Annual Report 2016–2017

PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA

ANNUAL REPORT

2016 – 2017

MEN’S MINISTRY GETS A MAKEOVER MARKETPLACE DISCIPLESHIP FRIENDSHIPS BUILT FROM THE GROUND UP

YOUTH MENTORING INITIATIVE GOES VIRAL

2016–2017

Our Vision Leave No Man Behind: to see every man become, grow, and live as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

A YEAR OF MULTIPLICATION

We add. God multiplies. The apostle Paul told Timothy to “train faithful men who will be able to train others also.”

(2 Timothy 2:2). Whether it’s discipling men in your church, equipping your workplace, mentoring young men, or serving with other men on a mission trip, the multiplying impact is always evident when we’re faithful to God’s calling.

Our Mission Ignite and Equip men to have a godly Impact.

The Seven Promises 1 // A promise keeper is comimitted to honouring Jesus Christ through worship, prayer, and obedience to God’s Word in the power of the Holy Spirit.

2 // A promise keeper is comimitted to pursuing Christcentred friendships with a few other men, connecting regularly, understanding that he needs brothers to help him keep his promises.

3 // A promise keeper is comimitted to practicing biblical integrity: spiritually, morally, ethically, and sexually.

4 // A promise keeper is comimitted to strengthening families and marriages through love, honour, protection, and biblical values.

5 // A promise keeper is comimitted to supporting the mission of his church by honouring and praying for his pastor, and by actively giving his time and resources.

6 // A promise keeper is comimitted to reaching beyond racial, social, economic, generational, and denominational barriers to demonstrate the power of biblical unity.

7 // A promise keeper is comimitted to influencing the world by his fervent love for God while loving his neighbour, seeking justice for the poor and oppressed, and making disciples of Jesus Christ.

LEFT: THIS IS ME TV’S MINI DOCUMENTARY ON GAWVI EXCEEDS 35,000 VIEWS IN JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS!

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PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA Box 20099 RPO Brant HIlls Burlington, ON L7P 0A4 905.331.1830 info@promisekeepers.ca

PRESIDENT Kirk Giles

MEMBERSHIPS/ASSOCIATIONS Canadian Council of Christian Charities Evangelical Fellowship of Canada

CONTENT DIRECTOR Jeff Stearns

DIRECTOR, CONFERENCES Rick Verkerk

DIRECTOR OF FINANCES & ADMINISTRATION Bayne Leong DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING Mark Faasse

SUPPORT STAFF Andrew Thompson Bill Innes Cindy Janssens Ian Nairn Jeff Thiessen Jenice McDonald Jim Kitney Lynn Ng Matt Breimer Mauricio Rosa BOARD OF DIRECTORS Blaine Pho (Chairman) Bob Roebuck (Vice Chairman) Jeff Bergen (Treasurer) DeWayne Fry (Secretary) Greg Arndt Gary Langerud Dan Poirier Larry Wilson

ADVISORY BOARD Art Van Ravens Bruce Dyck Casey Moroschan Dean Brenton Garry Bennett Garry Ford Jamie McArthur Larry Dyck Lennett Anderson Marc Brule Patrick Jolicoeur Paul Lavigne Peter Yi Phil Wagler Randy Collins

The Promise Keepers Canada logo features a maple leaf, indicating our dedication to serve the men of Canada.

An arrow breaks into the maple leaf symbolizing the impact we believe God wants to see Promise Keepers Canada and men making in our nation. A special thank you to all the pastors who continually encourage us to communicate God’s truth with grace and love.

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PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA 2016-2017 ANNUAL REPORT

CONTENTS 4 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Kirk Giles

6 SELF ASSESSMENT

Examining our Core Values.

I

t is my continued honour to serve you—the men of Canada—and our Father God, as the Chairman for Promise Keepers Canada.

There is no doubt that we, “the body”, are needed to bring about the plans that God has for Canada. As men, we need to lead boldly with servant hearts and seek His plans. We cannot ignore that we are the body, and with Jesus as the head, we all must also do our part. Too often we lay down this responsibility, this calling, to chase worldly goals and possessions, convincing ourselves that this is the success we were called for. Today it is time to stop, pause, and ask ourselves what are we missing.

In 2 Timothy 2:10, Paul states that he would endure everything for the sake of the elect (God’s called children) so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus. Paul was not talking about his willingness to endure inconveniences or simply write a cheque. He was telling us he would endure “everything” to win souls! We too must be challenged in the same way. Men hate losing, and if we fail to do this, we risk falling short.

God is looking for humble men and not the prideful. So let’s come together and seek his forgiveness and grace and follow through with the plans He has for us. Let’s strengthen the body together and prepare the way for the next generation so that they can do their part. Let’s not leave them unfulfilled assignments. If we do this, God will call in a new generation to take our country where He wants it to go. We were born to lead, and the next generation is looking to us for this leadership.

On behalf of the Board of PKC, we want you to know that we continue to be fully committed in seeking God’s plans for this ministry on your behalf. You can be assured that we take joy in submitting to the leadership of our Lord Jesus Christ in prayer and action as we strive to lead PKC through a Board of governance.

As before, I cannot close without thanking the hundreds of volunteers that allow this ministry to be used by God. Thank you for generously giving your prayer, time and finances to help PKC help the Lord build a stronger Canada through the men of this nation. Your humble servant hearts continue to be an inspiration!

8 THE BATTLE FOR MEN’S HEARTS How Blueprint is breaking down walls in churches across Canada.

12 FAITH AT WORK Discipleship in the Marketplace.

16 ON A QUEST FOR MORE

A pictorial review of this past year’s conferences and other points of impact.

24 MISSION TRIPS BUILD LIFETIME FRIENDSHIPS While third-world schools benefit from the work they’re doing, God is doing an even greater work in the lives of the men who serve.

28 SPIRITUAL HEALTH AND MINISTRY CONNECTIONS

A look at the numbers.

30 FINANCIALS

Evaluating what came in— and where it went.

/ BLAINE PHO Chairman of the Board 2016-2017 ANNUAL REPORT PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA

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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

G

od is able to do more than we dare ask or imagine! This promise from Ephesians 3:20 has become even more real to me in the past twelve months.

By God’s grace, Promise Keepers Canada has had a year with more ministry interactions than we have ever had before. Our goal was to reach over 400,000 ministry interactions by the end of Fiscal 2019, but God had other plans and allowed us to reach this number two years earlier than we had originally projected.

Behind every ministry interaction are men who are serious about training themselves for godliness.

The apostle Paul challenged Timothy to “train himself for godliness” in 1 Timothy 4:7, and over the course of the past year we have been witness to men who are pursuing this lifestyle of training and growing as godly men.

We are convinced, when men are walking with Jesus, everyone wins!

Families are stronger, communities are impacted, and local churches are more effective.

The apostle Paul also told Timothy to “train faithful men who will be able to train others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2).

Training for godliness is important, but it is truly taking root in a man’s

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PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA 2016-2017 ANNUAL REPORT

life when he begins to multiply and invest himself in the lives of others.

Over the last year, men who attended the Promise Keepers Canada “Quest” conferences were challenged to go and make disciples of Jesus. Over 9,500 Bibles were taken by men to give to someone who does not know the Lord.

I share these stories with you to encourage you. God is using your prayers, time, and financial support to multiply something that is beyond what we could dare ask or imagine.

God is not only working in men directly through Promise Keepers Canada, but He is also impacting the lives of thousands of others beyond what we can measure.

As we look to the future, we need to continue to trust God for an even greater work in and through men across Canada. When you look at the newspapers and the statistics it can become discouraging, but we need to be excited because God is still alive and active in transforming men’s lives.

A recent poll from Angus Reid indicated that over 40% of all men in Canada wished they had a closer relationship with God. This is a huge opportunity! Almost 7 million men wish they had a closer relationship with God – and we have the answer:

His name is Jesus Christ. Imagine what God could do in the lives of 7 million men.

Join us in celebrating all that God has done over the past twelve months, and also trust the Lord with us to do even more – far more than we dare ask or imagine.

Thank you for being part of God’s work in training men for godliness!

/ KIRK GILES President

CORE VALUES

SPIRITUAL HEALTH OF MEN

LEADING WITH INTEGRITY

IT’S ABOUT TRANSFORMATION

Goal: 5.6/6 Actual: 5.6/6

Goal: 7.3/10 Actual: 7.3/10

NUMBER OF MINISTRY CONNECTIONS

FINANCIAL HEALTH

EXPANDING OUR REACH

MORE CONNECTIONS, MORE EFFICIENCY

Goal: 350,000 Actual: 410,000

Goal:$6.30* Actual: $4.98* * per ministry connection

2016-2017 ANNUAL REPORT PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA

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SELF ASSESSMENT

1. WE HONOUR GOD

We seek to place God at the centre of everything we do, making prayer a priority. We pray consistently, not just for ourselves, but for the spiritual health of men across the nation.

2. WE RESPECT ONE ANOTHER

CORE VALUES

Our mission, vision, and core values are demonstrated throughout the organization. Not only do we value each member of our team, but we are commited to caring for those around us.

We have a heart for the men of Canada, and we continually seek to meet them where they’re at.

3. WE ARE COMMITTED TO THE BODY OF CHRIST

The Church is our partner who we come alongside to serve. We actively pursue partnerships with local churches and other likeminded organizations.

4. WE FACILITATE ENCOUNTERS WITH GOD

We are unashamed of the gospel and proclaiming the truths of God as revealed to us in His word. In every activity, we seek to create a culturally relevant experience for men to encounter the truth and be transformed by the Holy Spirit. We pursue the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, and strive to be salt and light to those around us.

OUR GRADE:

93%

2017: 5.87/6 2016: 5.76/6 2015: 5.55/6 2017: 5.48/6 2016: 5.47/6 2015: 5.37/6 2017: 5.60/6 2016: 5.57/6 2015: 5.58/6 2017: 5.57/6 2016: 5.49/6 2015: 5.48/6

2016-2017 ANNUAL REPORT PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA

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STORIES OF MULTIPLICATION

THE

BATTLE FOR MEN’S

hearts

PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA’S BLUEPRINT SERIES, A MALLEABLE FRAMEWORK FOR MEN’S MINISTRY, CONTINUES TO HAVE A POWERFUL IMPACT IN BREAKING DOWN THE ISOLATING WALLS MEN PUT UP IN CONGREGATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

BY STEVEN SUKKAU

I

n a world saturated in online social connectivity, those in ministry still say the greatest slayer of godly men’s hearts is isolation.

“So many guys out there are simply friendless, it’s scary,” says West Edmonton Christian Assembly (WECA) men’s ministry leader, Paul Armfield.

He notes vital friendships are so needed for men in today’s culture.

“It’s so essential that men don’t see themselves as on their own,” Armfield says. “If the enemy can keep us isolated, we’re defeated.”

The only way to combat the isolation tactic is through men’s ministry: “We’re here, united.”

While many have acquaintances, he says so few men actually have intimate friends, often because “it takes both parties being intentional.”

And whether guys admit it or not, Armfield believes all have a deep need for relationship. He challenges them to reflect on the levels of friendship in their own lives and each week helps guys bring their relationships to a deeper level, through intentionality and shared experiences.

“Guys know this theoretically, but it’s hard to actually do,” he admits.

Thankfully, that’s where intentional men’s ministry events come in; that’s where Blueprint’s flexible guidelines come in.

Just as each house is furnished to meet the needs of the owner, instead of creating a specific program, Blueprint gives leaders a basic framework for the discipleship of men to create a ministry that is

WHETHER AT SPORTS GAMES OR BACKYARD BBQ’S, WE [ARE] EMPOWERING MEN TO CONNECT AND HANG OUT WITH A FOCUS ON DISCIPLESHIP. effective for their congregation.

Armfield explains that at WECA, they’ve had men’s ministry for a long time. While their men’s discipleship efforts have had its ups and downs, he says they saw a significant upswing after the church took the Blueprint training.

Thanks to the flexibility of the customizable Blueprint framework, they were able to create a slate of events and experiences that help men bond with each other and become invested in discipleship.

“We help guys get connected so they can inspire and spur on each other in their walk with God,” he says.

Armfield explains they don’t approach men’s ministry with the top-down leadership approach.

Instead, with Blueprint, they help train men to disciple other men, building toward lives that live out the great commission.

Whether at sports games or

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backyard BBQ’s, “we keep focused for these times,” he says, “empowering men to connect and hang out with a focus on discipleship.”

“Lots of guys are busy and don’t have a lot of time, but we focus on belonging, helping them realize even if they can’t be at every event, they still belong.”

The movement is gaining momentum, and more small groups are forming from the whole.

“It’s a huge challenge doing men’s ministry. It takes time to build momentum, and sometimes it’s not the numbers that gauge success, it’s being faithful. It’s empowering others to lead men.”

Another deep insecurity that Promise Keepers Canada has helped churches like WECA address is identity.

What is manliness?

“Most of our fathers didn’t model it,” he says.

Instead, the world stepped in

in their families.

“As we get into smaller groups, guys feel more comfortable asking for help.”

While the word “accountability” can have negative connotations, Armfield says the principle is still good.

“It’s not just about confession, but ‘let’s grow together,’ “ he says. “It’s time to ignite the fire. It’s up to all of us to go beyond what we are now.”

West Edmonton Christian Assembly (Facebook) to show us through movies and television. If you didn’t meet a standard of toughness or success in business, men naturally concluded: “I guess I’m not much of a man.”

“There’s a battle out there to find out what true manhood is,” Armfield says.

However, he says the truth is simple: “Men are made in the image of God”, adding that Jesus demonstrated to us that men can be gentle and kind.

Mauricio Rosa explains Blueprint has been a perfect fit for a very unique church: a dying Canadian congregation, mostly older members recently merged with a young Brazilian church plant.

Together they’ve emerged as the First Evangelical Free Church of Calgary.

However, the question become, “how do we develop a unified men’s ministry?” It had to be robust enough to fit both cultures, but also meet the

challenges of a wide age gap.

“Blueprint is perfect,” Mauricio explains, “because its framework is based on principles rather than set programs.”

The nature of Blueprint allows churches to adapt the Blueprint methods to meet specific needs, allowing churches like First Evangelical Free Church of Calgary to customize the programming and follow-up.

The end result has been two generations and cultures integrating and coming alongside each other in discipleship, becoming more Christlike along the way.

“We saw the desire of the older guys to influence the next generation, and the new blood brought a breath of vigour to the older generation,” he says.

The young men in turn see the value of the wisdom and experience of the older generation and how they can grow in their role as men of God

/ STEVEN SUKKAU is the Managing Editor of SEVEN Magazine and resides in Winkler, Manitoba

REVIVE YOUR CHURCH’S MINISTRY TO MEN >> Upcoming live training events:

promisekeepers.ca/leader-training >> Leader’s Kit:

promisekeepers.ca/leader-kit >> F ree Video Tips for Men’s Ministry Leaders:

promisekeepers.ca/leader-tips

Paul Armfield (www.weca.com)

2016-2017 ANNUAL REPORT PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA

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STORIES OF MULTIPLICATION

Faith - at -

Work 12 PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA 2016-2017 ANNUAL REPORT

NEW PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA MINISTRY TARGETS THE MARKETPLACE

BY FRANK STIRK

W

hen copies of the Men of Integrity devotional and SEVEN magazine began showing up in the lunchrooms of Robertson Bright Inc., a provider of electrical and communications services based in Mississauga, Ontario, an employee complained to Jason Braam, the company’s Director of Human Resources and Safety.

“He came into my office quite upset over the religion-in-theworkplace thing,” says Braam. “I had a discussion with him and settled him down a little bit. Later, I actually had an opportunity when he was struggling with something else to pray with him.”

It was Braam himself who had put out these materials as part of a brand-new Promise Keepers Canada initiative called PK@Work.

Launched in 2016 and still under development, it provides training and resources to Christian business leaders who want to disciple their employees. RBI—which has about 200 employees in Mississauga, Calgary, Las Vegas, and Fairfield in northern California—was one of the first to introduce the program.

“We’ve been with the PK@Work program for a little more than a year,” Braam says. “We learned about the program, had some exposure through the coaching training sessions, and felt as leaders that it aligned with us as an organization. I feel that it’s just our responsibility to show up and be His hands and feet.”

Promise Keepers Canada President Kirk Giles says PK@Work grew out of the realization that in general, the number of men who go to church is declining. “For us as an organization that’s focused

on reaching men,” he says, “we had to come to grips with the question of how do you reach more men if your primary partner is losing men? So not in any way to replace what we’re trying to do with local churches, we started to think more intentionally about how do we go about marketplace ministry as Promise Keepers Canada.”

Recent studies underscore this decline. One found that in 2011, 26 per cent of Canadian men had no religious affiliation. That’s up from just five per cent in 1971. And this year, another study found that men comprise 61 per cent of Canadians who call themselves non-believers, and that “a disproportionate number” of them are under the age of 55.

“There are a lot of great ministries that are targeted towards marketplace business leaders, and they’re doing good work. But most of those ministries are focused on the personal development of the leader. Our focus,” Giles says, “is a little bit different. The whole DNA of Promise Keepers Canada is built on discipleship. And when Jesus says ‘Go and make disciples’ in Matthew 28, the concept there is an intentionality about creating more followers of Jesus wherever you are, and whatever you are doing.”

PK@Work has two components.

The first offers leadership training that is spread out over an hour a month for four months. “It involves,” Giles says, “helping the business begin to put some foundational elements into the DNA of their company, so that this idea of being intentional about faith just becomes part of how they think and operate as

2016-2017 ANNUAL REPORT PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA

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leaders.” Having monthly sessions, he adds, “allows us to keep walking with them and see how they are doing in starting to implement some of these elements in their business.”

The second component is for companies such as RBI that decide to go further with the program. In exchange for an annual membership fee, they get ongoing coaching plus access to a variety of Promise Keepers resources that they can use to help them reach out to their employees. Companies are also helped to connect with other ministries that have resources that are geared more toward their female employees.

Only RBI and one other company are at that membership level, but there are currently nine more that are transitioning toward membership.

One of the big obstacles, says Giles, in getting a Christian business leader to sign on to PK@Work is fear of what it could do “to his company, to his finances, to his reputation, to all kinds of things. Because of the multicultural climate that we live in, he’s afraid of giving favouritism to one faith over another. Even just helping a guy to get over that initial fear sometimes can take multiple meetings and conversations. It’s a spiritual issue for him to be able to get to a place of really surrendering his company to Jesus.”

Even those that do sign on are very careful and gradual in its implementation. “We’re trying to do this right across the organization, but it’s completely behind the scenes. I’m not plunking the

IF IT WINDS UP IN THE TRASH, OK. IF IT WINDS UP TOUCHING ONE PERSON AND MAKES AN IMPACT, THEN IT’S BEEN WORTH IT. publications on anybody’s desk,” Braam says. “I think if you would ask anybody that’s not on our leadership team about PK@Work, nobody would really know what you were talking about—which I’m fine with. If it winds up in the trash, OK. If it winds up touching one person and makes an impact, then it’s been worth it.”

RBI also ran PK@Work past its lawyers with a view toward developing an anti-discrimination policy for the company—a step that

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he recommends other businesses take that are also interested in getting onboard.

Giles is confident that PK@Work is “resonating” with these leaders, but, like Braam, he too recognizes that the only way it can really have an impact is to grow it slowly.

“We’re not trying to get to 500 businesses within the next two years or anything like that,” he says.

“We want to be effective in this ministry, and so that means we’re

INTRODUCE YOUR BUSINESS TO PK@WORK >> C oaching business leaders to build a culture and strategy for meeting the spiritual needs of their staff >> D iscounted registration to Willow Creek Leadership Summits >> F ree tickets to Promise Keepers Canada conferences >> F ree and discounted magazines and devotionals for your breakroom >> W orkshops to equip your team in specific areas of their lives

LEARN MORE AT promisekeepers.ca/business

really walking with and discipling these leaders to do this work for their companies. It’s pretty labourintensive. But we think the longterm benefit is much greater when you do that.”

/ FRANK STIRK is a freelance writer and copyeditor based in North Vancouver. He

WE WANT TO BE EFFECTIVE IN THIS MINISTRY, AND SO THAT MEANS WE’RE REALLY WALKING WITH AND DISCIPLING THESE LEADERS TO DO THIS WORK FOR THEIR COMPANIES.

has forty years experience as a print, radio and Internet journalist and editor.

Jason Braam (Facebook)

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STORIES OF MULTIPLICATION

ON A FOR “Last year I came with my oldest and youngest sons. God put on my youngest sons’s heart to pray for the middle son that was lost to drugs and alcohol, and he filled out a prayer request.

This year I brought all three of my sons!”

- QUEST CONFERENCE ATTENDEE

“What an amazing day! I brought my daughter’s unsaved boyfriend. Praise the Lord! He has said he will leave his burdens before the cross. May he know Jesus as a result of our efforts and the Holy Spirit’s grace.”

- QUEST CONFERENCE ATTENDEE

“Very informative and power packed.

This has propelled me forward to share Jesus with others.”

- QUEST CONFERENCE ATTENDEE

“It was estimated by some of the pastors that about half of this audience of 2000 men came forward [for prayer]. It was just incredible to see the power of God breaking strongholds, healing and forgiving men and binding them together.”

- ALLAN, TORONTO PRAYER TEAM LEADER

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Through our partnership with Gideons, over 9,500 Bibles were taken by men to give to others who do not yet know Jesus.

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“My son has been asking questions about God for about the last month ...I got the tickets for Quest and asked him if he wanted to come, so he came.

And now he’s getting answers! He’s at the Manafest [youth breakout] session and he’s lined up waiting to speak to him.”

- ADAM

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“Wow, I love this because people need to know that Christian people are real people and go through real things...

Awesome testimony, Gawvi.”

- JEFFREY

“Thank you for this. This is what I needed to hear at this moment.”

- PATRICK

“Wow, that’s crazy. For those who are young, I encourage you to strive for greatness.

Anything is possible through Jesus.”

- SOLEY GOT BEATS (YOUTUBE CHANNEL)

Gabriel Alberto Azucena, who goes by the stage name Gawvi, is a Christian hip hop artist and music producer for Reach Records. This is Me TV launched his mini documentary earlier this year, which received over 35,000 views in just a couple of weeks. To date, it’s This is Me TV’s mostwatched documentary, with over 46,000 views and counting.

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“Glad I came.

Stepped back from the church for a year with discouragement and fear, but this lifted my spirit.”

- IDENTITY WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT

“Great workshop, top to bottom!

I’ve committed to adopting the discipline of study.

I plan to program a reminder in my calendar to accomplish this.”

- SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT

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COMING UP IN 2017–2018 1 IGNITE (HEART)

2 EQUIP (MIND)

Legacy Equipping Conferences will be held in several cities:

promisekeepers.ca/legacy

Workshops

Currently scheduled workshops cover topics such as friendship, identity, and time.

promisekeepers.ca/workshops

At the All In National Men’s Conferences we will explore God’s plan for leading significant lives. Whether you are exploring faith or have been a Christian longer than you can remember, All In will challenge, motivate and equip you to stand firm and navigate the world around us.

Each All In Conference will also feature a youth breakout to build up the lives of young men.

LEARN MORE / REGISTER AT promisekeepers.ca/all-in

We continue to produce new content online and offline: podcasts, articles, This is Me TV, SEVEN Magazine, and daily devotionals. Men can get equipped through books, devotionals, small group studies and more through our online store.

promisekeepers.ca/pkathome

3 IMPACT (HANDS) Men will have more opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others through growing as leaders of men at work and church, serving on mission trips, and mentoring young men.

promisekeepers.ca/get-involved

2016-2017 ANNUAL REPORT PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA

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STORIES OF MULTIPLICATION

MISSION TRIPS BUILD LIFELONG FRIENDSHIPS WHILE THIRD-WORLD SCHOOLS BENEFIT FROM THE WORK THEY’RE DOING, GOD IS DOING AN EVEN GREATER WORK IN THE LIVES OF THE MEN WHO SERVE

BY FRANK STIRK

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T

his past April, Gilles Nault returned home to Halifax from Belize where he had been part of a Promise Keepers Canada mission team. In early June, his wife passed away—and almost as soon as word of his loss got out, he says he “got calls from quite a few of the team members. They didn’t hesitate to call and show their support.”

One man did even more than that.

Rockne (“Rock”) Taylor, who lives in Espanola in northern Ontario, flew to Halifax and spent about a week with Nault. “It’s an amazing thing,” says team leader DeWayne Fry, “because if it wasn’t for the mission trip, these guys never would have

met. In some ways I think Rock became a mentor to Gilles.”

Promise Keepers Canada has sent eight teams on short-term mission trips either to Belize or the Dominican Republic since 2011. In partnership with EduDeo Ministries based in Hamilton, Ontario, they help a community build or expand a local Christian school. “All we’ve basically done is provided the labour and taken direction from them in terms of where the need is,” says Ian Nairn, until recently Promise Keepers Canada’s National Manager of Missions.

But as important as these

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projects are to these communities, the real purpose of these trips goes much deeper than that. As Nairn recalls, “One of the hosts said to us a number of years ago, ‘If you just want to build a building, then just send us your money. We can do it without you. But if you’re coming to build relationships, then please keep coming.’”

“Every year,” says Fry, “some people who go on these trips go with the goal of accomplishing building something, and that becomes their motivation. But I really think by far the greatest accomplishment is when you actually connect with the people, whether it’s the teachers or the kids in the school, and you basically get an understanding of how they’re living and the circumstances around them. We’re focused on who they are.”

“The poor in our world,” EduDeo executive director Hank de Jong recently told SEVEN, “are often a statistic. When [a team] comes with a posture of humility and servanthood, going to visit a community, meeting the people, and praying with them can do wonders in providing dignity to the poor.”

“We’re not there to fix what they do,” Nault adds. “We might know how to do it better, but we’re not there to teach them. We’re just there to be willing to work alongside them. And for some people that takes a little bit of humbling, because they want to do it better.”

At the same time, the team members themselves start bonding with one another.

“One of the unique things about the Promise Keepers trips,” says Fry, “is that you bring a bunch of men together from all over the country, from different backgrounds and

BY FAR THE GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT IS WHEN YOU ACTUALLY CONNECT WITH THE PEOPLE.

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fields of work—and all of a sudden they’re working together on the same project. We always have one guy that becomes our challenge, but for the most part these friendships and these connections, they’re made for a lifetime.”

Fry has been on four trips and led the last two. The first one, he says, “was probably by far the best thing I ever did.” And yet he almost didn’t go.

“As the trip date approached, I started thinking maybe this is not something I want to do,” he says.

“Then I got to Texas where we were meeting up and my luggage got left in Toronto. It was like, ‘OK, well, here’s my ticket back home,’ because you can’t go on a ten-day trip without luggage. The luggage showed up that night and I did end up going. It was definitely the Lord testing my faith at that point to trust him.”

Team members pay their own airfare plus donate $1,500 to EduDeo to cover the cost of materials for the project and pay for transportation, meals, lodging, and translators. At

he says. “It’s almost guaranteed, because God really shows you what you have and that you can make a difference.”

Two more trips are in the planning stages for 2018—one in January to Belize and another in April to the Dominican Republic. / FRANK STIRK is a freelance writer and copyeditor based in North Vancouver. He has forty years experience as a print, radio and Internet journalist and editor.

least ten men need to sign up before a trip can get off the ground. Almost all the trips take place in late April or early May. And these, says Nairn, are “consistently sold out. The lowest number we ever had was eight, and that was a trip we had in November.”

Lately the teams have been getting a bit bigger, growing from 14 two years ago to 18 this year. And unlike past years, Fry says around ten have already signed up for next year.

yourself and then see what happens,” he says. “The last three trips, my wife and I had surrendered myself—she was as much a part of it as I was— and each year it seemed like I raised more money from people who were not Christians, not professing in any way, than I did from my church family.”

Two years ago, Fry posed a challenge to some men who were thinking about going on a mission

Learn more about upcoming mission trips:

promisekeepers.ca/hands Listen to our interview with Hank De Jong from EduDeo:

promisekeepers.ca/hankdejong

IF YOU’RE REALLY SINCERE ABOUT GOING ON THESE TRIPS YOU’LL COME BACK A CHANGED PERSON “Typically you don’t even start to get people applying until the fall.

And four or five have never been on a trip before. So God’s really blessing the work.”

Nault’s experience too is that God blesses those who will trust him to provide the means to go on these trips. “You just have to surrender

trip. “I said, ‘If you decide to go and you don’t come home changed, I personally will refund you your money.’” Two of them took up the challenge, but Fry had faith in the outcome and was not disappointed.

“I know if you’re really sincere about going on these trips then you’ll come back a changed person,”

Hank De Jong (Facebook)

2016-2017 ANNUAL REPORT PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA

27

NUMBERS

“I AM A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST.” AVG. SCORE: 80% (UP 1% FROM LAST YEAR)

“I READ THE BIBLE REGULARLY.” AVG. SCORE: 66%

SPIRITUAL HEALTH OF MEN

(UP 1% FROM LAST YEAR)

“I HAVE NOT VIEWED PORN IN THE LAST 30 DAYS .”

AVG. SCORE: 78%

(UP 1% FROM LAST YEAR)

“I HAVE A HEALTHY MARRIAGE.” AVG. SCORE: 76% (UP 6% FROM LAST YEAR)

“I VOLUNTEER AT CHURCH.” AVG. SCORE: 76% (SAME AS LAST YEAR)

“I TELL OTHERS ABOUT JESUS.” AVG. SCORE: 59%

(DOWN 1% FROM LAST YEAR) Survey results from events.

28 PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA 2016-2017 ANNUAL REPORT

MINISTRY CONNECTIONS

OVER 410,000 MINISTRY CONNECTIONS— A 28% INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR

OVER 8,500 MEN ATTENDED CONFERENCES AND OTHER EVENTS 155 CHURCHES RECEIVED BLUEPRINT LEADERSHIP TRAINING OVER 1,800 MEN AND WOMEN PARTNERING WITH US IN PRAYER 20 ACTIVE REGIONAL MINISTRY AREAS

210,364 VIEWS ON THIS IS ME TV VIDEOS

35 YOUNG GUYS RECEIVED MENTORING AFTER WATCHING A THIS IS ME TV EPISODE ONLINE

FINANCIALS

REVENUE

It cost us $9.44 per ministry opportunity this year—$4.54 (32%) less than last year.

18%

PRODUCT SALES

GIFTS FROM OTHER CHARITIES

9%

7%

EVENT REGISTRATIONS

DONATIONS

SPONSORSHIPS

60%

5%

REVENUE

2015–2016

2016–2017

1,126,586 (57%)

1,164,332 (59%)

Non-receipted Donations

24,005 (1%)

21,599 (1%)

Gifts from Other Charities

94,086 (5%)

137,069 (7%)

Event Registrations

386,689 (19%)

360,532 (18%)

Product Sales

195,491 (10%)

168,930 (9%)

Sponsorships

137,400 (7%)

104,100 (5%)

0

0

18,005 (1%)

17,405 (1%)

1,982,262

1,973,967

Receipted Donations

Government Funding Other TOTAL REVENUES*

*Reporting format follows Canada Revenue Agency’s Charities Directorate financial presentation. Current deficit position is part of three-year plan to invest surplus monies from recent years in order to fuel further growth.

30 PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA 2016-2017 ANNUAL REPORT

EXPENSES MISSION

92%

MANAGEMENT/ADMIN

6%

FUNDRAISING

2%

$4.98 PER MINISTRY CONNECTION— A COST SAVINGS OF $1.21 (20%)

EXPENSES

2015–2016

2016–2017

1,895,342 (93%)

1,878,111 (92%)

109,585 (5%)

125,489 (6%)

30,922 (2%)

36,362 (2%)

Political Activities

0

0

Gifts to Other Registered Charities and Qualified Donees

0

0

Other

0

0

2,035,849

2,039,962

Mission Management and Administration Fundraising

TOTAL EXPENSES

Your financial gifts are very important to us and are always handled with utmost care. Promise Keepers Canada is a member of the Canadian Council of Christian Charities (CCCC), and is affiliated with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. We take every step necessary to abide by the CCCC’s Standards of Accountability. Canadian Charitable Organization no. 89826 6861 RR0001.

2016-2017 ANNUAL REPORT PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA

31

LEAVE NO MAN BEHIND

PROMISE KEEPERS CANADA Box 20099 RPO Brant HIlls Burlington, ON L7P 0A4 TEL: 905.331.1830 TOLL-FREE: 1.888.901.9700 FAX: 905.331.1832 www.promisekeepers.ca