Our recent letter to our supporters

We’re well into 2008 but not far enough to pass by sharing an update about our year end. Now that our taxes are completed we have a reason to celebrate. Not because of a big tax refund but because for the 14th year in a row we have meet our fundraising goal. Thanks to you, our supporters, we have never failed to meet the year end goal. Many of you have been there since day one when I was 21 years old and moving into Winnipeg's North End neighborhood. Thank you once again for another successful year!

Recent Highlights
Politics: I have always enjoyed following politics, Bec thinks that’s both strange and boring. This years U.S. political race is of extra interest to me. Things need to change in this country as the dollar dives and unemployment and debt skyrocket. The toll of the war continues on in its steady march of human tragedy but I am hopeful that better days lie around the corner. Of particular interest has been the growing popularity of Barack Obama. His campaign encapsulates the struggle of race relations that we face in our area. In a recent speech he focused on the topic of race in America. He stated that the words of the constitution aren’t enough to stop racism, what is needed is people willing to do their part. We feel like our move to North Carolina is part of us doing our part to bring the kind of healing and unity that Jesus modeled for us.

Ministry Quest: I had the opportunity in February to take one of our high school youth to British Columbia on a leadership development retreat for one week. Geron’s first trip to Canada was a great chance for him to be mentored and connect with other great Christian young people from across both of our countries. I had the chance to help lead the retreat and truly enjoyed teaching these up and coming church leaders. Please pray for Geron as he seeks to implement his leadership skills in his home setting. I took advantage of being in the Vancouver area and had a great visit with my cousin Angelo and his family and spent a day with my brother Trev who flew in from Calgary so we could go snowboarding in Whistler.
Pastoring: A lot of my highlights have to do with Pastoral duties. I have been giving the Sunday morning message two times a month on average. I recently baptized 2 youth, and I really enjoy helping steer the vision of the church and conference with our Senior Pastor and Moderator Terry Hunt. I feel really drawn to the Pastoral role lately because I know that our youth won’t benefit greatly from a dynamic youth ministry if there is not a dynamic church to connect to. I feel more progress is made when I am working at growing a dynamic church for them to participate in.

Family Life (by Bec): We just returned from a short get-away to the coast (always a treat for me!) and it was a welcome break. The kids are on spring break and we just needed to get away for a few days after a busy schedule and the kids taking turns with being sick. I told Chris that while I enjoy the mountains I would love to live on the coast. We stayed at a bed & breakfast with a wonderful hostess and toured around seeing 4 different lighthouses. We have now reached our goal of seeing all 7 of the NC lighthouses!

Coming up
Our group of churches have been talking about a new building for over 2 years. Now, after waiting for so long for the right opportunity we have a real date to put on our calendars. The materials for our new building will be arriving on site on April 22nd. We have a lot of work to do before then. The site is still only 1/2 graded and the concrete pad has to be poured but it is good to finally have a firm date in place. This is a big stretch in faith for our small group of churches and we couldn't do it without help from the larger U.S. Mennonite Brethren Conference The new building will be a great tool to strengthen ties between our 6 NC churches and it will be a great boost for the community that surrounds our church, since the church will look and feel more like a community center than a traditional church.