Derek commented that the Elder’s Board has to make hard decisions; members were invited to talk to elders personally.

Dan Marshall (Chair, Missions Committee) commented re: Missions giving. If people have decided to give directly to missions and not to give through the church - this in the end is counterproductive. If giving to the Missions Fund and to the General Fund goes down - missionaries will eventually receive less from the church. Members should accept the budget they approved at the Annual General Meeting and support it. Running around the budget is counterproductive in the long run.

Closing Remarks

Lane Fusilier said he was encouraged by the discussion. Attendance at the meeting was higher than he expected; he felt the opinions were expressed in general with a good tone; the church leaders appreciate suggestions & careful comments. The church is facing the same realities that 99% of churches on the continent face… most do not have estate funds. (Fellowship Bible in Waco had 2 deaths in 20+ years; therefore there was no reliance on estate funds.) God has given us a clear vision for ministry; we have serious issues to address. This will take time to sort through. He encouraged people to turn in their comment sheets; the elders will review these.

The meeting closed in prayer by Lane at 9:15 p.m.

International Ministry

John VanderMark reflected on a song composed by Jason Silver "Who Is My Neighbour Lord?" Our neighbours come from all over the world. With 2 million immigrants to Canada, and 40,000 to Hamilton each year, we have the 3rd highest refugee population of cities in Canada. Philpott Church is right in the middle of this population. Sometimes we feel uncomfortable with strangers, but the Lord God loves those who are aliens. We are told to go and make disciples of all nations. Our church has a history of involvement in international ministry through its emphasis on missions, but missionary strategies are changing as the world is changing. Many outside people are coming to Hamilton. There are now more evangelicals in Kenya than Canada.

If the present trend were to continue, there would be no second service by 2005.

John V. reiterated that the focus of small groups is not just prayer and Bible study, but making disciples. The International Worship Service ceased in December, but the international small group has relocated to the Vine St. building, and is working with a new strategy - tying in with missions and cluster small groups - like grapes on a stem, different groups ministering to different ethnic or cultural groups. The small group will disciple leaders of new small clusters or groups. The international ministry seeks to be more than small groups, and to reach out to the community. We are interested in what other churches are doing - e.g. in Vancouver and Toronto. A key person in this is David Witt serving in Hamilton with International Teams and supported as a Philpott Church missionary. Possible outreaches include English as a Second Language, a resource centre, social events and more. He noted that Philpott Church is well placed in terms of location, history and tradition to foster international ministry led by the Holy Spirit. Revelation 7 describes worshippers from every nation, people and language, and this is our goal.

John Harvey added that Patrick Winyi finishes his employment with Philpott Church at the end of April, and is going to Mississippi in May.

Sunday Services

Glen Brown presented a perspective on music and worship, noting that the only reference to music in the book of Acts was when Paul and Silas were in prison, singing despite being beaten, through which a jailer was converted, and Paul and Silas ministered to his family. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about how to pray, and the attitude of the heart when coming to worship, but nothing about music. There is very little in the gospels about music. Paul in Ephesians talks about encouraging one another by singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, and being thankful. Our goal is to worship and to please God.

Glen then discussed the trends that have been observed in recent months, some changes that have been made recently, and what still needs fine tuning. Attendance at the early (contemporary) service has increased from 50 to over 200, while second service attendance has been declining - from 250 to 150 or so. If the present trend were to continue, there would be no second service by 2005. Last September, Jason Silver was asked by the Board to coordinate the 2nd Service. Beginning in the fall, the 2nd service was made much more traditional but this did not increase attendance and made some dissatisfied, so in Feb 2003 some more contemporary elements were introduced. Other feedback heard from many was a need for improving scheduling and organization, the desire to be sensitive to needs of musicians who want to draw people into God’s presence. The team approach to planning and coordinating was discussed. He stressed that the Board members and pastoral staff are very open to input from the congregation. Written comments were requested - both memorable worship experiences, and frustrations, noting that some issues are still being fine-tuned, that technical matters need attention, that musicians seek excellence, and that churchgoers seek substantial and meaningful worship.

Discussion at tables followed. Glen Brown has summarized this discussion in the previous article.

There was considerable discussion in the question and answer period that followed. Several concerns were raised, including the organization of the second service; the accuracy of statistics regarding the decline in attendance; the use of various choirs and musical groups, and the bell choir; the use of contemporary instruments; the desire for organ and piano and hymns rather than choruses; the length of the service, and why people are leaving.

Positive comments included noting that young people are coming in to the services, drawn by their music; that people trained in classical music are attending the first service for the sake of their children; that we all have our own preferences and we need to be flexible, and include choruses; the possible use of the choir in the first service; and that while the first service does not please everyone, so much good is happening, we must accept this.

Concluding this section, John Harvey noted that a purely traditional service is not viable - it will decline and die; that there are great new songs as well as great old hymns, and that we will not please everyone when it comes to musical taste.

Financial Situation

There are only two options available to us - get more money, or spend less.

Derek Wilson, Chairman of Finance, presented a review of our financial situation. He noted that the sources of revenue were offerings, parking revenue, special offerings, and estate donations. Regular offerings may be made using prepared numbered envelopes, allowing provision of a tax receipt at the end of the year. The meaning of designated giving was explained. All cash or cheques not given by envelope were undesignated monies and apportioned as the budget required. Pre-authorized offerings were also undesignated. The method of pre-authorized giving was explained, including the advantages of allowing a steady rate of planned offering despite summer vacations or inclement winter weather. Parking revenue provided a monthly income of about $6,500 from our downtown parking sites which was directed to the Capital Fund. Estate donations are gifts to the church stipulated in wills.

The General Fund is used for things that facilitate ministry - children, youth, library, choirs, insurance, office, city mission, phone, salaries and benefits, AV, kitchen, hospitality, special speakers etc. The Missions Fund is used for things that facilitate missions - missionary support, Adopt-a-People, missions education, special needs, short term missions. The Capital fund is used for acquiring assets and major capital works - e.g. recent purchase of buildings Park and Vine St via loans repaid from parking income - children’s gym renovation, ventilation system, chairs, tables - i.e. assets.

Designated offerings may only be used as they are designated. The Board must approve all designated giving before it is received. Undesignated giving is divided between the General and Missions Funds to maintain the proportions of budget as per the budget approved at AGM. Both funds are kept at equal proportions of their budget.

The current financial status at 6 months into this budget year was presented. For two of the 6 months, revenue to the General Fund was above budget, while for 4 of 6 months revenue was below budget. Expenses were high in Feb and March - heat in Feb, insurance in March. The revenue trend is downwards. The same trend was noted in the Missions Fund. As of March 31, the balances in the funds were: General $13,430, Missions 16,200; Estates $29,000; total $58,630. The current average weekly deficit in offerings is $3174. This average weekly deficit will result in a depletion of all reserves by the second week of August i.e. all account balances and estates fully used up. When that point is reached, our financing will be wholly dependent on weekly offerings. At present, when extra funds are needed, e.g. to meet missions payments, money is moved from estate funds - that option will disappear.

Derek concluded that while this was a hard cold analysis, we must remind ourselves that God knows all this and more, and that we need to find His will as to where we go from here. The information must be taken in the context of our ministry and spiritual opportunity.

John Harvey summarized the presentation, noting that our weekly offering is approximately $3000 short. The impact of this had been offset by two large boosts to income - a one-time gift in October and a substantial Christmas offering. If the current trend continues, with offerings falling below required, we will have empty accounts by summer, and live on a week to week basis. Expenses of the week will be met from what comes in each Sunday.

There are only two options available to us - get more money, or spend less.

The meeting was asked to consider three questions at their tables:

What do you think is the cause of our problem?
As a congregation, what can we do?
As an individual, what can you do?

By Gordon Black

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord! Summer is just on the horizon and I’m very excited to tell you about the incredible things God has been doing this year and about an opportunity that has been given to me to continue serving Him this summer. This year at McMaster has been very encouraging for me. I am currently in a role as the key student leader of the Campus Crusade movement at McMaster, and with that responsibility many blessings have come. I have a passion for missions and this year I’ve had the opportunity to share that passion with the other students in the ministry. This summer six students from McMaster are going into the world to spread the good news of the gospel. Two of these students are coming with me to Asia this summer. Praise God!!

Being involved with Campus Crusade for Christ has played a key part in my understanding of missions and evangelism. I have adopted their goal: to change the world by turning lost students into Christ centered labourers. I know that this will be accomplished not by my own strength but by the power of God working in me. May the glory be to Him.

This summer will be my third time returning to Asia on the Orient Express summer project from May 2 to June 23. I am going to a country that is politically closed to the gospel. I will be meeting many students who have never heard the good news of salvation that comes from faith in Jesus Christ alone. I have seen people’s lives radically changed by salvation through Christ and I know that more people will turn their hearts to Him this summer. The harvest is truly plentiful, but the labourers are few. God has provided for me and prepared me for such a time as this. He has truly shown me His heart for the people of the world and I believe He has called me into a lifetime of service.

This year I have the privilege of being an acting staff member and team leader for the project. This means that I will have opportunity to help train and educate the other students who are going. We will be taking language classes, learning about the culture and making friends with the national students there. I pray that God will open opportunities for us to earn the trust of these students so that we can be the face of Christ to them and share with them the good news of hope found only in Christ Jesus.

I would like to invite you to take part in the ministry that God has set before me. Please pray that God would prepare me and the other students to show His love to the people we meet. Pray for the people we talk to, that God will open their eyes and reveal Himself to them. Please also pray for the safety of my team during our trip.

In Christ,
Ian Perry
Asia,
May 2-June 23, 2003

This summer I have felt God calling me back to Angola to teach English and music, as He has gifted me in these areas and I believe He would like me to use them for His service there. I have been blessed by the opportunity to serve God at Philpott in the contemporary service, as well as with the children’s music ministry. When I was last in Angola, from September 2000 - September 2001, I ran the small mission school that I once attended in addition to teaching English and music, so I am excited about the opportunity this time to devote my full attention to these latter things.

On this trip, however, I will not be going alone but rather as part of a small team. I will be joined by two other university students, Bryony Smith and Laura Ward, who are interested in medicine and will be going to learn about it from the medical missionaries in Angola. I have the opportunity of leading this team and so I have been very busy over the past month with sorting through all the complexities and details of getting us there. We are going under the banner of SIM (Serving In Mission) Canada and plan to leave the week of May 4th, 2003 and return the week of June 15th, 2003.

Currently I am finishing up my second year at McMaster University in History, Political Science and English. I’m not sure yet what God has in store for me after school, but I see this summer as another opportunity for the Him to direct and shape me for my future.

Thank you for your support and encouragement.

In Christ,
Rob Foster
Angola, May 4-June 15, 2003

Thank you for all your thoughtfulness, the richness of your prayers and His love poured unto me from all of you.

Love in Him,

That’s the key.

You get into your teens, now they can’t hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

“How old are you?” “I’m gonna be 16!” You could be 13, but hey, you’re gonna be 16!

And then the greatest day of your life . . you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony: YOU BECOME 21! YESSSS!

But then you turn 30. Oh… what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk. He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There’s no fun now, you’re just a sour-dumpling. What’s wrong? What’s changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you’re PUSHING 40.

Whoa! Put on the brakes, it’s all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 . . . and your dreams are gone. But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn’t think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60. You’ve built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it’s a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday! You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn’t end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; “I was JUST 92.”

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. “I’m 100 and a half!” May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

How To Stay Young

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her.

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. ” An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” And the devil’s name is Alzheimer’s.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don’t take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

How long a minute is depends on what side of the bathroom door you’re on.

Birthdays are good for you; the more you have, the longer you live.

Happiness comes through doors you didn’t even know you left open.

Ever notice that the people who are late are often much jollier than the people who have to wait for them?

Most of us go to our grave with our music still inside of us.

You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.

We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors… but they all exist very nicely in the same box.

A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

This was to become the basis for a unique, two-sided fastener - one side with stiff “hooks” like the burrs and the other side with the soft “loops” like the fabric of his pants. The result was VELCRO^® brand hook and loop fasteners, named for the French words “velour” and “crochet.” Where would we be today without the multi-uses of this ingenious connector?

The thought came that perhaps this Velcro^® illustration might give us a clear picture of how natural and easy it is for us to become connected to the community here at Philpott.

We’ve learned from surveys that the primary reason people participate in church is for friendship. There is a sense of comfort and belonging when participating in an environment where friends may be found. There is a deep desire to get to know others and build meaningful relationships with one another. Our hope would be that our community here would be friendly, and all would enjoy worshiping with us, that our communication would be informative, that the Community Groups would be encouraging and the Small groups challenging and helpful in our Spiritual Journey.

A "Connection Pathway" is in the process of being developed. It will respond to those who come to our church each week in hopes of drawing us along on a path to the point of becoming connected to our "Community of Grace".

One new initiative to watch for is the Newcomers’ Café that will be coming in the near future. We are preparing a Coffee Bar, located in the south-end of the foyer to serve gourmet coffee every Sunday to all who are guests at our services.

Velcro^® has many amazing uses to make things stick. The development of a "Connection Pathway" will help in an amazing way to STICK LIKE VELCRO^® here at Philpott Church!

It seems that every time we turn around there is more to compete with. It used to be simply friends and sports; now however, we have to compete with video game systems, the Internet, video game playgrounds like Playdium, and more. Students can have interactive conversations with their friends now without having to leave the comfort of their bedroom by using a fast computer, high-speed Internet and a web cam.

So what do we do? How do we compete for their attention? The answers that I have discovered are amazing. I’ve learned we need to adjust, and find ways to incorporate those things we compete with into our ministry. We need to do everything we can to draw students in.

Last month at the Willow Creek Conference I attended, their student ministries youth service was about dating. Rather than having a standard Q&A time where many might feel awkward in asking a question about dating or relationship, they set-up a few computers at the back that were linked to a laptop up front and the students could e-mail their questions without the embarrassment of admitting who they were. Another useful tool is the media. The use of movies and videos are a phenomenal way to illustrate a point to the X generation.

So as we look to further develop our ministry here at Philpott, it is our job to be connected to the culture so that we are aware of the current trends. Then we need to find ways to incorporate those ideas and mind-shifts into our ministry. We can use them ‘for’ us rather than ‘against’ us. It is a very exciting time and we look forward to seeing how God will use the tools of today to impact the generation of tomorrow.