but this daily rhythm of morning and evening prayers works for me in addition to the ongoing conversation. It was a helpful exercise examining my prayer life. It took me somewhere unexpected. And I know this is not a one -off. My prayer life will change and evolve but I’m hoping I remember to keep it simple. “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage.” – Matthew 6:6 The Message
Alison McKinnon, Social Media Journalist | alison.fmcic@gmail.com The Free Methodist Church in Canada :: MOSAIC :: 11
{ Stewardship Development Ministries}
In my conversations with churches and people about generous living, I have found that one of the biggest obstacles to generosity is what we think about ourselves. At the last Pastors Conferences, Sister Sue lead us through reflections on our prayer life. She reminded us that our understanding who God is and who we are is integral to a deep, intimate prayer life. “I am not what I do or what I have done. I am not what I possess. Nor am I what others think of me. I am a beloved child of God.” The Bible teaches us that God alone is the Creator, Provider and Owner of everything. And If we really believe this, it should change everything about how we live and how we pray. As Sister Sue reminded us, our identity cannot be found in what we do, what we have, or what people think of us. Our true identity can only be found “in Him”. God himself breathes life into us. He then placed us in charge over all of creation to guard and tend it on His behalf. There is no micromanaging or operating manual. We are expected to creatively steward and do something ‘good’ with what He entrusts to us. As we respond to His gift of grace, God ‘upgrades’ our identity. We are no
longer just His stewards – we are now called beloved children of God. Not just servants, but now part of the family. This changes how we view ourselves, how we live out our lives, and how we approach God and talk with Him in prayer. • • • •
Because of His generous gift of Christ I have life. Because of all that He has done for me, my heart overflows with gratitude. Because of who I am in Christ, I can bring everything in prayer to my Father who loves me. Because of who I am in Christ, I can live for Him and for my neighbour who needs me.
Because of Him, there is a new me and a new you and in Him we are gift worth giving. Give yourself to God generously in prayer. Pour yourself generously out to a world that needs to know Christ. Sandy Crozier is the Stewardship Ministries Director for The Free Methodist Church in Canada sandy.crozier@fmcic.ca
FMCIC CHURCH-BUILDING FINANCING PROGRAMS The FMCiC has two programs which can help fund your church renovation, repair or build: The Loan Program and the Mortgage Program. Because all church properties are classified as commercial, they do not qualify for residential rates on loans or mortgages. The Management Committee bases the interest rates charged on current commercial/Bank of Canada rates. Both programs (Loan + Mortgage) offer a renewable, open financing option for churches which can be amortized up to 20 years. Unlike most financial institutions, there are no setup fees or penalties for early repayment. For more information, you can contact our team in the Administrative Services Department or download the FMCIC Funding Program Information Bulletin at: http://fmcic.ca/stewardship-ministries/ downloads/ 12 :: MOSAIC :: Spring 2016
{Our History }
IMPROVISATION REQUIRED Early Free Methodists, like most Christians in the heart of Christendom, desired a church building and a parsonage at each ministry location, and a male, educated pastor. But in the late 1800s, with the sort of rapid expansion plan that was under way, a community might frequently be devoid of all these desirable elements – and yet still see a Free Methodist Church emerge. Canadian Free Methodist historian, John Sigsworth, in The Battle Was the Lord’s, says, “they used the technique called improvising.” Quite often the “meeting house” was simply somebody’s home or the town hall. The pastor’s dwelling might be donated or rented rooms. The church planters might be a pair of young women who had offered themselves for the work, or a ministerial candidate who started a new work while preparing himself for ministry through a self-study curriculum. The leader of the new church might even be a “local preacher” who developed the work “while earning his living in the usual local way.” The first Free Methodist Church was organized in Cambridge (Galt), meeting in the home of the Rhodes family, before the U. S. church sent the first resident church planter to Canada. In 1881, that church planter, Charles Sage, was rowed 12 miles down the St Lawrence River, from Gananoque to a church meeting in a home on Wells Island – 35 people took the Lord’s Supper that day and 12 were baptized. The same year, another church planter, James Craig preached to “a good congregation in Sister Scott’s kitchen” ten miles outside Huntsville. Living arrangements were also cobbled together. In 1892 Pastor Emerson Snyder and his wife lived in the home of a church member at Harnden’s Mills north of Cobourg. The couple had two rooms to themselves and the church group itself met in another large room in the home.
In 1895, church planter W. H. Gregory and his new bride were asked to initiate new work at a “paper circuit” in Westport and Fermoy (north of Kingston). There was no parsonage, no church building, no members and no “calling list” (what we might call “core team members”). Three years later, when they left to start new work elsewhere, there were five new congregations meeting in the area; including two fully organized societies. There were still no church buildings, but a town hall, private homes, a “union” church, and an upstairs hall in a local business, served to meet their needs for gathering space. Edited from John W. Sigsworth’s The Battle Was the Lord’s (1960). Dan Sheffield| dan.sheffield@fmcic.ca
WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM…. “Right now you have plenty and can help them; then at some other time they can share with you when you need it. In this way, each will have as much as he needs… So you also should share with those in need.” 2 Corinthians 8:14b-15 TBL
The FMCiC Loan Program is funded primarily by FMCiC Bonds – As a church or individual with excess funds, you can help other churches in need by investing in FMCiC Bonds. Your investment in our churches will bring not only an eternal return, but a current interest rate of 1.75% which is paid out June 1st and December 1st of each year. Please contact Roseline Isaac in the Administrative Services Department at 905-8482600 ext. 210 for further information. The FMCiC Mortgage Program is funded by the FMCiC Ministers Pension Fund (Defined Benefit Portion). The interest charged is used to support the pension fund. Choosing a FMCiC mortgage for your church helps look after our retired pastors. Ask any church and/or personal financial question. Email us at info@fmcic.ca and we will send you the answer and may post them here! The Free Methodist Church in Canada :: MOSAIC :: 13
{Camp Dates}
Camping lets you escape from the hectic pace of life and catch your breath. It also provides an opportunity to appreciate God’s creation while spending quality time with family. Consider attending a family camp this summer! ARLINGTON BEACH CAMP Family Camp – July 10-17, 2016 Junior Camp July 17-22 & July 31- August 5, 2016 Young Teen July 24-29, 2016 & August 7-12, 2016
ECHO LAKE CAMP Youth Camp – August 21-28, 2016
KAKABEKA FALLS CAMP Children’s Camp – July 10-15, 2016 Teen Camp – July 28-31, 2016
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MAPLE GROVE CHRISTIAN RETREAT CENTRE
SEVERN BRIDGE CAMP Family Camp – July 15--23, 2016
Family Camp – July 9-17, 2016 Discovery Camp July 22-24, 2016
WESLEY ACRES
Adventure Camp July 24-29, 2016
Family Camp One July 2 – July10, 2016
PINE ORCHARD CAMP
Family Camp Two July 30 – August 7, 2016
Family Camp – August 5-14, 2016 Kids’ Camp – July 10-15, 2016 Teen Camp – September 2-5, 2016 Young Adults’ Retreat September 23-24, 2016
{ Student Ministries }
A STATE OF PRAYER PRAYER IS SUCH AN INTEGRAL PART OF OUR LIVES AS BELIEVERS. CAN YOU IMAGINE AN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITHOUT EVER SPEAKING TO THAT INDIVIDUAL WHO IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP IN YOUR LIFE? Because I wasn’t raised in a Christian home, many spiritual practices were foreign to me and it was an adventure as I experienced the power of GOD released through prayer. It never gets old, it never ceases to amaze me! As a teen there was a verse that impacted me greatly. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT) Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
I began the practice of trying to always be in a state of prayer. It’s amazing what happens when you are! While walking down the halls of my school, walking through the mall, hanging with friends, I would try to pray for those who crossed my path. While being involved with conversations, I was learning to be inwardly praying for wisdom and direction as I interacted with others. A powerful prayer that I started about 10 years ago was “Open my mouth when it needs to be open, and seal it when it needs to be shut.” Another thing I have learned that instead of talking about our problems, (and with, others) to pray. Father God, thank you that we can come to you and lift each other up in prayer. May you continue to give wisdom and insight into those who mentor and lead our youth in the Free Methodist Church in Canada. Help our leaders and youth to remain faithful to the truth in a world that lives in opposition to the faith on which we build our lives. Grant us all hearts of compassion and love as we try to live as Jesus taught us. In the powerful Name of Jesus…Amen!
Jan MacPhail is Pastor of Shiloh Community Church in Seeley’s Bay, Ontario | janmacphail@yahoo.ca
The Free Methodist Church in Canada :: MOSAIC :: 15
{ Global Ministries }
PRAYING FOR A BROKEN WORLD We turn on our TV screens or browse the internet and we know that we live in a broken, distorted world. We can react violently, with hatred toward perpetrators (whether politicians, military commanders, religious leaders, or pedophiles). We can be overwhelmed, we can despair, we can retreat into a cocoon. Often, I think, we are so busy with our own things we rarely take the time to notice. We often don’t pay attention to others. Praying for others requires us to pay attention. Firstly, we need to pay attention to God the Trinity and the desires of God’s heart. How does God think about our broken world (with a Father’s patient and anguished heart) and how does that inform how we pray? Secondly, we need to pay attention to where God is already working so that our prayers become conversations with God about how we can join in. Thirdly, we need to pay attention to those who are being God’s presence in this broken world (including ourselves) so that our earnest prayers on their behalf (supplication) are informed and specific. Can we pray prayers that imagine what God’s shalom would look like in a specific situation? In a Syrian refugee camp in the mountains of Lebanon? In an ISIS military camp in Iraq? In the home of a family who lost a loved one in the Paris attacks in 2014 & 2015? In a refugee camp in North Kivu province of Congo? In a village in northern Sri Lanka where widows, children and maimed men try to rebuild their lives after decades of violence and displacement?
God of the Universe, you noticed us, you sent us yourself in Jesus, you gave us your generous attention. Thank you for the beautiful feet of those who shared good news with us. Jesus, we revere you as Lord and Master of our hearts, help us to pay attention to others, as you did to us. Holy Spirit, lead us to those in our lives who need us to pay attention to them, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Can we pray prayers that support those who have crossed culture and language barriers to share the good news of God’s kingdom and the Prince of Peace? For good health and protection from danger? For solid marriages and families in the midst of many unknown stresses? For good coping strategies for single people who are challenged to be “available for all?” For understanding of the appropriate ways to communicate the Jesus story in the midst of cultural and linguistic differences. For healthy churches to emerge with discipled believers and gifted leaders living as peacemakers in their communities. Can we pray prayers for our own neighbourhoods here in Canada? That our church would enter into the life of the neighbourhood – noticing where God is already at work and leading us. That our neighbourhoods would welcome those who are different, rather than set up barriers. That our church would be the kind of people who are questioned about the hope that is seen in our lives.
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[top left] Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon [top right] Memorial after Paris 2015 attack [bottom left] Refugee camp in North Kivu province of Congo
Dan Sheffield, Director of Global and Intercultural Ministries | dan.sheffield@fmcic.ca