Pastor Report 2025 (AGM April 2026)
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. ”
Dear friends,
It is a blessing to serve with all of you. Psalm 133 begins, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” It certainly is.
This is a summary of what happened in calendar year 2025 within the life of our congregation.
Marcus Auger received the sacrament of baptism at a service in Island Lake this past September.
Tim and Keri Knopp, Ted Ford, and Jodie, John and Katie Paderewsky were received as official members of our congregation through re-affirmation of faith.
I officiated at the weddings of Jessica Meyer to Caleb Wladyka in May, Kalee Koons to James Jobin in August, and Elissa Ponich to Samuel Laird in October. We wish you all of God's richest blessings in the years ahead.
With grief and sadness, yet thanksgiving to God for the gift of their lives, we laid to rest Ron Gordon, Mary Koons, Kelly Astasiewicz, Graham Andre, Doreen Wight and Bob Saluk. “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord…they will rest from their labor, and their works will follow them.” (Revelation 14:13)
Ordained and Installed into the office of elder was Justin Guay. Installed into the office of elder was Bev Topola. Ordained and installed into the office of Deacon were Ted Ford and Tim Knopp. I need to make a shout-out and thank-you to all our consistory members. They are gifted, wise, kind, generous, gracious, easy to work with, supportive and fun. They do so much for our church and indeed, in the Kingdom of God.
We continue to have well attended and much appreciated monthly luncheons with the Widows and Widowers of our congregation. This is a very special group of some of the dearest saints of our church. Jeannette and I thank Brian and Kim LeMessurier for continuing to help us in this ministry.
The Friday Night Youth Group (Grades 7-12) continues to get together. It is truly a community group, and our meetings are either here at ARC or at the Missionary Church from 7-9pm. Currently, I lead this with Pastor Jason of the Missionary Church, as well as Jessica Roszmann. We appreciate also the help of Casey Mickelson. Jessica Roszmann also leads a weekly Senior Youth Bible study prior to each Youth Group meeting, for teens in grades 9-12. Special thanks to Anna and Kelly Olson for hosting our Kick-off bonfire in September, and to Keith and Karen for hosting our year-end BBQ and boating event on Island Lake in June.
Speaking of kids, our Sunday School program continues – with lots of enthusiastic kids from pre-school through grade 7. Many thanks to Kim LeMessurier for being our faithful superintendent, and to all the teachers, who do such a great job. Additionally, a Sunday morning high school Youth Alpha program is starting mid-March. Elissa Laird is heading this up, with other volunteers.
I also need to give a shout-out to all of our music teams, and the tech personnel. They are gifted folks who enrich our worship services in ways they don't even know they do! Plus, so many folks are blessed with the fact that all of our services are online. Thanks to Ben Adams for heading up the sound booth crew, and to all the volunteers. THANK-YOU VERY MUCH!
My wife Jeannette and I led a “Faithwalking 201” group of 7 participants from February thru August this past year. As always, it was well received and eye-opening too. It is great to lead these kinds of things as we as leaders experience an opportunity to re-learn and dig deeper into Faithwalking concepts including self-awareness, spiritual discernment, our default ways-of-showing-up, and our default ways-of-being especially in the presence of anxiety and tension.
I continued to serve our denomination as Church Planting and Development chair for our Classis, President of the Regional Synod of Canada, and Regional Synod of Canada representative on the Nominations Commission of the Reformed Church in America. I represented our Classis at the General Synod of our Denomination last year in Tucson, Arizona (along with Brian LeMessurier) and will attend again this year, in Nashville (with elder Bev Topola).
There are big changes in the works for our Classis (plus Classis Ontario) and the Regional Synod of Canada, as these bodies need to be combined into one body – The Middle Assembly of Canada – by December 30, 2026. Fortunately, these changes will not impact our local ministry nor how we do things but will save our denomination (the RCA) considerable cost which will be passed onto our congregations in the form of reduced assessments. Our church was well represented at our national Middle Assembly Planning meeting in Calgary this past September with in-coming Regional Synod Bookkeeper Carol Epp, and elder Sandy Krawec, greater-consistory elder LorRaine Jewel, and Classis Treasurer David Annand in attendance, in addition to myself and my wife Jeannette.
I continue to represent the Regional Synod of Canada as a Trustee on the board of the New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Brunswick, New Jersey. This is the oldest seminary in North America and is one of two that are connected to the Reformed Church in America.
As most of you are well aware of, I officiate at many funerals from outside of our congregation, and it is an amazing blessing for me to be able to connect with families outside our church this way. I also am teaching Religious Instruction to the grade 6's at the Landing Trail school. RI runs weekly from November through April. It is such a privilege to be able to do this.
Jeannette and I thank you for your love and support. We are immensely blessed by all of you.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
In Christ,
Al