Charlotte Martin - August 2020

It is strange to admit during this time of pandemic, but the summer has flown by for me and I can barely believe that another school year is just around the corner. 

On Monday, I had the privilege of training a small group of new staff on how to transition well into their role as interns for the coming year. Tuesday, all the P2C-Students staff across Canada meet for a pre-semester rally. As we make adjustments to how we are doing ministry I'm excited for the ministry opportunities that lay ahead of us this fall. Things like:

• Launch and Lounge - an online launch event happening August 30th where we hope to bring 1000+ Christian students together. This event is meant to be fun, informative and community building. Students will be introduced to other students from their campus. 

• Summit - an online afternoon event Sat. September 26th with speakers and workshops meant to inspire students to love Jesus and live missionally.

• Alpha - we tested online Alpha in the summer, and it went well, so our goal is that each campus team will run an online Alpha course starting in October.

As we start a new and very different semester we want to pause and pray for students. Below is information to a prayer event happening this coming Sunday. Click "RSVP Today" to be sent the link.

If you know any university or college students you would like to connect to P2C let me know and I'd be happy to reach out to them.

You're Invited!

This will be a school year like no other.

Would you join us to pray for students as we prepare for September?

Please join us for a 45-minute broadcast where together we will hear encouraging stories from students, learn what's in store for student ministry in the unique school year ahead and pray that this would be a year marked by many students walking closer to Jesus.

Sunday, August 23rd

Broadcasting at 1pm PDT / 2pm MDT / 3pm CDT / 4pm EDT / 5pm ADT

RSVP TODAY

Gord & Heather Martin

Greetings to all of you as Wallenstein Bible Chapel,

Thank you very much for the gift of $250 that was forwarded to the VMC office for our support in June. Just yesterday we returned from a trip to Ottawa where we were visiting our son Chad and his family. So nice to get away from home and to reconnect!

We are in the process of helping the Chinese churches in Toronto establish a Chinese churches association which will be a network within the VMC network. It's been a great joy for us to support their church planters and pastors over the past 15 or 20 years. They continue to actively reach out to their community both here and in China.

We are also in the process of developing a network of Eritrean and Ethiopian churches. As I read my Bible I am struck with how frequently Ethiopians are mentioned, both in connection with ancient Israel and with the New Testament church. Just this morning I was reading in Jeremiah 38. Again, an Ethiopian stepped forward courageously to support Jeremiah when nobody else was doing it.

May the Lord continue to guide you as you seek his face regarding your future direction.

Gord and  Heather Martin

Vision Ministries Canada

Russ & Meredith Martin

Digital Missions Doesn't Work Without the Internet

Dear WBC Friends,

Think of how much you use technology for your daily life. Now imagine your monthly internet bill was 5x more and your income was 15x less. This is the situation facing our missionary colleagues in Francophone Africa where they face some of the highest internet costs on the planet.

Russ has been leading a project helping teams use social media in missions. One of the regions requesting the most assistance has been missionaries from French speaking Africa. While they have great ideas and engaged audiences, there are physical barriers to effective ministry like electrical power shortages, the high cost of devices and spotty/expensive internet connectivity.

To help these teams, Russ had to dust off his French language skills, endure through online conferences with participants dropping in and out and figure out innovative ways of navigating cultural and political values in getting these teams what they really need to engage their audiences. It’s sort of like the plumbing of digital missions. The result of our labour is that 300+ missionaries in 16 countries now have the needed connectivity to pursue localized strategies to help people know and follow Jesus most of whom are trapped in their homes, glued to their phones. It’s rewarding to use our business-minded skills to build capacity for bringing the gospel to the unreached.

Through your partnership we are helping to lead the next generation of digital missions. Thank you!

WBC Friends, through your partnership we are helping to lead the next generation of digital missions and bringing the gospel where it’s not in southeast Asia. Thank you!

Photos below:
Top: A huge gift... mornings and meals on our balcony 
Middle: Morning splash
Bottom: Wyatt enjoying Narnia

The world + COVID - Phil & Andrea Bauman

The grass and trees are green. Rain falls to nourish the environment. What a precious reminder that despite the many unknowns God is still in control.

But what has life and ministry brought our way?

Asking key questions.
Confident in our purpose.

Phil is leading a Ministry Advancement Task Force and one of the things they are working on is helping SIM leaders around the world ask key questions. One of several questions they are seeking to help teams address is 'How could the global COVID-19 situation affect ministries through 2021 in accomplishing our purpose?'  The answer to this question will often vary by global region, by country, and sometimes it will vary within a country. How we engage in ministry to various communities in many cases is changing. Although there is a lot that is changing we are absolutely committed to and confident of our purpose.

Convinced that
no one should live and die
without hearing God’s good news,
we believe that He has called us
to make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ
in communities where He is least known.

Phil and his colleagues on the Task Force would value your prayers as they seek to provide advice and counsel to leadership teams around the world..

Will you walk with me?

Connecting new Personnel leaders with more experienced personnel leaders is a key part of Andrea's role as International Personnel Coordinators' Development Lead. Another question we are asking is 'How could the global COVID-19 situation affect the well being of our workers and their ability to contribute to ministry through 2021?' As an organisation of more than 4000 workers there is a lot of Personnel/HR work that needs to take place to provide care for our people. Many times new Personnel Coordinators take on this role with little experience and handover. Andrea is seeking to help these new leaders by pairing them with a more experienced Personnel Coordinator who can act as mentor. Please pray for Andrea that she will be able to facilitate good mentoring partnerships so that our workers around the world can receive quality care so that they can flourish in ministry.

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We are incredibly grateful for God's provision for this house for us in Kitchener.
We moved in here at the end of May. We did do a bit of redecorating and are thoroughly enjoying the place God has given to us. We are enjoying the house itself, and the location, close to the kids, and with easy access to many walking trails is a tremendous blessing.

---

Pursuing global kingdom goals from Kitchener

Although we are now based in Canada we are still very much involved in what God is doing around the world.
As International Personnel Coordinators' Development Lead, key goals for Andrea are that:

• New Personnel Coordinators are supported in the first year in their role to equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills to serve with excellence.

• All Personnel Coordinators are encouraged in their personal development to serve with excellence

Andrea also continues to serve as Personnel Coordinator for the Middle East team. This allows her to keep very connected in doing the same things as those she seeks to serve in her other role. 

As Global Director of Strategic Development two key goals for Phil are:

• to see future oriented developments within the organisation further SIM's purpose and mission around the world.

• to see innovation, relevant research and missiological reflection inform strategic and organisational development within SIM.

If you want to know more about our roles and how we serve globally while based here in Kitchener, please drop us a line, we'd love to share with you.

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Congratulations to Kieran and Mackenzie on their engagement. They announced their engagement the same day we we got our house! It was a rather momentous day!!
June 12, 2021 is looking like it will be another big day!

Prayer Corner

Praise God

• for provision of a house and furnishings in the middle of COVID.

• that Mackenzie and Kieran are engaged.

• for providing employment for our kids throughout COVID. Although, Liam's co-op job was cancelled, Liam & Cara have both been able to work part-time.

• for the work of the Ministry Advancement Task Force.

• for those that are mentoring new Personnel Coordinators.

• for his ongoing provision for us.

Pray that 

• Phil and other colleagues will have wisdom as they journey with SIM leaders to help them be effective in ministry in a world + COVID.

• God will provide the right people to mentor new personnel coordinators.

• Personnel coordinators will serve their teams with excellence to enable SIM's workers to flourish, even in challenging ministry contexts. 

• We will sense God's leading and empowering to help us lead well in the roles we have been given.

• We and our colleagues will remain clearly focused on the purpose we believe God has given to us.

• Kieran and Mackenzie will be able to make good plans for their wedding.

Thank you for journeying with us,
Andrea and Phil  

Kingston Prison Ministry News

"Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things,
be diligent to be found by Him in PEACE,
without spot and blameless."
II Peter 3:14

Regular prison routines have been halted: no programs, no in-class schooling, no library, no gym, no chapel services, no chapel programs, no family visits, no work releases, no escorted passes to church or other personal development groups on the street, no on-site parole hearings (some zoom hearings have been allowed).  They are allowed access to outdoor yard for exercise in smaller groups but for only a limited amount of time each day. Those in minimum security have now almost reverted to maximum security restrictions again. 

Pray for their endurance.

Men are housed in different units and ranges and cannot associate between these various groups in order to maintain social distancing. This means that Christian inmates that were able to previously gather together for fellowship or Bible study are no longer able to do so.

Pray for their encouragement and steadfastness despite the loneliness.  

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We are thankful for the opportunity of connecting through letter writing and we do have some phone calls with a few men.  We are able to have regular contact with those who have been released to the street or have been transferred to halfway houses and we seek to pray with and encourage them. 

As well, we have had the opportunity to participate in a radio program that is transmitted to three of the institutions in this area.

Pray for this radio outreach.

Thank you for your prayers and may God bless each of you with a special sense of His presence and faith in his promises. 
 
Much love,
Robert and Susan

Family News

COVID has not stopped our family activities!  We had another granddaughter, Elliyah, born March 26 and then also two weddings.  Meredith was married April 3rd and Ben June 27th. We welcome and love these new additions. 
 
Our joy truly is not found in our circumstances but in the Lord Jesus!  With each occasion we felt his care and blessing and provision and we will cherish the memories despite the changes to our intended plans.
 
May we all be drawn closer to Him as we ride out this season of uncertainty and may God bless each one of you and keep you strong and healthy in His grace.