northwest news BY RAY SAUCY, COO, CHAPLAINCY AND SENIOR S LIVING COMMUNITIES

Transcription

1 northwest baptist seminary Volume 10 Issue 3 September 2009 northwest news life-changing ministry leadership development EVENTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT Children s Ministry Conference October 26, 27 Langley, BC Best Practices for Church Missions Workshop October 31 Ottawa, ON Best Practices for Church Boards Basic Workshop November 7 Fosmark Centre Langley, BC A Division of Northwest Baptist Theological College A Member of ACTS Seminaries of Trinity Western University CHAPLAINCY MINISTRY IN REAL TIME BY RAY SAUCY, COO, CHAPLAINCY AND SENIOR S LIVING COMMUNITIES One of our chaplains, Glen Priebe, taking a moment with one of the residents salvation. There are seniors today who are eager to become Christ followers when someone takes the time to develop a relationship with them and share Christ s good news. The security that accompanies seniors who come to know Christ adds a sparkle to their eyes and an inner peace they have never known. Many people seldom give serious thought to spiritual matters. After several conversations between one such resident and our chaplain, the chaplain laid out the whole plan of why Christ came to earth, died and rose again. He then asked the resident would you like to accept Christ s gift of salvation? To which she enthusiastically replied, Well why wouldn t I! No one s ever told me this before. Chaplaincy gives trained spiritual leaders an opportunity to interact with people in circumstances of normal living. Chaplains serve in the military, in hospitals, police departments, fire halls, airports and corporate businesses. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 I ve never been asked spiritual questions although I am open to that kind of conversation shared one of our 95 year old residents to our chaplain. I am always pleasantly surprised to hear the stories of seniors who want to know more about end of life issues. After several visits with our chaplain, this Baptist Housing resident made a decision to accept Christ s gift of THE OPPORTUNITY FOR CHAPLAINCY BY JANET ANDERSON, DIRECTOR OF CHAPLAINCY, FEBBC/Y Now, as never before, Chaplaincy is needed. As Canadians, we are not without a concern for spirituality, but what does that really mean? People born in Canada are attending formal, religious services less, but most report they still worship privately. But what does that mean? New Canadians tend to maintain their religious patterns and attend faithfully traditional worship services associated with their religions Glover Road, Langley, BC Canada V2Y 1Y1 tel: fax: admin@nbseminary.com

2 PRESIDENT S COLUMN LARRY PERKINS, PH.D. CHAPLAINCY: CHRIST S SALT AND LIGHT Spirituality is big in Canadian society. It s okay to talk about spirituality but religion remains a taboo subject. Strange! It s wrong for the BC Legislature to open its session with prayer, but perfectly fine for government leaders and business executives to attend seminars that claim to help them use spiritual capacities to enhance their leadership. How do we as Christians connect with this deep interest in spirituality and share our vision of true spirituality? Chaplains have the opportunity to do this and show others how to accomplish this challenging task. They bring God s love directly into non-church centres of Canadian society hospitals, senior care centres, prisons, corporations, airports, military, police and firemen, recreation events (i.e. Olympics), homeless centres. Christ s salt and light flows through their daily service. We are pleased to collaborate with the Baptist Housing Ministries chaplaincy service in this issue of Northwest News. About six years ago Northwest and its partners in the Associated Canadian Theological Schools established one of the few graduate programs in Chaplaincy training in Canada. Our graduates serve within our Baptist Housing Ministries, in BC prisons, at the Vancouver airport, with the police, with sports organizations, in homes for abused women, in local hospitals, with CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 MINISTRY IN REAL TIME... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Chaplaincy is being called ministry in the marketplace because it is taking spiritual care to where people live and work. Society is recognizing the significance of giving people hope and love since these qualities may reduce pain and add years to life. At Baptist Housing, being a chaplain means being available and interacting with people where they live. Life is full of challenges and crisis and for seniors this may include the loss of health, of physical capacity, of careers, and of friends and spouses. This can lead some to question what s next after this life. A regular attendee of one of our chapel services indicated in a discussion that she feared coming to the end of life. Why? Because she didn t know where she would be going. These are the moments when Christ s assurance of forgiveness and eternity can be shared. The duties of a senior s chaplain are multifaceted. In a typical week, a chaplain will likely participate in social gatherings, make hospital visits, provide counsel and support to those in grief and lead a Bible study or chapel service. Our chaplains ministry may extend to families of residents as well as to fellow team members and their families. It can often be a rich multicultural experience with many light-hearted moments such as when a chaplain sought to move the conversation to spiritual issues by letting a lady know he d like to talk about her faith. She replied, You want to talk about my face, what s Glen Priebe, chaplain, (Northwest alumnus B.Th. 73, M.Min. 91) meeting with residents wrong with my face? In my role I get inspired as I visit our chaplains and read their monthly reports. Recent comments include I enjoyed a very positive spiritual study with EB, a resident 94 years young ; A highlight was being able to counsel, love and pray with a couple who are hurting ; Praise the Lord, after 50 days of hospitalization, JT came home a changed person. We know our chaplaincy program is making a difference. What makes a great chaplain? Most important is a passionate love for our Lord and a love for people. Professionsl ministry training is necessary, but it s the ability to form genuine r e l a t i o n s h i p s that open the doors into people s lives and their hearts. CHAPLAINCY IS BEING CALLED MINISTRY IN THE MARKETPLACE BECAUSE IT IS TAKING SPIRITUAL CARE TO WHERE PEOPLE LIVE AND WORK. The joy of chaplaincy is to be the hands, feet and voice of Jesus as you love others. At Baptist Housing it is particularly rewarding to be a part of bringing new life and hope to seniors during their twilight years. Page 2

3 POLICE CHAPLAINCY J.E. (JIM) TURNER, REGIONAL CHAPLAIN, PACIFIC REGION, DIVISIONAL CHAPLAIN - E DIVISION RCMP VANCOUVER POLICE, DELTA POLICE AND GREATER VANCOUVER TRANSIT AUTHORITY POLICE SERVICE. STUDENT IN CHAPLAINCY BY KAREN ANDERSON, INTERN, BAPTIST HOUSING CHAPLAINCY PROGRAM & STUDENT, NORTHWEST BAPTIST SEMINARY I have started a new journey over the past year with the help of two great institutions: Northwest Baptist Seminary and Baptist Housing. My children began to leave the nest and it was time for me to think about what I was going to do when they were gone. I have always had a desire to have a job that allowed me to be helpful to others. In looking at the different programs that were being offered at Northwest it seemed that chaplaincy was a good fit. I started right in with Chaplaincy Foundations 1. This course set the direction for the program. Within this intimate setting we were able to discuss deeply the needs around us, and how we could meet those needs. Through that experience I knew that this was the direction for me. To be able to spend my days learning people s stories and helping them along with their spiritual journey excited me. Most of the other students in the class were already involved in some level of chaplaincy and learning from their experience was helpful. I began to wonder if there was someway that I could gain some experience myself as I studied. I approached Baptist Housing to see if they were interested in looking at an internship that would be longer than the summer. In April they offered me a position for the year. I was so excited. It was such a confirmation that I was doing what God wanted me to do. It has been wonderful to be working with such caring chaplains who are always looking for ways to pass on to me what they have learned. I am thrilled to be where I am right now and I look forward to this coming year. I appreciate all those that made this new journey a reality. ALUMNA IN CHAPLAINCY TERESA LEUNG, CHAPLAIN, BAPTIST HOUSING I came to Northwest in 2000 without having any sense of direction for ministry. What started out as a quest to know God better turned into an exciting journey in which God s plan for me was revealed. Soon I acquired a passion for the lost of the world. Upon graduation from the Master of Arts in Cross-Cultural Ministries, I began serving as Chaplain with Baptist Housing in two multicultural senior housing residences. The average age is mid Teresa Leung with one of the seniors with whom she works seventies. People of this age range are among the most vulnerable and fragile segments of the society. Their needs are great; they need regular affirmation and encouragement. Ministering to such diversified communities has been trying yet rewarding. All that I gained from Seminary - the knowledge acquired, the theology studied, the model of leadership exemplified, the ministry philosophy formed, the attitudes of heart cultivated - were tried and tested. It works. Chaplaincy with Baptist Housing is, to me, similar to local mission and church planting. It is the body of Christ stretching beyond the walls, reaching out to both the lost and the redeemed. It is the Lord and his whole umbrella of Baptist Housing - the Christian Residents, Directors, Senior Leadership and Team Members - praying and serving together as a team with integrity, sincerity, compassion, and respect. Police Chaplaincy is everything from providing a listening ear to giving advice to a senior officer on a matter of great sensitivity. This is the reality of providing care and arranging for the provision of care for the more than seven thousand sworn officers for whom I have responsibility. Weddings, funerals, and dedications of children are all within the scope of the service I am called on to provide. All this is done within the sensitive area of a multicultural and multifaith population. This is no small task when one seeks to retain integrity of personal faith and theology. Prayer at the Change of Command of the Pacific Region of the RCMP As I write this I am preparing to officiate at the 12th Annual Provincial Police and Peace Officers Memorial. This will pay respect it the 106 police and peace officers killed in the line of duty in this province. There will be well over 1000 in attendance and hundreds of police officers on parade. I am also getting ready for the 2010 Olympics and providing care for the additional 7000 police officers that will be in the province. It is my honor to serve this great group of people. Page 3

4 ADDICTION AND RECOVERY CONFERENCE THIS PAST SUMMER June 26-27/09 sixty-five people participated in the Addictions and Recovery Conference jointly sponsored by the Liver and Intestinal Research Foundation, directed by Dr. Frank Anderson, and Northwest Baptist Seminary. The keynote speakers, Dr. Paul Earley and Dr. Woody Roberts, work at the Talbot Recovery Campus, Atlanta, Georgia. Experts in addictions medicine and counseling located in British Columbia also gave presentations Dr. Garry Grams, Dr. John Auxier, Dr. Don Hedges and Dr. Frank Anderson. Many appreciated the extensive resources provided to participants and the significant understanding about addictions it provided. Recovery from addictions and ministry to those recovering linked these discussions with spiritual realities. Several presentations offered advice and practical means for ministry leaders and lay people to assist people affected by addictive behaviours. Plans are underway to offer a second conference. As well, we are consulting with various experts in medical and ministry contexts to discern the best way to provide ongoing training. Our desire would be to develop ways and means to help local churches and their leaders discern effective ways to help those in their congregations and communities whose lives are being devastated by addiction. We acknowledge with thanks the key work of Dr. Frank Anderson and the LAIR Centre in this intiative. northwest events TRANSFORM: CHILDREN S MINISTRY CONFERENCE MONDAY AND TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26-27, 2009 NORTH LANGLEY COMMUNITY CHURCH, LANGLEY, BC The Executive Certificate in Children s Ministry has seen much progress since we first informed you of it in our April 2009 edition of Northwest News. This certificate, developed and funded by Northwest Baptist Seminary, will be offered through the Centre for Ministry Excellence at TWU. The certificate will offer four 3-credit classes, all specific to Children s Ministry. The classes can serve as a specialization within a diploma, undergraduate or graduate degree, or simply apply to the certificate. This certificate is unique in its formation having been created entirely by Children s Pastors serving in three different evangelical denominations. Involved are Paul Olson, Burnett Fellowship Baptist Church; Gabrielle Wiebe, North Langley Community Church (MB); Vicki Bowker, Peace Portal Alliance Church; and myself, having previously served at Northview Community Church. Together we have 76 years experience in Children s Ministry, and have faced the highs and lows, successes and struggles, dreams and realities of ministering to children and their families. The classes we created, along with the learning objectives of each, come from a place of knowledge and experience, and what we wish we knew when The classes are designed to bring depth and insight to those currently serving in children s ministry, and build a strong foundation for those just starting out. So, what are the four classes? Transformational Teaching in Children s Ministry Biblical Philosophy of Children s Ministry Dynamics of Staffing and Leadership in Children s Ministry Spiritual Development of a Child Our first class, Transformational Teaching in Children s Ministry is styled as both a conference and modular class, being offered October 26-30, Let s look at this class in reverse. The last three days will be spent in-class, with teaching and discussions presented by ministry specialists. We ll look at the development of a child, creative teaching techniques, mapping your ministry, ministry to special needs children, and ministry to pre-teens all within the context of transformational teaching. The first two days of class, October 26-27, will be spent at the TRANSFORM: Children s Ministry Conference in Langley, BC. Dr. Scottie May, co-author of Perspectives on Children s Spiritual Formation and Children Matter is our keynote speaker. She is presenting four intriguing addresses, ranging from The Child in our Midst: Children and the Imago Dei to Space, Pace and Volume: The Power of the Learning Environment. 13 workshops will offer specialized training from working with special needs children, to ministering to your neighborhood school, to creating a Bible-saturated ministry. Even though this is a Children s Ministry Conference, we have sent out a special invitation for Senior Pastors to join us on Monday for the workshop, Better Together, exploring the critical partnership of a Senior Pastor and a Children s Pastor in empowering and promoting a full ministry for the church. For more information or to register for TRANFORM go to y-conference. TRANSFORM is organized and sponsored by Northwest Baptist Seminary, with North Langley Community Church graciously co-sponsoring through facility provision. For more information on the Executive Certificate in Children s Ministry, please contact Nikki Lanigan at nicole.lanigan@twu. ca. Thank you for your prayers as we enter this exciting new endeavour. Page 4

5 NEWS ITEM OF CONSORTIUMS, ENROLMENT AND COMMUNITY... Enrolment at ACTS Seminaries is actually enrolment in one of five denominational seminaries which make up the ACTS consortium - of which Northwest Baptist Seminary is a founding member. For the fall semester Northwest s enrolment figures are currently at 55 students with a potential for several more as the semester settles in. New Student Orientation Day is always an exciting event at Northwest/ACTS. For many of the faculty and staff it is our first opportunity to meet face-to-face with the women and Dr. Larry Perkins chatting with some new students during new student orientation men who will be spending the next year or several interacting with us, studying, learning, fellowshipping and challenging and being challenged. It is a good time of putting faces to some of the names that we have already begun to see come across our desks in enrolment lists and class lists. Listening to the orientation day presenters (various administrators and faculty) and then interacting with the new students, one is impressed again as to the great mix of people that we have here at Northwest/ACTS. Seminary Some of the new students on New Student Orientation Day students, faculty, staff, administrators and others who make up the milieu of our community bring a rich combination of backgrounds, ministry/education experience, goals, hopes and aspirations. Because many of our students do much of their studying from a distance, not all of our new students are able to attend a day like this. So the challenge remains for us to get to know our on-line students and our distance education students. With our economic times the way they are it is even more important today for Northwest to be able to provide our students with adequate financial assistance in the form of bursaries, scholarships and grants. In order to be able to provide this kind of help for our students we are seeking partners who recognize the need for the training of leaders for the church today and who are willing to take up the challenge of assisting Northwest in providing the financial backing our students need as they prepare themselves for the ministries to which God has called them. If you believe God would have you partner with Northwest in providing student assistance please contact us. On our website we have listed a number of avenues through which you can participate in this venture ( Northwest faculty and staff and some returning students meeting with some of the new Northwest students BEST PRACTICES FOR CHURCH BOARDS LYLE SCHRAG, D. MIN. On November 7, the Best Practices for Church Boards workshop will take church leadership training to a new level. Over the last four years, as we have addressed the distinct roles and responsibilities of leadership that belong to church ministry, we have discovered just how unique the dynamics of church leadership really are. But, these discoveries have come in bits and pieces. Not only have we been training leaders, we ve been learning as well. This year, we have collected the lessons and compiled a list of competencies that relate directly to church leadership, and the questions they must answer to enjoy an effective and healthy ministry. This list has allowed us to create a comprehensive strategy that will connect this workshop to further training options so that church leaders can begin to connect the dots of the ministry God has called them to, and make their church Leadership experience a growing and learning adventure. Page 5

6 PRESIDENT S COLUMN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 various community organizations. New, creative opportunities for chaplains keep emerging. Our society seems to accept their important service and welcome their involvement during times of crisis or in contexts of chronic human need. As the various stories in this issue of Northwest News indicate, chaplains make an incredible impact in the lives of countless people. Embodying the Gospel love of Jesus, they become his hands and feet in the tough times that people encounter. Some serve in volunteer capacities and others do this vocationally. Your support of Northwest enables us to offer Chaplaincy training that impacts our communities. If you have an interest in developing the ability to serve as a Chaplain, contact us and we will work with you to find ways to help you fulfill this vision. If you desire to give financially to help us enhance this program, please be in touch with me at or perkins@twu.ca. CHAPLAINCY OPPORTUNITY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 - JANET ANDERSON As humans God has made us in His image. Again, I ask, what does this mean? The spirit of mankind is troubled. Most seek some relationship with God, but ignore or reject the way God has created for us to know Him in Jesus Christ. We feel frustrated as Christians when less people come to our churches, assuming this means that Canadians have little interest in God. Is this truly the case? What can we do to introduce them to the true and living God? Chaplains are individuals, called of God to come alongside people of all faiths and ethnicity, particularly when their lives are in transition or crisis. When tragedy strikes and people experience stress and anxiety, they are hurting and don t know where to turn. A chaplain at one of our Canadian airports shared the following incident: Tuesday It is a tragic story of a broken marriage, a broken family, and saddest of all, a broken man. Ali, like the writer of Psalm 51, had a broken and contrite heart, found the joy of salvation, had his sins forgiven, and by the grace of God received a new heart and a new life. But for Ali it stopped there. In the midst of his struggles his wife had left him and his five grown children won t have anything to do with their father. He doesn t even know where they live. He travels back and forth to the Philippines, for reasons even he does not understand. It s something to do, a place to go, a place where he has a few friends. And Air Miles make it possible. I will see him again on October 27 when he returns to Canada for awhile. My heart breaks for him. Northwest Baptist Seminary at ACTS offers chaplaincy training that is fresh and exciting, equipping people to serve as chaplains in various contexts. Senior s homes, government and business offices, police and fire units, corrections, hospital, airports, arts communities wherever people need God. God is at work in the world calling people to Himself. Chaplains are there to express his love and serve people, showing them the Way. Our churches make a God-honoring impact in our communities as we support Fellowship chaplains. FOR MORE INFORMATION AND STORIES PLEASE BROWSE OUR WEBSITE FINANCIAL UPDATE - AUGUST 2009 Are we on the edge of financial recovery or are we enjoying a short-term plateau before we plunge into another economic abyss? Sounds a bit apocalyptic, but we all feel the affects of these world-wide financial trends. I am thankful that God never suffers from economic depressions! During the first eight months of the 2009 fiscal year, we have worked hard to keep costs at or under budget. The financial support we have received from our Northwest supporters is slightly ahead of this time last year. In addition our investments continue to provide revenue at the levels budgeted and the losses in investment value have largely been recouped. Thank you for your prayers and faithful support in these difficult times. During these next four months we will need to receive $65,000 in financial assistance to support fully the ministry vision and projects our budget defines. Your continued help is greatly appreciated and a wonderful encouragement Glover Road, Langley, BC Canada V2Y 1Y1 tel: fax: admin@nbseminary.com A Division of Northwest Baptist Theological College A Member of ACTS Seminaries of Trinity Western University life-changing ministry leadership development