GBCanada USA
Career Missionaries in the
not so snowy 'Great White North' |
Ado Spring Update 2012 |
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Honoring Kurt Miller
The Grace Brethren Fellowship's prayer along with Kurt's steadfast initiation and investment helped launch the efforts here in Canada many years ago. We were also very fortunate to have Kurt Miller serve on our initial boards both in Canada and for GBCanada USA. We stopped in Martinsburg PA to take Kurt to one of his favourite restaurants and give him a gift to celebrate over 30 years of church planting. Kurt now serves as senior pastor at the Martinsburg GBC and he is still church planting. Thanks for your wisdom and perseverance through the years, Kurt.
2012 GBCanada USA Trustees: Dave Gummere, Dennis Fay, Dave Clearwater and Ricky Goad
Skyping in the Alberta Team.
 | | Grasslands Church, Bart Blair and Oliver Shane Edwards add their thoughts to the GBCanada Strategy Summit. |
Look for our Special GBCanada 15 Year Celebration Newsletter next month.
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Hi there!
Springing into Action!
GBCanada USA Matters
 | | The GBCanada USA Family |
We celebrated what God did in 2011 with the start of a new church, Grasslands Community Church in Medicine Hat, Alberta and we finished one of our best financial years thanks to you. GBCanada USA held its annual Trustees Board meeting and welcomed Pastor Dennis Fay to the board to replace Pastor Kurt Miller who stepped down from GBCUSA board after decades of devoted service.
Strategy Meetings to Review First 15 Years
Please pray for the GBCanada leadership team as we hold a planning summit this week at our home. The gang's all back together as we take a critical review of the last 15 years and look forward to where God will take us from here to 2020. Our West Coast Director, Philip Bryant, flew in, while Bartley Sawatsky is playing hooky (not hockey) from Grace Community Church to be with us all week. Nathan Bryant is facilitating the effort as we add in the ideas of current leaders we didn't have 15 years ago that are now part of the Canadian movement. Church planters and pastors will participate throughout the week, some in person, some by Skype. Pray that it will prove to be a very fruitful exercise in seeing what God can do as we trust Him for immeasurably more, and move ahead with Him toward 2020.
Marriage Matters
Please pray for a young couple we are doing pre-marital counseling with as we invest in their lives and share the many aspects of the good news of Christ for their lives.
Bowling to Reach Canadians...on Good Friday
 Good Friday is a national holiday in Canada and everyone is looking for a way to enjoy family time. The Village Community Church has rented out 14 bowling lanes at the local family entertainment center to connect with the community. Pray we will make impactful lasting healthy relationships.
Ohio NEO Conference and GBIF Board Meetings
 Please pray for safe travels and new insight as we drive to NEO District Conference in Akron, OH later in April followed by GBIF Board meetings in Cleveland. Ohio is our closest connection point to other GB pastors and the mainstay of our support base. We love to visit our family of friends and reconnect with other church planters and ministry partners.
Go to the GBCanada website to follow any of the GBCanada missionaries and for back issues of our newsletters.
We are delighted to have you forward our news. Please do so safely with the Forward email button at the bottom.
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Update on Lyndan Edwards
Grasslands Church pastor, Oliver Edwards writes:
"Thank you for your powerful prayers for our son, Lyndan! I can't describe how amazing it has been to see people from all over the world pray for us and contact us with love and support in this time of crisis. Your prayers have been effective! We have been riding a roller coaster from the first MRI which was interpreted initially as an inoperable glioma which would probably have been fatal, to Alberta Children's Hospital where it was determined that it was a cavernoma, still very serious because of where it was located (on his brainstem in the center of his brain) but operable. After 6 days in the hospital post-surgery, which lasted 5 hours in one of most advanced, computer assisted operating theatres in Canada, Lyndan is now home with his family! We have returned home much faster than even the doctors anticipated. Lyndan has a scar running from halfway up the back of his skull to halfway down his neck, but he is doing great! His only remaining aftereffects of the surgery are slight doublevision, balance issues and a tendency to throw up if he eats too much too fast. All of these symptoms are ebbing daily. We couldn't be happier, and are sure he will be back to his old self before summer. God is the great physician!"
Thanks for praying for our preparation for time in Medicine Hat, Alberta in May sharing a financial and debt free seminar as outreach to their community and church family. It will be great to meet so many new folks and be a part of God's blessings on this growing family and to share hugs with Lyndan in person again. |
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Canadian Fun Facts:
Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined.
Canada is an Indian word meaning ' Big Village '.
Chances that a road is unpaved in the U.S.A. is 1%. Chances that a road is unpaved in Canada...is 75%.
 Thanks for praying for some health issues for us. Elise's recent surgery for basal cell carcinoma was non-malignant, all praise and thanks to God. Ted will be going in for epigastric hernia repair surgery in August...after softball and golf season, of course, and the loss of 15 pounds per Shouldice Hospital in Toronto. Please pray for God's healing or stabilization of the hernia until then.
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Thanks so much for walking with us in this ever-changing adventure. Your prayer, input and support sure does help us keep going here in Canada. If you'd like a visit and update to your church sharing God's goodness for His work in Canada, we would love to schedule you in the new year. Just let us know how we can be involved in any way.
Looking forward to seeing you at the Vision2020West Conference in CA. Join us for our 15 year celebration at the GBCanada Monday breakfast July 30th! (See www.vision2020west.com).
If you'd like to receive our Prayer card or have any other requests, please drop an e-mail to elise@gbcanada.ca. Also, let us know how we can pray for you.
Together for His Kingdom,
Elise and Ted
He 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, forever and ever. Amen! Ephesians 3:20 |
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