Phase 1 – Community Integration.

Objectives – to integrate family into the city, identify and contextualize vision for new church, grow support network.

May 22, 2010 – Our family rolls into Medicine Hat, as sleet falls from the sky.  So much for the sunniest place in Canada.

June 2010 – Working on wrapping up training to start in Real Estate, transferring insurance, driver’s licenses, etc.

June 13-18 – Great Canadian Adventure.  Community Surveys and service projects with local organizations.

July 2010 – Travel to Ohio to participate in Fellowship’s National Conference.  Invaluable face time with leaders and supporters.  Added new prayer supporters.  Begin attending at the Link Church, a 4 year old church with similar values.

August 2010 – Finish Training, deal with major repair bill for van, launch Real Estate Career.  Also, meet my associate church planter, discover his calling.

September 2010 – Kids start school (first day ever – they had been homeschooled previously).  Start driving School bus for extra cash flow.  Join local ministerium to network with local pastors.

October 2010 – volunteer with Exchange Student Alpha program at the Link.

December 2010 – First listing ever!  Christmas trip to parents’ house.

Phase 2 – Pre-Launch

Objectives – form a launch team continue to gather support, cast vision, invite people into relationship.

January 2011 – transition out of school bussing and into real estate assistant role.  Associate church planter and family arrive in Medicine Hat.

January 8-11 – Participate in Northwest District Ministerium and Church Planter Assessment (added new prayer supporters)

January 31-Feb 2, 2011 – Southwest Pastor’s Retreat (added prayer supporters and a church to participate in Summer’s mission teams)

February, 2011 – Launch our first evangelistic Bible Study.  Invitations extended through various nontraditional means including craigslist and facebook.  Attenders come through craigslist ad.

February 28, 2011 – 1st Information Session.  Over 20 attend.  Form first core group, made up of us, the Blairs, and several new friends from the Info Session.

March 7-11 – Church Planter’s Boot Camp in Minneapolis with Bart.  Invaluable exercise.

March 25-30 – Northwest District Conference.  Added prayer supporters, visited potential financial supporters.

March 31 – 2nd Information Session.

May 2011 – 3 more core team members arrive from Surrey, BC

May 15 – Sunday Night Open meetings begin at Southview Church of God (Anderson)

May 16-18 – Northwest District Focus Retreat

May 31 – end employment as a realtor.  Begin temporary position at Census Canada.

July 12 – Cheryl begins work at the Hospital as a Nursing Educator.

July 16 – Couple from Evangelistic Bible Study accept Christ, renew their vows.

July 31-August 5 – Great Canadian Adventure (USA Mission Week)

August 14-18 – Trans-Canada Summit (First GBCanada National Conference, Canadian Mission Week)

August 28 – Begin another evangelistic bible study with 4 people.  First Sunday morning in the Galaxy Cinemas, Medicine Hat.

August 29 – Launch 2nd Community Group.

Phase 3 – Post-Launch

Objectives: to foster community, encourage commitment, and more towards true community creation (membership).

September 11, 2011 – CHURCH LAUNCH! 174 people in attendance.

September 2011 – numbers taper off from 174 to 115 to 76, by October average remains steady at 70 until the end of the year.

October 15 – Family Fun Day Connection Event. ~30 attend.

October 23 – 1st Lunch With Oliver (Initial Membership Lunch – leading to Bible Study and Membership Class)

October 30 – 1st Baptism Service – 5 Baptized!  3rd and 4th Evangelistic Bible Studies launched (in conjunction with Membership classes)

December 4 – 1st Baby Dedication.

December 24 – Christmas Eve Service at local restaurant.  Dec 25 Sunday morning service cancelled.

January 15, 2012 – Annual General Meeting/Vision 2012/3 more baptisms!

January 29 – launch of a new Evangelistic Bible Study, Discipleship class, and 2 new community groups!

That takes us pretty much up to the present.  We are excited to have 3 or 4 more in evangelistic Bible Studies and are about to celebrate our first crop of 17 members!  God has been so good to us.

I wanted to let you all know that our core team is growing!  Since the arrival of the Blairs, things have been happening.  If I can look ahead by a few weeks, to the arrival of the Greenhows and Megan Kendall in May, we have currently 11 believers who want to see this church move forward!  We also have 5 more adults currently in connection with the Blairs who may wind up joining us.  Further there are a couple of other families who we have been in contact with who we are currently growing relationships with.

Join us in praising God for this work that is forming!  Please pray for us as we will be switching formats to move to a Sunday night meeting at the Southview Church of God.  They have graciously opened their doors to us to give us a chance to begin to hold non-public services.  We hope to launch into this next phase of the church plant on May 15th.

Ephesians 3:20 always reminds me that our God is able to do more than we could ask or imagine.  Yet, I need this constantly reinforced.  I need to be reminded, “Dream bigger!”  The events of the last month have been a testimony to this truth.

I would like you to meet Bart and Elizabeth Blair.  They have been integral parts of the team at Grace Community Church in Mississauga for 9 years.  Bart came on as the worship leader at the first Grace Brethren Church in Canada 6 months after they launched.  In many ways he has grown with them, but before he even came to them he came with a background in music and the arts.  He has a degree in music from the University of Texas and spent several years in children’s theatre before he found his way to Canada.  His incredible giftings and passion for leading well have been blessed as he has grown a stellar worship team at Grace.

Together with his wife Elizabeth, they have three children: Sarah-Lynn, Silas and Ephraim.  Elizabeth works in the mortgage field, (which complements my real estate business well) and has a passion for touching people’s lives with the love of Jesus.  She has been a part of many different outreach ministries at Grace.

The story of how God moved them to begin their journey to Medicine Hat is fascinating, but I can’t tell it nearly as well as they can.  Check out Bart’s Blog for their account of God’s calling them.

From our side, we had a hint dropped to us that they were thinking about Medicine Hat at the beginning of August, but obviously they needed a lot of answers – from God and from others with wisdom and discernment to be sure this was God’s will.  They also needed to see for themselves what Medicine Hat is like.  From a distance, it seems like a tiny town in the remotest part of the prairies (especially relative to Toronto, one of the largest cities in the world!)  They planned to visit us for 4 days towards the end of August.  We had an amazing time of hearing their heart, where they felt God was taking them, and in turn sharing what caused us to be moved of God to Medicine Hat and why we are in love with this city.

Finally, a week after they left, we got word: they were coming!  Wow!  They are coming on faith – they both have good careers, their children have good friends, but now they are stepping out as a family for God.  They come with no promise of income, no guarantees, but they come because God has called and they have said, “Here I am!”  They still need to sell their home and transition out here.  We expect them to arrive around Christmas time (what a Christmas gift!)  Suddenly we have two people passionate for the Lord, desiring to see a new church birthed here in Medicine Hat, connected with our fellowship, gifted and experienced in ways that we couldn’t imagine!

We’ve been waiting with bated breath to tell you about this but to be fair to everyone in their lives, we needed to let them make the announcement in their way.  But now we can celebrate with you all!  Thank you for your prayer and keep praying!  If God can do this, what is next to come?

When we began to dream about planting a church in Alberta, one of the questions we had to answer was, “how would we support ourselves in Alberta?”  That question could have been answered in many ways.   We are immensely grateful for everything that Grace Brethren Canada have done to help us get where we are.  We can’t imagine where we would be without their investment into us through mentorship, leadership opportunities, chances to join in to the larger Grace Brethren family through participation in ministeriums, district and national conferences, and so many other little ways that have gotten us to where we are today.  Still that being said, the reality is with more and more church plants across North America, regardless of organizational affiliation, full-time support is not possible.  Grace Brethren Canada is still a small organization and can only support so many full-time staff.

So, when we considered how we would support ourselves, we realized that God had gifted us with several different options.  One opportunity which remains as a backup plan is seeing Cheryl utilize her bachelor’s of Nursing degree and broad experience in mental health nursing to obtain employment in that field.  However, this remains a backup as with 3 children under 3 in the home, they need a mother’s love right now the most.  Myself, I have a background in several fields, but some skillsets require updating to be employable in the field (such as forestry and computer & network support).  In looking at my last 9 years in particular, God has been building in me a skillset which emphasizes sales.  Interestingly, the particular field in which I have honed these skills has been in working closely with real estate agents across the USA and Canada, helping them do their businesses better.  It set me up for considering a new career in real estate.

Real Estate is a field that has a lot of short and long-term potential.  Short term, it is a business that builds on itself, and if done with diligence can easily support our family.  Long term it has two benefits: the first is scalability: as God builds His church, His people will require more time.  Real Estate can be easily scaled to fit in with the time demands as the church can begin to support us.  The second long-term advantage is that a successful real estate agent can employ others to help grow the business.  Assistants can be brought on to help which are also scalable positions – which can then in turn possibly help to support church planting interns while they grow to plant the next wave of churches to come after.  This supports not just a congregation here, but also the long-term goals of Grace Brethren Canada: to see churches planted all across this vast nation!

So, back to today.  Having completed my exams, the next step is to onboard with a local real estate company.  God has already blessed us with a solid relationship with the manager of the Century 21 office.  The man is a Christian and an elder of his church.  He has lived in Medicine Hat for over 40 years and has many connections, and the ability to help me grow my business as quickly as possible.  I have already explained to him my vision of growing a business for God to see new churches started and he is fully supportive of our goals.  This is an absolute Godsend as many real estate managers are only interested in how many sales you make, and care only how you can generate wealth for themselves.  With a money-centered manager, it would be hard to proceed with our vision but with the man God has prepared for us, we are very excited to get going.

The reality is that starting a real estate business costs money.  There is business software needed to manage all the tools we need such as communications, marketing, advertising, and prospects.  There are marketing items like signs, publicity pieces, business cards, and more needed to be purchased through the company.  There will need to be advertising purchased to raise my profile in the community.  We are believing God for all these funds but we believe that God also wants to work through His Body.  So here we are, laying these needs before you, and asking you to consider partnering with us to get our real estate business launched successfully.  Here is a breakdown of the expenses that will be entailed:

For those of you in the USA, you might consider a move to real estate to be foolhardy given the hard economic conditions especially surrounding foreclosures, short sales and such of that nature. In fact, while Canada’s housing market did take a hit as the recession hit, it has in most areas recovered. Alberta was hit harder than some provinces, and the market is slower here but it is by no means as bad as it is in many areas of the USA. There is still a lot of reason for optimism in Alberta, not least of which is the largest driver of employment and wealth here is in Oil, and with oil sitting above $80 per barrel right now, this province is well positioned to flourish in the recovery.

Join us in initiating the next stage our our church planting effort. If you are in the USA you can participate through GBCanada USA and you will be receipted for a charitable donation. Please follow the link to help. If you are in Canada, you can participate through Canadahelps.org and you will likewise be receipted for a charitable donation for your income tax return.  We need your help urgently at this point, as the outlay for these expenses will cut significantly into our savings which we are living on until the real estate business begins to produce income.  Thanks again for your prayers and encouragement on our journey.  We look forward to reporting on what God has in store for expanding His Kingdom in Medicine Hat!

Last week I found myself thinking about some of the details of what we need to do and one of them was the question of employment.  I have talked on here before about tentmaking in real estate, but I hadn’t taken any steps towards it.  I decided to make a list of brokers and make some phone calls – at least to introduce myself and get a feel for where the offices are at in terms of need.  As I made the calls it occurred to me I might be able to meet one or two when I go out there.

The day before I left, I found out my road trip partner would not be able to come.  At first I was a little disappointed because I was really looking forward to hearing his story and heart, and showing him personally the city that was calling us.  But now I knew why God stirred me up to call some brokers – to have a contingency plan.

I got to town a little after lunch, and made two calls – one to GMAC and one to Century 21.   I had a short meeting with Lorne, manager at Century 21, then had to rush off for a meeting with Glen at GMAC.  Both companies have a lot to offer and are supportive of helping me get a start.

But what blew me away was Lorne.  I met with him again in the evening, and I was amazed by his heart – he is an elder at his church, he has an identical philosophy to me with respect to work and its priority, and is very excited about my ideas with regards to church planting and tentmaking and supporting the development of church planting interns.

Oh, I haven’t mentioned this on here before.  Basically, what I mean by that is part of Grace Brethren Canada’s vision is to create missional businesses to support further church planting.  Partly to fund the church plants, but also to employ church planting interns in roles that can support themselves while dedicating themselves to ministry – potentially working 1/2 to 3/4 time but getting paid for full time, so that they can dedicate the other part of their work week to church work and gaining experience to plant on their own.  My idea is that if my real estate business takes off it will require more administration – a simple desk job that does not require large amounts of training to do.  But also, if I am deliberate about it, I can even work on a property management side, which has two benefits.  First, it is a more consistent income than sales so it can support people with certainty.  Second, it will require people with general handyman skills – again, a role that is lower time and skill demand so almost tailor-made for a church planter-in-training!

But back to the meetings.  Coming away from my time, I am so amazed at how God orchestrates all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).  He has used this trip that I was even questioning on the way out – I was thinking why am I spending $350 in food, hotel and gas expenses when kennelling might have been only a little more?  It’s because God wanted me here to make some significant connections that will move everything forward.  I have been affirmed in the wisdom of my plans, encouraged in seeking God, and blessed with someone who knows the city and its people and has connections that can help with all kinds of aspects – from potential support to arranging mortgages to creating a career.  What a mighty God we serve!

It certainly is inspiring but for some reason it was another verse that God drew me to this morning.  In verse 13, Joshua writes, “So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.”

It feels to me like what we’re being called to in Medicine Hat is like this.  We are going to a city we did not build and a land on which we did not toil, and we will live there and reap a harvest that we did not plant.

That kind of sounds like a negative, but in reality it is a testimony of the plan of God.  We are following his lead to a land we are certain he wants us in.  It is a land which he has already prepared before us.  It is a land where he has been working for years in people’s hearts, building a thirst and a hunger for himself in them, and we are coming to reap that harvest.  It is a testimony that God is going to build this church, just like he built the nation of Israel.

That is a very comforting thought.

Entering the Hat Christmas 2009

Known as the “oasis of the prairie” for its parks and greenery, the City of Medicine Hat is the major urban centre in southeast Alberta and is the southeast entrance to Alberta’s industrial corridor.  Medicine Hat is also the sunniest city in all of Canada!

Population: 61 thousand

Area: 112 square km

Altitude: 721m (2365 feet) above sea level

Sunshine: 2512 hours per year

Geography

The South Saskatchewan River runs through the heart of Medicine Hat.  Ross Creek and Seven Persons Creek also wind through the city creating scenic coulees and steep terrain.  The city os divided into four quadrants and fourteen diverse neighbourhoods.  The east-west boundary is Division Avenue while the north-south boundary is the South Saskatchewan River.  Streets run east-west; avenues run north-south.

Distances from Other Cities

Cypress Hills 66km/41mi

Lethbridge 168km/105mi

Calgary 409km/256mi

Edmonton 608km/380mi

Swift Current, SK 217km/136mi

Regina, SK 478km/299mi

USA Border (Wildhorse) 146km/91mi

Havre, MT 218km/136mi

Climate

Sunset on Highway 3

As Canada’s sunniest City, Medicine Hat has the longest growing season in Alberta (188+ days).  Summer temperatures average 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit).  Spring and autumn are generally sunny and mild.  Low humidity makes both summer and winter easier to take.  In winter, a Chinook wind can raise the temperature by as much as 34 degrees Celsius (93 Fahrenheit) in one day, an experience never to be forgotten!  The Chinook is a warm, dry wind that descends the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains in winter.

Mean Daily Temperatures

July 23°C (73ºF)

August 22ºC (72°F)

December -8ºC (19ºF)

January -13ºC (9ºF)

Regional Hospital: an accedited 325 bed acute and continuing care facility.

Medicine Hat College: a progressive institution serving more than 2500 students.

Family Leisure Centre: a state-of-the-art facility with large aquatic centre, wave pool, ice arena and much more.

Esplanade: Medicine Hat’s Museum, Art Gallery, Archives and Performing Arts Centre.

Parks System: boasts more than 100 parks, an extensive environmental reserve, and 92km of trails for walking and cycling.

Regional Shopping Destination: largest shopping centre in southeast Alberta including malls, power centres and unique boutique shops in our downtown.

Public Library: a full-service adult and children’s library with collections totalling more than 180,000.

Airport: Regional Air service to Calgary International Airport.

Made in Medicine Hat

Among the products manufactured in Medicine Hat are tires for automobiles and heavy equipment, clay brick, pottery clays, granulated urea and anhydrous ammonia fertilizers, thermal carbon black, catalyst compounds for petrochemical and gas processing, compressors, playground equipment, flour, cereals and feeds, commercial printing and publishing, industrial and military un-manned vehicles and systems.

Cypress Hills

The Cypress Hills rise up to 600 metres above the surrounding prairie, to a maximum elevation of 1468m (4816 feet), making it the highest point between the Rocky Mountains and Labrador.   The Cypress Hills are Canada’s first interprovincial park, designated in 1989, and include provincial parks in Alberta and Saskatchewan and the Fort Walsh National Historic Site.

Approximately 700 species of plants and animals thrive in the park, including 14 species of orchids.  The park protects the Cypress Hills landscape, which consists of elevated blocks of lush forest, wetlands and fescue grasslands surrounded by dry, mixed prairie.

In 2007 the new Cypress Hills Visitor Centre opened in the Elkwater townsite, offering visitor information and a gift shop.  Key park features include the Elkwater townsite (a cottage community sitting at the same elevation as the Banff townsite), Horseshoe Canyon and Reesor Lake viewpoints (offering 100km views on a clear day), over 50km of hiking and cross-country ski trails, lakes, camping, fishing, and wildlife viewing.  Additional services include a 9 hole grass green golf course, Hidden Valley Ski Area, excellent fly-fishing areas, accommodation options and tourist services.

Cost of Living

Utility Costs

Why is it called “The Gas City”?  Vast reservoirs of high quality natural gas were discovered beneath the city in 1893 and continue to benefit today’s residents by providing revenue for the city and helping to keep the city’s utility rates among the lowest in Canada.

Tax Advantages

It’s a great combination.  Medicine Hat’s residents enjoy some of the lowest property taxes and most favourable income tax rates in all of Canada.  On top of that, you won’t pay any provincial sales taxes on any goods you buy.

Provincial Income Taxes

Our personal income tax system is very competitive with low personal income tax rates.  Alberta has no General Sales Tax and the lowest tax rate on gasoline in the country.

At 10 percent, Alberta has the lowest top marginal income tax rate on personal income in the country.  Keeping the top rates low provides an incentive for people to work harder, be more productive and save more.  Alberta’s tax system is not only competitive but fair.   We have the highest basic and spousal allowances in Canada, at $15,435 for 2007.  This means that Alberta residents can earn more money before having to pay any provincial income tax.  A working family with twochildren can earn up to $38,200 before paying any provincial income tax because the Alberta Family Employment Tax Credit will offset any taxes paid at that income level.

City Property Taxes

Property Taxes and Utility costs combined, Medicine Hat has the third lowest average of any major city in Canada, only surpassed by St. John’s, NL and Surrey, BC.

Housing

Moving to Medicine Hat from larger cities can be a pleasant surprise when it comes to buying a home.  The cost of housing here compares with other cities in Alberta as well as other provinces.  Average monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment is around $660.

Landfill

The city’s landfill is located 3km off Highway 41A, just past city limits.  Household hazardous waste is accepted free of charge year round.

Local Radio and TV

MY96 – 96.1FM “Today’s best music”

New Country CHAT – 94.5FM (Country & Western)

Alive 99.5FM (Christian Music)

Rock 105.3 “The Hat’s Best Rock”

98.3FM CBC Radio 1 rebroadcasted from Calgary

CHAT TV – channel 6 and 3 – local TV

Christmas was very nice.  Seeing all the family, and no short tempers has been great.  We’re heading over to Spruce Grove today (my sister moved there last summer) for some toboganning.  In two days we will take the kids for their first visit to Medicine Hat.  Then, it’s off to the Listers in Lethbridge to continue feeding that great new friendship!  It is a blast to spend time with solid Christians who believe in service to the King, who have 6 kids too and homeschool!

That and we’ll see if they can beat Cheryl at Carcassone.

The pace of life in a big city is a bear – it eats your time, it eats your money, it eats your energy for the important things in life (like God, and family).  One thing that factored into our call to Medicine Hat (though by no means the most important) was making a decision for our family and our own health.  This writer in San Francisco has begun to question his life in the big city and interviews two other people who already have made the decision to choose the smaller town over the big city.  Read their thoughts and consider if this might not be something God has for you.

Big City Blues: Could a More Affordable Life, Away from the Bay Area, Actually Be Better?

We are beginning the wrap-up of our Awana year and that has been an incredible experience.  I think I can safely say that both of us have grown to love the program itself and how it teaches our kids key spiritual disciplines alongside building a foundation for their faith and heart for evangelism.  I fully expect to see great things next year with all our leaders having a year under their belts and feeling comfortable, and kids returning understanding what is being asked of them, and even more intently reaching out to their friends and neighbours.  Shane Schneider’s leadership has grown so much in the last year, and we think he and his wife Laurie will take Awana to a whole other place next year.

Last Monday I had the opportunity to meet with a young man named Seth (follow the link to his Facebook group), who has been burdened with a heart for church planting.  He is currently touring Canada, connecting with churches and organizations who are seeing God move in this fashion, and seeking where God would have him serve.  We are praying for him to find his place (although it would be REALLY cool if he found his way back to us to join our team!)

Philip has had me organizing some things related to he Great Canadian Adventure here in Surrey.  We will be having fifty people from two churches in the USA come up in two short weeks from now, for a week of service and love on our community.  I have been working on arranging a couple of Senior’s Appreciation events at nursing homes, and I will also be organizing the service teams to do yardwork in a couple of target neighbourhoods.  There is much much more in store for that week.  But this is all run-up for me, because once that is over with, I will be working on plans for the 2010 Great Canadian Adventure, to Medicine Hat!  Stay tuned for more on that, and how you can join us for a week of foundation-building in Medicine Hat!

I’ve been truly blessed with my service in our Discovery class on Sunday mornings.  I am taking a family through a study of the Gospel of John and have been so excited to watch their excitement to learn about Jesus and the Bible and what it means to follow Christ.  We had them over for a barbeque on Thursday night, and found out that she is a fantastic singer and he play guitar!  They may have thought we were joking about guitar lessons but we’re pretty serious!  Last Sunday we were talking about what baptism looks like at our church, and I told them about the baptistry at Sunshine Ridge we have used the last couple of times.  They were thinking something much more literal, and told me they wanted to be baptized in the ocean!  Given our leanings toward practicing as closely to New Testament as possible, I think they will fit right in with us!

So now you are pretty close to up-to-date.  We will have our next newsletter out in a few days so stay tuned, and please keep us in your prayers!