Calvary Orleans RIP

We are ceasing our public Sunday morning services in Orleans this weekend. In other words, last weekend was the last one. Here’s what’s going on…

We started back in April / May of 2011 for a couple of reasons. One was because there was a group of believers out in the Orleans community that were coming to Calvary and weren’t really content with our move to Saturday nights. Second, I was noticing a move of the Spirit in Orleans, especially on my street and in my neighbourhood and wanted to see if we could support that in some way. Finally, the move to Saturday nights had been tough for my family and it would have been good for us to have a Sunday morning service for my kids to be at. 

We started off in the extra rooms of Eglise Bon Berger and we were off to a good start. There was a lot of excitement, we had a good team of help for worship, for kids ministry, for setup and tear down and for follow-up. We had a great relationship with Pastor George Larabie, and it was good. 

There were some incredible times of worship, of the real and tangible presence of the Lord. There have been some great times of fellowship, and relationships grew and were nurtured. There were some wonderful times of prayer. We had some good Bible Studies. The Lord blessed our meetings, but for some reason, didn’t bless with more people. 

We never really got over the 20 mark. In hindsight, I think that’s an important dynamic. That would be the one lesson I have learned from this. We probably should have rolled back into a home fellowship and waited until we were consistently over 20 and then relaunched. 

A couple more thoughts. 
It’s been difficult to do both Orleans and Downtown. There was a lot more that I would have like to have done in Orleans, in connecting more with the community and in outreach. But, my plate was already full with the growth downtown and navigating through some challenges in our family. 

I’ve been praying for months about Orleans. “Lord, what do you want to do out here? What do you want me to do?” 

It all came to a head on Monday. I was driving back from Montreal with Gen, she had just landed back in Canada from a 6 day tour in France with Heritage and was just overflowing with all that the Lord had done. I could see that her involvement in what the Lord was doing through this music wasn’t going to diminish, but was in fact, going to increase. We needed to make some hard decisions, to position ourseves to serve, allowing her the freedom to pursue God’s call on her life. There’s just not room to do all of it. I can also see that I need to focus on serving the downtown congregation. We are in a season of growth and blessing and grace. I want to steward that well. In addition to all that, I would like to continue to be available to my family and my children. We only have them in our homes, in an impressionable mode for a few years. Investment now, will pay huge dividends later. 

What makes this decision hard is my desire to not disappoint my friends, Joel & Cathy, JC & Linda, George and John. They are lovely Christian people, godly, mature, and so committed to the cause of Christ, the gospel, Orleans and me as a pastor. We have a lot invested together, their love is evident, I hate the thought of letting them down. 

Here’s what I hope happens as a result of this. I hope it’s like a seed that goes into the ground and dies, and produces lots of fruit. My prayer is that some of the guys in our church that sense God’s call to ministry on their lives would consider some of the neighbouring areas in Ottawa (even Lowertown!) and start teaching the Bible in small groups, leading the people in worship, fellowship and prayer, and there would be churches, and and worship, and prayer and outreach and service in the community. I pray that we wouldn’t retreat, but advance and multiply, and that through this experience, I can be better positioned to help. 

I feel like MacArthur…

We will return! 

 

Ministry Rant

If we went for coffee today…

Let’s talk about the ministry… I’m more convinced than ever, we need to be engaged in equipping the next generation of church leaders and ministers. I’m praying that this next generation will be men and women that are uncompromising in their belief of the Bible, and in their proclamation of it’s very words. I’m also praying that they would be spiritual people, people that will be led by the Spirit, empowered by the Spirit, walk in the Spirit and live by the Spirit. Lastly, I pray that they would be humble people, people that are okay with their weaknesses, and are comfortable being themselves, with their uniqueness and personality, resisting the pressure to seek one’s own glory.

Why? Because the need is so great, not just to maintain the Christian community that already exists, but to actually reach out to the surrounding areas. And, this is something that the Spirit wants to do!

It’s interesting… Jesus said: Pray that the Lord of the Harvest would send ‘workers’ into His harvest fields… workers aren’t generals, they aren’t paid to think, strategize, organize, administer, lead, etc… They have a simple job, and the only way to do it, is to roll up your sleeves and get to work…

The HEAD of the body is the one that does all the thinking, and He communicates by His Spirit to the parts of the body…

Okay… I’m done with that rant.

Would you take a minute and pray that prayer that Jesus asked us to pray? Pray that the Lord of the Harvest would ‘thrust forth’ workers for the Harvest fields.

And would you pray for me? Pray that I would stay true to the mission, true to following the Spirit, in the ministry, in my family, in my marriage, in my own heart…

soon!

andy

BTW – yes, we had a good weekend of church services. We are so stinking blessed, we are pinching ourselves. How/Why God has chosen to bless us with the presence and the moving of His Spirit, baffles me. And, we had our first session of Term 2 of the School of Ministry… Incredible…. Alan Gilman is a monster… how did we get that level of excellence? Amazing… And! Rock the River is this weekend, so we just cancelled everything, and are going whole-hog…

 

Calvary Orleans

Hello…

Summer’s over, time to get back to the routine!

If we went for coffee today, (and it had been a while), we would probably talk a little bit about what’s going on in Orleans.

We made a big change back in August. If you have been following the story, you’ll remember that Randy had been leading worship for us, and felt like the Lord was moving him on to something different. That allowed us to have a good conversation with the regulars there, and here’s what’s come out of that.

1. We decided to keep going. There was a sense among all of us, that the Lord wants to do something in Orleans and wants to do it through us. We like being together, worshipping, studying, fellowshipping and praying together. There’s no reason to stop. Let’s see what the Lord wants to do among us.

2. We put a team together for Orleans. We split out the various responsibilities of church and here’s what that looks like: Andy (Pastor… whew!), John H. (Communications), JC & Linda (Facilities), Dan (Congregational Care), Joel & Cathy (Outreach), George (Finance), and Tim (Auxiliary). I’ve never done things this way, but it seems like the right thing to do and the leading of the Lord. So far, so good, and beyond good, there’s a lot of excitement and passion and action.

3. We decided to drop kids ministry for a while. None of the regulars had children, and we didn’t have someone to take on that responsibility in the church, so we decided to let it go for now, trusting that the Lord would provide.

4. We moved meeting spaces. Bon Berger was a great place to meet for kids, we had access to a classroom, kitchen, storage, gym, outdoor play area… pretty sweet. But, now, no kids ministry, and more of a focus on adults and adults past the child-rearing stages. So, we looked to see if there would be a place a little more comfortable for those folks and were able to secure a beautiful meeting room in the Old City Hall building in Orleans. It has A/C, carpet, and room setup and clean-up is part of the agreement. It’s very comfortable for adults, and there are some smaller meeting rooms available that we could do kids ministry in when we start that back up again.

The results of these changes so far have been positive. The church is closer together. Moves always seem to do that. There’s a lot of love between people, and excitement as the sense of ownership is kicking in. We’ve seen some new faces as people have been inviting friends. The times of worship have been good and the sharing has been encouraging. There’s some great ideas for outreach that are emerging as well. This is already a great church.

The one downside has been for my family. I’m praying that the Lord provides not only leadership for kids ministry, but also some kids! On the other hand, my kids really enjoy going on Saturday nights downtown, and I enjoy taking one of them with me on the bus down there each week. They get a big kick out of seeing and playing with all the people that volunteer downtown to do kids church, there’s a playground, and crafts and games and other kids. But, it would be nice to have Gen with me on Sunday mornings.

So that’s what’s happening in Orleans. Pray for these guys… wisdom, love, grace, and a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit!

soon!

 

Weekend Report

Hey you,

We had an excellent week of ministry, rest and fellowship last week at Camp IAWAH. That’s such an amazing place, wonderful food, and excellent people. It was a great way to kick off the summer.
We got back late Saturday afternoon, and I was blown away by all that the Lord did this weekend at Calvary. We had full meetings, intense times of worship, communion and prayer. And, to top it all off, I was told that a young lady prayed to receive Christ. It’s hard to top that!
There’s much going on. The Holy Spirit is stirring hearts, minds and even starting to move some bodies and do some shuffling. I’m excited about July, and what the Lord has in store for us. My heart is full, yet hungry for more. There’s some great things on the horizon for my family. And, I can see that the Holy Spirit is stirring in the church. I’m so grateful that He’s the Head, calling the shots, arranging the parts of the body as He sees fit.
So, I’m thinking about taking a break from writing for at least July.
I wrote that sentence, and then I’m thinking, Oh, I don’t know, I might get inspired and post some stuff…
Anyway… there’s a stirring going going on… it’s good… stay tuned… let’s follow the Spirit, live by the Spirit, stay in step with the Spirit, live in the Spirit, and keep the unity of the Spirit…

soon!

 

Weekend Report

If we went for coffee today… there’s no way I would remember everything from the weekend… packed!

Saturday night: Big night, again, a big night. I need to stress, that I’m not the one that’s bringing it on Saturday night. I’m in the same spot as a lot of folks, getting a big shot in the arm, a huge dose of the Holy Ghost while I’m there. I’m just so grateful, and relieved and put at peace every time it happens. It’s like cold water in a desert.
We had dancing in church. Seriously. Never thought this Baptist boy from the South would ever let that happen, but it did and it was awesome. We have several ladies in our fellowship that have trained for years in ballet, some have toured as professionals, and it was a treat to have 4 of them share their gifts and talents with us during worship. Many of the people were moved by it, and we’ll likely have them share with us again.
I met a handful of people that I didn’t know before, and got to pray with a father and son that were there for the first time. That was a great moment, to hear the dad sharing about what the Lord was doing in his life, apologize for not putting Christ first in their values as a family. It was a wonderful time of prayer.
Family Time is off the charts, and I’m so grateful for everyone that shares, and appreciate the vulnerability and honesty. Many times, I’m overwhelmed with joy and gratitude, just to hear what the Lord is doing. There’s one story you should hear… my friend Scott shared how his bicycle was stolen that afternoon, we prayed for the person that stole it, and then we just heard yesterday (Monday) how Scott got a much better bike for free.

Sunday morning: I never know what to expect. It was good to have Randy and Dan back together singing and playing and leading us in worship and they had Chelsea read a passage from Psalms during worship. One of the ladies shared how God was answering her prayers for one of her kids. After singing, we seem to move naturally to prayer, and I realized something about our Sunday morning group during the prayer time. It’s a group of parents, and people that are awake to their responsibilities, and they have a huge heart for their families, communities and culture. It’s wonderful to hear them pour out their heart to the Lord. It reminds me that as a pastor, I don’t get to pick who I’m going to serve. God picks, and it’s my privilege to watch Him work. I’m excited to see what the Lord is going to do as a result of the prayers of His people.
It was a blessing to have some visitors and to see how well they integrated and participated. I hope it was an encouragement to them.
And, I heard we are going to have a picnic after church in 2 weeks. Praise the Lord for picnics, and picnics that I don’t have to organize! I can’t wait!

Other news. I was encouraged to watch a panel discussion from the Sr. Pastor’s Conference last week. My friend Josh Turansky posted the link on Twitter. If you’re curious about what is happening in the Calvary Chapel movement, this will get you up to speed.

Would you take a minute and pray? Let’s just thank the Lord for His goodness, His faithfulness, His word and the work of His Spirit. He’s blessed us tremendously. Would you also pray for us, that we would be open and courageous for anything that He wants to do through us.

soon!

 

Weekend Report

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…

Seriously…

For some reason, maybe it’s to keep me humble, the extremes seem to show up at the same time…

Let me explain:

Worship was off the charts. Surreal. Tears, kneeling, hands up, voices raised, jumping up and down, tingles, shivers… Wow! One of the best times ever.
Family Time was rich. Open, honest, vulnerable, genuine, truth, testimonies… My heart was full. One of the best times ever.
Bible Study started smooth. Comfortable, relaxed, engaged. One of the best times ever and then…

One of my children got loose from Kids Min and I think made 2 laps around the room.

Megan is not only the QuickBooks ninja.

She is now a Dragon Warrior Usher.

She jumped up, grabbed the child and ran out of the room.

Megan!

We finished the Bible Study and by the grace of God, left the same way we started, by focusing on Jesus.

That was Saturday night. Surreal by all accounts.

Sunday morning was wonderful. Randy led us accapella in worship, we had a sweet, wonderful time of prayer with no interruptions for the Bible Study. Remarkable!

In both services, I must say that there was an extraordinary measure of grace. God is good, He’s faithful. And in the midst of all of our humanity, He continues to shower us… He gives more grace.

Our Savior is here!

soon!

 

Weekend Report

If we went for coffee today…

This weekend started on Friday. Our whole family was able to make it to the funeral on Friday morning in Tampa. I’m glad we were there. We were able to remember Grandpa Joe, his life, hear from his family and friends, cry, laugh and sing. All the songs that were sung were ones he had written. What a blessing.

But that meant a lot of travelling in the afternoon. Isabelle, Olivia, Luc and I arrived back in Ottawa at 11pm. It was the only way to be at the funeral, and also be at a wedding rehearsal on Saturday morning back in Ottawa. God was with us in sending some really sweet people to help, and we are also grateful for technology like movies and games on phones.

Saturday night: It went far better than I thought it would. I knew it would be good, but I didn’t think it would be that good. Sean Dayton and his band was with us and led worship. That was a sweet time. I hope he comes back sometime soon. He made a connection.

I made a huge faux pas during the message. I referred to the Victory Bible Reading Plan and to how I had read about David and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11, 12. To my chagrin, I completely missed the right day on the Plan and was over a week off! No wonder I had some empty blank stares about it! I have the little booklet again, and I’m doing my best to correct my mistake. Oh, man, talk about humbled! Tim Klein was the only one that told me about it!

Sunday morning: I never know quite what to expect, or what the Lord is going to do. We had a visitor, a lady who had been invited by some new friends, and as she told the story, it had the fingerprints of God all over it. It was obvious that as she was reaching out for the Lord, the Lord was reaching out to her, and there was a connection. That was very encouraging for us, because we have been praying for God to do things in Orleans, and to meet people, and to show us where He wants us to be and serve. That was quite thrilling.

Overall: Children’s Ministry and Setup / Teardown people are still my heroes. These folks amaze me, I’m humbled and honored by their love, commitment and excellence. Their effort is resulting in many expressions of thanksgiving to God…

soon!

 

Weekend Report

Here’s what went down…

Saturday night: It’s been good to have Josh Gilman back. This week, he shared a bit of his testimony during worship. I appreciated his vulnerability, his honesty, and his heart for people coming into a full, complete and life-giving relationship with God. I’m glad to know him and serve with him.
I met some people too. I met a guy named Nick from Southern California, who is in Ottawa for an internship. I hope he invites me for a coffee, I think what he’s doing is pretty interesting, and I hope he enjoys his time in Ottawa.
I also got to meet Cory’s future father-in-law. He’s from Longueuil, and it was wild to watch his face when he realized that my wife was the singer from Ottawa on the Heritage albums. I’ll always remember that conversation. His daughter is Genevieve as well.

Sunday morning: I honestly never know what’s going to happen on Sundays. It was good to have Randy with me, because we were the only guys. It was an all ladies Sunday on Mother’s Day. How does that happen? It was a bit of healing for me, because the last time I spoke at a Ladies Bible Study, I was so nervous, I wondered why I had done it in the first place. Anyway, it went much better today, and I trust the Lord used our Bible Study to build up the church.

What’s colored the whole weekend is the loss of Gen’s stepdad, Joe Scaglione. Gen left on Sunday morning to go to Florida and be with her mom. I’m hoping to join her shortly.

soon!

 

Weekend Report

I’m having an Americano (for here) while I’m typing this. I’ll imagine that you are with me.

Saturday night: My friend Jon Ruby came to worship with us, and I had a really great conversation with him as worship started. I’m really grateful that he came, because, in our conversation, he shared something with me that I believe was a ‘word of wisdom’ from the Spirit. It gave me a new perspective on an area of my life that the Lord put his finger on this week. It gave me hope and I felt love, even in the midst of truth. I don’t know if Jon knew at the time, how powerful it was.
We had a good night. It was great to have Josh back, leading us in worship. I got to meet some more new people, always amazed at that. One girl was from Calvary Chapel Kelowna, and passed on greetings from Pastor Dale Baldwin. I guess the secret’s out about us now… we’ll probably have to fess up to some stuff to the west coasters now.

Sunday morning: I finally remembered to bring a vacuum cleaner and give the entry rug a good pass-over. Man, I’ve been wanting to do that for a year, and just can’t seem to remember on Sunday mornings to put it in the car. It looks a hundred times better, even if it’s only to me. I also brought a pump and a needle and my kids put some more air in the balls in the gym. This is progress! LOL
We had a good crowd on Sunday morning, some visitors from Saturday night, which was cool. They got to see what the Lord is doing in Orleans. I was happy to see both Jonny and Hugo. It had been a while.
Oh, yes, and we had breakfast together! Sweet times!

Overall – I still think that the children’s ministry people and the setup and tear down people are my hero’s. We have some faithful, loving, grace-filled people, and it’s a blessing to see them worship the Lord by serving us.

soon!

 

Weekend Report

This was an interesting one!

Friday morning, we bought a ticket for Gen and Sarah to go to Florida later that same day. Her stepdad (Joe) had been in the hospital over a week and was deteriorating. So, within 40 minutes, she was packed and we were in the car headed to the airport. By mid-morning, I was flying solo with our older 3. We did good till Saturday afternoon, and then we had an incident at home, and it took priority. I phoned Joseph and Glenn and told them that it was very likely I wouldn’t make it to church that evening. I appreciated Joseph jumping in and teaching. I wasn’t able to make it that night. The incident is all behind us now, cleaned up, and I can’t wait for a certain child’s wedding reception, I’m going to have some great, entertaining stories to tell.

Gen’s stepdad is doing better. It looks like the worst has passed and he’s back on the road to recovery. Thank-you to all of you that got my Twitter/Facebook post and prayed for him. Gen’s headed back on Wednesday, the 18th. We are all going to be very glad to see her.

Joseph shared a great message out of 2 Samuel, he had been studying it for Bridges on Tuesday night. It was about making decisions, and the impact of all these little decisions we make every day, and we need to continue to make those for the Lord. He illustrated it with the life of David and the good and bad decisions that he made and the outcome of his life. Overall, it was good, the people of Israel were blessed during David’s reign. He did make some bad decisions, and we will as well, but it was a good encouragement to see decisions as these moments where we turn to the right or the left, and we need to continue to turn towards following the Lord and trusting Him. It was a great message. I’m sure it will be posted soon. I’m grateful to have Joseph at Calvary and available and I thought he did a stellar job jumping in at the last minute.

soon!