ISSUE 15 FALL 2015
25th ANNIVERSARY & VISION SUNDAY • November 22 (see page 3)
A.C.T.S. ACADEMY Learning How to Think Theologically (see page 7)
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VISIT GATEWAY.AC // 3
"“the things which you can see, are created from fo Hebrews 11:3b
W
e live in very interesting times, from a scientific perspective. Classical physics (remember Newton and that apple that fell on his head?) has taught us for generations that the law of cause and effect (for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction) can be clearly observed in the material universe. But then, more recently, along came a whole new group of scientists who began to study the micro world of sub atomic particles, and “forces” similar to gravity but unheard of by most of us before recent times (quarks, dark matter, and all sorts of exotic particles). Amazingly, many of the discoveries and researchers into these things, have begun to posit theories that really do begin to sound less like traditional physics and a lot more like spirituality. Invisible forces, dimensions beyond the ones we are able to experience, a whole unseen world, the fact that the universe works more like “thought” or “consciousness” than the previous “clockwork” mechanical model, interconnectedness of 4 // GATEWAY MAGAZINE FALL 2015
particles, and the fact that the thoughts, mind, beliefs, and presuppositions of the “observer” of a test can actually have an effect on the results of the test. Think about that: if a scientist (or any observer of a quantum experiment) “expects” a certain result, that’s the result they get. When they “expect” a different result, a different result shows up - our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, expectations, and innerconsciousness can actually have an effect at the quantum level on the world around us .... I guess it really IS possible for “faith to move mountains”, as Jesus said. Jesus likened “faith” to a tiny seed - we plant that seed by speaking out our faith-filled thoughts - and that produces real results in the real world: “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20) Maybe today, Jesus would liken faith to something even smaller - some sub-atomic particle that contains creative power in it. That’s the kind of thing we
WE WILL BE ACCEPTING DONATIONS FOR THE FOOD BANK THIS THANKSGIVING. Please bring non-perishable items to church on Sunday October 11.
orces which are invisible”
will look at in this series - how the spiritual principles of faith and creativity, revealed in scripture, have close parallels to discoveries in quantum physics, (no, I am not a scientist, don’t claim to be one, and don’t know enough to make this topic complex) - we will simply use laylevel discoveries from quantum physics as modern-day “illustrations” or parables of the spiritual truths of creating a happier life, a brighter future, and a better world.
organized by
RELEASE is a ministry department set up for people who are interested in social justice issues in Edmonton and further afield. facebook.com/releasegac
info@gateway.ac
Dr. Martin Trench, LEAD PASTOR
This season we launch a new message series on Quantum Faith. Messages include: - Ask, and it is Given! - Portals to Paradise - Good Vibrations - Visualize to Materialize - The Laws of Creation - Thoughts Become Things - Escape the Matrix
FROM DECEMBER 1-20, BRING IN “MUGS OF JOY” AND PUT UNDER CHRISTMAS TREES IN THE FOYER. On Christmas Eve, we will also be collecting an offering for the Mustard Seed. VV I SI ISTI TG G AA TE TW EW AA Y .YA. A C C/ // /5 5
Growing
Deeper
in withGrace Mike Zenker “Nothing you have ever done, nothing you could ever do, will match the incomparable joy of letting Jesus live His life through you. It is what makes the fire of passion burn so brightly in new believers, and it is what causes the light of contentment to dance in the eyes of mature believers who have learned to walk in Grace.” Mike Zenker is the National Director of Grace Walk Canada & Senior Pastor of Hope Fellowship Church in Waterloo, Ontario. Mike will enthusiastically encourage you to walk out what and who is already in you! Growing in Grace begins by knowing your identity, which in turn allows you to experience grace even in the harsh pains of life. (Other topics Mike will cover are: Understanding forgiveness, What is Papa’s heart really like?, Marketing Jesus, and God’s DNA in all things!!) Be prepared to not only learn a few things, but unlearn some as well!!
November 15 10am - Guest Speaker @ Morning Service 6:30pm - 9:30pm - Grace Walk Seminar Gateway Alliance Church
“God is not a puzzle to be solved; He is a mystery to be explored”. ~ Steve McVey / A GTAETW EW MG AA GZAI Z 6 6 / // G A YA Y MA NIEN E F AFLALL L 2 0210 51 5
November 1
IS COMPASSION SUNDAY
Guest Speaker
Topher Braithwaite
Worship by
Jon Bauer
GMA award winner
Let God use you on this special day.
VISIT GATEWAY.AC // 7
“The Kingdom of God is like a king who arranged a great party...” M AT T HEW 22: 2
“Send greetings to the church which meets in their house...” ROMA N S 1 6 : 5 • 1 CORI N THI AN S 16 : 19 • CO LOS S I AN S 4 : 15
Jesus taught and healed multitudes - thousands of people at the same time. Yet, he also met with smaller groups - usually in homes or other informal settings (his 12 disciples, his 72 disciples, and others). In the early church, they met in large gatherings in the Temple courts or a rented Lecture Hall and other places, but they also met in smaller, home-based groups. (See Acts 2:42, 19:9, 20:20) We try to make our Sunday gatherings well planned and professionally presented, with structured worship and teaching; so, we try to make our House Parties the exact opposite - we seek to make them informal, relational, with little planning and without the need for “professionals” like pastors and staff (who may visit groups, but simply as friendly, informal, attendees). There is usually a “spiritual” element to House Party gatherings (maybe a short time of prayer, or someone sharing a personal story or Bible passage) but most of the time is spent in informal fellowship over a potluck. We believe that people will come alive and flourish best in groups that are organic and have genuine connections by being informal, allowing people to really know each other. The feel and culture of each HOUSE PARTY is driven by the gifts and passion of the people who make up each group. No two HOUSE PARTIES will look identical and each will have a life of its own. 8 // GATEWAY MAGAZINE FALL 2015
If you want more information or looking to join a House Party, speak to someone at the Info Desk in the Foyer or email Pastor Drake @ pastordrake@gateway.ac
Fill out an info card at the Info Desk any Sunday for more information about any of these milestones.
MILESTONES
We want to hear your stories of God working in your life or how being a part of Gateway has helped you grow in your faith journey and life. Email pastordrake@gateway.ac
As we journey through life, we come to major milestones along the way. Let us celebrate and support you through every stage of your journey. Our Elder’s Team would be happy to connect with you about the following Milestones:
FAMILY MATTERS The journey of life is full of beginnings and endings.
FAITH COMMITMENT Are you seeking meaning and discovery? Are you asking who is God? Who was Jesus? Why does it all matter? We want to help you wrestle with these questions. If you are exploring Christianity or if you want to know what the next steps are in following Jesus check out the back page of the magazine and email Pastor Drake.
WATER BAPTISM Baptism is about declaring you belong to the Kingdom of God. Much like a wedding ring is an outward symbol of a commitment to someone, baptism is an outward symbol of the inward work God has already done in your life and a declaration that you belong to Him.
MEMBERSHIP Do you call Gateway home? Membership is all about digging your routes deep and planting yourself in a community that you can call family. Be a part of the movement that God is doing at Gateway and discover what God has for you in this Faith community.
HEALING PRAYER & CRISIS COUNSELLING The Bible says: “Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master.” (James 5:13) One of our Elder’s would be happy to meet and pray with you. We also have special healing services throughout the year or you can email prayer@gatewayalliancechurch. com and our prayer team will intercede for you.
WEDDINGS Gateway is well equipped to facilitate your wedding plans, email fervone@ gateway.ac to inquire about booking our facility and/or having Pastor Drake officiate your wedding.
CHILD DEDICATION When your family is blessed with a new addition, we want to celebrate and support you. Child Dedication is one avenue to do this.
FUNERALS Funeral preparation can be difficult while grieving the loss of a loved one. While never easy, this can be a time to celebrate a life and shared memories. Let us come along side you and be of any help we can with service details and connections to different options.
IN THIS EDITION WE SIT DOWN WITH THE NEW STUDENT MINISTRY INTERNS TO GET A FEELING OF THEIR PLANS AND WHAT THEIR EXPECTATIONS ARE FOR NEXT YEAR. You joined the staff early this summer: how has the experience been so far?
loving every second of it. I have an older brother, who along with the majority of my family lives back in Ontario. I love reading, playing JAYELLE - So far, so good! Having been a youth leader for the past two drums, watching REAL football (NFL…), spending time outdoors, playing basically any kind of sport… basically if it sounds like fun or like years, I knew I was going to love being a youth intern. I love people a challenge, I’ll be there! and I love youth! What I didn’t really think about was the impact that being in the office and interacting with the staff would have. Everyone What exactly do you do at Gateway? is encouraging and supportive, both with work and faith. Already, I feel like I’ve been challenged and pulled out of my comfort zone. I look JAYELLE - Together, Darien and I look after anything that involves youth and young adults. We plan the XLR8 Youth events every week, forward to the rest of this year and to continually being challenged, hopefully challenging others, and seeing not only the youth ministry as well as the Young Adults House Party every month. Outside of these events, we spend time with the youth, mentoring them and grow, but also the church! DARIEN - In a word, amazing! And to be honest, quite different from walking with them on their spiritual journey. We are also looking to establish some new programs/trips, which is exciting! There will be what I expected. As I tend to do with any new job or life event, I had more info on that in the months to come! All in all, my hours at work built up this idea of what working at Gateway would be like; but the are occupied with research, phone calls, spending time with youth, reality is so much better than anything I could have imagined! I am extremely excited for the opportunity God provided me with to build lending a hand to the other staff, etc. relationships with the youth and young adults of this church, and am DARIEN - Well, officially my job is as program director of XLR8 Youth and Young Adults house parties, which essentially means that super stoked to see what happens next! alongside Jayelle, I get to run, organize, and prepare for all the youth and young adults events. However, as an intern, I usually end up doing Can you tell us a little about yourself? a lot more than just that! By their very nature, internships give interns JAYELLE - I just finished my Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Psychology, at the University of Alberta. I loved school and plan on going the privilege of doing a lot of odd-ball jobs for their organization, which back one day! I love to read, partly for entertainment and partly because essentially means I get to help out around the church; helping set up it fuels my addiction to learning. I’ve played soccer since I was six and still for bigger events like Carnival Sunday or the academy, helping sell old play on a team today. If I am not reading/learning or playing sports, I am equipment, buying toiletries and café supplies for the church – it’s all spending time with family and friends. I love people! Hence why I went part of the experience of an intern! But my favorite part of this job is into Psychology. I find people amazing, kind, hilarious and crazy (well, my the most definitely how it provides me with the opportunity to spend time building friendships with the youth of this church. I love the family at least)! relationships that are being built within our youth ministry between DARIEN - I was born and raised in Ontario, living in a town known as students and leaders, and relish the opportunity to be able to work Welland until I graduated high school and began to attend Vanguard alongside young people, to be their friend and to bring them into an Bible College a little over 2 years ago. I am currently in my third year of experience with the God who loves them. a bachelor of theology in youth ministry degree at Vanguard, and am
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What are you most excited about the next season at Gateway? JAYELLE - I would be lying if I didn’t say the weird and crazy games we play. They give me an excuse to be a crazy kid again. But on a serious note, I am excited to dive deeper into who God is with the students. I’ve been a part of XLR8 for the past two years as a youth leader, and have had the opportunity to see the program grow drastically in that time. You can really see a community of young people forming. The students have a great dynamic among themselves and are becoming more comfortable speaking out in small groups. Our youth leaders have also grown in the last two years and the bonds they’ve formed with the youth are beginning to strengthen. I am amazed at the work God has done with this group and can’t wait to see where He takes them next! DARIEN - Wow, this is a loaded question!! There are so many things I’m excited to see happening at this church; as I’ve been
watching God move and heal and reveal himself to people in new, extravagant loving ways this past year, and I’m super stoked to see what God has next in store for this church. I believe that God has great things planned for this church, and that as we expect a greater things He will honor our expectations; and I’m excited to see how He does it! What I’m most excited for however, is with our youth ministry. Over this past year, we have seen tangible growth in the lives of our kids, have built stronger friendships and relationships with the youth, and I believe that as we continue to steward what God has given us, He will bring us into increase. As this next year unfolds, I’m thrilled to be a part of what God is doing in this church and especially in the lives of our youth, and can’t wait to see our youth encounter God in fresh new, exciting ways!
DARIEN CHAFFART Student Ministry Intern
JAYELLE STEINGARD Student Ministry Intern VISIT GATEWAY.AC // 11
In this season of XLR8 Youth we will be heading back to the basics of the Gospel. Learning what Jesus said about Himself, what He accomplished and what that actually means for life in the 21st Century and all the things you face in your every day lives. We hope as you start to connect with the story of God’s radical love and his cosmic rescue mission for you, that your faith will break out into your life with energy, excitement and hope.
Note: all XLR8 Youth events are 6:30pm-9:30pm GATEWAYALLIANCECHURCH.AC/XLR8-YOUTH
Young Adults 12 // GATEWAY MAGAZINE FALL 2015
GROUPS/XLR8.YOUTH
XLR8.YOUTH
XLR8YOUTH.TUMBLR.COM
Are you in the 18-30 age range and looking to get connected? check out our young adults events: our young adults house party returns on september 20th from 12pm-4pm at 13211 105 street nw, edmonton, and our youth and young adults worship night, outbreak, returns on october 2 at 6:30. want more information? contact pastor drake at pastordrake@gatwayalliancechurch.com GROUPS/GAC.YA
belong. believe. become. At Gateway, kids matter! They are respected for the way God created them. He made them so that they love to play, discover, question, and have fun! So we at GatewayKids are all about helping kids BELONG, BELIEVE, and BECOME what God made them to be. We believe in kids and have a passion for kids and all that God has for them. Every experience here at GatewayKids has an eternal purpose behind it. We provide a place for kids from 0 to grade 6, with nursery & toddler, a preschool program & elementary program & a preteen program. Check out the KidCheck center and talk to one of our GatewayKids team members on a Sunday for more information or email: GatewayKids@gatewayalliancechurch.com
Centered around questions students would actually ask about their faith, every re:form session follows a three-part sequence: Encounter, Engage, and Respond. In each session, students gather to watch a hilarious animated video, tap their creativity for activities that involve doodling, constructing, and journaling, and then share thoughts and ideas about the session’s question.
ELEMENTARY:Grade 1-4
Your child will take an adventure like no other. Through a safe and exciting environment of games, connections, music, activities, lessons and small group, they will learn different promises of God and how they were true in the Bible, are true today, and will be true in the future!
With Holy Moly we want to help your child grow spiritually in a safe and fun environment that will allow them to experience God and His Message through play, stories, connection and creativity. Every Holy Moly lesson follows a four-part sequence: Discover, Relate, Connect, and Create. At Gateway we take our kids’ safety seriously. All workers are screened and trained in Plan to Protect Policies. Parents, please create a KidCheck profile at: www.kidcheck.com/signup.aspx
Once again, we are turning our Christmas Sunday service into a giant party of praise and inspiration. No matter where you are on your journey of faith, or what your opinion of “church” or “religion” is - this will be an experience that will open your mind to new ideas, and inspire you with quality entertainment and performances that will move you, challenge you, energize you, and lift you up!
The BIG Christmas Party - Sunday December 20th - 9:30am & 11:15am Come and enjoy 75 minutes of amazing music, performances, media, and an inspiring “TED-Talk” like message called “The Fault in our Stars: The True Story of Christmas, and its’ meaning for your life today”. (This is the launch of our brand new message series: EPIC).
NEW SERIES STARTS DECEMBER 20TH
Candles & Carols on Christmas Eve - Thursday December 24th - 5:30pm & 7pm Our contemporary take on a traditional candlelight service is always a favorite of our regular attendees. Come and enjoy a short (60 minute) family service, with traditional carols, Bible readings, and a short inspirational message - set in a magical yet modern atmosphere. Plenty to keep both adults and kids engaged and uplifted. 14 // GATEWAY MAGAZINE FALL 2015
DEC
NOV
OCT
SEP
FALL 2015 EVENTS CALENDAR 20
Sunday
10am
Quantum Faith part 2
27
Sunday
10am
Quantum Faith part 3
02
FRIDAY
6:30PM
OUTBREAK
04
Sunday
10am
Quantum Faith part 4
07
Wednesday
7pm
ACTS Academy
11
Sunday
10am
Quantum Faith part 5
14
Wednesday
7pm
ACTS Academy
18
Sunday
10am
Quantum Faith part 6
21
Wednesday
7pm
ACTS Academy
25
Sunday
10am
Quantum Faith part 7
28
Wednesday
7pm
ACTS Academy
01
Sunday
10am
Compassion Sunday
06
FRIDAY
6:30PM
OUTBREAK
08
Sunday
10am
Quantum Faith part 8
15
Sunday
10 am
GUEST SPEAKER MICHAEL ZENKER
6:30PM
GRACE WALK SEMINAR
22
Sunday
10am
Vision Sunday
29
Sunday
10am
Healing & Communion Service
06
Sunday
10am
Advent part 1
11
FRIDAY
6:30PM
OUTBREAK
13
Sunday
10am
Advent part 2
20
Sunday
9:30am & 11:15am
THE BIG CHRISTMAS PARTY
24
Thursday
5:30pm & 7pm
Candles & Carols on Christmas Eve
27
Sunday
10am
End of year Communion Service VISIT GATEWAY.AC // 15
PRAYER TO HELP YOU TAKE THE NEXT STEP:
HOSTILE
SEEKING
SERVING
Please visit gateway.ac or our Info Desk on a Sunday for a list of our current groups.
Wherever you are in your faith journey, and whatever you feel is the right step for you to take next, you are not alone - there are others you can share this leg of your journey with.
We have a number of different Community Groups that you can be a part of. Some of them are social groups, some are service groups, and some are study groups.
GROWING
FOLLOWERS
CONNECTING
OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP YOU TAKE THE NEXT STEP:
FAITH COMMITMENT
Father God, I come to you today to seek your forgiveness, blessing, and power. I acknowledge that I have sinned and fallen short of the life you created me for. I ask for your forgiveness. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross in my place and for my sins, so that I may receive new life and a new relationship with you; and I believe that he rose from the dead and is alive for evermore. I open up my life fully to the presence of your Spirit, to change me, lead me, and empower me to take the next step in my journey of faith. By your grace, may I become the person you always intended me to be — a fully-forgiven, fullyalive child of the living God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
OPEN
SEARCHERS