Thrive_Autumn 2019 digital issue

Autumn 2019
PREVENTING THE WELL FROM RUNNING DRY
JOURNEY WITH A CHILD
FROM ONE HUNDRED TO ZERO IN ONE SECOND
MARGIN
RHYTHM AND PACE

Autumn 2019
PRAYING FOR THE
SPIRITUAL
CARE OF OUR
SPIRITUAL LEADERS
by Steve Jones
When my wife and I signed the papers on our first life insurance policy, the insurance agent handed me a urine specimen
bottle and asked me to fill it up. He did not hand my wife a bottle. I asked why just me? In a matter of fact way
he mentioned that my wife was a nurse, and I was a pastor. I was considered “high risk”! Those were his words. I was 26
years old at that time.
Famed leadership guru, Peter Drucker, once said, “not taking into account the vice president’s job, the most difficult jobs in
North America are: a university president, an urban hospital administrator, and a local church pastor.”
THE FIRST WORD
I was surprised the first time I read that a couple of decades ago. However, I do not think it is any easier today being a local
church pastor. In fact, it is becoming even more complex. One well-known leader once said, “most people have no idea how
difficult it is to run a church.” The local church is likely one of the most leadership-intensive enterprises in society today.
The work is building and redeeming lives, an intangible process. Church leaders rarely know when an outcome has actually
been accomplished.
“NOT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE VICE PRESIDENT’S JOB, THE MOST DIFFICULT
A UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT, AN URBAN HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATOR, AND A LOCAL

thrive-magazine.ca
thrive / 3
Church folks are all volunteers. They can simply leave when disciplined or challenged
to commitment. We cannot offer monetary incentives or benefits. The best
leaders can do is promise work without pay, time away from family and, if things
go according to Scripture, they will know suffering as part of their reward. That’s a
benefit package that likely won’t attract hundreds to service.
Over 1,000 pastors will be forced to resign this month in North America. In the
next decade, approximately 40% of today’s pastors will be in another line of work.
I wonder if that will be true of engineers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, or other
professionals. The fact is, most healthy churches are churches with long pastoral
tenures. My mentor used to say that most significant and impactful change in the
local church happens between years seven and ten of a pastor’s tenure. Pastors
leaving every four to six years could actually be harming the church in Canada.
What is the answer? I am not certain there is only one solution, but one answer is
prayer.
Pastors seeking out prayer partners. Church members organizing intentional
prayer for their pastor(s). Why not? The Apostle Paul asked for prayer:
• “Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that
my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints…”
Romans 15:31 (BSB)
• “Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me
so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel…”
Ephesians 6:10-20 (NIV)
• “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message…”
Colossians 4:3 (NIV)
Like Moses, who leaned on Aaron and Hur, Paul needed prayer support for his
enormous responsibilities. Many members in our churches need to come alongside
their pastor(s) and pray fervently for them. Ministry is not a one-man show,
but a team effort.
In this edition of Thrive, we are investigating the many ways in which we
should—and must—care for our inner spiritual lives. While this is the responsibility
of every spiritual leader, we can come alongside our pastors and partner with
them in prayer. The month of October is “Pastor Appreciation Month” – a great
way to support your pastor is to pray!
JOBS IN NORTH AMERICA ARE:
CHURCH PASTOR.”
Steven Jones is President of The
Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist
Churches in Canada. Follow Steve on
Twitter @FellowshipSteve.

4 / thrive Autumn 2019
THE FELLOWSHIP’S THEME
VERSE FOR 2019 IS: “JESUS
SAID TO THEM, ‘MY FOOD
IS TO DO THE WILL OF HIM
WHO SENT ME AND TO
ACCOMPLISH HIS WORK’.”
JOHN 4:34 (ESV)
6 PREVENTING THE WELL
FROM RUNNING DRY
You can connect with us on FACEBOOK:
www.facebook.com/FellowshipNatl,
on INSTAGRAM: @FellowshipNatl,
and on TWITTER: @FellowshipNatl.
Come and join the conversation.
2 THE FIRST WORD
PRAYING FOR THE SPIRITUAL CARE OF
OUR SPIRITUAL LEADERS / Steve Jones
12 LOVE EXTENDED
JOURNEY WITH A
CHILD / Norman Nielsen
truth talk
5 FOUNDATION
TO GIVE, OR NOT
TO GIVE? / Gord Baptist
6 OUT THERE
PREVENTING THE WELL FROM
RUNNING DRY
GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER
11 GROUND WORK
MENTORING FOR SOUL CARE / Tim Kerr
REV. P.V. PHILIPS / Pat Di-Fonzo
REV. PHIL PHILIPS: A KINGDOM
IMPACT / M. Williams
14 TRUTH TALK
THE HEALTH BENEFITS
OF FAITH / Valerie Heaton
REST AND REFRESH
18 UP TO SPEED
THE EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY CHURCH
LEGACY OF HOPE: NEW CANADIAN
BURSARY / Hannah Temple
FROM ONE HUNDRED TO ZERO
IN ONE SECOND
22 THE LAST WORD
SERIOUSLY, GO TO
CHURCH / John Stackhouse
love extended
up to speed
MISSION STATEMENT: Thrive is the official magazine of The Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada. It is published to
enhance the life and ministry of church leaders and members in Fellowship congregations by providing articles, resources and news that
reflect evangelical values, a common mission as well as a shared sense of identity and vision. Thrive is published three times a year and is
available in English and French.
© The Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada
MINISTRY CENTRE: P.O. Box 457, Guelph ON N1H 6K9
T: 519-821-4830 F: 519-821-9829 EMAIL: president@fellowship.ca
thrive-magazine.ca
SENIOR EDITOR: Steven Jones MANAGING EDITOR: Valerie Heaton COPY EDITOR: Jesskah McCartney LAYOUT & DESIGN: Ampersand
EMAIL: thrive@fellowship.ca POSTAGE: Return undeliverable Canadian address to Circulation Department, P.O. Box 457, Guelph ON N1H 6K9

thrive-magazine.ca
foundation
TO GIVE, OR
NOT TO GIVE?
by Gord Baptist
As the saying goes, there are two things in life that are unavoidable:
death and taxes. As Advancement Director for
the Fellowship Foundation, I have the privilege of helping our
members plan their Estates—not only distributing their assets
to their love ones, but also to ministries that help advance God’s
Kingdom.
As mentioned above, death creates taxation. Assets that have
taxable gain upon death must be assessed and dealt with when
it comes to distribution of the Estate. The one universal standard
in charitable giving is that all contributions create a tax
deduction, which creates tax reduction on the Estate. If there
is a tax reduction, it means a greater portion is available to the
family.
That said, 50% of Canadians do not have a testamentary will,
thereby leaving their family subject to the laws of intestate,
seeing their assets distributed by provincial legislation. A will
avoids that, telling your survivors and the courts how you
want your Estate settled. If you do not have a will, we at the
Fellowship can provide expert support,
connecting you with legal counsel to help
fulfill your ministry and inheritance passions.
— Gord Baptist is Fellowship
Advancement Director and can be reached
at 519.821.4830, extension 244, fax
519.821.9829, gbaptist@fellowship.ca

Autumn 2019
PREVENTING
THE WELL FROM
OUT THERE: FELLOWSHIP INTERNATIONAL

thrive-magazine.ca
thrive / 7
RUNNING DRY
SOME OF OUR MISSIONARIES SHARE HOW THEY STRIVE TO STAY
CLOSE TO THE LORD IN THE MIDST OF DAILY MINISTRY DEMANDS.
*Some names have been removed to maintain anonymity.
Kathryn Fleming, Fellowship
International missionary
“You must arrange your days so that you
are experiencing deep contentment, joy,
and confidence in your everyday life with
God.” —Dallas Willard
When I was a child I was in a church
club that required me to learn a lot of
Bible verses. If you memorized enough
Scripture you could win prizes. I liked
the prizes as well as the attention.
One day, after procrastinating and
only having a couple of hours before
the reciting, I put a verse to song.
Colossians 3:16: “Let the Word of Christ
dwell in you richly...” Little did I know
that years later this would be one of
the ways I nourished myself and my
family spiritually. God speaks to me all
day long through passages of Scripture
that I have memorized through song.
I swim regularly, and often the Holy
Spirit brings passages to mind and I get
to sing them while exercising. When
I feel anxious and fearful the Spirit reminds
me of the Lord’s presence with
me and I am comforted. Sometimes
I look for other ways to calm myself
down but God graciously and tenderly,
through His Word, brings me to back
to His reality-the only true source of
peace. In Japan, feelings of inadequacy
and fear often grip me just before
meeting people. I would like to turn
around and go home, but God reminds
me through my Scripture songs that
He goes ahead of me and will strengthen
me. “But we have this treasure in jars
of clay to show that this all-surpassing
power is from God and not from us.”
2 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV).
K., Fellowship International missionary
While trying to help other people establish and maintain a growing walk with Jesus,
it is easy to fall into a pattern of coming to the Word in order to teach it, rather than in
order to deepen my own walk. I have done various things over the years to make sure
that I was listening to the Spirit.
One thing I have done is to keep a jar in which I place sticky notes of thanksgiving for
what God is doing in and through me. Then, on New Year’s Eve, I take them all out and
remember God’s faithfulness throughout that year. Reading through the Bible has been
another way to keep the focus off of ministry and on Jesus.
I have also tried to learn to obey when God
reveals something new to me. I can’t expect my
relationship to grow if I am not willing to put
into practice the things I already know that I
need to incorporate in my life.
One final thing that helps me is to read
Scripture in different versions of English,
Spanish, and Portuguese in order to really meditate
on a passage, especially when it is one that
I have read often. Slowing down and hearing
it in a different way often allows the Spirit to
speak in fresh ways through a familiar passage.
M. Wall, Fellowship International missionary
SLOWING DOWN
AND HEARING IT IN
A DIFFERENT WAY
OFTEN ALLOWS
THE SPIRIT TO
SPEAK IN FRESH
WAYS THROUGH A
FAMILIAR PASSAGE.
Following Jesus allows me to navigate various cultural landscapes. Here is one thing
that helps me to stay fresh: I am learning to listen. I pray as I eat, and eat as I pray. God
comes to remind me in strange ways that He is with me. A little bird lands on my window
sill as I contemplate God’s wonder in the quietness of the morning. My prayer is
full of burden. Through the sparrow, God reminds me that He’s got my back. The burden
lifts and I can move on with more lightness. As I travel cross-culturally to teach,
I am usually over-prepared. But then in the midst of trying to communicate a new
concept, one local leader says, “Here, take my eyes.” Seeing through the eyes of others
and learning from their embodiment of what it means to follow Jesus rattles me every
time, but God speaks through this. These new eyes help me to question what I have received
from my previous cultural experiences. They are God’s way of keeping me fresh.
I am learning to listen.

Autumn 2019
GETTING TO
THE HEART OF
THE MATTER
INTERVIEW WITH PHIL WEBB, FELLOWSHIP INTERNATIONAL
MISSIONARY WORKING TO MENTOR PASTORS IN COLOMBIA
AND CANADA IN THE AREA OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT.
OUT THERE: FELLOWSHIP INTERNATIONAL
What does your ministry focus on?
What are the main issues you deal with
when mentoring?
For the past 20 years, my ministry has
focused on leadership development
with pastors—not developing their
professional abilities, but focusing on
building their character and examining
their relationship with God. A good number of pastors
don’t have as intimate a relationship with God as they
need to: they have plenty of head-knowledge, but it hasn’t
fully taken residence in their heart. I seek to address this,
helping them reach new depths in their intimacy with the
Lord. Many pastors also find it hard to receive help and inpouring
from others, even from God. This always leads to
burnout! Receiving takes a level of vulnerability that many
in society view as a weakness, yet without it our spiritual
well dries up. A big contributor to this is insecurity—some
leaders are insecure, and it prevents them from establishing
close relationships. Without close relationships to
expose our motivations, it’s easy to become distracted
from acknowledging shame and fear. If no one knows us
intimately enough to see the motivations behind our behaviours,
this can go unchecked, which is why developing
close, honest relationships is so essential.
Can you walk us through the process of mentorship that happens?
What sets it apart from other mentorship programs?
In the early stages of my ministry, relationships were
developed by proximity; those who I was already developing
for ministry in Colombia were those I mentored.
Since returning to Canada, I’ve been meeting with pastors
who approach me for help. Meetings can be through various
modes (in person, phone, skype) and can last varying
lengths of time, depending on the issues that need to be addressed.
There are some men that I meet with once a week
for only a few months, some meet with me once a month
for four years, while there are some I meet with once every
six months for many years. Some men know what issues
they want to work on before we start, and some discover
new, unexpected issues as we journey together. Many
EVERYTHING DRIVES BACK TO THE QUESTIONS, “WHERE DOES
AM I RESTING IN MY

thrive-magazine.ca
thrive / 9
IF WE CAN FIRST RESTORE THEIR RELATIONSHIP
WITH THEMSELVES, ALLOWING THEM TO
IDENTIFY AS BELOVED
SONS OF GOD, FROM THERE
OTHER RELATIONSHIPS ARE RESTORED AND
BEHAVIOURS BEGIN TO CHANGE.
times people will try to change the symptoms (behaviours)
without tracing it back to the root. We need to deal with the
heart of the matter before we can break people free from the
behaviours that accompany it. Everything drives back to the
questions, “Where does my identity lie? Am I resting in my
identity given by God?” I try to change relationships, not behaviour—relationships
with others, with self, and with God.
Romans 13:8-10 tells us that every single sin is a lack of love
and hurts a relationship; therefore, every change God asks of us
will be a relational change. If we can first restore their relationship
with themselves, allowing them to identify as beloved
sons of God, from there other relationships are restored and
behaviours begin to change. I’m so passionate about this topic
that I wrote a book (in Spanish) about what relational theology
looks like, called Connected.
What are the most common barriers you face when mentoring in
this way?
Many times the men that I mentor are resistant to getting as
emotionally close to me as necessary. Without honesty and
vulnerability, the relationship can’t achieve what it needs to
in order to see meaningful character refinement. It’s also very
hard for people to look at their own pain and unresolved issues.
They may have been hurt in the past and feel reluctant to
let someone new get close to them. Another drawback is the
time-consuming nature of working in one-on-one meetings: it
means that I have to pull back on programming to spend time
with each individual. It also requires a lot of spiritual and emotional
investment, as we tackle many difficult issues, and there
is an element of moving into unknown territory—there are no
guaranteed outcomes!
How have you seen God at work?
Seeing God transform people when they understand their
true identity as children of the Most High is easily the most
rewarding transformation. In John 17:23, Jesus asks God that
“the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as
you loved me.” When we can grasp that fact, we’re on our way
to embracing our God-given identity. I have also seen God deal
with not only guilt, but shame, which is more identity-based
than guilt, as it distorts a person’s perception of themselves.
When shame is lifted, people experience freedom to move into
areas of ministry that they were afraid of previously. I have
seen many pastors finally become vulnerable, and many who
overcome sexual addictions by embracing their identity as
children of God.
MY IDENTITY LIE?
IDENTITY GIVEN BY GOD?”

ground work
Autumn 2019
MENTORING FOR
SOUL CARE
by Tim Kerr
GROUND WORK: FRANCOPHONE AND CHAPLAINCY
Mentoring pastors in Québec has been a special privilege
for me. Over the years my mentoring philosophy
and methodology has evolved considerably. The content
has been tested repeatedly and has been greatly refined
(with approximately 150+ men in one-to-one meetings that
have usually continued for about two years, and about half
of those men have been pastors).
The underlying philosophy involves three pieces, which I
envision as three interlocking circles needing Spirit-given
wisdom to hold them together with the right proportion
and balance.
The first is the TRUTH circle. This involves Christ-centred
theological truths: both beliefs and behaviours that are
essential for mind-renewal and personal transformation.
Mentoring by truth alone, however, is inadequate because
though mentoring this way gives good direction, it tends to
be impersonal. The program, rather than the true needs of
the person, sets the agenda.
The second circle is the LOVE circle. This involves developing
relationships with others where committed accountability,
friendship, and specific Spirit-directed counsel is
fitted to the needs of the
individual. Love without
truth, however, is
also inadequate because
though it conveys care,
it eventually stalls for
lack of direction, and
lacks a proper Godcentredness
in the content
of the meetings.
The third is the POWER
circle. This essential
and often missing piece involves encountering the Holy
Spirit’s ministry through the means of faith and prayer. Yet,
if power is sought without truth and love it inevitably leads
to flaky mysticism and experiences that cannot be tested
by Scripture. I believe all three elements—truth, love, and
power—are essential for mentoring to be truly biblical and
transformative.
One of the primary areas that I seek to grow in my mentees
is the faith-habit of prayer. Learning to pray Scripture
in intercession for others; learning to live in the good of
the Gospel through prayer; praying for the power of the
Holy Spirit so we will comprehend Christ’s vast love for us;
learning how faith affirmations in prayer work; learning
how to accept difficult things through surrendered prayer
for what we don’t control, understand, or enjoy; and learning
to present ourselves anew to God in prayer (Romans
6:13 and 12:1). Prayer has so many aspects to it and we seek
to discover as many of them as possible.
In the end, both the mentor and the mentee grow together,
encounter Christ together, find wisdom, encounter
the Spirit, and form friendships that often last a lifetime.
Mentoring is really just another aspect of pastoring…but in
this case it is making sure pastors are pastored!
—Tim Kerr was born in Canada,
but spent almost half his life in
Asia. In 2006 he planted a church in
the north end of Toronto and then
passed the baton of leadership in
2017. He has spent 34 years mentoring
pastors and businessmen with
a special focus on personal spiritual
renewal. Tim and Joanne have four adult children and four
grandchildren.

thrive-magazine.ca
thrive / 11
REV. PHIL PHILIPS:
A KINGDOM IMPACT
PUBLISHED OCTOBER, 1980
by M. Williams
Toronto International Airport has an unusual service to offer
its employees and passengers these days. In the midst of the
comings and goings, the greetings and partings, the ebb and flow
of humanity, there is a small oasis of calm, a retreat for the troubled,
a resting place for the weary of heart. Yes, it’s a chapel—a
chapel right in the airport.
Two years ago no one thought it was possible. No one, that is,
except Rev. Philip V. Philips, one of our Home Missions missionaries,
and God. But after all, what is needed to get a project off
the ground but a man with a burden and a God who has all the
resources?
In January 1978, Philip Philips took a day off to wait on the Lord
for guidance in his ministry. At that time God put into his heart
a burden for the airport ministry and a basic plan for witness
there. In obedience to God’s call, he began knocking on the doors
of officialdom. The answer was always the same: “It is impossible
to allow such a mission at the airport.” Philips took his problem
back to God and received his answer: “For a great door and effectual
is open unto me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Corinthians 16:9).
“I knew, then,” he said, “that as far as God was concerned, the door
was open. So we began to go through, working one day a week in
airport witness, without official permission or aid.”
Since then the doors have swung open to an amazing degree.
In March of 1979 the same officials who had said, “Impossible,”
gave Mr. Philips sufficient space for a chapel, reception area and
offices. Oh yes, God is the God of the impossible.
Rev. Philips has asked two things of God this year. One is that
he may see seven well established Bible study groups throughout
the airport. The other is that he might have the privilege
of leading 100 souls to Christ before the year closes. The seven
Bible studies are now in operation with over 300 people involved.
And already (at the beginning of August) 57 people,
most of them employees and their family members, have come
to Christ.
Truly the door is open. But what of the adversaries? They are
there! Satan is always present when his kingdom is being challenged.
There are also the adversaries of shortness of time and
lack of staff. Some Christians from Bramalea Baptist Church
have been giving help in counselling and conducting services.
But the ministry is growing, and the load falls more and more
heavily on the shoulders of one man—Chaplain Philips.
Of one thing we are sure: God stands behind this man. And
God had something else to say in His Word about open doors.
Revelation 4:8 says, “...behold, I have set before thee an open
door, and no man can shut it…” International Ministries stands
on the threshold of a great outreach for God. Philips says, “We
are praying for a revival at this airport which will have far reaching
effect. Please continue to pray for us.”
*This article originally appeared in the Evangelical Baptist Magazine in October, 1980
and has been edited and condensed.
REV. P.V. PHILIPS by Pat Di-Fonzo
I distinctly remember first meeting Rev. Phil Philips in 1980, as he was still establishing the Evangelical Chaplaincy
Ministries at Toronto’s International Airport.
Pastor Philips visited our home and pointed my wife and children to the Lord Jesus. As a visionary leader, Pastor Phil
blessed many across Canada, and for twenty-seven years he impacted my life in unimaginable ways. I even had the privilege
of serving under his spiritual leadership as a chaplain. He has done great things for God’s Kingdom, and many souls
would not know the saving grace of Christ without his influence. Let this nostalgic article about Pastor Philips’ first years
in Airport Chaplaincy ministry remind us of his Godly character and deep commitment to walking closely with the Lord,
even in the face of adversity.

love extended
Autumn 2019
LOVE EXTENDED: FAIR

thrive-magazine.ca
thrive / 13
JOURNEY
WITH A
CHILD
by Norman Nielsen
Today’s children carry a burden laid on
them by adults. “Adulting” demands that
we fix what we have broken by commission,
or have allowed to stay broken by omission.
Worldwide there are an estimated 140 million
orphaned children, deprived of one or
both parents. It is also estimated that 100
million children live on the streets today, vulnerable to exploitation
and abuse. The United National High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) reports that over half of the world’s refugees
(25.4 million) are children who spend their childhood away
from home and often separated from family. A joint World
Bank-UNICEF study published in 2016 reports that 385 million
children around the world live in extreme poverty.
It’s hard to wrap our heads around these kinds of numbers. How
is it possible for so many children to be denied all the things
that we take for granted, considering them to be human rights?
It is easy to be overwhelmed by the deep and desperate need
that the numbers represent.
As followers of Christ we have a compelling reason to be instruments
of change, to fix what adults like us have broken or
ignored. We are commanded to do so. The parables of the New
Testament include a description of what the people of God’s
Kingdom look like when Jesus says: “Come, you who are blessed
by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you
since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me
something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I
was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed
me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came
to visit me.” Matthew 25:34-36. (NIV)
But what can we do to lift some of that crushing weight borne
by the weakest and most vulnerable? How can we best respond
to the hopelessness, and yes, accusation in the eyes of a hurting
child?
This fall, FAIR, in partnership with Fellowship International
missionaries on-site, has launched Journey With a Child, an appeal
introducing The Fellowship Child Sponsorship Program. This
new program is dedicated to a holistic approach to meeting the
needs of the most vulnerable in Lebanon, Honduras, and Sri
Lanka. Each situation has unique features but The Fellowship
Child Sponsorship Program strives to provide what is specifically
needed in each location, including education, healthcare, food,
and shelter over the period the child or youth is in the program.
Two of the programs are residential, two are non-residential.
Our top priority is the spiritual wellbeing of the children.
Opportunities to share the Gospel, for discipleship, for spiritual
development, and for prayer support are built in. These children
have the capacity to be change-makers for Christ in their
communities and around the world.
In order to fully fund the four locations included in The
Fellowship Child Sponsorship Program, FAIR needs 665 sponsors
giving $35 monthly to support needy children in
Honduras, Lebanon, and Sri Lanka.
Co-sponsors, where several sponsors support one child or youth,
will receive regular updates and, where possible, photos. Each
program has its own fund into which individual support is
pooled so that everyone within that location is benefitted equally.
In addition to long-term support from sponsors, FAIR,
through the Journey With a Child appeal, is seeking to raise
an additional $80,000. These funds will provide for the framework
that supports the program, including: bridge funding to
maintain the current locations until sponsorships are in place,
on-site staff expenses, and promotion of the programs.
Take that journey with a child, one that will lighten the load
they bear and turn their feet from a path of hopelessness to one
of hope.
—Norman Nielsen serves as Associate FAIR Director.
IT IS ALSO ESTIMATED THAT 100 MILLION CHILDREN
LIVE ON THE STREETS TODAY, VULNERABLE TO EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE.

truth talk
Autumn 2019
HEALTH
THE
BENEFITS
by Valerie Heaton
OF FAITH
TRUTH TALK: THEOLOGY AND TRENDS
In today’s culture, we’re constantly told that if we hustle
hard enough, follow our feelings, and chase our dreams
we’ll be living happy, healthy and enviable lives. There are
countless self-help books, podcasts, and gurus that profess
to hold the secret to being your absolute best, and many fall
victim to these false claims.
Not many non-Christians would think that religion could
play a role in cultivating the kind of life they seek, yet
numerous studies have shown that there are both mental
and physical health benefits to those who regularly engage
in religious practices such as prayer, reading Scripture,
and attending worship services. In fact, adults who are
highly religious (pray daily and attend religious services
at least once a week) have been shown to volunteer more,
engage more with their families, and have a higher rate of
overall happiness than those who are less religious or not
religious at all 1 . Going one step further, those same people
were shown to have a greater sense of hope, purpose and
meaning in life, and mental well-being 2 . Christians who
experience deep intimacy in their walk with God can
surely attest to the hope and peace it brings. In Isaiah 26:3
(ESV) we read, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is
stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” There are so many
things competing for our attention: smart phones, tablets,
social media, TV, Netflix, emails, missed calls… the list goes
on and on. Finding peace in the midst of this chaos doesn’t
come from completing our to-do lists, but in surrendering
that chaos and staying our minds on the Lord. When we
embrace this Heavenly peace, we are more resilient to hardship—over
100 studies have shown that those who value
their faith are less likely to suffer from issues such as depression,
substance abuse, suicide, and hypertension 3 .
The benefits of a vibrant spiritual life don’t end there: research
also shows that it can boost your immune system,
keeping you healthier overall. A 1997 study conducted
by Duke University discovered that adults who regularly
attend religious services have healthier immune systems
than their non-religious counterparts 4 . While suffering
from fewer colds is certainly appealing, it was also found
that a deeper spiritual life led to increased life expectancy!
Greater involvement in religious practices was consistently
associated with longer length of life, regardless of education,
health background, race, or sex 5 . In fact, deeply religious
individuals live an average of seven years longer than
those who are not—a gap as great as that between nonsmokers
and those who smoked a pack of cigarettes a day 6 .
Many of us already avoid smoking in an effort to save our
health and prolong our lives, but how many of us consider
our daily devotional time to be a life-lengthening practice?
These results only confirm what we have known for thousands
of years: that a close relationship with God brings
peace, joy, and fulfilment in life where nothing else can.
— Valerie Heaton is managing editor of Thrive Magazine.

thrive-magazine.ca thrive / 15
FINDING PEACE IN THE MIDST OF
THIS CHAOS DOESN’T COME FROM
COMPLETING OUR TO-DO LISTS, BUT
IN SURRENDERING THAT CHAOS AND
STAYING OUR MINDS ON THE LORD.
FAMILY LIFE AND
OVERALL HAPPINESS
NOT HIGHLY RELIGIOUS
GATHER WITH EXTENDED FAMILY
AT LEAST MONTHLY
30%
“VERY HAPPY” WITH WAY
THINGS ARE GOING IN LIFE
29%
40%
47%
“VERY SATISFIED”
WITH FAMILY LIFE
HIGHLY RELIGIOUS
67%
74%
1
Pew Research Center. (2016, 04 12).
Pew Research Center. Retrieved from
Religion in Everyday Life: http://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/
uploads/sites/11/2016/04/Religion-in-
Everyday-Life-FINAL.pdf
2
Byron R. Johnson, R. B. (2002,
1 1). Objective Hope—Assessing
the Effectiveness of Faith-Based
Organizations: A Review of the
Literature. Retrieved from Manhattan
Institute for Policy Research: https://
media4.manhattan-institute.org/pdf/
crrucs_objective_hope.pdf
3
ibid
4
Koenig HG, C. H. (1997). Attendance
at religious services, interleukin-6,
and other biological parameters of
immune function in older adults.
International Journal of Psychiatry
in Medicine, 233-50. Retrieved from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
pubmed/9565726
5
Byron R. Johnson, R. B. (2002, 1 1)
(n 2)
6
Marripedia. (2017, 09 01). Effects of
Religious Practice on Health. Retrieved
from Marripedia: http://marripedia.
org/effects_of_religious_practice_
on_health

16 / thrive Autumn 2019
REST
AND
REFRESH
THREE FELLOWSHIP PASTORS SHED LIGHT
ON THE IMPORTANT BENEFITS OF SABBATICALS.
Steve Adams, Pastor, Forward Church, Cambridge, ON
TRUTH TALK: THEOLOGY AND TRENDS
Sabbaticals are not just a time to refresh but a time to recalibrate.
I found two steps were important for me when I did
this. The first was to assess my capacity and to see if I was
exceeding my band-width. I enjoy being challenged, but
realize that at times I was exceeding my capacity. When I
considered my ministry in aggregate it was not sustainable
in the long run.
Secondly, this caused me to consider two rudimentary
questions: moving forward, what must I do, and secondly,
what must I not do? The “what must I do” items were the
contributions to the church that I was uniquely gifted in
and impassioned to offer. For the senior leader these tend
to be small in number but large in impact. The “what
must I not do” were the contributions that another could
make, often out of a greater gifting in that area of ministry.
In some cases this is paid staff and in others, committed
church members. In this same category, I realized
there were some tasks that were detractors and not really
contributors to our evolving mission, and hence no one
should be doing them. This was a
win and felt very freeing. Most of
us have the faculty to do this but
the tyranny of the urgent does not
allow the expanse needed to see
these items definitively. A sabbatical
should not be rest that “buys us
more ministry time”, but a careful
exercise in ascertaining our longterm
ministry capacity.

thrive-magazine.ca
thrive / 17
David Horita, Regional Director of Fellowship Pacific
Sabbaticals are awesome, but
you have to know what they are
for and ensure they achieve that
result. While all sabbaticals tend
to follow policy guidelines, those
guidelines should be sufficiently
broad to make sure you get the
outcome the sabbatical was designed
for.
My first sabbatical was intended to provide relief from the
stress of concurrent ministry and academic demands. It allowed
me to complete my Doctor of Ministry degree, which
was primarily focused on creating a hands-on leadership
development program for the church. By having a dedicated
three months to complete the program, the church was
also able to have a defined leadership program in place for
the September start of the ministry year.
The second sabbatical was 10 years later and had a different
focus. This sabbatical was simply designed to give a break
from the people and leadership push of our Regional office.
As such, the goal was to be completely clear of ministry demands
and processes. The “activity” of this sabbatical was
digging, filling, and placing a backyard patio without any
power tools or machines. It provided an opportunity for
physical work that was nothing like my normal job. I was
happy to go back to the office once the sabbatical was done!
Jeff Germo, Lead Pastor,
Campbell River Baptist Church,
Campbell River, BC
I didn’t take a sabbatical to further
my education or to prevent burn
out. I took my sabbatical because
I was already burned out. I was at
the place in my ministry where,
if I didn’t do something different,
my time in ministry would be cut short.
A couple of things led to my burnout. One was that the
church had gone through five years of very intense
culture shift. I won’t dwell on that one because if it
weren’t for the second reason, I probably could have
handled the pressures of ministry better. The prime
reason I burned out was because I am a recovering
performance addict. It really came down to the fact
that I didn’t trust God enough to stop and rest.
It was my staff who lovingly but firmly faced me
with the fact that I needed to take a sabbatical.
They saw the signs. I gave them permission to
contact Dale, our board chair, who immediately
met with each of them, and with my wife
Ruthie and me, to come up with a sabbatical
plan. The first step was a retreat at Oasis
Leadership Ministries, complete with three
days of intensive counselling to get to the
root cause of my burnout.
The total time we took off was ten weeks.
We stayed almost completely disconnected
from the church and practiced
trusting God. That is my big lesson. I
need to practice what I preach—that
God is God and I am not, and I can
trust Him.
CLERGY
CARE
1∙888∙5∙CLERGY
Focus on the Family provides an important and meaningful
service to those in pastoral ministry — their Clergy
Care hotline. Pastors and their families can call toll-free
and speak with professionally-trained counsellors who
help them deal with their struggles, all with the reassurance
that Clergy Care ensures strict confidentiality. If you or
someone you know in pastoral ministry is in need of help (or
even just a listening ear), don’t hesitate to use this wonderful
ministry! Call their toll-free number today: 1-888-5-CLERGY.

Autumn 2019
THE EMOTIONALLY
HEALTHY CHURCH
Interview with James Bekkers, Executive Pastor, Donald Calder,
Lead Pastor of Temple Baptist Church, Sarnia, and EHD Point Leaders
Don and Nancy Dafoe, Temple Baptist Church in Sarnia, ON
When did Temple Baptist adopt the Emotionally Healthy Discipleship model? What were the
reasons that you as a church decided to pursue it?
UP TO SPEED: REGIONAL UPDATES
In 2017, God called Donald Calder to serve as our new lead pastor, arriving at a critical
time when we were considering a new ministry plan to accompany what is now our
mission statement: “Connecting people to jesus and to one another”. We had many
programs but no clear strategy to move people
from being seekers to practicing, mature followers
“THROUGH THIS COURSE
of Jesus. Don Dafoe had read Peter Scazzero’s book,
Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, and the honesty I REALIZED THROUGH
and transparency of his testimony spoke to us. It HIM I CAN OVERCOME
touched on areas where we wanted our discipleship
to go beyond the acquisition of information
MY WALLS, BREAK
and move to life transformation.
THROUGH BARRIERS,
What do participants learn through the Emotionally
Healthy Discipleship program?
We get consumed by activity in the Christian life
but don’t take the necessary time to sit at Jesus’
feet and develop a deeper relationship with Him.
Emotionally Healthy Discipleship provides a new
way of living in deeper relationship with Jesus.
Many Christians still have baggage due to their
upbringing, hurts, and broken relationships. They
AND LISTEN IN SILENCE
TO HEAR WHAT GOD
IS SAYING TO ME; THAT
I CAN HAVE FREEDOM
BY LETTING GO OF MY
PAIN AND LIVE AS GOD
INTENDED ME TO LIVE.”
—COURSE PARTICIPANT

thrive-magazine.ca
thrive / 19
“I BEGAN TO REALIZE HOW
MUCH I HAVE BEEN MISS-
ING OUT OF MY WALK WITH
CHRIST. I KNEW SOMETHING
WASN’T RIGHT IN MY SPIRI-
TUAL LIFE BUT DIDN’T KNOW
WHAT IT WAS OR HOW TO
FIX IT. I GOT TO KNOW MORE
ABOUT MYSELF, WHICH
HELPED ME EXPERIENCE A
CLOSER INTIMATE RELATION-
SHIP WITH GOD.”
—COURSE PARTICIPANT
need the tools to understand themselves and their baggage before they can truly develop
a deep, loving relationship with God and deeper relationships with others. The
Emotionally Healthy Discipleship program provides the means to accomplish this.
How did you go about bringing this model into your church? What were the biggest changes
you saw throughout the process?
This model was introduced to our Elders by Don as then chair of Elders during the 18
months our church was without a pastor prior to Pastor Donald’s arrival. We participated
in a webinar with Peter Scazzero walking us through some of the material,
after which we agreed to host a trial run of the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality course
for leaders and key ministry personnel. We soon realized this course had real wisdom
and would be an opportunity to encourage deep personal and spiritual growth
within our congregation. So with a green light to proceed, we opened it up to the rest
of our church. Many participants saw immense spiritual growth from the process, and
changed relationships with each other and with Jesus. Marriages were strengthened,
prayer lives were deepened, and people were abiding in Christ like never before.
“THIS IS THE MOST HELPFUL DISCIPLESHIP MATERIAL WE HAVE
EXPLORED IN YEARS. IF YOUR CHURCH IS LOOKING FOR SOME-
THING TO HELP YOUR PEOPLE GROW SPIRITUALLY, I WOULD DEFI-
NITELY RECOMMEND YOU GIVE THIS A TRY.”
—JAMES BEKKERS, EXECUTIVE PASTOR
LEGACY OF HOPE:
CENTRAL BAPTIST CHURCH,
VICTORIA, BC by Hannah Temple
In 1980, there was a global crisis not unlike the Syrian crisis today. Central
Baptist Church in Victoria, BC responded by sponsoring two refugee-related
families, the first of which was Tom and Jean Truong with their six children.
The Truong family were part of the one million people who fled after the
Vietnam War. They encountered countless obstacles on their journey, and
were eventually separated by Malaysian officials. On May 11, 1980, Tom
Truong was reunited with his wife Jean and six children in Victoria, BC after
being separated for 10 months during their escape. Tom became the first custodian at Central Baptist,
where he still serves today.
In order to honor the legacy of Central Baptist and their sponsors, Hannah, Tom’s daughter, has created
the New Canadian Bursary. Through numerous churches, friends, and family members, $50,000 has been
secured to be used for an annual bursary at Ambrose University (Calgary, AB). In this way, the legacy of
hope that the Truong family experienced through Central Baptist Church can live on.

20 / thrive Autumn 2019
FROM
ONE HUNDRED
TO ZERO
IN ONE SECOND
UP TO SPEED: REGIONAL UPDATES
Marilyn Jones, wife to Fellowship President Steve Jones
In October 2014, I fell on a cobblestone road in Greece, injuring my leg, ankle, and back. I soon realized it was not a simple
fix—it would be a life-altering trauma. The first hurdle I was to face was PAIN, which would define my life from then on.
I was forced to allow others to care for me as I lay in a hospital, when I struggled to navigate in a wheelchair, and when I
finally accepted that I must use a cane to walk.
A friend gave me a book entitled, A Place of Healing: If God can heal me, why won’t He? I took one look at it, thanked her, and
put it aside. It took me two weeks to open it. Every word she shared was a mirror of my life… feelings of helplessness, anger,
pride, and most of all, grief. Grief over the loss of my previous life: my independent nature, my
career as a critical care nurse, my passion to help and care for others, and alterations in my relationships
with family and friends. Grief that after four surgeries, painful treatments, and medications, I
would suffer from chronic pain.
I have good days when I can thank the Lord for my journey and all those that have helped me
along the way, from the skilled surgeons who repaired my leg and gave me a titanium ankle, to my
husband Steve, who has had to adjust to the changes my injury has brought. This is not the life I
pictured for myself but a new, redefined life that is constantly forcing me to rely on the Lord for
strength to endure pain, grace to accept this new life, and thankfulness for those He has put in my
life to walk alongside me on this journey.

thrive-magazine.ca
thrive / 21
GOD’S TIMING WAS EVERYTHING
IN THE WAY THINGS WORKED OUT.
David Dobson, former
Fellowship French
Mission Director
In April 2014 I was serving as
Director of the Fellowship French
Mission and as a member of our
Fellowship’s Senior Ministry
Team... then it hit. It started with
headaches that became progressively
worse, and by the week of Easter I was admitted to the
hospital in St. Eustache, QC. Several days later I slipped into
a coma, from which I emerged on Easter Sunday morning.
During my 10 weeks of hospitalization it was determined that
I had been stricken down with tuberculosis meningitis. After
an additional five weeks in rehab, I was discharged in midsummer
but couldn’t even write my own name and was living
with low-grade pain on my right side. Now five years later
the healing process is still ongoing, but I am able to carry on a
relatively active lifestyle for a senior—praise the Lord!
What have I learned from this health crisis? So much! I have
learned that we are all very fragile beings, and we are just a
step from eternity. I’ve also learned that God chastens us because
He loves us, and that Romans 8:28 is not a verse to ever
be quoted glibly, but rather it has been absolutely tested,
tried and found to be so true in my life.
Carol Stewart, former
member of Fellowship
National Council
A year ago, I was sidelined when
a semi-truck trailer rolled over
on my car. I spent fifteen weeks
in hospital recovering mostly
from broken bones. Six months
later, follow-up surgery on my
left leg kept me in a wheelchair for another three months.
Rehab therapy has been extensive. Although not fully
recovered, I am a walking miracle! The love and help of so
many have been amazing. Through all this I am reminded
that our faith may be small, but God’s faithfulness is great
(Lamentations 3:21-23). Amid suffering and daily challenges,
Christ’s peace and presence, through the power of the
Holy Spirit, is our strength (John 16:33).
Andrew Plumridge, Fellowship
Chaplain
I suffered a cardiac arrest on April 12,
2018 at the Boys and Girls Club of
London. A week later, I had quadruple
by-pass surgery. Now I walk around
with a few scars, an I.C.D. implant, and
a few medications on board, yet I feel
great and I’m ministering again as a
Baptist pastor. God’s timing was everything in the way things
worked out: being in the change room just before a swim in
the pool that had two well-trained lifeguards and only minutes
away from the paramedics, and being attended to by the
Emergency staff at University Hospital. If it had happened anywhere
else, I would be in Glory. God is not finished with me yet.
As I became more aware of this through my recovery via my
wife’s journal and what others told me, I was encouraged that
God’s purpose was at work.
Suzanne Rozalowsky, former
FAIR Administrative Assistant
I had just “celebrated” New Year’s
Eve with my husband, Andrew. He
was sedated and connected to many
machines which were keeping all his
organs working. He was alive that day,
but with no real hope for his survival
from aggressive leukaemia apart from
a miraculous intervention by God. Hundreds of believers across
Canada were praying for him, for me, and my two young boys
(three years and eight months). Andrew died six days later.
There were many hard days. I knew that I needed abnormal
strength to tend to the daily tasks of being a single parent.
I knew that I had to rely on God to get through each day.
Sometimes I surrendered to God out of trust and faith and
gained relief, and sometimes I surrendered because, well, where
else could I go? (John 6:68)
I could never have imagined surviving this type of loss. I could
never have imagined that I would still be praising God and
gradually, over time, thriving again. But God’s grace is sufficient.
His kindness is generous. His comfort is palpable. I did
believe that He was good and when I didn’t, He helped in my
unbelief (Mark 9:24). Death is awful, grief is painful, but God is
with me. I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, and happy
are those who trust in Him.

Autumn 2019
SERIOUSLY,
GO TO CHURCH
by John Stackhouse
THE LAST WORD
Church wakes us from our busy routines and says,
“Don’t forget!” Everybody in our extended family were
faithful churchgoers. Or so I thought, until one of my
uncles declared to my ten-year-old self, “I can worship God
just as well on the golf course as I can in church.”
Hmm. I supposed that made sense. However, when I was 12
I had a question for him the next time he made that case.
“Okay then, Uncle,” I looked up and asked him, “do you
worship God there?”
The late sociologist Kurt Bowen, in a book that deserves
more attention, looked at various sociological measures of
religious commitment and concluded something quietly
startling about religion. “Attendance and commitment have
such a high degree of overlap or similarity” that the former
can serve as a reliable indicator of the latter (Christians in a
Secular World, McGill-Queen’s, 2004).
Those who have the “habit” of skipping church are, by
all accounts, on their way out – out of church and out of
Christian faith in any robust sense.
Bowen isn’t taking a shortcut here, given that church attendance
is relatively easy to track compared to other
behaviours such as regular Bible reading and prayer, which
normally can be studied only through the more dubious
means of people’s self-reporting.
No, church attendance correlates highly with other observable
behaviours such as volunteering and charitable giving.
It also coincides remarkably with orthodox beliefs and traditional
Christian values such as the importance of forgiveness
and concern for others, even strangers.
Is somebody a serious Christian? Then she (statistically
almost always) goes to church. Weekly at least. And the reverse
is also true. People do not, in fact, worship God on the
golf course as well as they do in church.
Going to church regularly exposes us to the messages we
need to hear regularly, messages different from the messages
we get from advertising, politicians, entertainment
media, even from well-meaning friends. It’s not that everything
they say is wrong. It’s that the good things they say
are mixed in with empty words, wrong words and even
some poisonous ones.
Church wakes us from the confused dimness of our busy
routines and says, “Don’t forget! Don’t forget God, and
salvation, and the love of Jesus, and the companionship of
the Holy Spirit and the world to come! Don’t forget that the
Bible is divine revelation, and prayer is your lifeline, and
repentance must be daily, and forgiveness and power are
yours for the asking! Wake up! And stay awake!”
The New Testament never commands us to go to church. In
fact it assumes we are there. Much of it is in the form of letters
to churches, the reading of which would be done only
in churches. That’s why there is only that brief warning in
Hebrews 10:25 about “not giving up meeting together, as
some are in the habit of doing.”
No, merely going to church doesn’t make you a Christian.
But going to church keeps you a Christian, and it is God’s
main way of helping you mature as a Christian.
Golf courses? Or hockey rinks? Or soccer fields? Or ski
hills? Or cottages? Or brunches? Not so much.
(Reprinted with permission and condensed for publication.
Originally published in Faith Today, 29 August 2018 , Jul/Aug
2018. www.faithtoday.ca.)
— John Stackhouse teaches at Crandall University in
Moncton, NB His latest book is Why You’re Here: Ethics
for the Real World (Oxford, 2017). Find more at
www.FaithToday.ca/ChristAndCulture.

DON'T IGNORE
THESE WARNINGS
Autumn 2019
When there’s something wrong with your
car, you take steps to fix it. Your insurance
is no different. Don’t wait! Make a service
call to Deeks to tune up your insurance so
we can help save you money.
CALL US TODAY FOR A
NO-OBLIGATION QUOTE
1-800-240-5283 | deeksinsurance.ca