cmAlliance.ca Magazine Spring 2011

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A Resource for Transforming Canada and the World

How Do You

Worship?

Work as Worship What you do matters to God

Healing Worship Integrating this service into church life

Reflecting God’s Heart Faith and hope in action

Conversing with God Making prayer part of all we do

SPRING 2011

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Contents Features 10

Work as Worship

What was true for these Bible personalities can be true for you

13 Stewardship as Worship

Insights into the cause of the malaise experienced by many Christians today

15 Theatre as Worship

Holy and life-changing experiences of truth revealed in community

Departments

16 Music as Worship

How this primary and accessible language can help us to express the inexpressible

Feeding Your Mind

19 The Arts as Worship

7 Worship – By the Book

22 Missions as Worship

45 Singing Because of God

24 Communion as Worship

39 Defend Dignity in Canada 40 United in Prayer

Insights into how to respond to God with all that is within you How employing this strategy serves to fulfill God’s desire for his world How a Jewish tradition adds perspective to this Christian act of remembrance

26 Fitness as Worship

A rationale supporting the process of taking care of ourselves

28 What Our Churches

Say About Worship

Impressions

Justice and Compassion

Now You Know

54 A.W. Tozer – A Man of God

Personnel

51 Personnel Updates

Taken from Alliance church websites Practical insights to integrating this liturgical service into the total life of the church

34 Where Nations Meet to Worship How strangers in a foreign land come together as family

35 Culturally Sensitive Worship Creating a more relevant and meaningful experience within the context of diversity

Perspectives

41 Reflecting God’s Heart

Practice of Prayer

47 Conversing With God

37 38

SPRING 2011

30 Healing Worship

Seamless Link Building a Bridge Bâtir un pont

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Editorial

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How Do You Worship?

A Resource for Transforming Canada and the World

W

cmAlliance.ca is the national publication of The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada.

Founder A.B. Simpson President Dr. Franklin Pyles Editor Barrie Doyle Associate Editor Gladys Thompson Design Devon J Andrew Design Inc. Consultant Peter White All Scripture references from the Holy Bible, New International Version © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Agreement No. 40064689 ISSN: 1918-4646 All articles are copyrighted by The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada except where indicated and can be reprinted only with written permission.

Submissions Writer’s Guidelines are available at www.cmacan.org. Send electronic inquiries or manuscript submissions to magazine@cmacan.org.

No responsibility is assumed to publish, preserve or return unsolicited material.

For more information or reprint permission: contact Gladys Thompson, The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada, 30 Carrier Drive, Suite 100 Toronto ON M9W 5T7 Phone: 416.674.7878 ext 211 Fax: 416.674.0808 e-mail: magazine@cmacan.org

orship. Was there ever a more beautiful word so subject to misunderstanding, anger, casual misuse, deliberate obfuscation or downright stubbornness? So what is worship? How do we define it?

Is it simply the music portion of the service on Sunday mornings? Some churchgoers seem to think so. Is worship something we either enjoy or don’t like depending upon our personal tastes?

This edition of cmAlliance.ca journeys into those deep waters. We ask the question, “How do you worship?” And answer with “Let us count the ways!”

We look at the purpose and style of worship, without ever embracing the topic of musical styles or instruments. Some of the opinions expressed in our various articles are strong paradigm-shifters and demand thought.

But if we are truly going to worship we need to understand the concept and understand who the audience is. And it’s not us. The theme of this edition is a strong call for all Christians to back off our casual bandying about of the word worship and instead embrace its full meaning in our individual as well as corporate lives.

Your feedback on this or any other topic is welcomed. Remember, too, that every issue of the magazine is online at http://cmalliance.ca/ alliancecamagazines690.php so you can go back and reflect on articles you liked (or disliked) at any time.

And, our companion video magazine, Alliance Alive, also covers many of these same topics. You can get your free DVD by filling out the stitched-in form in this issue. You can also check out our video website at http://www.cmavideo.org/.

Also in this issue, our Impressions section looks at another young Canadian Alliance person making a mark on the world. This time it’s Katherine Whyte, a Toronto-based woman who sees the world of international opera as her mission field.

If you are a writer and want to suggest or submit an article, check out our Writer’s Guidelines at http://cmalliance.ca/files/WritersGuidelines_399.pdf.

Lastly, throughout this issue, you will find some thoughts on worship penned

by A.W. Tozer. For more on this man of God and his connection to the Alliance in Canada, read Now You Know on page 54.

Barrie Doyle

no no not warship... worship

Member of the Canadian Church Press

Distinctively Canadian Totally Alliance 4

cmAlliance.ca Spring 2011

what’s in your worship?

Mailbox Thought provoking I enjoy the Canadian version of the Alliance magazine . . . Thanks for the thought provoking and informative articles. I truly enjoy the magazine and read it from beginning to end.

—Doris Toews

Packs a wallop . . . the magazine is excellent—every article packs a wallop! I told the congregation to pick up a copy because of Tyler’s article . . . it is a first class piece of work.

Keep it up!

—David Chotka Realistic feedback I appreciate the informative and attractive cmAlliance.ca, though I must confess that it has been a hard sell to get many of our people to pick up a copy and read it! . . . I will keep working on it, but I thought you should have some realistic feedback on the journal.

Maybe it says something about the literacy (or illiteracy) of the contemporary generation . . . We are a congregation of about 800+ (300 who prefer English to Cantonese) . . .

Keep up the good work!

—Ward Gasque Loved latest issue I loved the latest magazine issue and have been actively handing it to people!

—Patrick Loo

Alliance family info I want to thank you for compiling the list of personnel changes that is included in the latest issue of the magazine. I hope that this type of info would again be provided, having enjoyed reading those details in the various forms of the Alliance magazine which the U.S. printed.

I like to know such details about the Canadian Alliance family—and am delighted that you are providing this info again.

—Lorraine Willems Great publication!

We would love to continue receiving the cmAlliance.ca magazine. I read it cover to cover every time. Thanks for a great publication!

—Ruth Rye Bravo!

I saw the new edition of cmAlliance.ca when I was in Cranbrook last weekend. I salute you for pulling together my tidbit submission into a decent interview that makes sense to most people. BRAVO! Thank you for all the hard work.

—T.V. Thomas

Encourage interest I’m wondering if we could get another 20 copies of the cmAlliance.ca magazine. Our new pastor wants to encourage more interest in the publication and distribute more to our congregation! (I love it by the way)!

Thanks for your attention and hard work!

—Judy Giesbrecht Nice job . . . let me definitely commend everyone at NMC that had anything to do with it—that was a great issue!

Small story: I was chatting with an elderly retired pastor up in Ottawa and he was telling everyone he could to make sure they read it, cover to cover!

Nice job, considering it was a youth-themed issue.

—Mike Linnen

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Mailbox

To submit a letter, write to magazine@cmacan.org or cmAlliance.ca, The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada, 30 Carrier Drive, Suite 100, Toronto ON M9W 5T7. Letters may be edited for space, clarity and style. Submissions constitute permission to use. Include your name, city and province.

Awesome!

We received cmAlliance.ca in the mail today and now we understand why you were so excited about it . . . it’s awesome! I love the layout and large photographs of my paintings—with the black it’s very distinguished looking and the article is very nicely written . . .

—Josh Tiessen

A suggestion One of the principles of successful publishing is to keep the reader in mind, because he will only read what interests him and not what interests the editor.

Christians today are mostly looking for inspiration and encouragement. This is obvious by the books they are buying.

It is important that the C&MA in Canada tell its story, but in a way that motivates people.

One of the concerns I hear expressed is in a question form, ‘has the Canadian Alliance lost its way theologically?’ An inspirational, biblical, and theological section in the magazine could alleviate that worry.

—Albert Runge Thank you Thank you for including me on your mailing list for cmAlliance.ca magazine and Alliance Alive DVD magazine. My wife and I appreciate this very much.

—Edia Silvus

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Too messy I think the art work was too messy looking for the kids to really read the magazine . . . It sure was colourful.

—Ruth Klassen High quality!

It was truly inspiring to read many of the articles in the Fall 2010 issue of the Alliance magazine. I learned so much from each of them.

It is interesting to know too, that there are so many ethnic congregations right here in Canada.

High quality magazine wonderfully put together! Thank you so much!

—Loraine DiCenzo

Puzzled You will no doubt receive many well deserved compliments on the latest edition. I suggest you give David Brotherton the opportunity to expand on how the younger generation sees ‘holiness.’ I am puzzled by a couple of his comments, especially, “They understand that outward behaviour is not a measure of holiness.”

Behaviour is not necessarily how we measure holiness, but surely it reflects holiness. I think it is akin to faith and works in James.

Our works validate the reality of our faith. If our holiness does not produce biblical behaviour, then what? Are there no standards of Christian behaviour? Are any of those stated in the negative? Let him have a go at it.

—Bert McBride

feeding your mind

Worship – By the Book Trying to keep the record straight on a controversial topic

By Larry Thiessen

A.W. Tozer on Worship

L

I’m always suspicious when we talk

ong before PowerPoint, big too much about ourselves. Somebody screens, expensive sound pointed out that hymnody took a systems, and stadium worship downward trend when we left the great events, in an era that is almost all but objective hymns that talked about God forgotten, the primary worship book and began to sing the gospel songs that of choice was . . . THE HYMNAL. talk about us.

In most circles, this would have been the only book appropriate There was a day when men sang “Holy, for what was then thought of Holy, Holy,” and “O Worship the King,” and they talked objectively about as congregational worship. the greatness of God. Then we backslide into that gutter where we still Just about the time that I started are where everything is about ‘I.’ “I’m so happy,” “I’m so blest,” “I’m so selling books as a profession, The nice,” “I’m so good,” always ‘I.’ Christian and Missionary Alliance authorized the publishing of a new The difference between heaven and hell is the difference between God hymnal—Hymns of the Christian and I. Jesus Christ, by cancelling his ‘I’ was the Christ of God, not as I Life—a beautifully bound, maroon will, but as Thou wilt. coloured collection of over 600 songs. This was meant to be a The devil, by magnifying his ‘I,’ became the devil—when he said, “I will groundbreaker in the world of sacred arise; I will raise my throne above the throne of God.” songs . . . and books for worship.

Anyone who has been around —Ezekiel Sermon long enough to have used a hymnal knows that up until the mid-1970’s, all hymnals on the market were compilations of songs from the hymnals were booming. distant or near distant past.

No one could afford to stock a Providing the appropriate But people wanted to sing church with these books, so the worship book in those days was new songs—how, after all, could clandestine world of ‘buy a few not an inexpensive matter. We one really be worshipping if they books and photocopy the music’ even had a separate key on our weren’t singing at least one song began and was eventually replaced cash registers to track the sales written by the Gaithers? So, all by complicated ways of paying of this category. It’s amazing that the new hymnals, including the royalties when a ‘chorus’ was sung. we were willing to spend so much newly minted Alliance hymnal, How could the simple act of on a book to help us worship. included some of these new songs. worship have become such a big deal?

But alas, even with the advent Now, at last, we could sing and Soon, even those books were of this new and improved worship worship with a book that contained replaced by projected words onto book, the dark clouds of conflict were screens. With this new technology, something ‘contemporary.’ I can still on the horizon. No sooner had we remember the receiving room in our we didn’t even need worship books invested in this latest edition, when store filled to the rafters with boxes anymore. We simply expected another kind of worship of this new worship people to know the tunes and book began appearing. tome—eight to a read the words on the screen.

Providing the This book carried carton, most of which The age of the hymnal was an innocent moniker— had to be engraved over. In many ways, the age of appropriate ‘Praise and Worship with a church name the worship book was over. worship book Songbook’—but with before we could ship Oh, there is still the ongoing in those days its coil binding and them out to a newly debate about these old songs. They hundreds of short constructed church, have stood the test of time after was not an songs designed to be or to a church that all, and we still sing some of them. inexpensive played on more than a wanted something new.

But no one really buys ‘worship piano and organ, the Imagine how pleased books’ anymore—at least not the matter impact would be more everyone would be kind that you can sing from. than a small shift. when they could crack Which leads us to the topic of As the hue and cry of ‘less hymns, books on worship. So far, all we have open a new worship book complete with the church name emblazoned on more choruses’ came from the crowd, talked about are songbooks. But what was a church supposed to do? the front right-hand corner. Sales of worship is more than singing, isn’t it?

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Worship was about more than singing and true worship needed to be restored into the fabric of a congregation’s life Back in an earlier day, A. W. Tozer was attempting to set the record straight on worship with his book entitled Worship: The Missing Jewel of the Church. That title pretty much sums up what he and others thought about the whole thing.

Worship was about more than singing and true worship needed to be restored into the fabric of a congregation’s life. We needed to learn about worship and so, as the styles of worship music have been changing, there has been more material written in an effort to help people get to the heart of the matter.

Here are a few that have tried to keep the record straight on what worship is about: Worship Evangelism

by Sally Morgenthaler Drawing from both traditional and contemporary practices, Morgenthaler shows you why and how worship can help draw non-religious people to Jesus by achieving worship that’s culturally relevant, authentic, and life-changing. This book may be over ten years old but it is still an important resource.

Worship by the Book

by D.A. Carson (editor) What should biblical worship look like in the 21st century? In

Worship by the Book, various authors explore how creative, biblically-sound, and spirituallyrewarding worship unfolds in the Reformed tradition, the liturgical practices of the Anglican church, and the ‘free church’ perspective. A wellwritten and well-rounded analysis.

The Unquenchable Worshipper

by Matt Redman This is a small, easy-to-read book from a well-known worship leader.

In it, Redman issues a passionate call for a return to a pure, firstlove lifestyle of worship.

The Divine Hours

by Phyllis Tickle

If you are interested in something that resonates with Christians throughout the ages, you might want to tackle this series. Incorporating quotations from the Book of Common Prayer, the writings of the Church fathers, and major

the topic of worship will continue to be debated devotional/meditative poems throughout the ages, you can find this material in any number of formats from a full week of fixedhour prayers for all seven offices to a three-volume set that covers all the days in the Christian calendar.

I suspect that the topic of worship will continue to be debated and written about for as long as we practice worship. Perhaps one of the best things we could do is to go back to what, for us, is the original ‘worship book’—the Psalms.

As hard as it might be for us to understand, many of the psalms were written to be sung. Let’s start by reading them anew and see where it will take us. We are, after all, instructed to sing a ‘new song,’ not write a ‘new book.’

Read on . . .

Larry Thiessen lives in Calgary, Alberta and is the former manager of Christian Publications bookstores

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How Do You

Worship?

Work as Worship

By Paul Richardson

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What was true for these Bible personalities can be true for you

T

he now common modern parable tells of the investment banker who was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large fish. The banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The fisherman replied it had taken only a little while.

The banker then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish.

The fisherman said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.

The banker then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.”

The banker scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats; eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats.

“Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York City where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

To which the banker replied, “15 to 20 years.”

“But what then?”

The banker laughed and said, “That’s the best part.

When the time is right you would announce an Initial Public Offering (IPO), sell your company stock and become very rich. You would make millions.”

“Millions, then what?”

The banker said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

While this is a humorous fable, it illustrates a powerful point. What is the purpose of work? Is it to work hard all week or all life, just to be able to afford expensive toys to

help us recover and rest from all the hard work our entire life? Is that God’s purpose for our life?

What about those who work in the manufacturing sector, or the financial sector, or the public sector or in natural resources? Is the only purpose of work to earn money so that we can retire?

Noah was in manufacturing and construction, building the ark. Joseph was in the financial sector with seven years of a good economy and seven years of a bad one.

Moses was in the public sector and left his political career after 40 years in the palace, then went into agriculture, before returning to nation building.

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all worked with the natural resources of the day—sheep and goats, which provided meat, milk and wool.

David started in the family business, worked for the federal government, entered the military and then ended up running the country.

All of these individuals would have made good Canadians . . . each one with a productive job. None of them were in ‘the ministry’ by our current Canadian definition. But does that mean they weren’t serving God? Does it mean their work was not an act of worship?

The interesting thing is that if I were to say Joseph was not serving God and through his service was not worshipping God, Christians would say that I was wrong. The same would be true of Abraham, Noah, Moses and David. And if it is true for them, then it must also be true for Canadians with jobs.

Where do the majority of Christians spend the majority of their time interacting with the majority of

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the lost world? Is it their church meetings? Is it their neighbourhood? The answer is ‘no.’ This is only true of their workplace.

Forty hours a week for 50 weeks a year for 45 years (from age 20 to 65) Canadians go to work . . . a total of 90,000 hours. Do those hours matter to God? How does he view them?

Just as I would be wrong in saying that Abraham did not serve God and that his work was not an act of

carpenter before he went into a preaching ministry.

And when he finally entered the preaching ministry, he primarily served in the workplace.

This message of work as worship is not new; it is very old. And if it was true for the Hebrews 11 followers of God, then it can be true for Canadian followers of God in the workplace. It can be true for you today.

Paul Richardson is President of The Bible League of Canada

The fallacy is that ministry and worship only take place inside the four walls of a church building, during the service Drawings by Robb Clarke

worship, it is equally wrong to make a blanket statement about farmers today. I can’t say Noah served and worshipped God through his work and at the same time say construction or manufacturing workers can’t. Even ‘politicians’ like Joseph and Moses served and worshipped God through their work, and politicians can similarly serve him today.

All of these Bible personalities are referred to in one chapter of the Bible, Hebrews 11, that great chapter of faith. And yet, there is no 2011 definition of a minister until verse 32. And even then, it is not at the beginning of the verse. When the writer records a prophet (a 2011 definition of a minister), Daniel is chosen . . . a prophet who worked full-time for the federal government.

God uses ordinary people, outside of church buildings and church services, to do some extraordinary acts of ministry and worship. The fallacy is that ministry and worship only take place inside the four walls of a church building, during the service.

Where did Paul spend most of his time? In the workplace daily (Acts 17:17). Of 40 miracles in the Book of Acts, 39 were in the workplace. Where did Jesus spend most of his time? Of 132 public appearances in the New Testament, 122 were in the workplace.

Of 41 parables Jesus told, 40 had a workplace context.

Jesus spent more than 75 percent of his adult life as a

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A.W. Tozer on Worship To really know Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord is to love and worship him! As God’s people, we are so often confused that we could be known as God’s poor, stumbling, bumbling people, for we are most prone to think of worship as something we do when we go to church on Sunday!

We call it God’s house. We have dedicated it to him. So, we continue with the confused idea that it must be the only place where we can worship him. We come to the Lord’s house, made of brick and stone and wood.

We are used to hearing the call to worship: “The Lord is in his holy temple—let us kneel before him!” This is on Sunday and in church—very nice!

But on Monday, as we go about our different duties, are we aware of the continuing Presence of God? The Lord desires still to be in his holy temple, wherever we are; for each of us is a temple in whom dwells the Holy Spirit of God! —Confused About Worship Devotional

How Do You

Worship?

Stewardship As Worship

Insights into the cause of the malaise experienced by many Christians today

By Keith Pickerill

F

or too many people, worship has been reduced to something you can purchase on a CD from Wal-Mart and stewardship has been reduced to fit very nicely in our materialistic culture through simply managing and giving money.

Listen to music and give some money!

This is something unbelievers do equally as well as churchgoers, since it is possible for individuals to go to church, sing a few songs, give money, and then leave to live a life that is indistinguishable from the nonbelieving population.

Unfortunately, they do Worship is more than so believing they are the music and stewardship worshipper and steward God calls them to be. is more than tithing Worship is more than music and stewardship is more than tithing or making a three-year pledge to a ‘stewardship’ campaign.

We must stop calling music leaders ‘worship’ leaders, or identifying the music portion of the service as ‘worship.’ We also need to stop interpreting the presence of the Holy Spirit as reaching a certain level of euphoria or based on the quality of the music as if it were some kind of special feeling that can be achieved.

And let’s stop calling it stewardship when we are simply talking about meeting the church’s financial needs or doing a good job of managing or investing our funds well.

We have a tendency to try and simplify everything and make the Christian life easier and more comfortable. This may attract a crowd, but it does not produce disciples. We cannot dumb down the truth of God in order to feel better about ourselves.

The true worshipper understands that there is nothing about us we should feel good about. Christ should not be used to season self-run lives for he demands nothing less than our full surrender.

Our lack of total consecration, submission, and obedience in all we are and do cannot be covered up by singing songs and giving money. Trying to fill this need with simple activities will leave us empty and as spiritual infants. The fullness of these expressive activities is only discovered as part of the obedient life—a life of true and complete worship.

We are not only called to manage the material things God has entrusted to us (meaning that we own nothing), but that we also manage what God has purchased with his own blood, our very being. We do not belong to ourselves,

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A.W. Tozer on Worship Man is a worshiper and only in the spirit of worship does he find release for all the powers of his amazing intellect. A religious writer has warned us that it may be fatal to trust to the squirrel-work of the industrious brain rather than to the piercing vision of the desirous heart.

The Greek church father, Nicephorus, taught that we should learn to think with our heart.

Force your mind to descend into the heart, he says, and to remain there… When you thus enter into the place of the heart give thanks to God and, praising his mercy, keep always to this doing, and it will teach you things, which in no other way, will you ever learn.

A religious mentality characterized by timidity and lack of moral courage has given us to a flabby Christianity, intellectually impoverished, dull, repetitious and to a great many persons, just plain boring.

This is peddled as the very faith of our fathers in direct lineal descent from Christ and the apostles. We spoon-feed this insipid pabulum to our inquiring youth and, to make it palatable, spice it up with carnal amusements filched from the unbelieving world.

It is easier to entertain than to instruct; it is easier to follow degenerate public taste than to think for oneself, so too many of our evangelical leaders let their minds atrophy while they keep their fingers nimble operating religious gimmicks to bring in the curious crowds.

Christianity must embrace the total personality and command every atom of the redeemed being. We cannot withhold our intellects from the blazing altar and still hope to preserve the true faith of Christ.

—Worshipful Thinking Devotional

but to Jesus.

Jesus is life. Jesus is our life.

We have no life outside of Christ. To live is Christ, to die is gain. All that we say, do, and think must be captive to Christ. Our testimony becomes our witness when we practice and share the gospel message in its fullness. This is God’s calling to stewardship. Good stewardship is our worship expressed in thought, word, and deed. This comes natural to the true worshipper—as natural as thunder is to lightening.

We desperately need to recognize how ingrained consumerism, materialism, greed, pursuit of safety and security, and self-centeredness is in our lives and culture. Unfortunately, those same values are increasingly infiltrating our theology.

The spiritual malaise we are experiencing is, in part, due to the improper understanding of the word ‘stewardship’ as other than whole life discipleship. We need to recapture the depth and breadth in the meaning of the words ‘worship’ and ‘stewardship’ if we hope to lead our people in experiencing the deeper life.

The deeper life is not found in personal empowerment or possessions, but in complete surrender. Restoring biblical stewardship in our churches will expose and challenge what we use to feed self-centred lives seasoned by basic belief in and selective obedience to Christ.

Whole life stewardship is our worship. It is here that the church engages in mission and grows spiritually. It is here that we naturally begin to become a transformative movement of churches in Canada and the world. It is here that we begin to discover the deeper life.

These are the worshippers God calls us to be, in the fullness of all he intended for his glory, and our joy and satisfaction in him.

Good stewardship is our worship expressed in thought, word, and deed

Keith Pickerill is Executive Director of Seamless Link, The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada

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How Do You

Theatre

Worship?

As Worship

Holy and life-changing experiences of truth revealed in community

By Don Tjart and Jason Hildebrand

W

Photos Courtesy Andrew Kraulis

e pull our beat-up touring van into the parking lot of an ornate vault-ceiling church.

Our simple crew—stage manager and two actors, Don Tjart and Jason Hildebrand—start to haul in lighting, props and shabby set (three coolers and a backdrop: part boat sail, part fishing net). We have entered an opulent sacred space; marble throughout, beautiful woodworking and murals line the ceiling and walls. We feel very much out of place.

Our production, Fish Eyes, is the gospel story told through the eyes of blue-collar-fishermen: Pete and Andy. Saint Peter and Saint Andrew, looming about us on painted arches, are not found in our telling. Our play is goofy, poignant and peppered with confusion and disbelief. The gospel of “I Don’t Know.”

Lights dim, audience quiets, cue the music. Pete (Don) and Andy (Jason), tired, hungry and grumpy enter. Plaid shirts, ripped jeans and mucky rubber boots betray their occupation and social status. Out all night, they have caught nothin . . . nothin.

This is not the gospel of saints and piety.

Our play, as with most art, asks of the audience to suspend their disbelief, to leave the cares of their day and enter into the tale unfolding—a time of ‘making belief’ (not pretending). Jesus continually did this with parables.

With Fish Eyes, we have often experienced, together with the audience, our hearts being transformed through what is revealed on stage. We marvel at his mystery and lose ourselves in the absurdity of two average Joe’s trying to track with their master.

It is a time of worship. Corporate worship…community connecting with God and neighbour—drawing near, connecting, responding.

Great theatre has the possibility of being worship. A

holy, life-changing experience of truth revealed in community. Actors and audience can experience transcendent moments together. Moments where the Holy Spirit touches down in The tales such a powerful way that hearts are Jesus told changed. were great There is something magical (the deeper deep magic that C.S. Lewis theatre speaks of) about being together in a room filled with the sights, sounds and smells of a great story unfolding. Jesus understood this. The tales Jesus told were great theatre, great art.

Celebrated author Madeleine L’Engle writes: “Jesus was not a theologian. He was God who told stories.”

And not just random stories. Stories pregnant with truth that shock, provoke and were relevant to his audience. Stories that held up a mirror to the audience asking, “Is this you?” Stories that sparked more questions than answers. Stories that confront the comfort of our lies with the discomfort of truth.

Thankfully, we are returning back to a storytelling age; enmeshing our stories with the story of the Kingdom of Heaven. Theatre as worship is not just for professionals.

This year, our small little inner-city church Toronto Alliance performed, as it does every year, a home-grown, written in-house Christmas pageant. It was imperfect, inclusive and absolutely wonderful. Lights were dimmed, the audience suspended their disbelief, entered the story and worshipped.

Don Tjart and Jason Hildebrand are professional actors and members of Toronto Alliance Church. For Fish Eyes information and booking please see www.fisheyes.ca and www.jasonhildebrand.com

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How Do You

Worship?

Music

As Worship

How this primary and accessible language can help us to express the inexpressible

By Jon Buller

A

s the worship pastor in my home church, each weekend I have the true privilege of leading people in expressing their worship through music. To sing, to make music; these are but two of the many ways we are called to be a worshipping people.

And worship is what we were created to do. But worship is obviously not limited to a musical expression.

Yet, my job title is Pastor of Worship and the Arts. What

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does this really mean? Let’s explore the idea of Music as Worship together.

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:19–20).

A writer named Aldous Huxley said, “next to silence that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible

But worship is obviously not limited to a musical expression

DRC Photography

reminds us how important music is for our worship of God when he says, “as long as the Church can sing her great hymns she cannot be defeated; for hymns are theology set to music. God does it, and man sings it.”

It is worth reminding all of us, especially music leaders and Christian songwriters, how important it is to have sound theology in our songs. We are preaching sermons in each one that we sing, pointing to God with our expression of worship, using the language of song.

I once attended a song-writing retreat that was the inspiration of a new friend, a music lover and also a well-read and informed thinker on theology. He gathered several Christian artists and music pastors together with theologians and writers.

Instead of spending most of the weekend thinking of clever poetry and musical ideas, we first soaked in trinitarian teaching and enjoyed Christian community together. The song-writing inspiration followed from the theology teaching.

The same thing happened in my Alliance History and Thought course where, as I studied our history, I was inspired to write music about the ‘deeper life’ and the Fourfold Gospel. Hopefully and prayerfully, these songs that we write or sing together are part of our language that helps us to worship Jesus.

It’s also a common experience for many to have music, without lyrics, lead them into God’s presence, helping them to ‘express the inexpressible.’ This happens to me often, and it transcends the categories of secular or faith-based, modern or contemporary. I hear a piece of music and I have a spiritual experience. Somehow, and

It’s also a common experience for many to have music, without lyrics, lead them into God’s presence DRC Photography

is music.” While Mr. Huxley is not known to me as a Christian writer, his thought has helped me to understand music as a language; a language of worship.

Over thousands of years, throughout the Bible and obviously continuing into our experience of modern church worship services, music has been a primary and accessible language used to express worship to God. In an article called Theology Set to Music, A.W. Tozer

sometimes even unexpectedly, I have been pointed to God, mysteriously encouraged and inspired in my faith.

How does this happen? C.S. Lewis, in his essay On Church Music, says, “There is . . . a sense in which all natural agents, even inanimate ones, glorify God continually by revealing the powers he has given them.” An excellently performed piece of music, will thus always glorify God, whatever the intention of the performers may be.

King David, the psalmist, is said to have led with ‘integrity of heart’ and ‘skillful hands’ (Psalm 78:72), an encouragement that there is a heart component as well.

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Passion for God in our worship points us to God, along with the skill that reflects who God has made us to be.

Genesis 1:26 simply states the fact that we were created in the very image of God. Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.”

Here we have a very simple reminder that is also articulated by Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:18: “But we all,

A.W. Tozer on Worship The third stage of true worship is wonder.

Here the mind ceases to understand and goes over to a kind of delightful astonishment. Carlyle said that worship is ‘transcendent wonder,’ a degree of wonder without limit and beyond expression. That kind of worship is found throughout the Bible (though it is only fair to say that the lesser degrees of worship are found there also).

Abraham fell on his face in holy wonderment as God spoke to him. Moses hid his face before the presence of God in the

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burning bush. Paul could hardly tell whether he was in or out of the body when he was allowed to see the unspeakable glories of the third heaven. When John saw Jesus walking among his churches, he fell at his feet as dead.

We cite these as examples; the list is long in the biblical record. It may be said that such experiences as these are highly unusual and can be no criterion for the plain Christian today. This is true, but only of the external circumstances; the spiritual content of the experiences is unchanging and is found alike wherever true believers are found.

with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

When we live out our created purpose, which is to worship, we reflect God. And music is a primary language that enables us to articulate our worship to him.

Sometimes we are helped to express the inexpressible by a piece of music performed. Sometimes we are pointed to our Saviour, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King by singing words of truth through songs that are mini-sermons.

Always, so that we can say, as A.W Tozer did, “God does it and man sings it. God speaks and a hymn is the musical echo of his voice.”

Jon Buller is Pastor of Worship and the Arts at Vernon Alliance Church, BC as well as founder and director of Hear the Music Ministries. Visit him at www.jonbuller.com

It is always true that an encounter with God brings wonderment and awe. The pages of Christian biography are sweet with the testimonies of enraptured worshipers who met God in intimate experience and could find no words to express all they felt and saw and heard.

Christian hymnody takes us where the efforts of common prose break down, and brings the wings of poetic feeling to the aid of the wondering saint. Open an old hymnal and turn to the sections on worship and the divine perfections and you will see the part that wonder has played in worship through the centuries.

But wonder is not yet the last nor highest element in worship. The soaring saint has one more mountain peak to clear before he has reached the rarefied air of purest worship. He must adore.

—Wondering Worship Devotion

How Do You

Worship?

Insights into how to respond to God with all that is within you

By Phil Vanderveen

F

ar from being contradictory, the arts and worship are a critical pairing.

As a worship pastor for nearly 15 years, I have steadily encountered two big problems with the way many people treat the Creative Arts today. The first problem is that we have a tendency to forget who our primary audience is.

The second is that too many of us are perpetually in the audience.

We Canadians spend a large percentage of our time and money consuming the arts and entertainment, but

most of us are only on the watching and receiving end.

With a theatre in every neighbourhood, as well as iTunes, iPods and multiple TV channels pumped into nearly every home, we have more arts and entertainment options at our fingertips than at any other time in history.

As we surround ourselves with high-powered and high-financed artistic expression, we also develop high tastes and expectations. This is fine in one sense.

However, I believe we have allowed ourselves to become skillful art critics while at the same time, fewer and fewer

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A.W. Tozer on Worship In worship, several elements may be distinguished, among them love, admiration, wonder and adoration. Though they may not be experienced in that order, a little thought will reveal those elements as being present wherever true worship is found.

Both the Old and the New Testament teach that the essence of true worship is the love of God. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” Our Lord declared this to be the sum of the Law and the Prophets.

Now, love is both a principle and an emotion; it is something both felt and willed. It is capable of almost infinite degrees. Love in the human heart may begin so modestly as to be hardly perceptible and go on to become a raging torrent that sweeps its possessor before it in total helplessness.

Something like this must have been the experience of the apostle Paul, for he felt it necessary to explain to his critics that his apparent madness was actually the love of God ravishing his willing heart.

It is quite impossible to worship God without loving Him. Scripture and reason agree to declare this. And God is never satisfied with anything less than all: “all thy heart . . . all thy soul . . . all thy might.”

This may not at first be possible, but deeper experience with God will prepare us for it, and the inward operations of the Holy Spirit will enable us, after a while, to offer Him such a poured-out fullness of love.

—Worshiping God with All We Are Devotion

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of us are skillful practitioners of the arts.

How does this impact our view of the arts and Christian worship?

In addition to feeding a dangerous consumer approach to corporate worship gatherings, we can also lose sight of the joyful invitation to be individually engaged in the arts.

The arts can be incredibly useful in assisting our personal (and corporate) worship.

It is good and natural to give and receive artistic entertainment in community, but the arts should not only be useful for entertaining the passive masses and done by a select few.

You, too, are an artist and a worshipper in your own right. It is time for every Christ-follower to recover our calling to artful living, and discover what it means to engage the arts in our personal worship.

You are a worshipper Do you realize that you are worshipping at this very moment?

Worship is not an activity that can be turned ‘off’ or ‘on’; whether you feel like it or not, everything you do attributes glory or attention to something or someone, in one way or another.

Few people say this better than Harold Best in his excellent book Unceasing Worship, where he contends that, as people created in God’s image, we carry the God-like characteristic of ‘incurable continuous outpouring.’ He explains that at Creation our homage towards God was steady, but after the Fall we became bent and our continuous outpouring became disordered.

We’re always attributing glory to something, but the question at any given moment is what or whom we are worshipping.

Since the Fall, each of us, at any given moment, is giving deference or adulation to something—whether idols, creatures (including ourselves) or God. Both our everyday living and our artistic endeavours are going to glorify something or someone. Knowing this should encourage us to evaluate our thoughts and actions closely and seek to glorify God in them.

We are artists Just as God made us to be continuous outpourers, so too he created us to be like him with the innate ability to interact with the world around us in creative ways.

Only God creates ex nihilo. But we have been given the ability and permission to manipulate, reform, and build with the elements of that creation. In fact, we are expected to do so.

When he made the heavens and the earth, the Creator brought a perfect

Each of the traditional creative arts affords us an opportunity to enhance our interaction with God and his world interplay of science and art. He enacted stunning scientific processes, demonstrating great creativity as well, and infused it all with beauty.

Instead of making one kind of bird or fish or plant, he was wildly extravagant and creative with species, textures, sights, sounds, sizes, shapes, and colours.

When he made humans (we are his piece de resistance!), God anticipated that we would be like him in creativity too.

At the least, when God invited Adam to name the animals, it would have required learning taxonomy.

But naming the animals would have also been a playful interaction and creative endeavour.

And the invitation to engage the world artfully did not stop with Adam. The Bible is filled with examples of God instructing people to build, construct, design, sing, dance, tell stories, describe fantastical visions, and more. We are built to face life creatively.

Each of the traditional creative arts affords us an opportunity to enhance our interaction with God and his world. They express beauty and truth. Without needing to be didactic, they ‘speak’ a type of voice or language, and

give voice to that which is otherwise inexpressible through normal speech. The arts help us worship more fully.

Living artfully So what does all this have to do with you specifically?

I simply want to extend an invitation for each of us to live more artfully.

Worship and artistic endeavours are not meant for the few, but for all of us. Whether it’s utilizing the fine arts such as music, drama, creative writing, painting, or doing activities such as gardening, furniture repair, building, design, sewing, or storytelling, our lives can be lived creatively and worshipfully.

Life isn’t a TV screen to be passively watched. It’s a stage. None of us should be content with only ever consuming other people’s art. You are an artist, born to praise God. To be sure, there will always be a few who stand out; who’s artistry hits the public sphere such as Jubal, Bezalel and Oholiab, Kenaniah, and David. But that fact should not discount the rest of us from utilizing the arts as an exciting form of personal expression and worship.

We are all made to worship God, and to do so using our creativity. We can’t help it. We are incurable artists who are always worshipping.

If you’re interested in rediscovering this part of your life but don’t know where to start, take some time today to explore the arts in your own personal worship.

Remember, we all need to start somewhere.

Here is one suggestion to get you going. Choose an art form you’ve never tried before, say dance, song, painting a picture, writing a story, poem or play, etc. Then try expressing the statement “God is Love” through that freshly chosen art form.

Watch what happens, and feel God’s pleasure!

Rev. Phil Vanderveen is Pastor of Worship and Arts at Peace Portal Alliance Church, Surrey, BC

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How Do You

Worship?

Missions As Worship How employing this strategy serves to fulfill God’s desire for his world

By Stephen W. Foster

W

hat is the relationship between missions and worship? In his book, Let The Nations Be Glad, John Piper states, “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t.”

The desire of God’s heart is to see men, women, and children from every tribe, people, language and nation worship him. To accomplish this, he has commissioned his followers to go into all the world and make disciples (worshippers).

The goal of missions is worship and, as worshippers draw closer to God, and hear his heartbeat, their hearts’ desire will be for his mission. Out of worship, therefore, the desire to reach men, women and children for Christ becomes their passion.

As worshippers gather together regularly, God’s heart’s desire will be evident through the praying, giving and going of his church.

God’s desire for the nations to worship him is seen throughout the Old Testament. In the Psalms there are phrases like: “May all the kings of the earth praise you, O Lord” (Psalm 138:4 . . . ). “The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice” (Psalm 97:1).

“May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the people praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy . . .”

(Psalm 67:3-4 . . . ). Isaiah writes, “Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world” (Isaiah 12:5).

In Matthew, Jesus continues this theme with a focus on the need to go and bring them. In chapter nine he

The goal of missions is worship

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says, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

Ask the Lord of the harvest . . . to send out workers into the harvest field.” He says in chapter 24, “this gospel . . . will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations . . .”

In the last chapter, Jesus gives the Great Commission, “Go and make disciples of all nations . . .”

As we draw closer to the heart of God through worship, we start to understand his deep love for all people. His desire becomes our desire.

A.B. Simpson wrote, “The secret of missionary consecration is a consecrated heart and a Spirit-filled life.

Until Christ gets his true place in the centre of your being, you will not be good either for missionary enthusiasm or any other work. Therefore . . . our first work is to get God’s children wholly yielded to him in practical consecration and filled and fired with the heart of Christ and the spirit of love and power.”

Simpson applied this in his own life. As he started the New Year in 1880 he wrote in his diary, “The first words of another decade I write to God. To him I give myself anew—wholly—and pray for grace to be always, joyfully and only his—yielded to and receiving and doing his perfect will.”

Simpson worshipped God by submitting ‘All to Jesus’ and through this, had his heart in tune with his Lord’s.

This was the source of his deep sustaining love for missions.

In the song The Mission, sung by Steve Green, the chorus explains the church’s service of worship: “To love the Lord our God is the heartbeat of our mission, the spring from which our service overflows across the street or around the world. The mission’s still the same, proclaim and live the truth in Jesus’ name.”

A.W. Tozer on Worship I must take issue with those in the churches who insist that the worshiping saints do not get anything done but worship! Such an attitude reveals that they have not done their homework.

The beautiful part of worship is that it prepares you and enables you to zero in on the important things that must be done for God. Listen to me! Practically every great deed done in the church of Christ all the way back to the apostles was done by people blazing with the radiant worship of their God!

Photos Courtesy Sue Yuan

Communication of news from the field is a priority to share with the church family Believers in a local church, who worship Jesus Christ through being ‘wholly yielded’ to him, and hearing his heartbeat, will respond by reaching the world for him.

They will pray together about: >> sending workers (both short-term mission teams and career workers); >> the needs of the workers (finances, friendships); >> opening doors (opportunities to share the good news); >> breaking down barriers (cultural and language differences); and >> all strongholds (spiritual and traditional).

As answers to prayers and praise items come in, thanksgiving is given to the Lord. Communication of news from the field is a priority to share with the church family. Sacrificial giving will take place to see God’s will being done. As needs are brought forward, funds are

The great hospitals and the mental institutions have grown out of the hearts of worshiping and compassionate disciples. It is true, also, that wherever the church has come out of her lethargy and into the tides of revival and spiritual renewal, always the worshipers were back of it.

A survey of church history will prove that it was those who were the yearning worshipers who also became the great workers and the selfless servants. If we give ourselves to God’s call for worship, everyone will do more for the Saviour than they are doing now!

—Worship and Work Devotion

provided with joyful hearts anticipating more worshippers added to the Kingdom.

Believers will prayerfully and strategically consider the mission field. Youth will be encouraged to seek what God desires for their lives, including overseas ministry.

Together, as a church family, God’s heartbeat for longing to see the nations worship him will be a passionate, common focus in worship.

Rev. Stephen W. Foster is Seamless Link Advisor, Canadian Pacific District, The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada

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How Do You

Worship?

Communion As Worship n n n

How a Jewish tradition adds perspective to this Christian act of remembrance

By Steve Kerr

This Sunday, in churches all over the world, the Lord’s Supper will be re-enacted as an act of worship. Followers of Jesus will be invited to take a piece of bread, break it and eat as an act of remembrance. What will we remember?

Most of us will remember the events of Thursday and Friday of the Passion Week.

I wonder how many of us will take the opportunity to remember the events of the Saturday and Easter Sunday as well?

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W

hen I was in Israel last year, one of the things we did as a group was to celebrate a Passover Meal.

We learned that, early in the evening before the Passover meal begins, the father of the family pulls out a piece of ‘matzah’ which is unleavened bread.

The father gives thanks to God and then breaks off a piece of the matzah bread. They call that piece the ‘afikomen.’ He wraps it in a special cloth and then he hides it somewhere in the house. Then, later on that night, after the meal is done and after the sun goes down, the children are sent out to find the afikomen. The one who finds it and brings it back to the father is given a present.

In first century Judaism, the afikomen came to symbolize the coming Messiah. The tradition was that the whole piece of matzah represented the people of Israel and the Messiah was ‘broken off’ from the people and hidden away. The appearance of the afikomen at the end of the meal was to remind people that one day their Messiah would come.

That’s why it is so interesting what Jesus did during that part of the Passover meal in the Upper Room. Luke 22:19 says, “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’”

During the Passover Meal, Jesus broke off the afikomen that represented The next the Messiah. Then he held it up and day, Jesus’ as he personally handed each of his disciples a piece he said, “Here I am! body was This is me!” broken The next day, Jesus’ body was broken. Jesus, the afikomen Messiah, was broken off from his people when he died. He was laid in a tomb and hidden away. On Friday he was killed and buried. On Saturday he was in the ground. And Sunday?

On Sunday the afikomen was found!

Interestingly, the Sunday after Passover that year coincided with another holiday called ‘Firstfruits.’

Firstfruits was a celebration of the first harvest—the barley harvest. That’s why, on the Sabbath before Firstfruits, the tradition was for people to come into the Temple and pray for life to come from the ground as preparation for the Feast of Firstfruits.

Ezekiel 37 would have been read on that Sabbath day.

It is a prophetic vision where dead bones were raised up and came alive. This helped the Jewish people to remember that the Feast of Firstfruits wasn’t just about praying that plant life was coming from the ground but was a reminder that God will raise humans to life one day at the final resurrection.

So allow me to recap. On the week when Jesus died: n

Thursday night was the Passover Meal. Lamb was not on the menu that evening because Jesus would offer himself the next day as the sacrificial lamb that would die for the sins of the world.

n

Friday Jesus, our afikomen Messiah, was broken off from his people, laid in the grave and descended into hell.

n

Saturday was the Sabbath before Firstfruits. Imagine that you are one of Jesus’ followers streaming into the Temple on that Sabbath. It’s the day after Jesus was crucified. Still stunned by his brutal execution, you listen as the Priest reads a prophetic vision about dead bones coming to life. You observe the people of God praying that life will come out of the ground. And then what happens the next day?

n

Sunday was the Feast of Firstfruits. Picture what it must have been like hearing the wild rumors sweeping across Jerusalem, “Jesus’ tomb is empty! Some of his followers have seen him!” Imagine the chill running down your spine when you consider, “Could Jesus be the firstfruits of the promised resurrection? Is he the first of those dead bones coming to life?”

In his first letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul makes this obvious connection when he says, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15: 20).

This connection between his death and our coming resurrection is why the Apostle Paul said, “For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again” (see 1 Corinthians 11:26).

The next time you worship the Lord in Communion, remember the entire events of Passion Week in a way that not only causes you to look back but also to look forward to the day when he will return!

Rev. Steve Kerr is Senior Pastor at Gateway Church in Caledonia, ON

A.W. Tozer on Worship Men who refuse to worship the true God now worship themselves with tender devotion.

—The Divine Conquest, pg. 52

...no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God. —The Knowledge of the Holy, pg. 9

Worship, I say, rises or falls with our concept of God...and if there is one terrible disease in the Church of Christ, it is that we do not see God as great as He is.

—Worship: The Missing Jewel of the Evangelical Church, pg. 25

How Do You

Worship?

Fitness as Worship A rationale supporting the process of taking care of ourselves

By Kimberley Payne

T

he beginning of a new year is a time when many people resolve to put health and fitness back on top of their priority list. They view their health as important—both spiritual and physical. Resolutions may include exercising every day, eating healthy foods, reading the Bible in a year, and spending more time worshipping God. Do you think it is possible to consider exercise and healthy eating a form of worship?

What exactly is worship? In my research, I do believe we are to be I discovered that worship good stewards of the focuses the attention of the worshipper upon bodies God has given us the sacred. A study of the Bible showed that there are many different forms of worship including praise and thanksgiving, songs, dancing, observing the Lord’s Supper, giving of money, giving of time, and making our bodies a living sacrifice.

Paul tells us, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable.

This is truly the way to worship him” (Romans 12:1 NLT). As a health and fitness enthusiast, I was delighted to see that fitness is indeed a form of worship.

Stephanie Nickel agrees. A personal trainer living in St. Thomas, ON she says, “I do believe we are to be good stewards of the bodies God has given us. After all, they are ‘temples of the Holy Spirit.’

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While spiritual fitness is the most important, we are ‘fearfully and wonderfully made.’

“When we do something that is good for one area (i.e. exercise and eat properly), all other areas will benefit—emotional, mental, intellectual, relationships and energy levels. We even benefit spiritually as we think more clearly and have more energy to do what God calls us to do.”

“I suppose if we consider our bodies as a temple of the Holy Spirit, meaning that God lives in us, that fitness and taking care of our bodies could be an act of worship,” says Carolyn Wilker of FineTune Editing in Kitchener, ON. “Exercise would then serve as worship rather than a sense of ‘I have to do this if I want to be healthy.’”

Brenda Leyland is a writer, blogger and teacher. Her deepest desire is to live out the greatest commandment— to love God with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength (body). Brenda shares, “Every part of our lives becomes worship when it lines up with his designs and purposes.

“When God created us to be physical beings in a material, physical world, he sanctioned our bodies— when he called his creation good that included our bodies, not just our souls or spirits (as some have been prone to think). That must mean then, that our bodies have a purpose for being created. And if our bodies have a purpose in his plans, then fitness and well-being of our bodies must matter to him.”

However, not everyone agrees that we can put fitness into the category of worship. Brian Austin, a writer, poet and grandfather says, “I’m not sure I would label fitness as an act of worship. But I sometimes suspect that neglecting to take care of ourselves physically undermines us in so many ways. If I’m hesitant to call keeping fit an act of worship, I think it is fair to call neglecting my body an act of self-contempt and contempt toward God. There is a word for that, no longer common in the English language. ‘Sin.’” Even though some people might not agree that fitness is a form of worship, they do regard it as part of being set apart as holy for God. When asked, Bible student Lyn Kublick shares, “We so often treat our body as though it belongs to us and we can put anything into it that we want to. We starve it for sleep and deprive it of exercise.

What an abusive way to treat a temple! When this temple is mistreated, it makes it more difficult to witness to others.”

I believe that presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice is an act of worship. Through health and fitness, I can give my body to God. I look forward to keeping my New Year’s resolution of worshipping God through exercising.

Kimberley J. Payne is the author of numerous books, including Fit for Faith—7 weeks to improved spiritual and physical health. Visit her at www.kimberleypayne.com

On-line Wellness Solutions

A valuable tool to help individuals take control of their health One aspect of worship is ensuring that every part of our lives, including our physical and mental well-being, must be in tune with God’s desire for us to have a well-balanced and fruitful life.

Studies have shown that pastors, International Workers and administrative staff in churches face the same stresses and burdens as others in our fast-paced society. Sometimes even more! Although our leaders do what they do as a calling, the pressures and expectations of ministry often result in burnout, or at least reduced productivity.

All Alliance Licensed Workers have access to Life2Go as a personally-driven tool to help cope with the stress and pressure of balancing church, individual and family life.

Life2Go is an interactive website that promotes the health and wellness of corporate workforces. For more than five years, the website has been a valuable tool to help individuals take control of their health and wellness.

Nutrition and fitness programs are automatically generated when the user inputs their metrics including gender, age, weight, body measurements and present physical activity. Each person fills out a personal profile and sets their target goals.

Visual tools track the nutrition and fitness program results and include a Body Mass Index reading and personal weight goal graph.

A new feature tracks blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol levels. A vast database of print and video resources under the categories of fitness, nutrition and healthy living serves to educate the user through topics such as stress, addiction, and mental health, in order to take control of their personal health issues. Since the on-line program is driven by the individual user, privacy of information is maintained.

Life2Go Inc. provides this on-line program to The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada leadership and their spouses free-of-charge. It is their prayer that the program will be used and that the results will produce positive health and well-being in Alliance workers.

For non-workers, Life2Go is available for a modest fee.

For more information, go to www.life2go.com.

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What Our Church

We were created to be worshippers of God; therefore, our desire is to passionately and authentically pour our worship out to God—corporately, privately, and through the living of our lives. We recognize the diversity of our congregation and want to honour the variety of sacred pathways to worship using many art forms to communicate Biblical truth, express worship to God, and build a bridge to our community.

First Alliance Church, Calgary, AB

Worship is an attitude of the heart expressed in many ways. It is giving God glory for who he is, what he has done, what he is doing and what he is going to do.

…we worship God for who he is and what he is doing in our lives.

Prince Albert Alliance Church, SK

Morden Alliance Church, MB

“To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.” – William Temple Heritage Park Alliance Church, Windsor, ON

…we strive to live out the sta

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FEATURE

rches Say About

…we treasure the dynamic of coming together for corporate worship, celebration, and training events.

In these events, we celebrate the opportunity to demonstrate to the living God how much he matters to us.

Newmarket Alliance Church, ON

Worship is what happens when people become aware that they are in the presence of God…worship is a continual outpouring of our lives whether it be conscious or unconscious…

Bramalea Alliance Church, ON

Worship is such an important and integral part of everything we do at Foothills—it’s what we were created for!

Foothills Alliance Church, Calgary, AB

We believe that worshipping God (both personally and together), is our highest priority.

Peace Portal Alliance Church, Surrey, BC

Worshipping God as a body of Christ is a beautiful thing!

Southside Community Church, Milton, ON

atement that ‘worship is life.’

Okotoks Alliance Church, AB

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FEATURE

Healing Worship

By Ruth Ann Fraser

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Practical insights to integrating this liturgical service into the total life of the church

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grew up in a remote northern location, so my family worshipped ‘wherever the Word was preached.’ As a result, I experienced an eclectic variety of worship styles and practices. When I joined an Alliance church, I felt immediately at home. A good part of that ‘coming home’ feeling was the emphasis on the Fourfold Gospel—Jesus as Saviour, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King.

As a registered nurse, I had grown increasingly aware of how significant holistic ministry is. The inclusion of Jesus as Healer as part of the gospel message was particularly compelling to me personally.

At Assembly 2010 in Turkey, one of our keynote speakers, Steve Kerr, the pastor at Gateway Church in Caledonia, ON noted the need for three things: a theology, a method and a practice of healing. Pastor Kerr reminded us that while we have a theology of healing, we also have models and a practice of healing. It was an excellent, moving time of healing worship followed by a service of Communion and anointing with oil.

This type of service is often replicated throughout the Alliance family of churches. In addition to those times, special healing services may be conducted at the time when a healing ministry is introduced to the church or when a parish nurse is commissioned.

Indeed, one role of a parish nurse is to keep the focus of the church on health and healing, because it is a perspective that is easily lost in the other missions and messages of the Fourfold Gospel. Healing worship services often produce many stories of how God has moved in healing body, mind and spirit.

However, many of our Alliance churches, pastors and congregations still struggle with the theology of Christ as Healer and with how to best implement Christ’s call to healing ministry.

So we settle for a once-a-month-when-we-remember, short time of prayer at the end of the Communion service.

A.W. Tozer once said, “Worship is the missing jewel in the Christian Church.”

Perhaps, if I could be so bold as to paraphrase Tozer, I would say that healing worship is the missing jewel.

Time for healing Healing worship is not an add-on at the end of a Communion service. It is taking the time to come into the presence of Jesus, our Healer. Yes, we need the theology, the models and the practice, but more than that, we need the presence—the presence of our living, loving, healing Jesus.

We experienced that in Turkey. Having been reminded of the theology, models and practice of healing, the gathered congregation spent time in communion and then time in prayer for healing.

Time is perhaps one of the keys to healing worship.

One Sunday, several years ago, Billy Shisko, a dear woman in her eighties said to me “I think the reason we sing a We live in a worship chorus several times time when we is that it takes that long for the have many meaning to get from our heads to our hearts!” obligations, We live in a time when distractions, we have many obligations, and demands distractions, and demands.

It is hard to let go of all that is pulling at us and to come into the presence of Christ.

Like the woman who had to reach Jesus though the crowd just to touch the hem of his garment. It took persistence, courage, and time on her part.

So too, it demands persistence, courage, and time to push through the crowd of our own distractions to touch Jesus. But he is waiting for us to touch him so that he may turn and, with compassion, look on us and say to us, “be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace” (Luke 8:48 NKJV).

The peace of Christ and the shalom of God encompasses wholeness and well-being in body, mind Recommended Resource Evans, Abigail Rian. Healing Liturgies for the Seasons of Life. Westminster John Knox Press 2004

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A.W. Tozer on Worship In the love which any intelligent creature feels for God, there must always be a measure of mystery. It is even possible that it is almost wholly mystery, and that our attempt to find reasons is merely a rationalizing of a love already mysteriously present in the heart as a result of some secret operation of the Spirit

within us, “working like a miner, toiling unseen in the depths of the earth? ” (Fenelon).

But so far as reasons can be given, they would seem to be two: gratitude and excellence.

To love God because he has been good to us is one of the most reasonable things possible. The love which arises from the consideration of his kindness to us is valid and

and spirit. It is a peace that surpasses all understanding. It is a peace that resides deep within disregarding external circumstances. It is a peace that begins in our spirit and wells up through our soul (our mind, will and emotions).

It is a peace that abides in faith, hope and love.

Mystery of healing At the same time, we acknowledge that we live in a broken world, a world of disease and death. Sometimes we succumb. Thus, healing, whether of body, mind or spirit, has always some element of mystery.

We do not know the why, when, where or how of God’s answer to our cry for healing. But we are called to come alongside and proclaim the good news of the full gospel of the salvation that Christ has wrought for us by his death and resurrection.

We have been saved from our sins, saved from ourselves, saved from our sicknesses, and saved for a secure future. That is why the Lord’s Supper or Communion has such power and mystery. It is a time spent in the presence of God, recalling that Jesus is our Saviour, our Sanctifier, our Healer and our Coming King.

As we spend time in the presence of Jesus, are obedient to his Word, and ask the elders of the church to pray over us and anoint us with oil, we find that the peace that abides in faith, hope and Sometimes it brings love rises up. It strength and courage to not only rises walk a difficult journey through our through disease and pain spirit and our soul.

Sometimes it rises up to touch our bodies. Sometimes it brings strength and courage to walk a difficult journey through disease and pain until we see our King faceto-face in eternity. And sometimes, in mystery, we find healing of body or mind or perhaps a pathway to healing.

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altogether acceptable to him. It is nevertheless a lower degree of love, being less selfless than that love which springs from an appreciation of what God is in himself apart from his gifts.

Thus, the simple love which arises from gratitude, when expressed in any act or conscious utterance, is undoubtedly worship.

But the quality of our worship is stepped up as

we move away from the thought of what God has done for us and nearer the thought of the excellence of his holy nature. This leads us to admiration.

—Worshipping the Giver Devotion

Community for healing The Scriptures also call us to community. We are part of the body of Christ. We have been blessed with gifts of God. We recognize that Christ is in all and through all and all things move and have their being in him.

Our bodies were created, by God, to heal.

People who have the skills, training, knowledge and/or gifts of healing may well speak, by the spirit of the healing Christ, the words and a pathway to health. If we are good stewards of the body God gave us, then proper diet, medications, therapies, So we should or herbs may all provide healing. not consider But if Christ is in all and healing and through all, then it seems to other such be appropriate to think of works out of all these models, methods and means as our Saviour’s the ordinary gracious provision for the healing of both our body and soul. To God alone be the glory.

Divine healing is not only the instantaneous or ‘miraculous.’ It is the work that God has called us all to participate in. Just as Jesus sent his disciples out to imitate their master in teaching, preaching and healing.

And just as he promises that whoever believes in him will do the works he does ‘and greater,’ we find that inherent in these Scriptures is the promise that these are the signs that follow those who believe. So we should

Planning a Healing Service Some things to be considered Opening: Words of welcome and healing.

with songs of praise and worship as time allows.

Song of invitation: To the Holy Spirit to work amongst those gathered.

Sermon: Brief, to the point, illustrating one of the Scriptures. Let the Holy Spirit, the presence of Christ be the minister of healing.

Let your words be few.

Scripture: Readings based on healing—include both Old and New Testaments; perhaps have the congregation involved with responsive reading. It is the Word of God which is alive and active to bring God’s purposes to us both individually and corporately.

Allow it to speak.

Perhaps have a time of prepared testimony— ask members of the congregation who have experienced God’s healing power, by whatever means, to speak to a Scripture passage that has brought them healing and/or wholeness. Scriptures may be interspersed

Prayers of repentance: It is sin that sometimes blocks us from experiencing the presence of God. A time of confession, repentance and renouncing the enemies of our soul (e.g. anger, jealousy, envy, pride, lust) is appropriate.

Congregational prayer: Receiving and acknowledging God’s forgiveness.

Prayers of blessing: Sanctifying all who will be involved in leading prayers for healing.

not consider healing and other such works out of the ordinary, but simply the works of those who follow in the footsteps of their Master.

Simply put, our part is to trust in God for ourselves, and for those who may not yet be able to trust him. Our part is also to do those simple, necessary things that help to answer the prayers we make. If we pray for bread for the poor, it is also for us to share the bread on our table. If we pray for a healing for cancer, it is also for us to tend to our way of living and to support the healers among us.

As you seek to bring healing worship to your community of faith, remember that we were,

Communion: Perhaps re-arrange the manner in which Communion is taken.

Have people move out of their seats, to willingly and at a time that the Spirit leads, come forward to take the bread and the wine.

There is something that is activated in the will when a person must get up and leave their chair/ pew . . . perhaps reminiscent of Christ’s command to “rise and walk.” Allow Communion to be the ‘main event.’ Enter into the mystery of all that Christ has accomplished.

Hymns/choruses/meditative songs: These can be sung while others are going forward for Communion and/or anointing.

Anointing with oil, laying on of hands: Ask the elders, the parish nurse,

family members, friends, other healthcare workers, to join with those who are requesting prayer for healing. Ask the person requesting anointing what it is that they wish from the Lord . . . how has the Lord brought them to this point?

Scripture tells us to confess our sins to one another—is there anything they feel the Spirit is leading them to confess to another?

Anything that they need to make right? Take time—do not pray too quickly; seek direction from the Holy Spirit and follow that leading.

Ask for confirmation. In closing, thank God for how he has led and ask him for strength for the individual to walk in the revelation they have received.

Closing Hymn and Benediction.

originally, an Alliance of believers from a number of denominational backgrounds.

My eclectic background in faith has confirmed that we can again, like Isaac, “re-dig the wells of our forefathers and call them by the names which our fathers have called them.”

There are many resources and models for healing worship within both evangelical and mainline traditions.

Let us listen for the leading of the Spirit and follow Jesus, our Healer.

Ruth Ann Fraser is the National Coordinator of Alliance Parish Nurse Ministries

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FEATURE

Where Nations Meet to Worship How strangers in a foreign land come together as family Photo Courtesy Dan Harstad

By Daniel Harstad

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t was a worship service that became indelibly etched in our minds for its resemblance to Revelation 7:9, where we glimpse “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”

It was the first time my wife, Linda, and I had participated in one of the 26 weekly services of the Lighthouse Church in Kuwait City.

Looking throughout the room, the faces of people from all around the globe caught our eyes. Filipino, Australian, Indian, Nigerian, Sri Lankan, Canadian, Bulgarian, American, Pakistani, and Egyptian worshippers were among those whose countries were represented that day.

As members of a large international pastoral staff, we had the privilege of being part of these people’s lives for two years. Worshipping in an international setting left us with many warm memories and several unforgettable impressions.

Our first impression was that this church was a place of welcome and inclusiveness. Possibly because everyone was a distance from their homeland, each person was in need of a family. This church became that family. It became a cohesive family, blended together with members from almost fifty different nations.

Just as in our Alliance churches in Canada, we found a variety of expressions of worship in the different services in this unique church. But something that was consistent was the warmth of relationship that we had rarely seen before, as people were drawn together with a common focus on the God we worship.

The Lighthouse Church reminds me of what one person has described as a ‘Velcro Church.’ It draws new

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people into an atmosphere they find difficult to leave, but desirable to stay. This is opposite to a ‘Teflon Church,’ which has no ability to draw a visitor back again. We found each worship event to be welcoming and inclusive.

Another impression we came away with was that, in this church, there was a sense of captivating wonder. Each Friday (the main worship day in Kuwait) people with very diverse religious and cultural backgrounds were drawn together with excitement and anticipation of Teams of intercessors God at work to bring bathed each healing and wholeness service in prayer to broken lives.

Teams of intercessors bathed each service in prayer and well-prepared worship music teams and pastors led us to an encounter with God. As we worshipped together with the nations, the eyes of our hearts were drawn beyond our differences as we focused on God in a way that filled our lives with wonder.

The third impression was that worship in this church created a witness that is far-reaching. Life in Kuwait becomes transformational for so many. Coming from all over the world to find work and a better economic life, thousands have found eternal life in God’s Son as he has been lifted up in worship in an unexpected land.

These transformed people return one day, to their home nations, as worshippers with a transforming message for their families, friends and neighbours.

Rev. Dan Harstad is Interim Pastor at Sturgeon Alliance Church, Gibbons, AB and was staff pastor at the Lighthouse Church in Kuwait from 2008 – 2010

FEATURE

Culturally Sensitive Worship Creating a more relevant and meaningful experience within the context of diversity

By Dr. T.V. Thomas

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s we look at the concept of pursuing culturally sensitive worship, we must first of all define the terms ‘culture’ and ‘worship.’ This applies particularly to multicultural or ethnic bodies but has implications even for Caucasian western congregations.

Culture: We are creatures of culture. We cannot talk about human beings in the abstract because we do not exist in the abstract. Just as we cannot live without the earth’s atmosphere, we cannot live apart from culture. Culture is inextricably bound up with who we are.

Culture is the way of life of a people—the sum total of the actions and experiences of a people and a person. And culture is the means by which individuals or a group of human beings orient, organize and conduct themselves cognitively, affectively and Worshiping in their native language and in a familiar style and form provides an oasis to such individuals behaviourally in a given time and place.

Worship: Corporate worship can be defined as the self-expression of a particular church community in a public celebration of the Christian faith.

So when people go to church, they bring their culture with them because culture

is their essential selves. Therefore, worship, in order to be relevant and meaningful, has to be an integral part of people’s lives and culture.

It is not surprising, then, that most First-Generation immigrants tend to seek out a congregation composed of people from their homeland or those who share their native language.

Worshipping in their native language and in a familiar style and form provides an oasis to such individuals as they integrate into their new environment. Cultural familiarity and a homogenous faith community are essentials to anchor and support the immigrants in a foreign land during times of transition and, often, turmoil.

People from diverse cultures bring multiple expectations to the worship service because of their cultural, theological, denominational and national heritage. What follows is a helpful list of questions one may ponder on the multiple dimensions of corporate worship that may be considered very significant in various cultures.

Not all questions apply to any one ethnic congregation, but certainly the questions are appropriate for any church—western Caucasian, second generation or new immigrant—to examine and answer as they seek to create a sensitive worship experience for their congregation’s cultural context.

1.0 Location/Space 1.1 Is a church sanctuary necessary for the worship gathering?

1.2 Is a public symbol of the Cross essential in the worship space?

1.3 Are banners with native writing or cultural images key for the worship space?

2.0 Format 2.1 Is there a sense of reverence expected in the worship space before the service begins?

2.2 What is an acceptable degree of formality or informality exercised in the service?

2.3 Does the service begin with a call to worship?

If so, who usually does this?

2.4 Are there opportunities for individuals to share testimonies in the service?

2.5 How frequently does the congregation share in the Lord’s Supper?

2.6 Is there a benediction given at the end of the service?

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3.0 Time Factor 3.1 Is starting the service on time a cherished value? What is the value of punctuality in the congregational culture?

3.2 Are most people punctual? That is, do they show up by the expected start of the service?

3.3 What is an appropriate length of the service?

4.0 Scripture Readings 4.1 Who decides what Scripture passages are read? Do they follow the lectionary?

4.2 How many Scripture passages are read at each service?

4.3 Who is allowed to read the passages? Pastors?

Lay leaders? Gender preference?

4.4 Are passages read in one or more languages?

4.5 Are responsive readings acceptable and practiced?

5.0 Preaching 5.1 Is the sermon considered the most important part of the worship experience?

5.2 Who regularly preaches at the services?

5.3 Are lay elders allowed to preach periodically?

5.4 What is the appropriate attire for the one who preaches?

5.5 What is the expected form of preaching?

Expository? Topical?

Narrative?

5.6 What is the length of a regular sermon?

5.7 Is the sermon translated and, if so, into how many languages?

5.8 Is humour acceptable in preaching?

5.9 Is interactive dialogue

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by the congregation encouraged during the sermon?

5.10 How frequently are guest preachers invited to speak?

5.11 Is there a sermon ‘talkback’ time after the worship service for laity to discuss the theme?

6.0 Public Prayers 6.1 Who is allowed to lead in public prayers?

Pastors? Lay leaders?

6.2 Are the prayers extemporaneous or written out?

6.3 What is the posture of prayer? Sitting?

Kneeling? Standing? A combination?

6.4 Is the Lord’s Prayer used regularly?

6.5 Is a creed recited? How often?

6.6 Are there opportunities for individuals from the congregation to pray aloud?

6.7 Is there a time for intercessory prayer for community, nation and the world?

6.8 Are there ministry times when people can come forward for prayer?

6.9 Are there periods of silence for reflection?

7.0 Music and Arts 7.1 Are hymns used in a service and how many?

One? Two? Or more?

7.2 Is singing monolingual, bilingual, multi-lingual?

7.3 Is worship led by a worship team or a choir?

7.4 What are the ‘sacred’ instruments? Which instruments are considered taboo to use?

7.5 Are drama and/or dance used in the service?

7.6 Are clapping and saying

‘Amen’ acceptable responses to choirs, soloists, etc.

8.0 Offering 8.1 When is the offering taken?

8.2 Is the offering taken with musical accompaniment?

8.3 Do the people dance forward to place their tithes in the offering plate?

8.4 Is there more than one offering at each service?

9.0 Special Days/ Seasons 9.1 What special days on the Liturgical/ Church calendar are significantly celebrated?

9.2 Are national and/or special days of different groups celebrated?

9.3 When, where and how frequent are baptismal services held?

People from diverse cultures bring multiple expectations to the worship service Each question obviously has different answers depending upon—you guessed it—the cultural background of the specific congregation.

Worship, as we said, is the public celebration of the Christian faith. Thus, as the questions indicate, worship engages all aspects of that public celebration from preaching to giving to prayer to Scripture reading to music.

Since the way we celebrate has much to do with the cultural context, the truly important thing is that we celebrate or worship in a germane and meaningful way and that it is integrally part of the congregation’s life and culture.

Rev. Dr. T.V. Thomas has served as the Multicultural/ Intercultural Ministries Consultant to The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada since 2008 and directs the Centre of Evangelism and World Mission in Regina, SK

SEAMLESS LINK

Building a Bridge How God is connecting people across the country to further his work globally

by Serge Roy

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he reality of Seamless Link at Lévis Alliance Church began over two years ago with a budget surplus we wanted to invest in God’s work elsewhere. In faith, the Elder’s Board sought the Lord’s direction as to how he wanted to associate us with his work.

The needs of this ministry have become important in the personal and corporate prayer life of the congregation

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your connection. your world.

becoming acquainted with one another and seeing how God will use us together to further his Kingdom here and in Africa.

God blessed us over and above our expectations with a special visit from Colette to Lévis. She was able to share about her ministry, and in the presence of the entire The kids baked and sold cookies to congregation, we signed our help a radio station in West Africa Seamless Link care for abandoned babies Covenant on November 21, 2010.

Soon after, we became aware of The impact of all this on the a need through a fundraiser held congregation is already being felt. by the children in Sunday School The needs of this ministry have under the direction of Lorilee become important in the personal Jespersen. The kids baked and sold and corporate prayer life of the cookies to help a radio station in congregation. A mission committee West Africa care for abandoned has been formed to assure good babies. communication and address the We wrote to Colette, an changing needs of our partnership.

International Worker who is Personal meetings with the director of the station, and Colette during her time here have became aware of the need to connected people emotionally and fund program development and spiritually to West Africa. Her production. This need was shared passion for Africa through the with the congregation who voted radio station and the rescue centre unanimously to support this work was contagious and mobilizing. with our budget surplus.

I believe we are at the beginning Meanwhile, Lorilee had become of a wonderful adventure uniting our Seamless Link Advisor, and our Quebec and Western Canadian we began working toward a formal churches into building a bridge partnership with Colette’s work in between Africa and Canada that Africa. will further God’s work both This new partnership provided locally and globally. an opportunity for me to visit Serge Roy is Senior Pastor at churches in Alberta also associated Alliance Chrétienne et Missionnaire with Colette’s work. Two goals de Lévis, QC have been achieved through this:

FIL INVISIBLE

Bâtir un pont Dieu crée des liens entre nos Églises d’un bout à l’autre du pays pour faire avancer son œuvre à l’échelle mondiale Par Serge Roy

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ette nouvelle réalité, devenue visible pour nous à Lévis, a débuté il y a deux ans avec un surplus budgétaire que nous désirions réinvestir dans l’œuvre de Dieu. Le Conseil des Anciens, dans la prière, a demandé à Dieu de nous montrer où Il voulait nous associer à son travail.

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Cette mission a pris une place importante dans notre vie de prière personnelle et collective

votre connexion vers le monde

deux objectifs : faire connaissance avec ces dernières et voir comment Dieu nous appellerait à travailler ensemble à son œuvre ici et là-bas.

Dieu nous a bénis au-delà de nos attentes en nous gratifiant d’une visite de Colette à Lévis. Elle nous a présenté son ministère et, comblés par ce face à face, nous avons signé notre partenariat le Les enfants ont vendu des biscuits pour 21 novembre en présence aider une station de radio en Afrique qui de toute accueille des bébés abandonnés l’assemblée.

L’impact de Peu après, nous avons été cette démarche sur la vie de l’Église sensibilisés par une activité de levée est palpable. Cette mission a pris une de fonds de nos enfants sous la place importante dans notre vie de direction de Lorilee Jespersen. Ils prière personnelle et collective. Un vendaient des biscuits pour aider comité de missions a été formé pour une station de radio en Afrique qui assurer la communication, encadrer accueillait des bébés abandonnés. l’évolution de la mission et faire Nous avons donc adressé un courriel connaître les besoins de prières. à Colette, responsable de la station Les rencontres avec Colette dans de radio, qui nous a fait connaître le les familles et en assemblée nous besoin de financement pour la mise ont rattachés émotionnellement en place de la programmation et de et spirituellement à l’Afrique. Sa l’animation des émissions. Nous passion pour ce pays et pour l’oeuvre avons partagé cela en assemblée de la station de radio et le centre de générale et, d’un commun accord, sauvetage des enfants s’est avérée avons pris l’engagement de répondre contagieuse et mobilisante. Je crois à ces besoins. que nous sommes au début d’une Entre-temps, Lorilee est devenue grande aventure qui va rapprocher notre conseillère pour le « Fil nos Églises du Québec et de l’Ouest invisible » et, avec son aide, nous canadien et nous amener à bâtir avons développé un partenariat ensemble un pont entre l’Afrique et formel avec la station de radio. le Canada.

Dieu s’est servi de cette alliance Serge Roy est le pasteur de l’Église ACM de pour me faire rencontrer plusieurs Lévis, QC de nos Églises de l’Alberta. J’avais

Alliance Justice and Compassion

Defend Dignity in Canada Our new national campaign to end prostitution in this country

By Glendyne Gerrard

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criminalize the demand and also decriminalize the women, treating them instead as victims.

A similar law was enacted in Sweden 11 years ago. Subsequently, that nation saw a 60 percent drop in prostitution within the first year. Drug detox centres and job retraining are now in place for the women, while the buyers of sex are penalized with jail sentences and fines.

Jesus asks us to come alongside the least of these. Our Vision Prayer asks us to be passionate in pursuit of his mission and mercy. Defend Dignity offers you a way to do just that.

Glendyne Gerrard is National Director of Women’s Ministries, The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada

faith and hope in action

an we do something to slow reading a report from the Aboriginal or even stop prostitution in Women’s Action Network. I sensed Canada?

God’s Spirit convicting me as the The answer is a resounding statistics and stories became real life yes, we can end prostitution! A women and children. new national campaign from The In Regina last summer I met Christian and Missionary Alliance Josie, a long time street worker. I to defend the dignity of every woman heard firsthand the realities of her and girl can be part of that answer. life, and asked myself “where have The campaign, Defend Dignity, I been and where have we been as a launches this spring. denomination on this issue?”

Every Alliance church will Human trafficking is certainly receive a package of information on everyone’s radar these days. which includes DVD’s and an However, most of us don’t realize invitation to visit a new website that trafficking is happening, on a www.defenddignity.ca. regular basis, in our The package is filled with Canadian cities, towns . . . we need critical information along and reserves with our with suggestions for your Canadian girls and to criminalize involvement. women. the demand Each of us comes to We believe that and also this issue from a different with the issue before path or perspective. My the courts in Ontario decriminalize life has been forever and receiving a higher the women . . . profile in the media, changed since last spring.

The Holy Spirit used this is the time to get days of reading through documents involved. Benjamin Perrin, a law on the realities of prostitution in professor at the University of British Canada and then getting to know a Columbia, believes that we are at a former prostitute from Vancouver’s unique point in Canadian history.

East Side to completely engage me in He is convinced we can change the issue. the laws on prostitution in this One of my aha moments was country. He argues that we need to

Boldfish Video Productions

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The foundation for the success of their micro economic programs

A

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faith and hope in action

menacing bull. A startled mother with her baby. A narrow escape to a nearby house. That was the beginning of Marbelis’ dream.

Once inside the house, she noticed a group of people praying and in each entrance a prayer warrior was stationed, blocking the surrounding bulls from entering.

One lady ceased praying and a bull charged in. When she began to pray again, the bull was expelled.

Marbelis is a leader in our Caribbean team’s micro economic program. The goal of the program is to provide financing for the poor so they can develop small businesses to help them out of poverty.

We also hope to empower the national church to become economically self-sustaining through the tithes of these members. The program is interdenominational—20 churches from seven denominations are currently involved.

It is also evangelistic—20 community participants have accepted Christ in the past six months. Our passion is for the Alliance to be an agent of

the idea of a prayer retreat for our Alliance leadership. After years without significant growth, the desire was to unite in prayer to seek a new strategy for evangelism and church planting.

God also revealed The Divine Prayer Clock, teaching the biblical basis for uniting God’s people in a 24-7 movement of prayer.

The impact of that prayer retreat and this teaching has been far beyond our expectations.

Conferences on the Divine Prayer Clock have been held unity among churches and to across the country. Over 1,000 gain a reputation for loving the leaders from 40 denominations poor outside of our pews. have received the training.

Isaiah 41:17-20 presents a picture Many of them have also attended of the poor searching for water. God bi-annual prayer retreats that answers them with rivers flowing could best be described as three on barren heights and cedar trees days of revival meetings. At the growing in the desert. Why? So last retreat, there were 280 leaders that people may see and know . . . representing both conservative that the hand of the Lord has done and charismatic traditions. this . . . (v 20).

This is the house God gave this of prayer that God Scripture to two is building in the We are called of our program Caribbean, and the leaders on separate success of our micro to vigilant occasions, reminding economic program is prayer to us that he wants directly linked to it. to provide for the Weekly meetings of remember poor and transform prayer and fasting are that our their desolate state held in several of our plans will so that all will see micro cooperatives. his hand has done We also hope to create fail if God this, not ours. a prayer network between doesn’t act We are called all of our cooperatives to vigilant prayer to ensure that there is to remember that always someone praying our plans will for the program, 24 fail if God doesn’t act. The good hours a day, seven days a week. news is that God has indeed been God is on the move. Revival building his house of prayer. is on its way. Join the team— Three years ago, God planted we welcome your prayers!

Alliance Justice and Compassion

United in Prayer

perspectives

Reflecting

Reflecting God’s Heart

Photo Courtesy Thu Nguyen

Dealing with the most explicit of all the social concerns of Scripture

By Peter White

P

overty and injustice are two of the biggest issues in the world today. The imbalance of global wealth, famine, water shortages, exploitation and corruption are issues that are on the world agenda of politicians, activists and opinion formers.

But fighting poverty and tackling injustice are not new concepts for the 21st century. When it comes to these issues, God got there first and has plenty to say. A study of the Bible reveals more than 2,000 verses that spell out his attitude on these subjects.

Almost every page of Scripture speaks of God’s heart for the poor. His concern for the marginalized. His compassion for the oppressed. His call for justice.

The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada (C&MA) states in its Vision Prayer that, through a fresh encounter with Christ, he would “Release us to be strategic in service, kingdom-connected in practice, passionate in pursuit of (his) mission and mercy.”

According to Joanne Beach, Director of Alliance Justice and Compassion, the Alliance in Canada “is on a journey toward restoring a biblical balance of experiencing and expressing the whole Gospel of Jesus Christ that was so much a part of our roots.” cmAlliance.ca recently interviewed Mrs. Beach and asked her to share some of her insights into the work presently being done by the C&MA in this area, here and around the world.

What is Alliance Justice and Compassion?

As mentioned in the introduction, the C&MA is on a journey. Alliance Justice and Compassion exists to cultivate this strategic priority within our family of churches as we minister in Canada and throughout the world. In practice, it is Alliance people, prompted by the love of Christ, engaging with the poor and marginalized and those that suffer injustices.

As Director, what is your mandate?

This role has existed for 3½ years.

Initially, the focus was solely on our global teams but last year was expanded to serve our churches in Canada as well. My mandate is to nurture and promote a culture of

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Compassion is an important spiritual discipline we must cultivate in our lives as we seek to become more like Christ justice and compassion within our Alliance family.

Primarily, the responsibilities are to communicate what we are doing; ensure churches and International Workers are adequately resourced; promote opportunities for individuals and churches to serve; and provide avenues for a dialogue on theological reflection and best practice.

What does the concept of justice mean to you?

Justice, from a biblical perspective, ensures all people are valued and treated with dignity and fairness because all are loved by God and made in his image.

At creation, God’s design was that we would live in perfect relationship with him, with one another, and with his creation.

Sin severed these relationships and caused humans to have a distorted worldview that allows for prejudices that devalue others.

As a result, people suffer injustice (or unjust treatment) for multiple reasons whether economic standing, the colour of one’s skin, gender, religion, education, age. The list goes on.

Jesus came to redeem our relationships in all their dimensions— with God, with one another, and with his creation. As his followers, who have been reconciled to God, we are called to be ministers of this message of reconciliation. (see 2 Corinthians 5) And we carry on Jesus’ mission (see Luke 4:18-19) which went beyond proclaiming the good news to also serving people that would result in releasing them from physical, social, and economic bondages. Redeeming all relational dimensions. That is justice!

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How do you view compassion?

The dictionary defines compassion as a strong feeling of sympathy and sadness for the suffering of others and a desire to help them. It is an emotion that spurs us to action! Yet, for a person of faith, it goes deeper than a feeling.

Compassion is an important spiritual discipline we must cultivate in our lives as we seek to become more like Christ . . . and reflect an accurate image of God to the world. Throughout Scripture, God reveals himself as a God of compassion that cares deeply for the poor and those that suffer injustice.

Scripture teaches that the practice of one’s faith must include actions of compassion and generosity: to care for the poor and vulnerable, to speak for those that have no voice, to live generously towards others needs.

Jesus’ dialogue with the teacher of the law in Luke 10 regarding what it means to love our neighbour, and illustrated through the parable of the Good Samaritan, teaches that loving others involves selfless and sacrificial acts of compassion and is not reserved only for those we know.

Is one proactive and the other reactive?

From my perspective, compassion is reactive and justice is proactive.

The place where the two intersect is when our hearts are broken over an injustice, and we are not only moved to minister to those that suffer but then take action towards seeing justice restored. For example, this may mean advocacy on behalf of the marginalized and oppressed, or appealing to legal authorities who punish wrongdoers.

What is the scriptural foundation for today’s urgent call on the Church to focus on the issues of justice and compassion?

As mentioned in the introduction, throughout the entire counsel of Scripture, God’s people are commanded to reflect the love and justice of God for the needy; to live sacrificial, others-centred lives.

I believe this rebirth of prioritizing justice and compassion reflects revival in the Western church. It is a reawakening to the fullness of the gospel; the potential for the Church to accurately experience and reflect what the Kingdom of God is like.

What do you think are the consequences of ignoring these issues?

Recently, I have been challenged by the Scriptures that address how God deals with those that do not care about the poor and marginalized.

These are sobering. Passages like Ezekiel 16:49-50. Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the

Photo Courtesy Curtis Doell

You can follow Joanne Beach on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/CMACompassion and check out her blog at: http://alliancejusticeandcompassion.blogspot.com/

poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me.

Therefore I did away with them as you have seen. (emphasis added) Or the words of Jesus in Matthew 25: 41-43. ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

But maybe the most quoted passage on this theme is Isaiah 58 —where the people are seeking God through fasting and spiritual ritual but Isaiah rebukes them and teaches that true fasting (or worship) is: “to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke . . . to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see

the naked, to clothe them.”

When the people of God are committed to practicing this kind of obedience, Isaiah declares, then God would pour out his blessing and presence in powerful and fruitful ways.

Why do you think the Bible has so much to say about justice and compassion?

I believe one of the reasons that the mandate for ministering to the poor and the vulnerable is repeated over

and over in Scripture is that we, in our sinful human nature, are so prone to selfish living. Serving is an antidote to selfish living.

The sins identified as the root issues in Sodom—the sin of arrogance, self-indulgence, and apathy towards the poor—are major struggles for us today, particularly for those that live in wealthy nations.

As we engage with the plight of the poor and oppressed: instead of arrogance, we cultivate humility in our lives; in place of self-indulgence, we nurture generosity; and in place of indifference or apathy, we develop sensitivity towards the needs of others.

With this thought in mind, I was challenged by a statement made

by Dave Collins, a colleague and former C&MA International Worker and currently with Paradigm Ministries, who said, “We may need the poor as much as or more than the poor need us.”

Why are young people today captured and captivated by these issues?

Young people are very aware of global issues and want to see the gospel experienced in such a way that truly brings redemption in more than just the spiritual aspect.

Many are aware of governments committing to the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals and to environmental justice causes. This resonates with them. Meanwhile, the majority of our youth have grown up not hearing the evangelical church

Serving is an antidote to selfish living Photo Courtesy Joanne Beach

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If the Church will not elevate this as a priority then we will become increasingly irrelevant to the emerging generation Photo Courtesy Thu Nguyen

articulate well the message of caring for the poor and marginalized.

What are young people looking for from their faith?

As I have had the privilege to interact with students and young professionals, I repeatedly hear the sentiment that they want their faith to move them to action; they want to experience faith in community that is missional at the core; that engages with the world’s poor and addresses injustices that people suffer.

When you talk with youth about the right to fresh water, about slavery, or sex trafficking, they want to get involved; they want to make a difference. If the Church will not elevate this as a priority then we will become increasingly irrelevant to the emerging generation.

What strategies are in place to sustain the focus on justice and compassion?

The main strategy, as I see it, is for individuals and churches to be inspired by the love of Christ and prompted by the Spirit to administer justice and compassion that is relevant to their context. That will look different for each church, and for each global ministry team. It is doing what we are called to do in our context and within our capacity as the Lord provides.

For example, there are hundreds of babies that are thrown away

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every year in one African country we work in. We currently are housing eight of these infants in our Baby Rescue Centre. Do we give up because we can’t stop the problem or house all the babies? No, we open our arms to the ones that Christ brings to our team.

What projects best demonstrate your vision for justice and compassion initiatives within the Alliance?

Our churches’ and global ministry teams’ justice and compassion ministries are some of our best kept secrets. We recently surveyed our local churches across Canada in order to get a sense of what they are doing to engage the poor and marginalized. Here are just a few examples: n The Mosaic Church in Vancouver is involved with the Daniel House, a home to establish community among marginalized men, assisting them to overcome addictions. n A Sunday Bible Study at Calgary Chinese Alliance is studying the book, Everyday Justice, addressing the issues of ethical consumer choices. n A high school student from Fort St. John Alliance wore sackcloth to her prom in order to bring awareness of the poor and raise funds for our Vocational Training School for at-risk girls in Niger. n Midtown Alliance in Toronto is ministering to families with children with disabilities. n Multiple churches are focused on assisting refugees and New Canadians in resettling to life here and offering English as a Second Language.

What about our global ministry teams?

With respect to our global teams, I won’t highlight one project but rather a theme. Many of our teams are implementing initiatives that are ministering to girls and women that suffer injustices. From literacy classes to vocational/skills training;

educating refugee children who are at risk of the sex trade; maternal health initiatives; women’s prison ministries; goat-lending for women; micro-economic initiatives—the list goes on.

As we are implementing these kinds of initiatives within countries where women are often devalued or considered second-class citizens, we are ultimately reflecting a biblical worldview of Jesus’ love for and value of these women and girls.

Coupled with preaching the gospel, it is our prayer that as Christ transforms the hearts and minds of people in these contexts, that the sinful, distorted worldviews that perpetuate these injustices will be replaced with the biblical worldview.

What would a culture of justice and compassion within the C&MA look like?

It is local churches in Canada and those being established around the world committed to demonstrating love for the marginalized. Churches being authentic communities of acceptance that embody hope; where people know they are valued and can experience wholeness.

It is local churches being the voice of justice, addressing the issues that cause suffering in their local context.

Ministries that impact the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, the vulnerable are reflecting a biblical worldview that reveals Jesus’ love for and value of these individuals.

Any closing thoughts?

Only that as acts of compassion are done through the empowering presence of Christ, it is our prayer that the recipients of these actions will be drawn to the One whose love led him to lay down his life for them.

It is this conviction that motivates us to increase our commitment to proclaiming the love of Jesus through word and deed.

Peter White is an independent communication, media and adult education consultant

Singing

impressions

Because of God

Jared Slater

She is fulfilling a childhood desire to be a missionary

By Barrie Doyle

F

rom the time she was a little girl, she wanted to be a missionary.

“I felt really called by God.” Today she is . . . sort of.

“God wants me to be a missionary—to impact the people God has put me with. I jokingly refer to them as ‘my unreached people group.’ To be a missionary, you must learn the language and culture of that people group and become acclimatized to them, so that you can bring Jesus to them.

“Well, I ‘speak’ opera!”

Katherine Whyte is a young Canadian singer who is making waves in the international opera world, singing with major opera companies around the globe including the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. She makes her debut in 2011 with the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto.

Her early years were spent at First Alliance in Toronto and later at Paramount Drive Alliance in Hamilton, ON.

Surprisingly for this gifted sights, she got her degree in music singer, a serious career in music from the University of Toronto and was ‘never on the radar.’ As a child, then auditioned for and won a spot— she acknowledges that she loved to the only soprano in more than 200 sing at all times during the day and applicants—at the famed Julliard night. “When I went to bed I would School of Music in New York. sing to God,” she says candidly, but “For someone to pursue a career always with the growing desire to be in opera or music, it is vital that you a missionary. be in the United States,” she explains.

The Alliance “You need to be MusicFest contests seen and heard by The Alliance in Toronto first American companies opened her eyes to the MusicFest and American possibilities. She won management.” contests in the contest and then After two years at surprised one of the Toronto first Julliard, she began judges who suggested to experience some opened her Katherine and her struggles to get her parents speak to her career started. “I eyes to the voice coach about struggled with God,” some ways to improve. possibilities she remembers, “I didn’t have a “wondering why voice coach and that shocked her.” all the auditions for young artist Following that first MusicFest, programmes were not working out. If Katherine went on to compete for the he brought me to the U.S., then why next five years and found that it was wasn’t it working out?” a real kick-start to her career.

As her student visa looked like With music now firmly in her it might run out, she surrendered

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to God. “I thought, why fight it? If it is his will for me to be in Canada working at Tim Horton’s then that’s where I will be happy.” Within a short time, the Metropolitan Opera came calling, offering her a contract.

Since then, she has sung a variety of roles in operas such as The Marriage of Figaro and La Boheme, in places like San Francisco, France, Italy and London, England with various companies including the San Francisco Symphony and the English National Opera.

One of her biggest thrills as a through, on my knees. It is my prayer Christian is singing the soprano to God.” solos in George Frideric Handel’s In December 2010 she sang famed oratorio, Messiah.

Messiah with the Houston The first time she sang Messiah, Symphony to excellent reviews. she says, she couldn’t stop smiling “I sing because of God,” she says throughout. “It is the only piece simply. “It’s what he’s gifted me to of music I believe from beginning do. When I do what I do to a higher to end. Most of the other times, and higher excellence, God gets the like when I play the Contessa in glory.”

Marriage of Figaro, I am playing Recalling a line from the movie roles that I do not.”

Chariots of Fire she says, “When I For Katherine, Messiah enables sing, I feel his pleasure.” And, she her to share the gospel with people points out, Scripture is filled with who don’t understand or know the instances where God likes singing! good news of Jesus. “When I sing While she is well on her way to ‘Come Unto Him,’ it is a real blessing an international singing career, she to look out on an audience and sing likens her position to any Christian that to them, knowing that they need young person embarking on a career. to come to him.”

“If God gives you Rehearsals desire to do Rehearsals for asomething,” for Messiah are she Messiah are different from any counsels, “then other performance different from follow it. she undertakes.

“If you do, any other Prayer you will find that underlines every God will give you performance moment of that success. If you she undertakes don’t follow your rehearsal. “First I read the verses God-given desire, Handel used and then read them in then you kill a little part of who context so that I understand and can you are. God gives us those desires give meaning to those words. because he wants to meet them. We “Then I sing the entire piece just have to let God be God.”

Prayer underlines every moment of that rehearsal

The advice applies even if it seems that discouragement and roadblocks mark the way. “If it truly is God-given, he will do it. If it isn’t, then God will guide you to something better.”

For Katherine Whyte, 2011 is already booked up as a busy season. Singing with the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, she’s also fitting in engagements in Michigan, Colorado and Costa Rica.

Her Christian upbringing and biblical grounding are key to her desire to be a missionary to the opera world.

It’s a culture that is alien to most ordinary people, she acknowledges.

“Ego is huge. People are playing different parts—hiding their true selves. Travel and time constraints hamper marriages. Image is everything. It’s a surreal world at times.”

But it’s a world God has called her to and one she is determined to reach.

Barrie Doyle, APR, author of the book The Media and the Message, is Director of Communications, The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada

Canadian soprano Katherine Whyte made a stunning debut in Atlanta Opera’s Orfeo ed Euridice Nov. 14, more than holding her own in a cast that included the inimitable American countertenor, David Daniels, as Orfeo and mezzo Deanne Meek as Amore. A compelling vocal and dramatic presence, Whyte was particularly affecting in Euridice’s moments of incomprehension while being led out of the underworld by her seemingly indifferent husband. (Opera Canada) David Daniels and Katherine Whyte in Atlanta Opera's "Orfeo & Euridice."

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practice of prayer

Conversing With God Making prayer a part of all that we do

By Peter White Horizons Photography

I

n looking at the life of Jesus, we see a man who prayed.

It was his practice to wake up early in the morning and go to a quiet place to pray. Often he would withdraw from the people he was ministering to and find a secluded place to converse with God. Many times he spent all night in prayer.

What is this thing called prayer?

What is it about prayer that is so valuable that Jesus, the Son of God, spent such a large portion of his life doing it and encouraged his disciples to do it too? Why is prayer so important?

To learn more about prayer and the role it plays in the life of The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada (C&MA), cmAlliance.ca recently interviewed Rev. David Chotka, Chair of the Alliance Pray!

Team.

What is Alliance Pray!?

Alliance Pray! is a catalyst. We are a team of people set apart by the General Assembly to equip prayer ministries across our movement and beyond. This means we show up, set things into motion, and let the newly equipped move forward.

Our Vision Statement reads: “Alliance Pray! is a Spirit-led catalytic movement to equip and mobilize followers of Jesus Christ in prayer in order to

awaken, renew and revive Alliance churches and other Christian congregations for reaching the lost and transforming society.”

How does Alliance Pray! work?

We work as a team toward achieving the goals and objectives identified in the Vision Statement. This takes many forms: – Meeting by conference call and in-person (as time and finances allow) for prayer and planning.

– Teaching prayer events in churches across Canada and now beginning to travel to various Alliance fields overseas to teach prayer and do prayer equipping. The team has coordinated various prayer events designed to assist local churches in growing their prayer ministries.

They include the four-day ‘College of Prayer’ and the Friday

evening/Saturday ‘Ignite Prayer.’ I would be remiss if I didn’t say that much of the earlier behind-thescenes work in this area was done by Al and Lorraine Willems.

– Developing prayer resources for the past five General Assemblies.

Also developing a Concert of Prayer based on the Lord’s Prayer and another for the C&MA Vision Prayer.

Photos: DRC Photography

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DRC Photography

Why is it important to promote prayer?

– Working with our National Ministry Centre to set up prayer equipping/training Horizons Photography days in conjunction with General Assembly and various prayer events across Canada. One year we partnered with the National House of Prayer for a prayer event in Ottawa.

– Serving as a catalyst to invite dedicated intercessors for Assembly.

Churches were asked to send people whose primary role was to spend a minimum of four hours per day at Assembly seeking God for the outcomes being discussed in the business meetings.

– Overseeing the prayer room initiatives at those Assemblies.

– Leading Concerts of Prayer at the last three Assemblies.

– Networking with Canadian prayer leaders to seek the Lord for this country and also working with the American College of Prayer overseeing Prayer Equipping in Africa.

– Recently began working out how to resource the emerging Seamless Link prayer and social networks of support for our International Workers. The need is for our workers and congregations to deepen the prayer bonds between them in an intentional way.

– Increasingly, my role is to write and teach in this area. For example, I have been given the privilege to write for cmAlliance.ca concerning various elements of deepening one’s prayer life. And I just completed writing a book entitled Power Praying.

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It is astonishing beyond human imagining that we should find God at prayer

The C&MA was born in a prayer meeting. But far more important, as you intimated in the introduction, the Lord Jesus did his ministry as a direct result of his prayer life.

It is astonishing beyond human imagining that we should find God at prayer.

Yet we have a consistent witness in the New Testament of Jesus our Lord, who is God the Son, carving out days and weeks to seek God’s will, and then to do it. He not only prayed alone, but taught the apostles to pray with him as well.

He stated bluntly, “Truly, truly I say to you, the Son can do nothing of himself unless it is something that he sees the Father doing” (John 5:19…NASB). Every step he took and every deed he did, whether large or small, was done in conversation with God himself.

In a word, Jesus’ ministry was an extension of his spiritual perception.

This means that if Jesus, as God in human flesh, could do nothing apart from praying, perceiving and obeying, we can do no less. Prayer, then, is not only imperative, but mandatory.

There is no option.

If Jesus had to pray to get it done, so must we.

But here, prayer is far more than throwing questions and If Jesus had caveats at God while we muddle to pray to our get it done, through limitations, so must we attempting to please him.

Prayer is deliberately hearing, discerning, understanding, trusting, obeying and carrying out our tasks, as God intervenes to accomplish far more than we can ask or imagine.

It is two-way communication. It is imperative to understand that God starts the conversation—he became

the Word made flesh.

We read his Word and are moved to respond.

We listen, attempt to discern, take a step and keep short accounts

with God. God intervenes and re-directs our steps. We joyfully concur and obey.

This is the God-life, the God-walk.

Why do many Christians find it so difficult to pray?

Each answer needs to be tailored to an individual life. Yet some trends are obvious: – Rare is the congregation that has a plan to disciple new believers, let alone to disciple them in learning how to pray.

– Leaders without prayer training find it difficult to give prayer training.

– Our culture is action-oriented around the disciplines of the mind and the will. Evangelical culture is filled with cognition-based discipleship—learn this, read this, memorize this—and conceptual thinking.

To our benefit, we learn about inerrancy, discipleship, justification, redemption, atonement, sanctification, etc. But sadly, rare is the congregation that mentors its people in interactive prayer.

– Prayer is work. It requires a costly commitment to delve into the deep things of God and apply what is learned to our lives.

– The best prayer-learning is communal, in small groups, with someone seasoned in prayerful dependence upon God. Our culture is highly individualistic. This militates against a mentoring culture required to get this done.

– Most Western models of Church leadership ask that pastors be either some kind of a CEO or a primary preacher/teacher who spends most of his/her ministry time in leading or speaking events.

This is different than the process used by our Lord or the

early Church. While Jesus did, in What are some of the keys to an effective prayer life at fact, preach to crowds and spent the parish level? time teaching truth, he spent the The most important key is that each majority of his time with one, three leader be a pray-er. Jesus spent a and twelve people mentoring them night in prayer before calling his directly. apostolic band. Then he taught He taught them to hear the voice them a God-honouring life through of the Spirit as their ministry model. example. It was an intentional When they did appear in public, commitment to a relationship around Jesus would teach and then he and the things of God. his disciples would lay hands on the If the leader models prayer-based sick and pray. leadership to the Jesus’ ministry leader-core, over was not merely …everyone is called to the course of time, informational, but listen to the voice of the leader-core ‘impartational,’ to will follow suit. coin a new word. the Spirit and obey the The culture will Jesus and the 12 prompting of the Lord gradually shift expected the power to hearing God, of God to be present rather than simply doing something to them as they preached and prayed for his name. and taught (read Matthew 10:7-8).

Not everyone is called to lead.

We aren’t schooled in discerning However, everyone is called to listen God’s activity anywhere near as well to the voice of the Spirit and obey as we are schooled in, say, New the prompting of the Lord. With Testament exegesis, as helpful as a new believer, the first training this is.

should be in learning how to pray, hear and obey.

It is important to have regular testimonies of answered prayer in the public worship services. This should be at least monthly. The ideal is that not a week should pass without the church hearing of some answered prayer.

It is vital to have an intentional prayer-teaching strategy, and link praying to mission. Without a clear link to the congregation’s mission, prayer becomes self-centered and eventually dies out.

Without prayer-support, a church’s mission becomes wearisome, and the saints get worn-out. Declare your congregation’s area of service, and then mobilize prayer around its activities.

For example, a congregation called to serve the working poor by doing repairs can organize a prayer walk through the neighbourhood. Ask people their names when repairing their porch.

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Ask them what they would have you pray for and then take it to the prayer meeting, etc. In time, the whole town will know that you love people practically and that you believe in praying.

Why should leadership of prayer at the parish level be a top-down rather than a bottom-up phenomenon?

Prayer must saturate every layer of the life of the believer, and in turn, the life of every congregation and every movement. There should be just as much prayer in the pastor’s office as there is at the home of the parishioner. When a congregation is not sure of what it is that God wants done, we should call a prayer meeting.

Yet this question does point to a reality that needs consideration: churches are overseen by pastors and elders together, under the broad oversight of a district.

Photos: DRC Photography

If there is a failure to understand the significance of prayer (and prayerful discernment) at the level of the pastor or the Board of Elders, or if the congregation is overseen as a business organization with objectives that are shaped through

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as a part of the discipleship process idea sharing separated from for new believers. prayerful discernment rather than – There are regular prayer in partnership with it, this creates meetings for all the church. antagonism between well-meaning – Each small group has 1/3 of its leaders. time together dedicated to prayer Action plans and roll-out ministry. strategies help us organize. However, – Each elder has a demonstrated we may develop an action plan and prayer life. staff to resource it, while – Each leader has a not entirely sure God is in Prayer must core of identified and it. It may simply be our own saturate every resourced pray-ers. thinking rather than a true – Each ministry leading from the Lord. layer of the life has intercessors.

Remember how Simon of the believer – Each pastor has Peter thought it was a bad intercessors. idea that Jesus should have – Each parishioner knows about to die? Jesus told him his thinking the value of prayer and yearns to was Satanic. I’m sure Peter felt it was learn to pray lest they feel ‘left out.’ good thinking!

– Prevailing prayer is an expected Pastors, elders, and people in the part of the role of each leader. congregation need to have a working – Regular prayer testimonies, understanding of how they discern requests and answers are celebrated. together. Here, the role of the leader– There is someone whose core is crucial. primary ministry is prayer The best example of this is Acts mobilizing in the same way as there 15—the circumcision debate. They is someone in charge of the Sunday prayed, argued vehemently, testified School, the worship music teams, or of the Spirit’s leading, then rose to the youth ministry. agreement when, after days of this, – Prayer breaks out in the James, the Lord’s brother, balanced business meeting.

Word and Spirit, remembering – A business meeting can break an Old Testament prophecy about out of a prayer encounter as God Gentile inclusion in the covenant of gives direction. grace. When the day was done the – When someone does not know whole gathering said, “It seemed what to do, people just stop and pray good to the Holy Spirit and to us…” until a sense of ‘lift’ occurs.

What would a culture of prayer – All leadings of the Lord through look like at the parish level? prayer are tested by the Word.

Here are some observations, though – God intervenes in each worship this list is by no means definitive: service and it becomes known to the – There is always an open altar. many.

– There is a dedicated prayer room Are there any additional points that is never given over to anything you would like to make about else, even if the room must sit empty Alliance Pray!? when someone wants a room for a Only that we are a team dedicated business meeting. It must always be to serving the Alliance and beyond available to anyone, anytime to seek in learning to pray. Pray with us and God. Do occasional prayer events in for us, that God would use us as an it that fill that room with prayer. instrument for his glory.

– Prayer vigils are frequent.

Remember, a 24-hour prayer vigil can be completed in half-hour blocks by a Peter White is an independent communication, media and adult congregation of 50. education consultant – There is regular prayer training

personnel updates

personnel

Personnel Updates The following personnel changes are as reported by the district offices for the period from August 1, 2010 – January 31, 2011 (deaths from July 1 – December 31, 2010)

Field Assignment n Ghana: Lynn Su, began a one year Global Ministries Apprentice Program in September.

Returning to the field following Home Assignment: n Malaysia: Rev. Brem and Donna Frentz and daughter in August.

The Frentz’s are the Canadian Regional Developers for the Asian Spice Region. n Mexico: Rev. Paul and Cindy Ens and family in August. The Enses are involved in church ministries. n Niger: Dr. Timothy and Brenda Tjosvold and son in August. The Tjosvolds are the field leadership couple. n Republic of Congo: Anne Stephens in November. Anne is involved in church ministries.

Home Assignment On three-month Home Assignment: n Spain: Maida Anderson in February.

On one-year Home Assignment: n Mexico: Nathan and Sandra Kliewer and family in January.

New Workers n Bisnett, Josh, Associate Pastor, Shawnigan Alliance Church, BC n Black, Joel, English Ministry Pastor, Winnipeg Chinese Alliance Church, MB n Brandon, Rev. David, Interim Pastor, Bradford Alliance Church, ON n Christison, Curtis, Youth Pastor, Maple Park Alliance Church, BC n Dueck, Henry, Associate Pastor,

Pastor of Youth and Young Adults, Morden Alliance Church, MB n Dunham, Rev. Trevor, Pastor of Administration and Youth, Rosewood Park Alliance Church, SK n Dykxhoorn, Jeff, Associate Pastor, Georgetown Alliance Church, ON n Fairholm, Dan, Associate Pastor, Crossroads Community Church, Sechelt, BC n Faulkner, Miles, Pastor of Administration, Williams Lake Alliance Church, BC n Friesen, Jennifer, Director of Inspired Arts, The Bridge, Winnipeg, MB n Greer, Stafford, Connection and Mobilization Pastor, Portage Alliance Church, MB n Gubbins, David, Youth Pastor, Heritage Alliance Church, Abbotsford, BC n Guinness, Cheryl, Director of Women’s Ministries, Rexdale Alliance Church, Etobicoke, ON n Hawes, Steven, Assistant Pastor, Strasbourg Alliance Church, SK n Huo, Mike Zhuang, Mandarin Pastor, Toronto Chinese Alliance Church, ON n Isaac, Dawn, Director of Children’s Ministry, Lakewood Alliance Church, Prince George, BC n Ku, Jeffrey, Assistant Pastor, North Richmond Alliance Church, BC n Kwok, Keith, Lay Pastor, North Richmond Alliance Church, BC n Lee, John, Lay Pastor, Winnipeg Chinese Alliance Church, MB n Li, Clifford Chang Chu, Senior Pastor, Hakka Alliance Church,

Scarborough, ON Maney, Mark, Pastor of Children and Youth Ministries, Victoria Chinese Alliance Church, BC n Pifer, Robin, Senior Pastor, Cedarview Alliance Church, Nepean, ON n Qazi, Nadeem and Jamila, South Asian Ministry Workers, Scarborough Chinese Alliance Church, ON n Reimer, Joshua, Pastor of Worship Arts and Family Ministries, Westgate Alliance Church, Saskatoon, SK n Searles, Michelle, Director Child Discipleship Ministries, Bayview Glen Church, Toronto, ON n Sikha, Irwin, Senior Pastor, Christian Hope Church, Toronto, ON n Thompson, Brian, Assistant Pastor, Vancouver Chinese Alliance Church, BC n Torio, Manuel, Associate Pastor, Saskatoon New Life Community Fellowship, SK n Warkentin, Wil, Interim Senior Pastor, Virden Alliance Church, MB n Wong, Donny, English Ministries Pastor, North Toronto Chinese Alliance Church, ON n Zimmerman, Jeff, Director of Youth and Children’s Worship, Peace Portal Alliance Church, Surrey, BC n

New Churches n Calgary, AB: Medicine Hat Alliance Church, is now Crossroads Church n Calgary, AB: Calgary South Asian Bible Fellowship, is now Calgary Punjabi Christian Church Fellowship

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Personnel Changes n Albiston, Rev. John, Unassigned n Ahearn, Clay, Youth Pastor, Provost Community Church, AB n Bergen, Rev. Mark, Senior Pastor, Prince Albert Alliance Church, SK n Berry, Trevor, Pastor of Student Ministries and Worship, Crossroads Church, Medicine Hat, AB n Bradford, Rev. Dave, Lead Pastor, Brooks Alliance Church, AB n Braun, Abe, Pastor of Congregational Care, Grande Prairie Alliance Church, AB n Braun, Nathan, Youth Pastor, Fort Saskatchewan Alliance Church, AB n Brown, Rev. Dave, Lead Pastor, Bayridge Alliance Church, Kingston, ON n Cabuhat, Narciso, Children’s Youth and Young Adults Pastor, First Filipino Alliance Church, Edmonton, AB n Corbin, Amanda, Director of Family Ministries, St. Paul Alliance Church, AB n Chan, Rev. Amos, Cantonese Ministry Pastor, Mississauga Chinese Alliance Church, ON n Chiu, Paul, Senior Pastor, Westwood Alliance Church, Coquitlam, BC n Cowman, Kirk, Associate Pastor, Living Hope Alliance Church, Regina, SK n Crassweller, Rev. Brad, Preaching Pastor, Living Hope Alliance Church, Regina, SK n Doeksen, Rev. Carlin, Unassigned n Dunbar, Dan, Unassigned n Dyck, Ed, Seniors’ Pastor, First Alliance Church, Calgary, AB n Fenton, Joe, Senior Pastor, Covenant Alliance Church, Orangeville, ON n Gagnon, Rev. Michael, Church/ Worker Development Coach, St. Lawrence District, QC n Golding (Giffen), Denise, Unassigned n Grainger Robert, Unassigned n Gui, Daniel, Senior Pastor, K-W Chinese Alliance Church, Waterloo, ON n Harstad, Rev. Dan, Interim Pastor, Sturgeon Alliance Church,

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Gibbons, AB Henry, Kevin, Unassigned n Heppner, Jan, Worker Emeritus n Herrod, Rev. David, Worship Pastor, Mountainview Alliance Church, Langley, BC n Hollinshead, Lee, Unassigned n Im, Daniel, Group’s Pastor, Beulah Alliance Church, Edmonton, AB n Irvine, Barrie and Linda, Unassigned n Jonah, Dr. Mark, Unassigned n Kinnie, Don, Worker Emeritus n Klein, Jonathan, Youth and Young Adults Pastor, First Alliance Church, Calgary, AB n Knutson, Sarah, Unassigned n Levans, Vania, Unassigned n Lim, Rev. Adrian, English Ministry Pastor, Mississauga Chinese Alliance Church, ON n Linton, Karen, Children’s Pastor, Heartland Alliance Church, Sherwood Park, AB n Liske, Cam, Unassigned n Lutzer, Meldon, Senior Pastor, Mission Creek Alliance Church, BC n Manning, Robyn, Unassigned n Matchullis, Rev. Harvey, Director of New Canadian Initiatives, Western Canadian District Office, AB n McAlonan, Jordan, No credentials n McAuley, Rev. Darryl, Associate Pastor of Ministry Development, McDiarmid Drive Alliance Church, Brandon, MB n Miller, Kyle, Youth and Young Adults Pastor, University Drive Alliance Church, Lethbridge, AB n Motta, Maynor, Campus Pastor, Beulah Alliance Church, Edmonton, AB n Neumiller, Rev. Wayne, Senior Pastor, Irma Alliance Church, AB n Ng, Rev. Vincent, Assistant Pastor, English Congregation/ Newbern Memorial Chinese Alliance Church, Vancouver, BC n Nguyen, Rev. David, Associate Pastor, Ottawa Chinese Alliance Church, ON n Poonnoose, Cherian, Unassigned n Priebe, Rev. Harold, Senior Pastor, Victoria Pacific Rim Alliance Church, BC n

Reilly, Philip, Site Pastor, Coquitlam Alliance Satellite Church, BC n Reimer, Monty, Pastor of Children and Youth, Saskatoon First Nations Alliance Church, SK n Siemens, Ryan, No credentials n Smith, Rev. Doug, Unassigned n Tang, Rev. Kai, Unassigned n Trenholm, David, Senior Pastor, Mirror Alliance Church, AB n Walker, Judy, Unassigned n Wanjala, Melissa, Director of Children’s Ministries, Grande Prairie Alliance Church, AB n Wells, Rev. Rick, Unassigned n Wheeler, Kieran, Pastor of Missions Development, Grand Centre Alliance Church, Cold Lake, AB n Wiebe, Marlene, Unassigned n Wile, Heather, Director of Communications/Global Environments, First Alliance Church, Calgary, AB n Woodlands, Rev. Richard, Unassigned n Xie, Rev. Jack, Senior Pastor, Ottawa Agape Chinese Alliance Church, ON n Young, Tori, Pastor of Children’s Ministry, Kilcona Park Alliance Church, Winnipeg, MB n

Ordinations Chan, Rev. Joe, Youth Pastor, Westwood Alliance Church, Coquitlam, BC n Chu, Rev. Josef, Senior Pastor, South West Calgary Alliance Church, AB n deVries, Rev. Derek, Associate Youth Pastor, Innisfail Alliance Church, AB n Harrison, Rev. Joe, Associate Pastor, Lake Country Alliance Church, Winfield, BC n Herbold, Rev. Darren, Pastor of Small Groups, Beulah Alliance Church, Edmonton, AB n Johnston, Rev. Travis, Associate Pastor of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, Assiniboia Alliance Church, SK n Kung, Rev. Collins, Assistant Pastor, Richmond Chinese n

Alliance Church, BC Magnus, Rev. Michael, Associate Pastor, Territorial Drive Alliance Church, North Battleford, SK n McRitchie, Rev. Erik, Youth Pastor, RockPointe Church, n

With the Lord n Chapman, Adina, July 6, 2010 Mrs. Chapman served the Lord for 40 years in Indonesia where she did nursing in a remote area. She also taught for many years and wrote a book on the life of Jesus Christ, published in the Indonesian language and still considered one of the government-approved textbooks on the Christian religion. She was predeceased by her husband Gordon and is survived by her five children: Ken, Richard, Kathleen (Ibsen), Tim and Sylvia (Geske) as well as five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Croft, Rev. George, July 11, 2010 Before his retirement in 1979, Rev. Croft was pastor at Glengate Alliance Church in Niagara Falls, ON. He was predeceased by his wife Elsie. He is survived by his daughter Ruth and son David, four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

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Dreger, Rev. Clement, November 9, 2010 For 50 years Rev. Dreger served with the Alliance, first as the senior pastor at Lakewood Alliance Church in Prince George, BC and then Seven Oaks Alliance Church in Abbotsford, BC. This was followed by twenty years of ministry in Thailand, three years in Laos, three years in Holland, twelve years in Korea and three years in Russia. He was

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Calgary, AB Shoemaker, Rev. Dr. Ken, Pastor of English Ministries, South Gate Alliance Church, Calgary, AB n Stock, Rev. Gord, Senior Pastor, Rocky Mountain Alliance n

Church, AB Turner, Rev. Colin, Youth Pastor, Prince Albert Alliance Church, SK n Wong, Rev. Isaac, Senior Pastor, Newbern Memorial Chinese Alliance Church, Vancouver, BC n

to seniors at Kelowna Alliance Church, BC and chaplain at the Kelowna General Hospital. He was predeceased by Ruth, his wife of 50 years, and is survived by his wife Irene, daughters: Vivian Foley, Valerie Field, Ruth Hahn, Nola Renfrew and three step-daughters: Joanne Soberlak, Bernie-Jean Worobey and Marilyn McComber as well as 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

predeceased by his wife Madalene (Maddie) and is survived by his children: Darlene, Daryl and Doug.

Freeman, Marion, July 24, 2010 Mrs. Freeman served over 25 years alongside her husband Victor in Montreal, QC, followed by ministry in Ontario – Belleville, London, Brantford, Midland, Barrie, Oshawa and Orillia. She was predeceased by her husband in 1994 and is survived by three sons: Bob, Frank and David, as well as a daughter, Marilyn Reese.

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Klassen, Phyllis Ann, December 10, 2010 Mrs. Klassen served the Lord alongside her husband John for 39 years. Their ministry began in Mirror, AB in 1952 followed by service in Hanna, AB and Vernon, BC where they planted the work in Kelowna. They served in Red Deer, AB and Fort St. John, BC followed by ministry at First Alliance Church in Calgary, AB. She was predeceased by her husband John and is survived by her daughters Brenda Thiessen and Connie Haugan as well as her son Gordon.

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Rutherford, Rev. Ken, September 18, 2010 Rev. Rutherford had been senior pastor for 25 years at the Saskatoon First Nations Alliance Church, SK. He held that position at the time of his death at the age of 51.

He is survived by his wife Lenna, daughter Amanda and son Daniel.

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Zacharias, Marilouise, August 16, 2010 Mrs. Zacharias served alongside her husband in ministry at the Grande Prairie Alliance Church, AB. He predeceased her by just a few weeks. She is survived by three sons: Bryan, Mark and Scott, and a daughter Miriam LeRoux.

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Zacharias, Rev. Victor, July 5, 2010 Rev. Zacharias was senior pastor at the Grande Prairie Alliance Church, AB. His wife Marilouse also went to be with her Lord shortly after his death. He is survived by his three sons: Bryan, Mark and Scott, and a daughter Miriam LeRoux.

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McCarthy, Rev. Edward, July 23, 2010 Over a span of 45 years, Rev. McCarthy served the Lord in 11 Alliance churches in Saskatoon, Alberta and British Columbia.

He loved people and had a gift for encouraging others. After his retirement he served as pastor

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now you know

A.W. Tozer – A Man of God Cultivating a spirit of worship and prayer in daily living

“What I believe about God is the most important thing about me.” –A.W. Tozer

H

e’s been called a modern day prophet. Aiden Wilson Tozer was a pastor, author, magazine editor, conference speaker and spiritual mentor to thousands.

Although he was born in the United States and worked most of his life in that country, he also has a Canadian connection. He spent the final years of his life pastoring Avenue Road Church in Toronto, which later morphed into Bayview Glen Church.

Tozer was born in 1897 in western Pennsylvania. In 1919, without any formal theological training,

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he accepted a call as pastor of his first church in West Virginia and began his 44-year ministry with The Christian and Missionary Alliance.

He was editor of Alliance Weekly, now known as ALife or Alliance Life, the denominational publication of the Alliance in the United States. He later received an honourary theological degree from Wheaton College.

Tozer’s prayer life was exemplary.

He was often seen walking the aisles of a church sanctuary or lying prostrate on the floor praying for the congregation. He once said “as a man prays, so is he!”

To him, the worship of God was paramount in his writings and his ministry and is the ultimate purpose of Christians. His devotion to worship and prayer was such that his biographer commented that “he spent more time on his knees than at his desk” and that his writings and preaching were merely an extension of his prayer life.

He authored more than 40 books and at least two of them, The Pursuit of God and The Knowledge of the Holy, are now acknowledged as Christian classics.

He lived a simple life of humility, eschewing the materialism of modern life. He and his wife never owned a car and he signed away much of his book royalties to those who were in need.

On May 12, 1963 A.W. Tozer ended his earthly pursuit of God when a heart attack took him into the presence of the God he loved.

His grave in Akron, Ohio bears the simple inscription “A Man of God.”

A.W. Tozer on Worship Now, worship is the missing jewel in modern evangelicalism. We’re organized; we work; we have our agendas. We have almost everything, but there’s one thing that the churches, even the gospel churches, do not have: that is the ability to worship. We are not cultivating the art of worship.

—Worship: The Missing Jewel, p.20

Without doubt the emphasis in Christian teaching today should be on worship.

—Born After Midnight, p.126

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To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).

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