Final Words!

This last journal entry will simply be a general reflection on the ministries I have been a part of over the past year and what God has been teaching me, in addition to personal stories and my next steps towards the future.

Serving at Warmland Centre has been a wonderful experience. It has been a privilege to be a Junior Youth Leader on Wednesdays along with the Preschool Leader on Sunday mornings. It was amazing to learn and volunteering alongside many Godly men and women. There were challenging times and difficult times while serving at Warmland, however there were many times to laugh, sing and dance.

At the beginning of the Kaléo year the Warmland Team (Tessa, Mitch, Mike and I) had the opportunity to meet with the staff of Warmland to discuss our areas of interest and participation within the church. I participate in the church worship band in my home church, in Sault Ste. Marie, and thought that I should continue to pursue my interest and love for worship during my time on the Island. Due to rather odd circumstances on our first Sunday at Warmland, I was needed as an assistant leader in Kidsland (Sunday school) and willing agreed to do so. Little did I know at the time, that I was going to be the leader of the Preschool class and actually not participate in the worship band at all. I did not know that God would be using this occasion to challenge me to step out of my comfort zone within the church and to really be a leader and role model to these children.

As I move on from my time here on the Island, I hope to bring all that I have learned and experienced with me. In previous entries I have mentioned that I need to view everything as mission – ministry is not confined to a church, camp or group of people – I am called to live a missional life. Next, I learned the importance of time. Make every minute of the day count! Additionally, I came to understand the significance of showing God’s love. The one thing that we cannot do enough of is demonstrating the love of God, in all its fullness. Spiritual gifts are also something in which God challenged my view. I had a very vague knowledge and understanding of these gifts, but after learning in class, reading scripture, and writing papers, it is very clear to me that spiritual gifts are not for the benefit of oneself but of the congregation of believers. I am curious to discover and learn more about my spiritual gifts and be able to bless others with the talents and abilities He has given me. Lastly, I learned the importance of viewing the children and teens I serve, as God’s precious sons and daughters. He has placed them in my path and I in theirs so that we may learn from each other and encourage the other to continue to grow in their relationship with God.

My personal challenge is to take all that I have learned on the Island and be able to apply it, no matter where I am in the future. Whether that is aiding the poor, oppressed and marginalized as a social worker or caring for the orphans and widows in Africa, God will guide me to where He wants me; it is simply my responsibility to go with a willing heart.

From Vancouver to Crofton!

This week’s questions are comparing the ministries I worked with on my Vancouver missions trip to the ones I am currently involved with on the island. I am to explain the differences and similarities and how I intend to apply what I learned in Vancouver to my ministry in Crofton.

The biggest difference between the ministries I partnered with in Vancouver – New Beginnings and Potter’s Place to Warmland Centre, was that on Vancouver Island I volunteer in the small community of Crofton in an even smaller community of believers. Not the eight most populated city in Canada. There was a greater difference in comparing Potter’s Place to Warmland Centre, since Potter’s Place ministers primarily to the downtown East Hastings residents – grown men and women enslaved by their addictions to drugs, alcohol and sex, whereas Warmland is known for its high energy and rambunctious youth.

The most obvious similarity between the ministries was New Beginnings compared with Warmland. Both churches are filled with disobedient, broken kids who just need to be loved. The inner-city Vancouver teens were dealing with neglect, abuse, and exposure to substance addictions while Crofton kids deal with boredom, bad peer groups and over exposure to negative media sources. Even though their experiences differ, the attitudes of the teens are the same. I would most certainly say that being at Warmland prepared me for the New Beginnings teens.

 Lastly, I intend to apply what I learned in Vancouver to my ministry in Crofton, by just viewing the teens differently. God taught me while on my mission trip in Vancouver that everyone is His precious sons and daughters. Everyone from the drug lords, the prostitutes and mentally ill to the celebrities, prime ministers, and English royalty with everyone in between – we are all this children. I no longer view the teens I work with as simply misbehaved, rude, or undisciplined, but as a struggling person finding their identity in Christ and trying to understand their purpose in this life – just like me. With this new perceptive, I can truly be there for these teens, in heart, soul and mind, ready to listen and be a older mentor for them, no matter what they are going through.

Blessings of 2012!

Back to school and back to blogging.  It has been a while since my last post but that doesn’t stop God's ministry from happening. There is no specific question for this week’s entry so this will be simply an update on what has been happening at Warmland Centre recently.  

I am still an active leader in the Jr. Youth every Wednesday evening. Youth Group is going well, hanging out and having fun with these Jr. Highs is always a highlight in my week. We have been extremely blessed with the attendance of youth for we have the entire grade 6 class from Crofton Elementary attending regularly. I am also on a two week rotation as a leader in Funland (Sunday school). I have recently been switched from assisting the grade 1-3 and/or 4 & 5 over to leading the preschool children. They are such a blessing to teach for they never cease to amaze me. Their ability to understand a significant amount of biblical principles even at their young age continues to impress me. It really makes one think about the importance of children ministry and I am so thankful to be a part of the amazing ministry at Warmland.

The Importance of Spiritual Gifts!

The question of the week is: “What did you learn this week in your Foundations of Church Ministry class that has changed your view of the church you are serving at? How has it impacted your view of your personal involvement in church ministry?

There are always plenty of new things that I learned in class. For Foundations of Church Ministry I came to understand what the bible says about Elders and Deacons, the importance of social justice and church discipline. However what I found most interesting was the discussion of spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts have always fascinated. I knew about the lists of gifts in 1 Corinthians and in Romans, but I did not fully understand the importance of using ones spiritual gifts to the fullest. They must be used regularly and for the benefit of the Body of Christ. One could misuse a gift? Who knew! Therefore, coming across passages like 2 Timothy 1:6-7 and 1 Peter 4:10-11 aided me to understanding the importance of spiritual gifts.  Learning and studying about spiritual gifts really helped to open my eyes to see the importance of everyone’s talents and abilities at Warmland Centre (my local church). I’ve come to really appreciate all the work that others do, the jobs and duties that I would not be well suited for however they take on the responsibility with a willing heart.  I am so thankful that the leadership at Warmland has stepped up to God’s calling about using the gifts He has given each and everyone one of us. Seeing all the wonderful willing people at my church has really encouraged me to come to understand the gifts that I blessed with and to developing them so that I may be used by God in His almighty plans and so that I may be a blessing to the congregation of Warmland Centre by using the talents, abilities, and gifts that God has given me through His Holy Spirit.

Retreats!

It has been two weeks which means that I get to write another lovely post on things that have been going here on the west coast. This week’s question is: "What have you seen God doing during retreats and being involved in retreats, what have they taught you about camp ministry?"

God has shown himself during the retreats here at camp. Sometimes it isn’t necessarily a huge alter call, I usually see His work in the little things. The positive attitudes of the staff even when they need to be flexible, the tough questions coming from the mouths of campers, and smiles and time investments from people around camp who aren’t even scheduled to work that weekend. As for what I have learned, there have been numerous lessons that God has been teaching me. What I learned most recently during the Jr. High Retreat, is that every minute of your day counts. Therefore, one must be ready at any given time to be used by God to minister to his children.  Since the campers were only here for a weekend it is so important to spend time with them and make it worthwhile. Show them God’s love, for this might be the only place where they receive it. That is one thing that we can never do too much. To show His love.

Views and Involvement in Ministry!

I hope everyone is enjoying the nice fall weather, I know I am. The only thing that is throwing me off is that it is still pretty green here and there hasn’t been any sign of snow yet. Boy, am I going to get a shock when I go home to Ontario for Christmas.

As I mentioned in my last post I will be answering questions on this blog about my ministry involvement here in Crofton. Therefore it is time for another question! “How has what you have learnt so far in the Kaléo program shaped your view of / involvement in ministry?”  I would say that everything I have learnt to far in the Kaléo program has helped in shaping my view and involvement in ministry. I have learned that everything I do is missional. Ministry isn’t confined to a church, camp, or group of people. It isn’t about the program, the staff, or the food (I know, shocker). Since everything I do is ministry, I should constantly have the mindset of being God’s vessel to further his kingdom. I should daily seek to live my life out in a way the honours God and brings him glory. If I do this, I can minister to people through my actions not only my words. And as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words.

A prayer request in this area would be that I would have a willing heart in serving no matter what ministry I am involved in.

Camp and Church Ministry Unite!

This week at Camp Qwanoes we have been blessed to have Sid Koop come and teach us about Camp and Youth Ministry.  In classes we learnt about today’s youth culture and how to connect with them, how important service is, how everything is missional , how camp and church ministry is so very important as well as much, much more.

While I am writing in this ministry journal, I am to answer questions given to me from my Kaleo leader. The question for this week is, “Why is camp and church ministry so important?” and therefore the topic that my blog will be focused on today is the importance of camp and church ministry.

Camp and Church ministry is important because they provide a place for children to develop their faith and learn more away from their parents, to worship as a body of people and to be accountable to each other.  Reaching out to others and leading those to Christ and making disciples as well as encouraging others on their Christian journey are also important in ministry.  In conclusion, I would appreciate pray for Camp Qwanoes, that they would be attentive to Christ and his leading for the camp as well as that they would be striving to accomplish the purposes of camp (worship, service, evangelism, fellowship and discipleship).