Victory in Jesus! January 2019

Roddickton

Happy New Year! The weeks are already swiftly

passing in this New Year. We give glory and honor

to the matchless Name of Jesus for His providential

care and blessings He so graciously bestows upon us

daily.

December

The month of December was very busy but full of

the blessings of the Lord. Much practicing for our

different programs, church decorating, community

Helping Hands Concert, Senior Home visits/services,

sing-a-longs, Candlelight Service and church suppers

all produced much hustle and bustle but it was all

worthwhile. In the midst of it all we could sense the

presence of the Holy One, born in a stable so many

years ago to bring hope to a hopeless world. Thank

God for Christmas!

December 16, we held our Sunday school program

entitled, “Hope Was Born This Night”. Beautiful

singing, recitations

and a skit that

portrayed the real

meaning of

Christmas ignited a

joy and praise in the

hearts of those in

attendance. The

children and teens were all commended and

applauded, for performing so well! The many nights

of practice sure paid off!

December 17, we came together for our church

Christmas supper. A hot delicious meal was served

followed by

singing, fun

and prizes.

How blessed

we are to enjoy

such wonderful

fellowship with

our church

family!

Watch Night Service

The annual Watch Night Service was held at

Roddickton with Englee and Bide Arm saints joining.

Pastor Kirby and his wife, Diane, were visiting from

Kitchener, ON. Pastor Kirby presented the message

on this last service for the year 2018. The theme of

his message was, “Intercessory Prayer,” using

Genesis 18:20 as his text. Sometimes we do not

realize the power in prayer. We are saved today

because someone prayed for us. Angels were

dispatched from Heaven to warn Lot’s family of

coming destruction because of Abraham’s prayers.

We must intercede for our families just as Abraham

did. As the altar call was given, we went forward to

pray while the old year slipped into history and 2019

began.

January

During the past few weeks we have heard so much

about resolutions, making changes in our lives and

doing more to achieve our goals this year. Many

sermons from the Word, messages in songs, and

even testimonies have encouraged us to consecrate

more to the service of the Lord, to allow God to do

something ‘more’, something ‘new’ in our lives.

In today’s culture we are drawn away from spiritual

pursuits to focus on building wealth and treasures

around us. These things in themselves are not evil,

but the value we place on them can lead to our

spiritual downfall. It should be our ambition to

pursue higher values than wealth and fame, to build

our hopes on things eternal.

On January 5, Pastor Chris Hewlett gave a stirring

message on, “Signs of the Coming of the Lord” using

Matthew 24:36 as his text. The world needs to hear

that these signs are before us. God, by Noah, gave

fair warning that the wrath of God was to be poured

out on unrighteousness. Just as today, the world

has been warned and the door is just left ajar for a

few days of grace and mercy. Our hearts were

blessed and many of us felt such a strong urge to

warn our loved ones who are not yet saved to make

haste and seek the Lord. We know the coming of

the Lord is just at the door and what we must do, we

must do quickly!

January 13, we experienced a wonderful outpouring

of the Holy Spirit in our midst as we worshipped

together. Saints received sweet blessings as they let

go and let God have His way. There was no

preaching as many hearts were reaching out to God.

Something good happens when saints dwell

together in love and unity and pray for the Spirit of

the Lord to fall. Our prayer is that revival will

continue and souls will be convicted of their sins,

turn to the Lord and begin a ‘new’ journey in life.

We are looking to God to bless in 2019 just as He has

in 2018. All glory and praise to the Almighty.

BIRCHY BAY

Happy New Year from the saints of Birchy Bay. How

can we sum up the last year in just a few words? The

words that come to heart and mind are: “Praise the

Lord, God has been so good!”

We can look back over the past year and see many

times where the Father’s presence filled His house,

giving us fresh strength to continue in this spiritual

walk, as well as encouraging us and answering our

prayers. We have heard wonderful messages from

the Word of God that has fed our souls many times.

One in particular was on September 1, using

Romans 12:12 as the text. “Rejoicing in hope;

patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.”

In a world that is filled with trouble we were

admonished to be patient and rejoice in the hope

we have in Christ.

During our service on October 14, we had a time of

prayer where cloths were anointed and prayed over

for the healing of those who would receive them.

The following week they were distributed to the sick

and afflicted with a note of encouragement.

November 7, the ladies of our congregation made a

trip to Clarenville, NL, to visit one of our dear sisters,

Beulah Ivany. She was so excited to see us. We had

a great time of fellowship with her and we were

blessed during our visit together.

This fall our ladies began a new project to work on

at our fellowship meetings. We are making

children’s puppets that will be donated to one of the

surrounding hospitals. When children go to the

laboratory for blood work or other procedures they

will be given a puppet. I have seen firsthand how

these puppets can help bring a little cheer to a sick

child. Our plan is to make 100 of these by this

spring, should the Lord tarry. We have already

reached the halfway mark to attaining that goal.

On December 9, 2018, we made a trip to the senior

home in Embree. Since our scheduled visit came

during the Christmas season, we sang some carols,

had readings and heard from God’s Word the

wonderful Christmas story. After the service we

treated them to refreshments and a little present.

Because sister Well’s birthday was the following day

we also treated her to a birthday cake. We visited

this home again this past Sunday, January 13, 2019,

and what a beautiful service as we worshipped and

praised God together.

We have seen many places in the past year where

God has been so faithful to us, blessing us from His

storehouse of love. We have seen little changes in

the lives of those around us that encourages our

heart because we know that God is dealing with

them. We are expecting souls to be added to His

church. We thank God for what He has been in the

past year. Because Jesus Christ is the same

yesterday, today, and forever we anticipate a

victorious year to come, should our Lord tarry.

South Brook Happy New Year! 2018 is behind us, winter has

arrived early this year but the snow and cold cannot

dampen our spirits. We are enjoying the warm

presence of the Holy Spirit.

December 9, we had

an Ordinance Service

which brought a time

of blessings. On

December 15, we held

our Church Supper.

What a wonderful

time of fellowship,

laughter, games and singing praises to the King of

Kings. On December 23, there was a Candlelight

Service with great singing by our adults and Sunday

school children. December 27, Ruth MacKay hosted

an Open House Birthday party for her 90 year old

Mom (Sister Mary Jane Hopkins) who is the oldest

member of our Church. It was a joyous time of

fellowship and food with many of the townspeople

attending. She was presented with a bouquet of

flowers by our town mayor. On December 31, there

was a prayer service to pray out the old year and

pray in the New Year.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave

His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in

him should not perish but have everlasting life.” This

is the hope of all mankind who believe on Him with

a repentant heart. This is why we celebrate

Christmas.

With all the celebrations of Christmas behind us we

are anticipating an exciting new year if the Lord

should tarry. Let’s pray one for another and for our

unsaved loved ones and those that we know who

need the Lord. May God grant us all good health and

spiritual blessings in 2019.

Toronto

The church Thanksgiving service was on October 7, 2018. The brethren in Toronto were filled with gratitude as many of the testimonies told about how great our God is in their personal lives. As a church we cannot thank God enough for what He has done since the work started in Toronto. Brother Tobi Shobukola preached that Sunday telling of the ten lepers as written in Luke 17:12-19. After Jesus healed all the ten lepers only one came back to thank the Lord which is equivalent to ten per cent. Brother Tobi then raised the question, “Are we part of the ten per cent?” A resounding “amen” from all four corners of the church echoed in response to the question. Oftentimes we overlook the equivalence of that one person in our Christian walk today. Are we part of the majority who take God for granted, or do we belong to the minority who bow down at the foot of the cross to thank Jesus for His unparalleled sacrifice?

Sunday, October 14, was another blessed day for the saints in Toronto as our District Superintendent, Rev. Christopher Hewlett and his wife, Pat, came to worship with us that day. Pastor Chris gave a wonderful message entitled, “The Purpose of Signs,” taking his text from Genesis 9:12-16. He spoke of the rainbow being the sign that God gave as His promise to never again destroy the earth by flood. He followed it with reading in Matthew 16:2-4 speaking about the insincere motive of the Pharisees who asked Jesus to show them a miracle. With that, Jesus urged the people that He had given enough signs to know that He was who He said He was. After the service we gathered for fellowship in the office

of one of our brethren. The ladies prepared a variety of delicious food for everyone to share. We had a wonderful time together as one family of God. In fact, no one wanted to leave after the fellowship as the joy of the Lord was manifested in everyone’s heart. A little over a month after Pastor Chris' visit to Toronto, Pastor George Burton and his wife, Barbara, were our guests on Sunday, December 9. Pastor George spoke about “Spiritual Rejoicing.” His text was taken from Habakkuk 3:17. He encouraged the saints to rejoice with God because He is always with us. He also reminded us of all Job faced, yet he rejoiced in the Lord. Our Christmas Concert & Fellowship was held on December 16, 2018, bearing the title, “The Sound of Christmas.” Our choir and the Sunday school children prepared their respective numbers for the occasion. A collection of beautiful gospel Christmas songs were the biggest part of the presentation. The opening song was “The Sound of Christmas Medley” which told the story of Emmanuel's birth, sang wonderfully by combined youth and adult choir. The fervent prayer before the presentation and the faith to God made it possible for the choir to present it

graciously. Our young Sunday schoolers did their best for the Lord by singing a beautiful collection of Christmas praises such as: “Come on and Ring Those

Bells, A Gift to You, It's Christmastime and a Christian version of Jingle Bells.” The congregation's participation was never dull as they sang “Go Tell It On the Mountain” with joy, reliving the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. For all of this, we give all the glory to our God, for without Him the presentation would have not materialized, since lack of time for preparation almost hindered us to proceed. Because we do it to glorify God, it all came together according to His plan, not ours. There were about seventy-five in attendance and everyone stayed for the fellowship and gift giving. Once again our lovely ladies group prepared delicious food for everyone! The choir sang “Shine, Jesus, Shine” to open the last devotional service of 2018. Sending the message from the song to everyone, that it is our desire for Jesus to always shine in our lives as we welcome the New Year 2019. A testimony by Anne telling us how faithful God was to her after she was maliciously accused of malpractice as a nurse at her workplace. Since she was innocent of this accusation, she asked God to intercede for her. After the hospital management checked her years of record, they found nothing that could substantiate the accusation. She had a very clean record. It is another proof that God will not forsake His people who are faithful to Him. The message given by Brother Randy on the last Sunday of 2018 was entitled, “Year-End Evaluation,” with his text taken from Ephesians 4:1-6. He reminded us to use Apostle Paul's message to Ephesians, “…to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” and re-evaluate what we have done for the whole year to determine if we have kept His graces and to use

that as a point of reference to start the new year. With that, the collective prayer of the congregation was to continue to be true to God's Word and work with our spiritual progress unceasingly until Jesus comes again.

Englee The Lord has been and continues to bless us here at

the Englee branch. Over and over we are awed by

God’s Holy presence in our services. We have

witnessed souls being blessed, uplifted and

encouraged. At times saints have been leaving the

altar area only to come back under the showers of

blessing again. We have stood around and prayed

as sick saints have been touched and strengthened.

Some in our congregation are battling Cancer.

Please help us pray for them. We are anticipating

and believing that even greater blessings and

miracles are coming our way in the New Year.

November 9, we had a time of fun for the young

people and the adults as well. A fire was lit and the

group enjoyed wieners, marshmallows, hot

chocolate and other treats. Afterwards the group

joined together for a time of singing choruses. It

was wonderful to hear young and older voices join

in with the guitar and accordion to lift up the name

of Jesus.

Our annual Christmas supper took place December

7. Good food was enjoyed by all followed by singing

and a time of fellowship. It is so wonderful to be

able to come together as a group not only on

Sundays but other times as well. Those times

encourage our heart and soul.

December 8, Pastor Michael and Bonnie held an

open house at the parsonage. From early afternoon

until night folks went to his house for a chat and

refreshments. It was wonderful to see, not only

church folks, but others as well, come for a visit. It

was another opportunity to reach out into our

community.

Then the following day, Sunday, the Sunday school

children, teachers and parents visited the parsonage

for a treat and a time of singing. Some kids even

asked the pastor to teach them how to play piano.

What a joy to have them be a part of our church. We

are so blessed to have an active Sunday school

program.

December 23, there was a combined Singspiration.

Many came to listen to Christmas specials from the

three churches. There were also congregational

numbers as well. It was a moment to reflect upon

the Christ child and the importance of keeping the

true meaning of Christmas alive and well. Then, in

closing the congregation sang, “We Wish you a

Merry Christmas” as everyone moved about the

church greeting one another before leaving.

January 8, after a delay due to weather, our

Candlelight service took place. The Sunday school

department, along with adults, presented the story

of Christmas through song to a church filled to

capacity. There were solo pieces and group

singings. The closing song was titled, “Go Light Your

World.” The greatest thing we can do in life is to

bring the light of the gospel into the world. WE CAN

MAKE A DIFFERENCE. From us to you, have a

blessed New Year.

Fort McMurray

Happy New Year! Phil. 1:6: “Being confident of this

very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in

you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

What a great way to start a New Year! We have the

confidence that no matter what has happened in

days gone by and whatever the future holds, our life

with God is secured by faith in Jesus and obedience

to His Word. We don’t know what experiences we

will have in 2019 but we thank God for the

confidence we have in God’s promises.

As we begin this New Year, what a joy it is to look

back and see how far the Lord has brought us. God

has continued to move among His children and we

praise Him for His Spirit in our midst. We are blessed

to have the privilege to worship God and fellowship

with His children all through the year in our local

congregation and sometimes with those who visit.

In November we were blessed to have Rev. Rene

Cassell and his wife, Della, visit with us for two

Sundays. We enjoyed inspired messages and sweet

fellowship. The second Sunday of the Cassells’ visit

we were blessed to have brethren from Edmonton,

Mark and Martha Scholz from Woodlake, CA, and

Alva Newman from Roddickton. It felt like a mini

Camp meeting!

Most of our time on Sunday was spent together at

church. We began with Sunday school, followed by

supper and then the evening service. The local

church family, along with our visitors blessed

everyone with their music and special singing.

Songs of praise, testimonies of victory, preaching of

the gospel drew us into the presence of God.

Brother Rene took his text from Acts 1:10, 11. The

focus of the sermon was on the words, “This Same

Jesus,” beginning with Jesus coming to this earth.

He expounded the Word very clearly. This same

Jesus, eternal and unchanging, the same yesterday,

today and forever. This same Jesus, dwelling in the

hearts of all who believe. This same Jesus is coming

again. It is a phrase repeatedly used in Holy

Scriptures. This same Jesus, in the days of His flesh,

resurrected and ascended and is now interceding

for us in glory. He will soon be returning in clouds of

glory. He hasn’t changed. This same Jesus, a

compassionate, loving Savior is coming again. This

same Jesus, who calmed the raging storm, healed

the sick, saved the lost, He is coming again. The

question is, will you be ready? You can settle that

matter right now if you choose. At the close of the

sermon many sought God around the altar of

prayer. Such a sweet time of fellowship followed.

We give God all the praise!

Our church family enjoyed several events

throughout the fall. Our workers appreciation

supper provided a great opportunity to share good

food, fun and fellowship. Getting together with

joyful people is always uplifting and encouraging.

Whether we gather for Sunday school activities,

food or special prayer time, we were blessed. Our

Sunday school enjoyed several events of food,

activities, games, Bible teaching and prayer.

One Saturday afternoon they were invited to plant

seeds and transplant a plant, which they got to take

home and care for. It provided an opportunity to

teach the importance of reading God’s Word and

praying so we can grow too. Another Saturday they

got to pick a pumpkin from the patch. We shared a

delightful time together. The object lesson

beautifully taught us how God picks us, loves us,

cleans our heart and puts His love and light in our

hearts. Fun, sharing and activities gave all ages the

opportunity to be blessed with sweet fellowship.

“Jesus Messiah” was the theme song chosen for our

Christmas program. It was also our opening song.

Our Sunday school teens sang the verses joined by

other students and teachers on the chorus. The

Spirit of God witnessed to our hearts that truly

Christ had come among us. The wonderful Spirit of

God touched many hearts bearing witness to the

fact that Jesus is still the Reason for the Season. We

enjoyed a

selection of

beautiful songs,

a nursery band,

skit, a Christmas

musical and

congregational

songs. Our closing song selection was, “What a

Lovely Name.” Truly the Name of Jesus was lifted up

in praise as we joined in to sing. Many hearts were

touched as the Spirit of God came to minister. We

left rejoicing knowing this same Jesus came so we

could experience His love. Jesus, the same

yesterday, today and forever.

May abundant blessings of God’s love and grace be

yours as you head into the New Year. May the Giver

of peace and joy richly bless you in 2019!

Winnipeg

Christmas comes with great excitement and

expectations of great tidings of joy! We thank God

for helping us in year 2018 and thus far in 2019. The

last quarter of the year was a very busy time for us

as we were preparing for our annual Christmas

concert. Members of the choir and orchestra, as

well as Sunday school children, had rehearsals every

Sunday afternoon and sometimes during the week

in preparation for the Christmas concert.

This year we had our Christmas concert at two

different locations. On December 15, members of

the choir and orchestra staged a Christmas concert

at St. Norbert’s care home which was well attended

by residents of the care facility, some of their

workers and family members. It was a glorious

evening.

The annual Christmas concert was held at our

current worship location on December 23, 2018,

with about 150 people in attendance. The program

featured choir renditions, instrumentals and local

air. The first part of the concert featured songs like:

“Sing O Heavens”, “God Rest You Merry Gentlemen,”

“Angels We Have Heard on High,” “Calypso Carol,”

“Mary Did You Know” and “Let the Bright Seraphim”

by G. F Handel and a solo presented by Toroti

Umuerri.

Our Sunday school children staged a program during

the intermission in which they sang Christmas songs

and recited memory verses from the Bible about the

Birth of Jesus.

The second part of the program was more

interesting with classical pieces. Among the

renditions were; “Down South and Christmas

Tunes,” Schlittenfahrt (an orchestration)

accompanied by the organist/pianist, Lere Ojumu.

George Ladiop, our 16 year old clarinetist played

“Arietta.” Others songs included were; “Ding a dong

a dong, On a Silent night, Way down in Bethlehem,

Glory in the Highest, Oyin Ni Jesu-Sweet Jesus” and

finally an acapella, “Heard about a New born King”

by David Lantz 111.

The program lasted for about two hours and it

ended with a short sermon from the Pastor taking

his scripture from Isaiah and a moment of prayer.

After the closing prayer, members of the choir took

time to greet attendees while singing, “We wish you

a Merry Christmas” before everyone proceeded to

the dining hall for a Christmas dinner organized by

the church. Varieties of food both, local and

intercontinental, were served at the dinner. It was

a great time of fellowship.

The year ended with a service on December 31,

which was tagged “watch night service.” There was

moments of praise, singing and sharing testimonies

of the goodness of God in the year 2018. It ended

with prayer and supplication as we entered the New

Year 2019.

We have enjoyed God’s tremendous blessing of

protection, healing, provision and new additions as

a church in 2018 and we hope for more of the same

in the New Year 2019.

Our prayer to God is to help us the more to extend

the banner of the gospel in our environs. Please

pray along with us. Glory to God in the highest!

Bide Arm

Psalm 77:11 “I will remember the works of the Lord:

surely I will remember thy wonders of old.”

Whatever else may be forgotten, the works of the

Lord must not be forgotten. In reflection on the year

2018, some things we have forgotten, but we surely

want to remember the works of the Lord. In the past

year the Lord proved that He is still the Savior of

souls, healer of the sick and He alone is all we need.

Many times we experienced His faithfulness

through the blessings we received as the Holy Spirit

moved in our midst. As we remember the blessings

of the Lord through another year, we lift our hearts

in praise and magnify His name.

We held our annual Christmas supper on November

29. It was a great time of fellowship attended by our

congregation including the children. During the

evening there was singing, games for the children,

gifts given and a delicious potluck supper provided

by the ladies of our church, with a variety of jam

tarts, cake and cookies for dessert. These special

gatherings show us just how blessed we are.

Our final event for 2018 was a Singspiration held on

December 2. It was well attended by parents and

grandparents of our Sunday school children and

locals from our community. There were songs done

by choir, senior ladies, younger ladies, men’s group,

trios, duets, the Cull family, a number of selections

by the Sunday school children and congregational

singing as well. Thanks to all who participated and

attended the practices. The result was rewarding as

all did an outstanding job.

Following the Singspiration. refreshments were

served in the basement of the church. It gave us an

opportunity to visit with many that are not regular

church attendees. Our hope and prayer is that

through these special times we may reach souls for

the Lord.

On December 18, my wife and I left for Kitchener,

ON, to spend Christmas with our family. God is good

all the time and we want to remember His

wonderful works. May 2019 be filled with Heaven’s

richest blessings and souls be won for the Kingdom.

Testimony of Phyllis Patey I was brought up around the church, taught the ways of

God, and heard many testimonies of victory from childhood

into my late teens. I wanted to have what others had, to be

joyous and feel that victory. It just seemed that I didn’t

quite get it.

On May 20th, 2018, after years of being away from the

church, I felt the call of God. I had just settled in for the

evening to watch a hockey game when I felt a burning

sensation which started in my feet, working its way upward.

I knew something was wrong and fear gripped my heart. I

called my sister to take me to the hospital and between home

and the hospital, I promised the Lord that if He would spare

my life I would serve Him the rest of my days.

When I arrived at the hospital they gave me some medication

and told me to rest for 30 minutes. But I spent the time

talking to the Lord. Suddenly I sat up straight in the bed

and told my sister not to worry. The Lord had saved me! I

didn’t need anyone to tell me. I had found what I was

searching for!

When the nurse returned I asked if I could go and she said if

my blood pressure was good I could. She took it and it was

still up. My faith was reaching out and I asked her to take

it once again and in that instant it was good! How big is

our God!

I went to church in my PJ’s. I was so excited, I couldn’t

stop at home, I wanted to share my joy with the saints.

What a time of rejoicing!

The following week the Lord proved His love to me. Anxiety

attacks became so bad, I would have to stop every few steps

and ask God to help me. The verse of scripture that would

come to me was, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from

whence cometh my help.” I held on to that verse and the

Lord helped me through.

One morning at 7:30 am or so I got up to mix bread and I

planned to pray when I was done. Before I knew it I was

already lying down. I figured I would pray lying down. At

first my prayers were quiet but suddenly I reached Heaven

and I felt the load of anxiety physically being pulled from my

body. Jesus touched me and His touch made me whole.

I had smoked and gambled for many years. When the Lord

saved me, He took it away in an instant of time. I didn’t

need any therapy or any such thing. The work was done!

During camp meeting this past summer I went through the

waters of baptism. What a blessing to my soul it was!

Shortly after Camp meeting, one of our brothers in Christ

was struggling with his health and I felt a need to pray for

him. While I prayed the Lord came down in a mighty way

and sanctified me holy.

The Lord has made such a change in my heart and in my life.

I’m not ashamed to tell what the Lord has done for me. I

have so much to thank Him for, so much to praise Him for.

My desire is to live a life to please the Lord and when He

comes I want to see Him.

Kitchener

Another year has passed and God has wonderfully

provided for our spiritual, physical and everyday

needs. “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in

you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done

unto.” St. John 15:7

2018 did not pass without its challenges. In January,

our son, Taylor Hewlett, had surgery for thyroid

cancer. But thank God one year later He is doing

well and cancer free! All the glory and thanks

belongs to God.

February 28, 2018, one of our Sunday school boys,

Jaxon Hancock, began having seizures. Since then

there has been many test and doctors are still

puzzled why he is still having them. Jaxon, his

parents’ families, friends and church families are yet

holding on in prayer, believing God for complete

healing for him. Please keep him in prayer.

In August, 2018, Chad Thompson, his wife, Miranda

and daughter, Hannah, moved from Michigan, USA,

to take permanent residence here in Canada. They

are now residing in Kitchener, ON. We are very

happy to have them as part of our church family.

God has blessed their transition and has provided

wonderfully for them.

Early in the fall we were blessed to have one of our

retired pastors, Pastor Grant Cassell and his wife,

Joan, visit us. They were indeed a great blessing to

us. As well, Rev. Christopher Hewlett, our District

Superintendent and his wife, Pat, came to spend a

Sunday with us. Pastor George Burton, a retired

pastor, and his wife, Barbara, came to visit family

and were able to share their time with us

worshipping for a couple months. We felt so blessed

to have them.

Another Christmas season is behind us and we were

happy to rejoice in the birth of our Savior one more

time.

Events that took place:

~~ November 30 was our Youth supper. Once again,

it was a great time of fellowship, delicious food and

lots of fun.

~~ December 1 was our annual Church Christmas

Supper. We went to Annie Mae’s restaurant, again

a wonderful time of fellowship and great food.

~~ December 9 we had a Singspiration. Our church

was beautifully decorated for the Christmas season.

The evening included beautiful singings from

children and adults. It made for a blessed night

together.

~~ December 16 we held our Sunday school

program entitled, “When They Saw the Star, They

Rejoiced with Exceeding Great Joy.” As the children

began to sing “Joy, Unspeakable Joy” there was

great excitement in the air. The entire program,

consisting of singings and recitations, expressed the

joy the shepherds felt that glorious night Jesus was

born.

After all those exciting events were over, myself and

my wife were fortunate to spend Christmas with

family in Newfoundland. I’m thankful that in our

absence Pastor George Burton and Pastor Howard

Canning were here to help out with the

responsibilities while we were away. Wishing

everyone a “HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

Calgary

We are very thankful for the many blessings God has

bestowed on our Calgary church. The Lord Has

answered our prayers, poured out His healing balm

and provided us with a new addition to our

congregation. Brother Blessed and Jayne Agunu

from our branch church in eastern Nigeria recently

relocated to Calgary along with their two beautiful

daughters. As a result, our choir and orchestra has

grown and the Lord provided an opportunity for us

to share this blessing with the old and aging in our

community through monthly visits to an assisted-

living facility.

For Christmas we hosted a concert for the retired,

aging individuals living in this senior facility just five

minutes away from our church location. There was

a remarkable turnout, with many singing along to

the Christmas carols and hymns we presented. We

shared gifts and church literature with the

attendees.

It was a blessing to host our concert at their location

as it allowed the love of Christ to shine through the

voices and the instruments of our choir and

orchestra. We are thankful that we were able to

bring the Good News and share the joy of salvation

with them.

We are especially grateful for God’s mercies and

protection throughout the year. Brethren from the

church gathered on New Year’s Eve to sing songs

and pray as the New Year came in.

Testimonies of deliverance, protection and

provision were given as brethren rose up to declare

the unending love of God, living out the promise in

Rev. 12:11 “And they overcame him by the blood of

the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony...”

A chilling account of God’s faithful deliverance from

a fatal vehicle accident was shared by Brother Wole

Ajayi, a minister at our church. He told of how he

was driving home with his family after our Sunday

morning service, when their car was hit during a left

turn at a stop light just five minutes from the church.

We are very thankful that his family was saved from

any serious or severe injuries, although the car had

to be replaced. Many other testimonies and songs

of victory were shared.

We are confident and looking forward to victories,

blessings and breakthroughs that the Lord, this year,

will provide for His church as He promised in His

Word. We hold on to the promise in Heb. 13:5,

“…for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor

forsake thee.”

Special meetings Fort McMurray, Alberta

May 23-26, 2019

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Portland Camp meeting June 30-July 14, 2019

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Newfoundland Youth Camp Roddickton, NL

July 22--26, 2019

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Special Meetings Langley, BC

September 19-22, 2019

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Apostolic Faith Church

P.O. Box 47

Roddickton, NL A0K 4P0

Tel: (709) 4578-2516

Fax: (709) 457-2520

Email: afmrodd@hotmail.com