‘The loss is very real’: Island Gospel Fellowship’s sanctuary destroyed in fire
During the early hours of December 20, 2025, a fire was reported at the sanctuary of Island Gospel Fellowship (IGF), Burns Lake, B.C. By the time volunteers from the Fire and Rescue team arrived, the church sanctuary was completely engulfed in flames.
Sabbath as a spiritual practice
♪What does Sabbath look like for you? I need to confess that I have not modelled Sabbath well to the next generation. Growing up, Sabbath meant not doing work—no yard work, no cleaning, no changing the oil.
Have you heard this preacher tic?
♪Have you heard this preacher tic? “I know we’ve all heard this story many times before but let me tell you about David and Goliath....” Why do we preachers say this so often?
My defining personality redeemed
♪My (nonexistent) artistic career came to a definitive end at Bible camp. Each summer, my friends and I would carefully select the skills we wanted to participate in during our fun-filled week. The craft option was always the most desirable choice, in our juvenile estimation.
Delegates vote to approve ‘visionary’ budget
On November 22, 2025, EMC delegates, staff and guests gathered at the Kleefeld EMC for the fall Conference Council meeting. A big thank you to pastor Greg Klassen and his team for hosting the meetings this year. There was a lot of fellowshipping around good food and the atmosphere was welcoming.
Ministerial members engage on teens and purpose
On Friday, November 21, Kleefeld, Manitoba, was filled with a spirit of faith as one hundred pastors, ministers, and ministry volunteers gathered for the annual in-person Ministerial Day. The staff and volunteers from Kleefeld EMC worked diligently to make this year’s gathering memorable.
‘For such a time as this’
♪It was the last day of my children’s first week of school. Every morning, I walk with them to school and cry on the way back because I’ve discovered that crying warms your eyes, and you need all the warmth you can get when you’re walking in minus-forty degrees. That morning, I dropped the children off as usual and began the walk home. The tears came again, but this time they were not for warmth.
Family atmosphere a blessing at Prairie Rose
We continue to be blessed here at Prairie Rose. We have many long-time members and attendees in our congregation, and this contributes to a close, family atmosphere. We have welcomed a few new families and individuals into our midst in the last year or two which is encouraging.
ConneXion’s ‘mosaic’ shows beauty of diversity
We can behold the beauty of the mosaic that the Creator has crafted: people from Syria with their hijabs and accents rooted in their mother tongue (Kurdish), talking with people from Ukraine, searching in English for a common point to understand each other. At another table, we see someone from Kenya laughing during a chat with some Canadians and Brazilians.
A time of exciting changes
We held our pastor installation service on February 23, 2025, in front of family and friends who came out in support. Peter and Martha Doerksen came to bless the Unger family as they celebrated. Our church leadership continues to seek guidance from the Holy Spirit as we work to meet the needs of the people in our church and community.
Church faces challenges, but trusts God to lead
This past year has been a season of transition for our church family. When Pastor Norm Bueckert resigned in 2024, we once again found ourselves without a pastor. Though we continue to be without one, we’ve come together as a congregation—sharing responsibilities, supporting one another, and trusting God to lead us through this time of change.
FOMO in Paris
FOMO. I keep hearing that word, which stands for fear of missing out. It reminds me of another word loneliness. As Sheldon and I work in our member care role, people often tell us how lonely they are and how much they long for deeper friendships. I think FOMO and loneliness are pretty common. To be honest, I have struggled with them too.
Ministry as singer-songwriter a dream come true!
I have had the privilege of living out what I once only dreamed of as a young man. I remember asking God to make it possible for me to work as a singer-songwriter in a way that would allow me to provide for a family in a stable and healthy way. For more than thirty years now, that prayer has been answered, and I am deeply thankful.
How reading the Bible is encouraging me to make a ‘global impact’
♪As we begin another year, the world we live in encourages us to start new habits, set new goals, and accomplish new achievements. Whether this approach helps you or not, living with purpose takes intentionality, including engaging in spiritual disciplines.
Abide in Me
♪I don’t have a smartphone. Never have. My lack of smartphone does not make me better than others. I know full-throttle phone addicts who are more present, patient and prayerful than me. Pope Francis apparently had 50 million Twitter followers. But, while my status does not confer moral superiority, it does give me a rare viewpoint.
Work and worship
♪God is a worker. The first thing God reveals about himself in Scripture is that he is a creator and a worker. God chooses to work, and the work of his hands is good. According to Genesis, we were made to be workers to reflect the image of the ultimate Worker.
Missional, faithful, and with a deep love of Scripture
♪Due to negative stigma, many Christians distance themselves from the title “fundamentalist,” and I cannot blame them given the current cultural perception. Yet are we right to so readily abandon this designation? While I may have distanced myself from adopting this title given the modern-day interpretation and definition, I am also wary of throwing the proverbial baby out with the bathwater.
Grateful for outgoing and incoming EMC office staff
The past number of years have seen significant staff changes in the EMC office. One of the consistent staff members for the past 19 years was Erica Fehr. Erica retired at the end of November. Also announcing his resignation is Peter Doerksen. Peter has filled the role of western ambassador for the last few years.
Have you chosen a word for the year?
♪When resolutions and goals can feel rigid and restrictive, with a pass or fail element to them, there’s a pull toward the freedom to be found in a one-word theme to guide the coming year. While I haven’t chosen a word for the year, “abide” recurs as a theme for this issue.