Envision Summit

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Transcript: 

Rev. Darren Herbold:  

Hi, everyone. A very happy, albeit delayed New Year to you all. We’re supposed to shoot a video over a week ago, but snow shut everything down. And so here we are.  

In our home church this last week. The worship leader started by reading from Lamentations 3. This well-known verse highlights God’s faithfulness. I want to read it to you. 

It says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion. Says my soul. Therefore, I will hope in Him.”  

At the beginning of this year, I am filled with gratitude as I reflect on the unwavering faithfulness of God that is so evident in you, our Alliance churches and supporting Ministries. I want to speak to that a little bit more. But first, four important updates. 

From February 1st to 22nd, we’re launching a daily prayer newsletter to pray blessings over people groups who do not yet know Jesus. There will be a global prayer event through Zoom on the 22nd during the day so that we can join and pray together. This is a great opportunity to pray together for the many people groups that are already here in Canada and around the world so that they might know Jesus. As you sign up below.  

Can I also ask you to make this available perhaps to those in your small groups, your Bible studies, and of course, churches, as another way for us to participate together in what God is doing throughout the Alliance. 

Secondly, Envision Summit is a four-day leadership conference for young leaders happening May 7th through 10th in Toronto. The focus is how the next generation of leaders lead in, how they lead out and how they lead up. Registration is already live so you can visit envisions website to sign up today. You can find that below as well.  

Now thirdly, early bird registration for General Assembly opens March 1st. So be prepared to take advantage of those cheaper rates. But in the meantime, I’m already praying, and we are diligently planning as we look forward to beautiful Toronto summer days in July. I’m excited, which you join with me in praying for our time together. My expectancy of what the Lord might do grows daily.  

Lastly, a friendly reminder that the local church annual report is due in February. Okay, I know filling in reports is not necessarily exciting, at least not for me. And I filled out this report many times in the past. I understand. And we are already in process of thinking through ways to simplify this for next year. Actually, you’ll want to be at assembly as we begin to highlight how this report, combined with Canadian census data and other markers of Canadian society, is a powerful tool to spur ministry and imagination for our churches. But in the meantime, if you could prioritize filling this out, I’d be super grateful.  

Now I’m excited to share a story of faithfulness from Bramley Alliance Church in Brampton, Ontario. Let’s watch this together. 

Pastor Julie Crawford:  

When I was a teenager in church, one of the teens in our church got pregnant and I never saw her again. My name is Julie Crawford. I am the children’s pastor at Bramley Alliance Church in Brampton. I have been in Pastor Children’s Ministry for 18 plus years. God has been so faithful. I have seen his hand in every single area of ministry. 

When I was a teenager in church, one of the teens in our church got pregnant, family moved away and kind of kept it a secret. And there was a lot of shame there. Fast forwarding, how many years later there was a girl in this church that became pregnant, and the church supported her. The church rallied around her, and it was such an incredible opportunity for us to show the love of Christ to this young lady, because during her pregnancy they discovered that the baby had a lot of problems. 

Doctors from SickKids were encouraging her to have an abortion. She was adamant that she was not going to abort. This was God’s child, and she didn’t want to do that. One of the girls in our church prayed that the next time she would go for the ultrasound, the baby would be sucking his thumb. And she went for the ultrasound. And guess what? He was sucking his thumb. And it was so awesome to see. And that baby is now eight years old. He is awesome. He comes up front on Wednesday night and he sings with the kids and he’s doing all the actions. And I just think back to when I was a teenager and seeing that family move away because of shame and I saw our church family here surrounding a young lady who needed Jesus. 

And in that moment in that time, our church family was Jesus to her. And that was such an incredible polar opposite. And that’s what the church is supposed to be. That’s the church is supposed to be imperfect people who come around and support and love.  

“My grace is sufficient for all you need because my power works best in weakness. So now I am glad to boast about my weakness so that the power of Christ can work through me.”  

God doesn’t always call me equipped, but he always equips the called. And I have felt that because in in so many ways I feel so unequipped for this. But God has been so incredibly faithful. It’s Christ’s filling in our life. 

I always tell my leaders, we want to ooze Jesus over all these kids, all of these families that come. And I am so incredibly weak. But he is so incredibly strong in his goodness and faithfulness for the 18 plus years has been amazing. So, I stay tight with him. I have an incredible team around me who loves Jesus and loves me, puts up with me, prays for me, and I have an incredible family who supports me. And I just think that that’s really, important in ministry. Not that you’re doing ministry alone. Yes. You’re staying tight with Jesus, but you have people around you who care for you, love for you, and pray for you. 

Rev. Darren Herbold:  

What an amazing story of faithfulness. Obedience is difficult, but that woman displayed both faith and Jesus saw her through. The church family who rallied behind her is a beautiful picture of how we aren’t ever alone. This month, this New Year, I want to pray a blessing over you that you would hear the voice of Jesus, that he would have an invitation for you, and that you would have the courage and faithfulness to say yes.