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.

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.

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.

♪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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 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.

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.

♪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.

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.