"Last year at this time I was packing my bags to head off to Uganda, totally unaware of the incredible way in which God would grant my desire to travel inside New (South) Sudan. 2002 has been a year of amazing experiences and new directions. And so, with lots of excitement and some sadness, I am resigning from my job at Philpott and raising support so that I can join AIM on a full-time basis. I am thrilled about the doors that God has opened, and yet it is bittersweet to be leaving my job and Church family at Philpott. I am going simply because I believe that God has called me to go and His amazing love demands obedience. Sudan is still very much on my heart and I urge you to join me in praying for that country! But the timing clearly is not right and God has made it clear that He currently wants to use me here in Canada.

"When I move to Toronto, I will join the Home Office and help out with administration in the personnel department. I’m excited about the opportunity to be involved in "sending" others to Africa by encouraging them and discipling them through the stages of application, preparation, and orientation. God is calling lots of people into missions and AIM really needs another helping hand to help keep track of all of them. I will have the privilege of working with Mick & Suzanne Rineer and look forward to all that I can learn from them. I am also very excited about ministering to Africans in Toronto and sharing my life with these refugees and immigrants! This is a growing passion for AIM too so I look forward to representing AIM in this way!

Praise & Prayer
"…for the Kachipo people in Southern Sudan ? that they will hear and accept the Gospel message. Pray for an AIM team that is going back in this February. Continue to pray for an end to the war in Sudan. (If you want more information about the Kachipo or how to donate money to reaching them, let me know!)
"…that the right person will be found to coordinate Children’s Ministry here.
"…that God will guide and provide as I join AIM, raise support, and move.
"Thanks for your interest & especially for your prayers! Yours in Him, Karen."

Karen has done a good job, organizing, communicating and leading the CM. You may not realize that she also helped with last year’s WorldFest and the launch of our International Worship Service.

Make sure Karen hears how much you appreciate her careful and faithful leadership. As she asked, we must also give prayer and attention to our Children’s Ministry. We have opportunity to teach our children the Word, train young parents how to raise their children in light of the Word and reach out to children in our city who do not know the Word. The CM Task Force that Karen organized will continue to be the key leaders in this work. We should have a volunteer point-person for that group shortly. Hopefully, when our current financial crunch is behind us, we will seek a new Children’s Coordinator.

No Adventure Club Tuesday March 11th due to March Break.

Memory Work Contest for children ages 2 - grade 5 will culminate on May 11th. See your child’s teacher(s) for details.

Matt introduced each individual to be baptized, and as they came up from the water, a shout of joy and excitement by fellow students went up for each of them. It made my heart sing to see the unity of spirit among these young people, and to see the love and caring they had for each other, exhibited so openly. As I read each of their testimonies, memories of my own past came to mind and made the evening more awesome watching the Lord raise up the next generation to carry on and proclaim himself to the world. How comforting and wonderful to know that when us older folk are not around to praise His name and do His work, these excited, demonstrative young people will carry on for us.

The Lord promised in Matthew 16:18 - "I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." He has demonstrated once again that you can trust His word, and just think, Our Youth, in Our Church, will be a part of that promise as they continue to live for Him. I, for one, am very proud of them and will pray for their continued dedication and growth in our Lord. Thank you Matt, for your ministry.

Both Friday night and Saturday night were sold out, and about 40 tickets were sold for Thursday night.

There were so many new faces around the room! How exciting to be a part of something this important: to reach out into our neighbourhoods and build relationships with the people around us.

Below are some comments I received:
"Just a note to thank you so very much for inviting us to share your table at the Valentine’s show. It was a marvelous evening of just plain good fun and the members of your church who performed deserve a standing ovation. As always the company made it perfect. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves."

"THANKS FOR A GREAT SHOW last night. CONGRATS. I’m glad we are using our gifts at Philpott. Hats off to ALL of the performers. So much talent in one congregation! The Lord has blessed us all through each of you."

"…just wanted to tell you that I really appreciate your insistence that anyone going to the Valentine’s Party bring non-Christian friends. Otherwise, what is the point? I think it’s good that we are strongly encouraged to look at our sphere of influence and consider the kind of impact we are having in God’s harvest field. Too often I think, when a church presents an "outreach” event like a Christmas cantata, there are very few visitors, and most are from other churches. I like how Jesus said that when we throw a party, we shouldn’t invite our friends, but rather those who most need to hear the message- easier said than done sometimes. Thanks for insisting."

"Our friends came, and they had a great time. And what is more, God used the evening as a real relationship opener! We had been praying that God would introduce us to new friends. So… the Valentine’s party was the ticket!"

We definitely had fun performing hits from the seventies like the "Stayin’ Alive", "We are the Champions" and "I Will Survive." It remains an excellent first step to invite your curious friends who might not feel comfortable in a regular church service. One visitor was afraid that he would spontaneously combust if he set foot inside the door. He came anyway, and his next invitation will be to our Easter service.

How can you pray? Pray that God will use this event as a starting point for people to visit our Sunday morning services. Pray that more and more of us will have opportunity to connect with spiritually seeking people. Pray especially that God will bring an individual into your life for whom you can pray and love with Christ’s love.

Next year’s planning has already begun. We’re talking about a few options, like doing the "Big Band Era" or maybe "Hit TV Shows from the Seventies." Whatever it turns out to be, it will be another doorway for your friends into our Community of Grace. Thanks for helping to make this year’s party a success!

Sherri McCready brought a challenging message to us this year. To begin with it was the first time in the 20 plus years of Snowflake that we had a female speaker. It was amazing to see how she engaged the females, an area that had been overlooked for many years. At the same time however her sensitive heart penetrated the tough male exterior and was able to open their eyes to the power of God’s love. Matt Tapely lead the worship and it was incredible. It is often rare to find a worship leader that doesn’t just simply lead you but engages in worship himself. Matt embodied all of that.

Overall the weekend was a great success. We had our small groups meet that following week and they were probably the most meaningful meetings we have had. The guys group in particular was hungry for God and open about their own struggles. I believe that God is launching something powerful through the emerging generation. I see it in their eyes, a strength and power that they have found in Christ and they are starting to unleash it. I hope that you are excited about our students and are praying for them. They are passionate about Christ and their friends and it is only a matter of time when these seats will be filled with the youth of today.

The recent parent surveys reinforced the positive changes in Children’s Ministries. It is a huge encouragement to see Children’s Ministries becoming more visible here at Philpott - through monthly announcements, newsletters for parents & volunteers, and bulletin boards (in the main hall, across from the gym doors) that keep us all up to date. It has also been exciting to see so many volunteers get involved - many of whom have clearly found a place to use their spiritual gifts to bless others and build up the body of Christ.

The most important development over the last months has been the Children’s Ministries Task Force. Each member of this group cares passionately about Children’s Ministries and each one is an encouragement to me. As Children’s Ministries experiences yet another transition, they will continue to play a key role in providing continuity, leadership and vision. Each of them would love to chat with you about Children’s Ministries so feel free to talk to them about any questions, concerns or ideas. They are: Rick Bradford, debi Fusilier, Tracey Gula, Larry MacDonald, Caroline Sears and Angie Williams.

Jesus once said that a person must become like a child before entering the Kingdom of God. To me, this brings two thoughts: Firstly, we have a lot to learn from children - their openness, humility and faith are examples worth following. Secondly, children are definitely capable of pure, true faith. Jesus found it worthwhile to minister to the children and we too should take time to care for them. Children’s Ministries is so rewarding! Children are more receptive to the Gospel message than any other group and their love and faith will encourage and bless you! There are so many ways to get involved - from caring for the younger ones (Little Lambs’ Nursery and the Hive); to teaching Bible Lessons and Truth to older kids; to just playing, and even going door-to-door in our neighbourhood to get more kids for Adventure Club. A very important role you can play is to pray!

However you choose to be involved in Children’s Ministries, we will see our church grow in effectiveness as we use the gifts God has given us to touch the lives of those he brings to us. I look forward to seeing you involved.

Originating in the fourth century of the church, the season of Lent spans 40 weekdays beginning on Ash Wednesday (March 5/03) and climaxing during Holy Week with Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday - April 17/03), Good Friday (April 18/03), and concluding Saturday before Easter. Originally, Lent was the time of preparation for those who were to be baptized, a time of concentrated study and prayer before their baptism at the Easter Vigil, the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord early on Easter Sunday. But since these new members were to be received into a living community of Faith, the entire community was called to preparation. Also, this was the time when those who had been separated from the Church would prepare to rejoin the community.

Today, Lent is marked by a time of prayer and preparation to celebrate Easter. Since Sundays celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, the six Sundays that occur during Lent are not counted as part of the 40 days of Lent, and are referred to as the Sundays in Lent. The number 40 is connected with many biblical events, but especially with the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing for His ministry by facing the temptations that could lead him to abandon his mission and calling. Christians today use this period of time for introspection, self examination, and repentance. This season of the year is equal only to the Season of Advent in importance in the Christian year, and is part of the second major grouping of Christian festivals and sacred time that includes Holy Week, Easter and Pentecost.

Lent has traditionally been marked by prayers of forgiveness, fasting, and almsgiving. Some churches today still observe a rigid schedule of fasting on certain days during Lent, especially the giving up of meat, coffee, sweets, and other types of food. Other traditions do not place as great an emphasis on fasting, but focus on charitable deeds, especially helping those in physical need with food and clothing, or simply the giving of money to charities. Most Christian churches that observe Lent at all focus on it as a time of prayer, especially asking for forgiveness, repenting for failures and sin as a way to focus on the need for God’s grace. It is really a preparation to celebrate God’s marvellous redemption at Easter, and the resurrected life that we live, and hope for, as Christians.

We enjoy celebrating Palm Sunday. We wave the palm branches and celebrate. And we all love Easter Sunday! It is a happy time, with flowers, new clothes, and the expectation of Spring in the air.

But it is too easy and promotes too cheap a grace to focus only on the high points of Palm Sunday and Easter without walking with Jesus through the darkness of Good Friday, a journey that begins on Ash Wednesday. Lent is a way to place ourselves before God humbled, bringing in our hands no price whereby we can ourselves purchase our salvation. It is a way to confess our total inadequacy before God, to strip ourselves bare of all pretence to righteousness, to come before God in dust and ashes. It is a way to empty ourselves of our false pride, of our rationalizations that prevent us from seeing ourselves as needy creatures, of our “perfectionist” tendencies that blind us to the beam in our own eyes.

Through prayer that gives up self, we seek to open ourselves up before God, and to hear anew the call “Come unto me!” We seek to recognize and respond afresh to God’s presence in our lives and in our world. We seek to place our needs, our fears, our failures, our hopes, our very lives in God’s hands, again. And we seek by abandoning ourselves in Jesus’ death to recognize again who God is, to allow His transforming grace to work in us once more, and to come to worship Him on Easter Sunday with a fresh victory and hope that goes beyond the new clothes, the Spring flowers, the happy music.

But it begins in ashes. And it journeys though darkness. It is a spiritual pilgrimage that I am convinced we must take one way or the other for genuine spiritual renewal to come. I have heard the passage in 2 Chronicles 7:14 quoted a lot: “. . .if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” This usually is quoted in the context of wanting revival or renewal in the church, and the prayer is interpreted as intercessory prayer for others. But a careful reading of the passage will reveal that the prayer that is called for here is not intercessory prayer for others; it is penitential prayer for the faith community, for us. It is not to call for others to repent; it is a call for us, God’s people, to repent. It is our land that needs healed, it is our wicked ways that need to be turned from, we are the ones who need to seek God’s face.

Perhaps during this Lenten season we should stop praying for others as if we were virtuous enough to do so. Perhaps we should take off our righteous robes just long enough during this 40 days to put ashes on our own heads, to come before God with a new humility that is willing to confess, “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Maybe we should be willing to throw ourselves before God and plead, “Lord, in my hand no price I bring; simply to the cross I cling.” That might put us in a position to hear God in ways that we have not heard Him in a long time. And it may be the beginning of a healing for which we have so longed.

This year we would like to provide a Lenten Calendar for personal reflection and growth to the Philpott family. The calendar is titled “Crosswalk” 2003, and is written by Rev. David and Donna Kennedy from Chapel Ministries. They will be available Sunday March 2nd in the gym for a toonie. Come and get a copy as quantity is limited.

"…if our lives were to end tomorrow and there would be no more opportunity for us to disciple our kids, …would we have regrets? "

"What a surprise to learn that Steve Green (a Christian artist) was a close friend of Rick Husband’s, the astronaut who was selected to be captain for this mission.

"Their friendship began a number of years ago when Rick and his wife stood in line to meet Steve after a concert in Houston. As Rick told Steve how much he enjoyed his music, Rick’s wife whispered to Steve that Rick was an astronaut.

"Steve said he (Steve) made a big deal about that and soon the people were lined up to ask Rick for an autograph instead of Steve! Thus, their friendship began.

"Steve was in attendance for Rick’s first shuttle launch several years ago and was also in attendance for this launch. He sang both times at pre-launch receptions.

"He said the reception for the Columbia launch was very Christ-honoring, and that there were many unbelievers in attendance. Steve described Rick as a quiet, unassuming man who was, however, very vocal about his faith. He said Rick did not miss an opportunity to give glory to God and mentioned that when Mission Control said it was a beautiful day for a launch, Rick responded with, “The Lord has given us a perfect day!”

"A suit technician shared the following story with Steve. He said that after the astronauts suit up they walk down a hallway and then open a door to “face the press!” Rick stopped the crew before they opened the door and said he wanted to pray for them. The technician said that in all his years he had never heard of a captain praying for and with his crew.

"The spouses of the crew each get to pick a song for them to wake up to one of the mornings they’re in space. Rick’s wife selected “God of Wonders” by Steve Green. Steve played a tape for us of Rick communicating with Mission Control after the song was played. The conversation went something like this: Mission Control - “Good morning. That song was for Rick. It was ‘God of Wonders’ by Steve Green.” Rick - “Good morning. Thank you. We can really appreciate the lyrics of that song up here. We look out the window and see that God truly is a God of wonders!”

"Steve also shared part of an e-mail he received from Rick, transmitted from outer space! Rick wrote about how overwhelming it was to see God’s vast creation from space. He said he had never cried while exercising before, but peddling on the bike and looking out the window at God’s incredible creation brought tears to his eyes.

"Steve also shared that he had been in Texas for a concert about a week before coming here. Steve invited Rick’s wife, Evelyn, and their two children and also Mike Anderson’s family. Mike was also aboard Columbia to the concert that evening. Steve had the two women stand and he asked the audience to pray with him for these women while their husbands were in space.

"It was a moving concert and a welcome surprise to learn all these things. What a blessing to know that these astronauts loved Jesus! Two of these hurting families will be relying on God to carry them through this and will have opportunity to share God’s love with families/friends of the other astronauts.

"Steve was even able to share with us pictures of Rick at different stages of his life, his career and family. He and Rick’s wife had put this together to be set to one of Steve’s songs. They had done it awhile back for some special event. Steve had it with him and shared it with us. He also gave us all a challenge from Rick’s life.

"He said that astronauts lead extremely busy lives, and he (Steve) had been impressed with Rick’s commitment to discipling his two children. Steve asked us to think about if our lives were to end tomorrow and there would be no more opportunity for us to disciple our kids, would we be happy with what we had done, or would we have regrets?

"I’m guessing, from the pictures Steve showed, that Rick’s son was around 5 years old and his daughter 10. I may be off, but that gives you an idea. They certainly are not close to adulthood.

"Rick made 34 devotionals, by video, before he left on the Columbia. There were 17 for his daughter and 17 for his son, one for each day he was to be gone. So each day his daughter and son had their own “devotion with Dad” by video. What treasures they will be to his children!"

Have you ever had the "lights go on" and realize it wasn’t so difficult after all? I did when I decided to join the "Contagious Christian" class. My personal fears were shared with the group and I discovered everyone had concerns of their own, and that we would pray for each other and learn how to be contagious Christians together.

I learned that I could be myself - imagine that! I learned that communicating my faith didn’t have to be unnatural or memorized. I didn’t have to worry about my past failures because I could start fresh even with family and friends I had known for years. Communicating my faith in Jesus should be an authentic natural process that takes place within my personal relationships. I didn’t need to manipulate opportunities, I could use the everyday activities and social situations I enjoy to build relationships using my own personal style to share my faith in Jesus.

Just knowing that the "testimonial" "interpersonal" style I have could be used by God gave me a sense of freedom I did not have before. I realized that all of us play a part in helping someone come to faith in Jesus. We are not alone in the process because God’s power and other Christians’ styles help us bring people to faith.

I always had trouble making spiritual conversations, but I learned some very effective methods to initiate or respond naturally. I’ve had the opportunity to experience some very natural interactions about spiritual matters and invite friends to events. I’m learning how to ask questions and not be intimidated by the comments or questions my friends have about God. I have learned how to share my own story without all the jargon, present the gospel and how to lead a person to faith.

Do I feel ready and able to share my faith with others? More than I did before. I have a long way to go, but I know communicating my faith is a process of growth for me too. However, I am encouraged because I feel better equipped for the task. I see how interested people are about spiritual matters. There are people out there who need us to be genuine friends, with no agenda, but to love them and, as God leads, share the hope that is within us.