Ministering to Marketplace Leaders. Led by Solomon Sands. We continued from our previous year with making use of the excellent resources provided by www.FaithDrivenEntrepreneur.org. We had 8-10 marketplace leaders who were participating on a monthly basis. Please pray for Holy Spirit wisdom and for this ministry to grow as we support and encourage believers who are following Jesus in the marketplace.
Ministering to Men. Co-led with Miles Wright. This year our Monday Night Men’s Group embarked on a study of the 7 Churches of Revelation (RNM), continued our previous study in the book of Romans, Part 2 (RNM), and took a hiatus in June.
Over the summer I developed a 136-page study guide for the “Supernatural Seminar” which began in September, as we explored the topic of spiritual warfare and what the Bible has to say about the unseen realm and our identity and mission as believers. This Bible college-level study generated the highest participation in our group’s history. This was followed by our Christmas Party in mid-December.
One particular highlight from the year was a man from the church inviting his neighbour to the group. This individual surrendered his life to Christ and started to bring his daughter on Sundays. Such is the power of an invitation when combined with the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit.
Ministering to Women. This year saw the return of the Ladies Spring Brunch, which we haven’t been able to offer since 2019. Led by Donna Serr, Glenda Edwards and Sandra Rude. There were a total of 240 tickets were printed, 232 sold, and the jewellery boutique raised $850 in support of the Furniture Ministry.
Women of Worth. WOW Wednesdays in Hub 1 grew back to pre-2020 levels. Leaders in 2023 included Donna Serr, Kathy Runnalls, Gloria Tainsh, Aoi Hildebrand and Marita Speiran. By fall 2023 there were 54 ladies participating, including 10 new moms! Childcare was offered by Linda Toma and her team of volunteers, who on one occasion had as many as 11 kids under their care. WOW mornings include coffee, games and prizes, in addition to the Bible study. Parties hosted at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter helped women of all ages to build connections with each other and the church.
Women's Christmas Brunch. This year, the Brunch sold out in less than a week! Carrie McDonald and Val Seitz took the lead in preparing for 200 women, while a small group of men volunteered on the Saturday to keep the coffee flowing and the dishes clean. Several non-Christians who were invited took part, and at least one of them asked to connect with Charlotte Donudenu following her devotional. Interestingly, a professional event coordinator was in attendance and she commented on how wonderful the flow of the event was. Several others from Hillcrest served in various ways, including on the worship team, or by taking tickets at the door, or sharing a Christmas reading. All-in-all it was a wonderful time of fellowship as well as memorable outreach to our community.
Ministering to Mothers and Fathers. With Carrie’s help, we planned and prepared to celebrate Mothers in May and Fathers in June.
Ministering through Christ in the Passover. Jews For Jesus ambassadors Dean Chariker and wife Miriam are a young couple who travelled all the way from Israel to host this special event. Dean was raised as an observant Jew and shared his incredible testimony of how he came to saving faith Yeshua (Jesus). Those who attended this free event learned about and got a taste of a traditional Jewish Passover celebration. Dean shared about its development, biblical significance, and how Jesus ultimately fulfills it.
Ministering through Craft Workshops. This ministry is led by Michelle Mauer and Christy Wonnenberg.
Christy writes:
The Lord designed His people to be creators: “He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver — by any sort of workman or skilled designer” (Exodus 35:35).
The monthly workshops are a great time of fellowship, creativity & learning! We love to highlight a skill or talent of our Church family members who want to share their knowledge with others. The attendance has varied from workshop to workshop, but we are thrilled to see a steady & continual rise as more people are aware of it. As well as a 2 – 3 hour workshop, we also offer a full day where people can bring their own projects to work on in a comfortable space. We find this time a great opportunity to encourage others to work on an item or 2 that they may want to donate to the Handmade Market as well!
January – Chalking Workshop – Cutting Board signs – Christy Wonnenberg
February – Ukrainian Eggs – Michelle Mauer
March – Watercolor Card Workshop – Mable Mund
May – Cake Decorating workshop – Alicea Thomas
September - Sunflower Fall Décor – Michelle Mauer
October – Watercolor card workshop – Mable Mund
November – Decoupage Napkin Ornaments – Michelle Mauer
Ministering Mental Health & Wellness. In January we hosted a Building Better Boundaries course, presented by Mark Walter of the Canadian Mental Health Association, with a devotional component led by Bev Henschke. We also met during the summer to make plans for the Bounce Back course in the fall, which is designed to help individuals build resiliency in their lives and relationships.
Ministering to ESL Learners. Met with Sarah Pahl in January to coordinate the startup of a monthly “English Café,” an idea Sarah came up with to make learning English fun and for newcomers to develop friendships. My role included helping spread the word to potential volunteers and participants via Saamis, The Connection and the Chaplain of MHC. The inaugural event was held in February and saw 13 participants from Korea, Ukraine, Japan, the Bahamas, and Ecuador. There were also 3 volunteers that evening including myself. The English Café ran until May.
In the summer, Sarah and I met to discuss her plans to expand the ministry. Sarah held a vision meeting in September for those interested in helping, and the English Cafe continued through to the end of the year. Please pray for the continued growth and success of this ministry and for Jesus to continue being lifted up.
Ministering to the Marginalized. Received an invitation to run the Alpha Course videos down at the Mustard Seed Kitchen from January to May. Though it is extremely difficult to build connections with street people for a number of reasons, the Lord worked through this time and Gospel seeds were planted. At the same time, I was able to build a strong working relationship with the Building Manager and Day Programming Director, who have proven to be helpful resources when dealing with particular situations either in the church or out in the community. I was also given the privilege of sharing the devotional for The Mustard Seed’s city-wide staff event in the spring.
Ministering to our online community. In 2023 Pastors Glenn, Mike and I continued to meet and fellowship with the members of our church community online. Average online attendance via the website consisted of 40-50 families during the live stream, but could go as high as 80, depending on a variety factors including local weather which does affect in-person attendance. If we include those participating via Facebook and YouTube, we averaged 110 homes participating online every Sunday, with that number increasing to 185 by Monday morning.
Every Sunday, individuals and families regularly participate in worship during the 10AM service, which is live-streamed. Some are local, but we do have people tuning in from around the world. In October, I had the privilege of meeting one such couple. Ken & Grace have been attending online since 2020 and, for the past 40 years, have made their home in Jordan where they work as turmeric farmers. While visiting family in Alberta, they made a point of driving to Medicine Hat and staying the night just so they could attend their home church in person for the very first time! It was an honour and a blessing to meet them in person and to be able pray for them.
We are thankful for our online community and that ways God is using this ministry beyond our four walls to make disciples and extend our reach with the Gospel.
Ministering to the larger community. In 2023 this included my involvement with the Mustard Seed, leading a service for the 40 Days of Prayer, serving as a greeter at the entrance to the Good Friday Service, attending the Pastors Appreciation Breakfast at Medicine Hat Christian School, as well as several opportunities for community engagement during the Christmas season.
Highlights of that season include praying for the meal at the annual Connection Christmas Gala, hosted at the Esplanade. During the evening I was able to connect with several international students and share about Jesus with one student in particular who had never heard about Him before.
I was also invited to be the guest speaker for the annual Medicine Hat Tigers Christmas Banquet, where I also gave an invitation to players, families and Tigers staff to consider the claims of Christ and to receive Him into their lives.
I also enjoyed taking part in the Evangelical Association’s Civic Leaders Christmas Banquet and was able to meet and build a connection with the Public School District Superintendent.
These examples are some of the ways the Lord has opened doors for me to be His ambassador in the larger context of our city.
Ministering to the broader EMCC Family. I was invited to be a member of the Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada’s Theology Commission which is reviewing and strengthening our Articles of Faith. Members include other EMCC Pastors from across Canada as well as members of the National Team.
Ministering through games and gym activities. We hosted a Gym & Games Night in March and saw two dozen out for volleyball, pickle ball and table games, including a couple of newcomers to the church. We hosted a games night in June and a couple more gym and/or games nights in October and November. I am grateful to Dave & Michelle Mauer who have been spearheading these events as we seek to provide opportunities for food, fellowship and fun.
Ministering through RightNow Media. According to our church’s engagement report, we have 902 registered users, 71 percent of whom are accessing Bible studies, while the other 21 percent are accessing kids shows. Our RNM account is clearly of great benefit to individual users and their families! An even greater blessing is that users are able to share this quality, Christian resource with family and friends as a way to reach them with the Gospel.
In August 2023, I ministered to a grandmother in hospital, and during that visit and was able to offer RNM to her adult daughter, who also has small children. Neither the daughter nor the granddaughters presently attended church. But the young woman had started to read the Bible, so having access to the RNM app would be the perfect gift to help her along.
I am so thankful that Hillcrest is able to freely share such an excellent evangelism and disciple-making tool.
Ministering through Bible Studies. Our church is blessed with 6 long-term Bible Study Groups and facilitators who are passionate about serving others and sharing God’s Word. The groups meet in our facility and, in 2023, provided Bible study, fellowship and prayer for approximately 185 participants. These studies are especially helpful for those who are new to Hillcrest, as people can just show up and find their fit.
Ministering through Life Groups. We are also blessed with 7 Life Groups that continue to meet, typically offsite, offering Bible study, fellowship, and prayer a focus on building stronger, deeper friendships for approximately 75 participants that include singles and couples with young children. I had the privilege of helping a young family to start a new life group that grew from two families to six with 18 kids! They began by meeting once a month and eventually included once a month option for the men and for the ladies as well.
Ministering through people just like you. Ephesians 4:12 reminds us that Christ gave pastors to the church “to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” God has given each of us the ability to serve Him in some way. But even more important than your ability is your availability: saying “Yes” to the Lord and to serving Him wholeheartedly. I am so thankful for the many gifted volunteers He has deposited within this church family. God bless each and every one of you! Know that you are truly making a difference for Christ’s kingdom and for eternity!
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