A blog summary of an event
Sometimes we realize how deep our souls really are; most of the time we don’t. Yet it’s in the depths that we discover some key truths God has implanted in us. This year’s youth pastor’s retreat attempted to dig down deep into the souls of 15 youth leaders (including 1 senior pastor) at Camp Kwasind. Time and space was set aside for such exploration. Our retreat began with a night
For 10 days, three churches converged in Montreal to serve.. They started as strangers and became friends under the name of Jesus. From July 23 to August 1, FBC-Welland and FBC-Dunnville joined Montreal Chinese Baptist Church in the heart of Montreal. Their first weekend began with some training and team bonding. (Welland and Dunnville soon discovered that MCBC was an epic location for Manhunt plus a Poke stop was right
Last Saturday, over 1300 students and leaders gathered at the Meeting House for the 32nd edition of the Today's Teens Conference. The key speakers featured Dr. Chap Clark for youth leaders and Dr. Dave Overholt for students. They posed one key question: Are you all in for Jesus? With the help of an army of volunteers and over 25 workshop speakers (including Tim McCoy, Karra Overholt and Sam Lee), students
What happens when almost 840 people converge onto Muskoka Woods? You have the BIGGEST BLIZZARD EVER! While there was a mixture of excitement and anxieties heading into this, God had his plans already in mind. With Mike Gordon as our speaker and Life Support leading worship, we explored that foundational question we all wrestle with: Who am I? More importantly, who does God say I am? Mike used the story
Avalanche turned 16 years old this year. Yet there has never been an Avalanche like this one before. With 547 guests and our retreat staff, we looked to discover who we are, asking God to reveal our identity. Avalanche began like many others before it, with a session of worship and some initial thoughts from our speakers Laura Bronson and Tim Teakle. But then, at 3am, all the power went
Last week, 20 youth workers gathered at Camp Kwasind for a time of fellowship, inspiration and challenge. We saw some familiar faces and welcomed some new ones. Dale Stairs (Director of the Crandall-Acadia Bachelor of Theology Partnership & Director of Community Practicum) challenged us to consider our own soul care, core elements that need to be incorporated in a youth ministry (like camping and mentoring), and ways to evaluate the
On August 15, the Hamilton Ticats took on the BC Lions and trampled them. For over 300 attendees, that wasn't the highlight. After the game, many stayed to hear from five Ticats players, like Luke Tasker, as they shared their faith stories of how Jesus impacts them. Churches from around the Golden Horseshoe and even across the US border joined in this memorable event. Afterwards, children of all ages got
This past weekend, over 500 people from our family of CBOQ churches gathered in Toronto. This annual Assembly is our “family reunion” and our theme this year was “Growing Up Together”. Indeed, we are all growing up together. Friends renewed acquaintances. Believers celebrated and worshipped God with one voice. Our presenters and speakers each challenged us with ways that we can grow together (from the various ministries to church operations
Over the last 2 weeks, Matt and I travelled to 10 cities, spanning from Windsor to Ottawa, with the Canadian Youth Network’s Youth Worker Resource Lunch Tour. Along with Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, Power to Change and Ambassadors for Christ, we facilitated a discussion about students transitioning from high school to post-secondary studies. During our tour, we met with approximately 450 youth pastors who supplied a multitude of ways they are
We know that God is greater, but how much greater? That's a question that many people wonder about God, but in the last few days I got a new appreciation for the true greatness of God. I just got back from Springforth - an evangelistic retreat hosted by the Youth and Family department of the CABC (Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches) in Moncton, New Brunswick. This event is held at 2 locations: the
