MINISTERS MATTER

2008 UKRAINE CONFERENCE - A BIG THANK YOU!

I simply wanted to put into the record, my sincere appreciation to three distinct ministries that made the trip to Ukraine so fruitful.

I look forward to their continued support in prayer, encouragement and finances.

The Leader's Conference took place in the City of Yevpatoryia, Crimea on October 29-31, 2008.

David and I spoke five different times and I added one on the Lakeland Outpouring for pastors only. That did not include local congregations and leaders meetings which were both formal and informal gatherings.

The Life Centre, Ottawa

Without the vision of Lifecentre for a different kind of mission's ministry, none of this investment in the young leadership of the Ukraine would even be possible.

To see young leaders trained up, is to see congregations be more effective in reaching their own communities with the gospel. Missions must simply be coming alongside the existing leadership, listening to what they need and helping them meet that need through ongoing mentoring.

We are doing more than throwing money at problems, that never works anyway, but we are investing our time, talent and money in developing a new breed of leader to make a difference for Yeshua/Jesus, in their generation and community.

Many of the Messianic congregations have Jewish believers and the numbers continue to grow. PTL.

Thank you for praying and giving to global missions. I hope you enjoyed your Virtual Missions Trip as much as I did.

Messianic Vision Canada, Orleans

I sit on the Board of MVC and when this opportunity came up to go back to Ukraine, I wanted them involved. Sid Roth, Chairman of MV is a Messianic Jew with a love and desire to be effective in reaching Jews and Gentiles with the message of the gospel. Their financial help made it possible for Messianic and non-messianic leaders, like me, to attend this latest conference.

The expressions of thanksgiving on the faces and lips of these leaders was priceless. Without the help of MVC they just could not afford to come. Travelling by bus, van, train and car is expensive for these leaders, especially into the Crimea. Their travel expenses were covered, as well as the hotel, meals, conference and pocket expenses. Even the rental of the facilities, refreshments and incidentals like sound equipment, DVD duplication etc., was covered.

Thank you MVC for helping all of us involved, we couldn't of done it without you!!!!

Thank you for giving to the work of the Lord in Ukraine, Crimea and France. Much fruit has been added to your account as we saw the evidence of the 'One New Man' being effectively trained in Ukraine.

Mission O, Ottawa

As Team Leader of Mission O, it was so encouraging to get e-mails from some of the Servant Leadership Team members actually sending me a crafted prayer. It brought tears to my eyes, manly ones of course. Thank you for covering my seventeen days here in the Ukraine. Thank you for interceeding and your words of encouragement. You are loved!

OCTOBER IS CLERGY APPRECIATION MONTH

Clergy Appreciation Month is a special time that congregations set aside each year to honour their pastors and pastoral families for the hard work, sacrificial dedication and multiple blessings provided by these special people.

It is also important to remember that appreciation, affirmation and prayer support of our spiritual leaders is appropriate throughout the entire year.

Why is CAM necessary?

The nature of the service provided by pastors and their families is unique. God has entrusted to them one of the most precious of assignments — the spiritual well-being of His flock.

When a pastor becomes ineffective, the very souls of his or her parishioners are endangered.

When eternity is in the balance, we should all be concerned.

Pastors and their families live under incredible pressures. Their lives are played out in a fishbowl, with the entire congregation and community watching their every move. They are expected to have ideal families, to be perfect people, to always be available, to never be down and to have all the answers we need to keep our own lives stable and moving forward. Those are unrealistic expectations to place on anyone, yet most of us are disappointed when a pastor becomes overwhelmed, seems depressed, lets us down or completely burns out.

That's why God has instructed us to recognize His servants.

"The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honour, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching" 1 Timothy 5:17.

The good news is that we can make a difference! Clergy Appreciation Month is one way we can counter the negative erosion in the lives of our spiritual leaders with the positive affirmation they need.