By Rosemary Forsythe

Drama Camp 2018 is now in the history books. Each summer for the past number of years, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Parry Sound, Ontario, has invited children to put together a full-length Christian musical in five mornings.

The participants are often visiting grandchildren as well as local children and young people who participate in the St. Andrew’s group Kids on The Rock, who work on three musicals a year. After the first drama camp, when many of the children arrived knowing their parts and the music, we began to send out the material June 1st and encouraged the children to come prepared. They have never disappointed. The first day is quite fun as we hear all of the children sing together for the first time. New and old friendships are forged and it is a treat to witness the kindness that permeates every aspect of the program.

This year we had a crowd of 34 children — nine of them under the age of 16. The church was a hive of activity with many adults providing snacks and acting tips.

Three teens, alumni of Kids On The Rock, assumed leadership roles and directed the choreography and performed in the play itself. Four mornings of rehearsal, a dress rehearsal on the Friday morning, and the show was ready to share that Friday evening to an appreciative crowd of friends and family.

It is so much fun to watch children step out of their comfort zone, say a few lines or sing a solo. It is our goal to store up Bible verses and songs in the hears of these wonderful children who choose to spend a week of their summer vacation with us. Nothing gives us greater joy than to learn the children still remember the songs from past summer and do not hesitate to sing them to anyone who will listen.

A final comment: This week would not be possible without the energy and commitment of a small army of volunteers. The second week of July has been a week of blessing for all of us.

Cowichan — It’s a midweek evening in the sanctuary of Grace Presbyterian Church and 10 people are gathered in a talking circle. Holding a feather, Mary Peter opens in prayer.

“What fills your cup?” Peter asks, then passes the feather to the person on her right.

“This group,” said a woman. “Same time, every week.”

“Prayer, family, people” are some of the other words spoken.

It’s a weekly event in this First Nation congregation, and for some of the participants, it’s the closest thing they have to family.

Peter, a high school guidance teacher, is one of the leaders of the church, one of four planted by Rev. Joey Cho, executive director of Cedar Trees, the visionary leader of the mission, which began in 2007.

Cho’s story began in his native South Korea. This is the story of lost and found, of purpose and power. It’s the story of God’s church working in this world. It’s the story of miracles.

Cho was a lost teenager in the early 1990s in South Korea and he’d been invited by a friend to attend church one evening. In South Korea, many churches are huge, with professional musicians. But he got more than a dose of entertainment. On the way, his friend told him about the sinful nature of humankind, of God’s love for us and of the need for reconciliation through Christ.

“The Holy Spirit came upon me and I met Jesus that night,” Cho said. A few days later, he found himself at a Presbyterian church, where he felt more at home. He was baptized in the Holy Spirit and discovered his gifts. The process of transformation began. Miracle one.

At just the right time, God called Joey to go to seminary. He was ordained in 1996 and entered the ministry. In 2001, he met a group of Korean Canadians who told him about Canada’s First Nations. “Something in my heart was bursting,” Cho said. After 20 days of intensive prayer, he knew he had to go. Miracle number 2.

But his local church refused to support him, saying Canada is not a mission field. Listening to God, he went anyway. In September 2001, he and his wife and two elementaryschool aged children came to Canada. No job. No plan. Very minimal English. Just a firm conviction that God was leading them. They arrived in Vancouver and spent that fall looking for the mission.

At just the right time, God sent three people telling him to go to Vancouver Island. Three specific places: Tofino, Nanaimo and Duncan. Miracle number 3.

So on December 24, yes Christmas Eve, they arrived in Nanaimo. Again, no plan. They were continuing to live on personal savings.

One day in Victoria, sitting in a park, looking at the ocean and missing their friends in Korea, praying for God to show them a sign, a stranger showed up. “Are you looking for a church?” he asked. He was the pastor from Cowichan, where he met a native believer who told him about his people. Miracle number 4.

Some time later, they checked out a small Koreanspeaking congregation for a taste of their homeland and language. They quickly discovered he was a pastor and asked him to be part of their congregation. But Cho believed his mission was to natives, so he said no. On the way out of the parking lot, his car hit another. He went back inside, realizing God was calling him. Miracle number 5.

Three years later, his original call to First Nations was revived and he resigned. It was 2007. His family and one other started a storefront church in Duncan. He went door to door on the reserve. Three years later, they had 30 people each Sunday, but still no official recognition from the Cowichan First Nation band council, which was essential if they were to establish a church on the reserve.

One of the members of Joey’s congregation was a retired RCMP officer with end-stage cancer. His dying wishes were for a funeral conducted in his native language, but with pastor Joey leading the prayer.

A tribal elder stood before the congregation and introduced Joey, vouching for him, saying “This guy’s okay; you can trust him.” The funeral was an opportunity to share the gospel in a new way. It resulted in invitations, hospital visits, more funerals, more believers. Finally, band council allowed them to rent a prefab building, which is now busy seven days a week. Miracle number 6.

It wasn’t easy, as the church suffered some vandalism at first, but which ended when a church member carved native images and attached them to the sign. Joey has now planted four churches on the island, one a three-and-a-half hour off-road drive through the bush. First Nation leaders are now calling him. No more cold calls. And in each church, Joey has trained believers into leadership roles. Mary Peter is one of them. She leads the Wednesday evening potluck dinner. She’s actually been a believer longer than Joey. God’s hands were working, preparing that First Nation for evangelism a decade before he arrived.

By now the Vancouver Island presbytery took his ministry under their wings and Joey was taking extra courses to become ordained in the PCC and met John Paeng, a fellow student at Vancouver School of Theology. A friendship formed. When a church in nearby Parksville became open a few years ago, John was called. And now he’s become Joey’s spokesman, his PR man. Joey is a prophet, a visionary and answers God’s call to plant. John was born in Canada and knows the English language and Western culture and is more of an administrator. God knows what we need and puts people together. Miracle No. 7.

The story continues to unfold, more proof that God’s hands are always at work in ways we sometimes cannot see.

There is social service and caring for the least of these. But it’s founded on solid spiritual food, centred on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Joey sees his task as church planter as “opening the door and then others follow up and take over.” Says John: “He’s a visionary, a developer.”

Cedar Trees is among eight native ministries listed on the PCC website. But it’s the only one which does not receive funds from Canadian Ministries.

Undeterred, Joey keeps moving. The gospel spreads, lives are transformed and like the church which cannot die, the mission plants itself.

Sooke, BC — The problem with ministers in the PCC?

“You’ve got a bunch of ministers and administrators,” says Rev. Gord Kouwenberg. “We need vision catchers who understand the prophetic role of the clergy. We’re not prophetic in casting vision before the people so that the people are stimulated to act.”

Not that he takes the credit for building an $11.3 million affordable housing complex beside his congregation, Knox Presbyterian Church. It’s God’s hands that provided direction, and those divine hands are working with the community and the provincial government — which is providing half the construction cost — to make it all happen. He’s just listening and acting. “If you do what’s required, God will bless it.”

When Gord was called to Sooke in 2007, the congregation told him “we have enough money to pay you for two years.” He got to know the community. He saw gaps in medical and urgent care, no laundromat, a 40-minute drive to the nearest hospital and a lot of mortgage-poor people, seniors and a significant transient population. “We are called as humanity to care for the widows and orphans, the needy, those who live on the fringes.” said Gord. The vision was for a “campus of care.” Red tape and regulation forced the original plan of 192 units to be whittled down to 42 units. To make it happen, Knox formed a not-for-profit agency, the Knox Vision Society, with each member as a shareholder. Strictly following Canada Revenue Agency standards, the Society will manage the complex. It’s a way of serving the community for decades to come while assisting the congregation: the complex administrator will also serve as church secretary.

Don’t think of this as traders in the temple: no one’s making a profit. Rent will be considerably below market costs, and with completion several months away, there’s already the makings of a waiting list to get in.

And don’t get the idea this is merely social justice. None of this would happen without a solid spiritual foundation. “You know how renewal happens? It’s when people start studying scripture.” Sure enough, his small congregation, which sees approximately 40 people on Sunday, now has two weekly Bible study groups in which half the congregation participates.

And what of the congregation? “We will provide a legacy to the community even if we close the doors.”

Victoria BC — Rose Lum points to a collection of photos hanging on the wall on the lower level of Victoria Chinese Presbyterian Church.

“My father,” the elder says proudly. Lee Woo was also an elder, back in 1923, when the congregation’s current building was built.

Rose was baptized here almost 90 years ago. While it was a vastly different time, she looks to the future with their minister, Rev. Vincent Tan.

A small group is gathered in the church hall on a Thursday morning to hear the Renewal Fellowship message and engage in a wide-ranging discussion, followed by prayer. We are graced with the presence of three members of Knox Victoria, including retired minister Campbell Smith and his wife Ruth. We agree that the church needs to be bold, its leaders visionaries and its members equipped to do spiritual battle for God’s will.

Over lunch, Vincent and his wife Jeewan describe their passion for ministry and their hope for renewal. While the congregation offers worship in Cantonese and English, most of the younger Chinese speak Mandarin. That doesn’t get them down. The Tans live right next door to the church and are well aware that several thousand people live and work within a few blocks of the downtown Victoria property. Open the back door of the church and you see the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, which can hold 7,400 hockey fans and several thousand for a concert. People = souls. The Tans are well aware that they live in a mission field ready for harvest. They know they are being called to be the church. But how?

Their passion for Christ and the Kingdom is real. I can feel it. They are on fire and I can relate. Like me, they were called to ministry in mid-life.

They ask me to pray with them in the sanctuary. Gathered in a circle, we ask the Holy Spirit to put the lost in their path. Show them what to do. Give them the words. Open the doors.

Directly over the pulpit and facing the congregation is a large, wide banner in Cantonese and English: “To God be the glory.”

Last year, at the prompting of my daughter and son-in-law, I attended "Freedom Session" at their church. Freedom Session is a Bible-based twelve-step program, aimed at freeing us from our addictions, compulsive behaviours, and tendency to do the wrong things. The goal is to find healing and freedom through Jesus Christ. (Website: www.freedomsession.com)

What follows is my testimony on graduating from the program.

The main reason that I went to Freedom Session was to support my wife in her need to attend in order to deal with painful depressing memories from her youth. I also wanted to evaluate the program to possibly take it back to our home church. I also thought that, just maybe, I could also learn something on the way.

The most meaningful breakthrough for me during the 26-week program was, surprisingly, what I learned about myself and what I needed to do to break the grip that Satan had on me, and then doing it to obtain freedom.

What I have learned is that:

• I needed to forgive those in the past who have hurt me.
• I needed to take responsibility for my own life and the hurt that I've caused others.
• I needed to confess my sins and hurts to myself and to God and to others. "Therefore confess your sins to each other, and pray for each other so that you may be healed" (James 5:16a).
• God has shown me that I needed to make amends to those whom I have hurt.
• I had to admit that I was wrong and had no right to hurt them in that way.
• What I do, now, after the fact, cannot undo what I have done or remove the hurt I have caused. I have no excuse for why I hurt others as I have. They did not deserve that.

In the future:

• I need to recognize my errors as they happen, admit them, and make amends right away.
• I need to train myself in humility and godliness, through filling my mind with godly things, like the holy Scriptures, the Bible.

I have set in motion a strategy to prevent myself from again slipping into Satan's power but continuing to live with the Holy Spirit, in freedom from Satan's power. "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out, so that you can stand up under it" (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV).

And yes, I plan, as the Lord allows, to take Freedom Session to our home church. Also, as the Lord allows, I plan to take steps to incorporate Freedom Session into the renewal activities of our whole denomination.

Praise the Lord for loving us and caring for each of us. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9 NIV).

Now, ninety days afterwards, I am still praising the Lord and still reading the Scriptures daily, which I had gotten away from over the years and slipped into some other bad habits. In effect, Satan had quietly grabbed hold of my life, subtly, and made me an ineffective Christian, despite all the good things that I was doing, or thought that I was doing. Now, I am reading a short passage of Scripture daily, marking it, and writing down how it is meaningful and applies to me. I am talking and praying with my wife daily, which we had also gotten away from. I am asking the Holy Spirit to help me with my compulsive behaviour, to keep me from being dragged back down by Satan. Yes, I am trying to walk with God, and loving it! It is great to be free.

Many of us, both in the church and out of it, have hurts and abuses from our past, as well as broken relationships. People are living in states of addiction, compulsive behaviour, envy, bitter jealousy, greed, anger, and other things that are keeping us from living the life of freedom that God has designed for us. This program, Freedom Session, can help us, as it has me, if we take Scripture seriously and really want to get closer to God. It is the first step for renewal in our lives and thus renewal in the church.

I had the opportunity to hear Rodger Nishioka (Associate Professor, Christian Education, at Columbia Theological Seminary) speak this past fall. One story he told was about a research interview he did with a woman who lived in an apartment building across from a church. She told him that nothing that happened there had any effect on her life. She said that if that local church ceased to exist, it wouldn't make any difference to her. Dr. Nishioka then challenged us to think about whether the people in our communities would notice if our local churches suddenly disappeared.

The other thing he shared that I thought was noteworthy was this: "As society becomes more high-tech, there will be a corresponding need for high-touch."

During the recent power outage of Christmas week, I had the opportunity to reflect on some of the things Rodger said, and I came to two conclusions.

First, our Nassagaweya Presbyterian Church (NPC) community in Campbellville, Ontario, does make a difference to our neighbours. Many volunteers joined staff at the church during the week of the ice storm crisis to provide water, heat, electricity, food, and friendship to anyone who came through our doors. Further, donations of leftover barbecue containers meant that dinners could be assembled for pick-up to deliver to hydro crews who couldn't come to the church. This may have gone unnoticed by many, but for those who did notice, our contribution was appreciated.

Second, we are a "high-touch" community. When one of the eleven hydro workers who ate at the church on Boxing Day saw the home-cooked meal in front of him, he said, "This is better than the Keg!"

Home-cooked food and good old-time hospitality are some of the gifts with which God has blessed our community. These gifts meet a real need in a world where people are becoming more isolated by technology. For me, it was a real blessing to see our church community leap into action during the power outage. Thanks for making my first Christmas at NPC so memorable!

Pictured at the November 2013 Conference for Presbyterian Church in Canada Ministers at Crieff Hills Community: Garfield Havemann, Barb Fotheringham, Mike Maroney, Fred Stewart, Katherine Burgess, Ian Shaw, Cherie Inksetter, David Sherbino.

Having just finished the three-day retreat for Presbyterian Church in Canada ministers – two full days bracketed by two half days – at Crieff Hills, I spent some time listening to the comments of the other participants, and was struck by how often certain words came up. With that in mind, I decided to expand on them a little.

COMMUNITY: Everyone needs community. The church itself is a community. Yet, how often are ministers themselves denied access to their own community, one where they feel free not to be perfect? One where they are able to share concerns with like-minded people? This is one thing which happened here in November. We came together – some of us not knowing each other, and before the first full day was over, we were a community. Tonight, I listened to a youth choir singing We Are Not Alone, and, as a result of the time in Crieff, it took on a whole other meaning.

BLESSED: I was reminded of the Beatitudes, as this word kept coming up in people's comments. And, because of what people said after the fact, I decided to write my own. Blessed are those who come together in a place away, for they shall discover things about themselves that they never knew before. I heard colleagues share their stories – all unique, and yet all oddly similar. I saw colleagues cry, and knew that these were healing tears.

DISCIPLINE: The spiritual disciplines talked about by David Sherbino gave each of us something to take away, something which we can work into our own lives. Many commented on the fact that most people would assume that spiritual disciplines are already a part of a minister's life, but the fact is that, like just about everyone else in this 21st century, ministers are busy people. Bringing spiritual disciplines to the forefront is one way for us to get back into relationship with God.

RELATIONSHIP: This was a key concept – the idea of building relationships with God and with each other. It is through relationships that we can grow in our faith, and hence in our ability to share it with others.

Thanks to Fred and to David for an amazing time apart. I could only wish that more of my colleagues, many of whom are struggling alone, could have been there. Then they would have known that they are NOT alone.

Here at Norman Kennedy Presbyterian Church, we have just completed a great year of reading, studying, preaching, teaching, and talking our way through the Bible using Zondervan's The Story resources. A year ago, our session discovered and reviewed these helpful resources, and committed to improving our congregation's biblical literacy in 2013 by following The Story. In brief, The Story is an abbreviated, chronological, easy-to-understand version of the Bible that is written in narrative format (in continuous paragraphs without chapter and verse numbers). The Story gives an account of who God is, and of His plan to rescue and redeem His people. Its 31 chapters of selected scriptures and brief commentaries cover the Bible's main events and themes, telling the greatest story ever told!

The Story Resources

Our congregation embraced this program in many ways. Most Sunday morning worshippers purchased either the book or a set of CDs, and read one chapter per week. Each week's sermon was based on the reading. Since each chapter covered large sections of Scripture, selecting a specific story to preach on was both a challenge and a delight.

We also used The Story as our Sunday school curriculum. One elder, also a Sunday school teacher, remarked: "The Sunday school material was easy to use, and loved by the children. There were lots of activity choices, and the accompanying DVD provided illustrations of each chapter and totally captivated the kids."

Throughout the year, two small discussion groups met biweekly to delve deeper into the Bible with questions, reflection, and discussion. On numerous occasions someone would interject, "I never knew that before!"

Collectively, our greatest learning probably centred on the concepts of Upper Story and Lower Story. Max Lucado and Randy Frazee (co-pastors of Oak Hill Church in San Antonio, Texas) explain that each stage of history, including our own, has an Upper Story (what God plans and does) and a Lower Story (what plays out in the lives of ordinary people). According to an elder who hosted a study group in her home, "The concept of God's Upper Story interacting with our Lower Story encouraged us with the awareness that God can and does use us to further His purpose. This awareness grew week after week as we discovered how God used the patriarchs, kings, and prophets to accomplish His great plan."

It seems that many folk – even those who have gone to church all their lives – now have a better grasp of the biblical narrative and of how all of the Bible stories fit together. We also have a fuller understanding of God's love for us and of the lengths He will go for us to know and love Him. For that outcome, I praise God!

To the untrained, secular ear, "Presbyterian" sounds every bit as mysterious as Shiite, Sikh, Druze, or Methodist. At Chippawa Presbyterian Church, Niagara Falls, Ontario, when we were inviting people to worship, we began to realize that people with no faith background felt quite uncertain about what exactly it was they were being asked to consider and experience in a Christian church.

We also recognized that when faced with questions such as "Why would I come to church?" or "What do you do there?" people in our congregation struggled to articulate answers in a succinct way.

Some call it the "elevator pitch", the ability to "pitch" your message in the time it takes to have a short elevator ride, which is to ask, "Do you have a clear, easily-communicated and understood message of why you exist and what you do?"

We worked to get this in place. We got the message down to eight words. "Find Life in Jesus. Worship. Serve. Learn. Connect."

We use these words everywhere. This logo is posted in our foyer. We fit it onto a wristband, below, and distributed them.

We have shaped our programming to ensure that all four of these areas of the life of discipleship are encouraged and supported.

So now, as quick as a short elevator ride, we can share who we are and what we do.

We can tell people that "We find life in Jesus." We can quickly communicate that the life of a growing Christian is active in four areas; in worship – loving God; in serving – loving one's neighbour; in learning – knowing the Bible; and in connecting – sharing one's faith.

Who we are and what we do has never been clearer.

As the oldest church in Scarborough, Ontario, St. Andrew's Presbyterian exists to help people experience life through Christ. An integral part of this vision statement is what we call our Adult Discipleship Studies, consisting of our pastor's bi-weekly Tuesday morning Bible study, a laity-led bi-weekly Wednesday evening study, and a between-the-services Sunday morning study.

Alpha was part of our study curriculum for several years. But in 2009, we decided to explore a variety of other studies coming on the market, including DVD short-term studies. We have been truly blessed by the variety of study themes that we have studied, which have helped us to grow in our faith and knowledge. Each time we start a new study, it is exciting and heart-warming to have first- timers from our church and people from other churches and faiths join in with us.

In 2010, the first study in our new curriculum was Prayer Ministry – It's Easier Than You Think. During the Alpha studies we realized that most of us were not comfortable praying aloud. This 4-session study was based on Sandy Millar's Prayer Ministry Training Manual and Max Lucado's book, Discovering the Power of Prayer. We designed a post-study questionnaire to help us assess the study and its impact on our participants.

Later that year, we turned to Challenging Lifestyles by Nicky Gumbel. The theme of the study was Practical Guidelines for Living out Jesus' Teachings. The topics included how to have an influence on society, how to find life, getting our relationships right, dealing with anger, sexual sin, avoiding divorce, how to respond to evil people, loving your enemies, and dealing with criticism. This 6-session study was held in the spring and again in the fall.

In the last two and a half years, we have held seven other studies – usually accompanied by a DVD presentation. Listed below are the titles of the studies and a brief report on each of them. Our format is to meet at 7 p.m. for a short social, prayer and refreshment time, viewing the DVD presentation, going to our individual groups for study and discussion, and adjourning at 9 p.m.

Pastor Duncan Cameron is usually with us during the large-group time, and then is available in his office whenever we need clarification and assistance during the individual group discussion times.

Becoming a Contagious Christian – Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelberg.
Both of these individuals are associated with Willow Creek Community Church. Bill Hybels is the pastor and Mark Mittelberg is an evangelism strategist and author. The themes in this study are on developing a natural evangelism style, building spiritually-strategic relationships, learning how to direct conversations towards matters of faith, and sharing biblical truths in everyday language. It is a 6-session study.

The Power of a Whisper – Bill Hybels.
This 4-session study taught and encouraged us to listen and discern the "voice" of God from all the other voices that vie for our attention; and how to allow heaven-sent input to direct our lives toward making a difference in this world.

A Life Worth Living – Nicky Gumbel.
This 5-week study is based on Paul's letter to the Philippians. It is a practical and positive guide to uncovering a new heart, purpose, attitude, and confidence in the way we live our lives.

God's Story – Your Story – When His Becomes Yours – Max Lucado.
This 6-session study gives us perspective on how our daily life relates to God's grand, epic story. He peels back the chaos and confusion of our story to reveal God's loving and orderly purpose and perspective.

The Case for Christ – Lee Strobel.
The author is a journalist who was an atheist determined to prove that our Lord Jesus was not the Son of God. In this 6-session study we see and hear him using his journalism and legal skills to cross-examine a dozen recognized theological authorities with doctorates from leading schools. He questions whether any evidence for Jesus exists outside the Bible and whether there is any reason to believe that the resurrection was an actual event. The responses he received are helpful for us when we deal with people who are not believers.

The Reason for God – Pastor Timothy Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan.
The format of this 6-week study is with Dr. Keller hearing the doubts and scepticism of non-believers. Questions to him include how a good God can allow suffering, how a loving God can send people to hell, and why have so many wars been fought in the name of God. He responds using literature, philosophy, and reasoning.

The Prodigal God – Pastor Timothy Keller.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son is the best-known but least understood parable. In this 6-session study we watched and listened to the entire video the first evening, and it was mesmerizing. All of us realized that we had not truly understood the message before and now looked at each of the two sons in a different light than we had previously.

Gospel In Life – Grace Changes Everything – Timothy Keller.
This is an 8-session study on the gospel and how it is lived out in all of life: first in our hearts, then in our community, and then out into the world. This study will start on September 24th and be completed in mid-November.

Grace – More Then We Deserve – Greater Than We Imagine – Max Lucado.
This is a 6-week study starting in January 2014.

On a final note, in 2009 and then again in 2011, we held the exciting and inspirational Discovering your Spiritual Gifts Workshop. Most people are not aware of the spiritual gifts they have received from our Lord. Often we are surprised when we are complimented or thanked about a work area we are involved in at our church. It is exciting when you realize you have an unexpected spiritual gift. This encourages us to explore new areas of activity. We are planning to have another one in 2014, again being led by Rev. Dr. Jeff Loach.

Follow-up article