Pastor Report 2022 (AGM April 2023)
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ”
Dear friends,
Well, the calendar year 2022 is history, and by the grace of God, it was a blessed year for us here at ARC. For one thing, COVID restrictions were lifted early in the year, and as a congregation, we can thank God that we haven't experienced the slow re-start that so many churches have – as so many of our people have come back to worship and serve. We have made good use of our re-modelled sanctuary, that is for sure.
This is a summary of what happened in calendar year 2022 within the life of our congregation.
Adelyn Guay, Brooklin Guay, Elenore Martel and Miranda Wagar received the sacrament of baptism.
Jeff Schweer and Sharon Senyk were received as official members of our congregation through re-affirmation of faith.
The year 2022 kept me busy with officiating at wedding ceremonies. Seven in Alberta, two in Ontario, and one in Scotland. We congratulate these newly married couples from our congregation, whose weddings I officiated: Melissa (Topola) and Kyle McKee, Sarah (Meyer) and Ben Mickelsen, and Kendra (Lakey) and Jonathan LeMessurier. We wish you all 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 Katherine Nelson, Eileen Chamberlain, Bill and Wanda Budz, Alex Duma, Brian Hill, and Ralph Spence. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” (Psalm 116:15)
Ordained and installed into the office of Elder was Sharon Senyk. Installed into the office of elder was Karen Wintonyk. Ordained and installed into the office of Deacon was Brian LeMessurier. Installed into the office of Deacon was Scott Splane.
I say it often, and I said last year in my report, but it continues to be true; “It is truly a joy and privilege to serve with our elders and deacons (our consistory). These are men and women called by our Lord Himself to serve in His church, and they do it with love and joy! And they are such an encouragement to me personally too!”
Our Calling Lake ministry thrived and flourished this past year. We installed our Calling Lake pastor Nathan Gullion as a Preaching Elder of our congregation. Nathan is uniquely gifted for this ministry and continues to make connections in Calling Lake. Food hamper delivery is a big part of his outreach.
I was able to attend the Reformed Church in America's Ethnic Councils gathering in Chicago this past August. The four Ethnic Councils of the RCA are the African American Black Council, the Hispanic Ministries Council, the Council for Pacific and Asian American Ministries, and the Native American Indigenous Ministries (NAIM) Council. It was a large and wonderful and joyful gathering of people from all nations.....and I felt very, very white!
This April, Nathan, Brian LeMessurier and I hope to attend a NAIM learning event in Oklahoma City. There are six other churches in our denomination that serve First Nations. Ours is the only one in Canada. And yet, all deal with the same issues – broken-ness, addictions and the like. So it is great to connect, lean on, and learn with members of these other RCA churches who are doing the same work we are doing.
We were able to do some rather extensive renovations and maintenance work at our Calling Lake Ministry Centre. By the beginning of April, the upstairs was ready for Nathan to use. Then in August, a hard-working team of 17 youth and 10 adults came from the Drayton Reformed Church in Drayton, Ontario, to spend a week of cleaning up the building and grounds, installing a new deck and fire escape, painting window trim, putting up the church sign, digging a fire pit, helping with food distribution and leading a Vacation Bible School for the kids. This group felt very blessed to be here, but they really blessed us too!
This Calling Lake Ministry continues to be funded, and needs to be funded, by churches and individuals from outside of our own congregation. We are very thankful to God for the faithfulness of so many from across this country, who give generously to support this ministry.
Our monthly luncheons with the Widows and Widowers of our congregation resumed after the COVID break. They are well attended, and seem to be well received. It is a very special group of folks, that's for sure. Jeannette and I thank Brian and Kim LeMessurier for continuing to help us in this ministry.
I continue to have the privilege of leading the Tuesday afternoon Bible Study, along with my wife Jeannette. We have been studying Ray Vanderlaan's “That the World May Know” series. It is great to see other Bible Study groups also digging into God's word here at the church during the week.
The Friday Night Youth Group continues to get together. I have the joy of being but one of their fearless leaders....though I admit this still pushes me a bit outside of my comfort zone. Many thanks to Abigail Smith and Liam Meyer for helping out last year until we took the summer break for July and August. When we resumed in August, Kathy Butler volunteered to help, and Hannah Seaton stepped up to help too, when her mission plans with YWAM in Australia were postponed for a year. Jason Metcalfe (the new Pastor at the Missionary Church) is also leading. More recently, Jessica Roszmann has joined in as a youth leader too! This large and enthusiastic youth group represents not only youth from our congregation, but from the other churches in town too. I continue to be thankful to the parents of these young ladies and gentlemen for raising such fantastic kids!
Speaking of kids, our Sunday School program was able to resume (finally) last spring – after COVID restrictions lifted. Kim LeMessurier has taken on the Superintendent's job. We are so grateful for this, as we are to all of our Sunday School teachers who give of themselves selflessly. The new Sunday School format includes the kids worshiping in the sanctuary with their parents until the offering, at which time the younger ones come forward for a “Children's Moment” with me. It seems to be going very well, thanks to enthusiastic kids who are not shy at all. Following a prayer, they head down the hall to Sunday School.
I would like, at this time, 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 now online. I have even been the guest preacher on a few occasions at other churches who just show a video of me preaching on YouTube.
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 General Synod Council of the Reformed Church in America. My term on the General Synod Council will end after the General Synod this June in Pella, Iowa. But I have a couple of other irons in the fire, so I think I will be continuing to do some denominational work, which is always a blessing for me. My term on the executive of the Regional Synod of Canada was supposed to end in April, but the board decided to set aside our rules of order so I can continue to be president for the coming year.
I continue to officiate at many funerals from outside of our congregation which I find to be a very practical way for me to connect with un-churched families in this community. I also am teaching Religious Instruction to the the grade 6's at the Landing Trail school, and have to admit that this seems to be going pretty well. RI resumed this past November. It is such a privilege to be able to do this.
Leah Cook was able to make use of our renovated sanctuary for practices for the Community Christmas Choir, which was able to perform again for the first time since 2019. What a great outreach that performance, and that choir is.
The first Sunday of December, we had a celebration event. We worshipped at the Nancy Appleby Theatre, and then came back to the church for a meal and the sharing of memories. We celebrated many things – the thirty year anniversary of our church. The renovations we completed during COVID. The resumption of regular church post-COVID. The Calling Lake Ministry and building purchase and renovation. And even my own serving as your pastor for more that ten (10!!!!) years.
WE ARE SO BLESSED!
Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” And God is indeed working for good through this body of kind, enthusiastic, and giving believers at ARC! It makes my calling as your pastor a true joy and privilege! Thanks, every one of you.
In Christ,
Al