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Roddickton We would like to take this

opportunity to wish you all a Happy New Year!

May the Lord bless each new day of 2018 with His

abiding presence! “Praise the Lord; for the Lord is

good: sing praises unto His name…” Ps. 135:3. Let

us be thankful that all our needs, both physical and

spiritual are met. Surely, we are blessed beyond

measure.

Leading up to Christmas we can truly say that the

Lord was in our midst to bless and bless again! In

many services the Spirit fell, refreshing us with

showers from Heaven. It is glorious when the Spirit

falls and we surrender all to reach out for more of

God. On September 17, 2017, a sister received the

Baptism of the Holy Ghost in the testimony service

as she let go and let God have His way. Another

sister received healing for her body. One of our

newer converts describes that she is so overflowing

with the presence and blessing of the Lord that she

just don’t know what to do with herself! Pastor

Chris stood to preach and made the comment that

‘we cannot fathom the depths of His wisdom and

love. We sit in heavenly places and experience His

Holiness, His healing touch, His anointing on our

lives. Then we come back and try to tell it or

describe it. But it’s indescribable! It is pass

finding out!’

Another Christmas is behind us and we were so

happy to rejoice in the birth of our Savior one more

time. Many events took place at our church to

celebrate and share once again the reason for the

season, the birth of Jesus Christ, our wonderful

Lord, who came to save the world from sin.

On December 7, we held a Christmas Craft Night

for our children and youth. There were three

different age groups present and each group created

beautiful Christmas crafts which

included tree ornaments, Christmas cards and ???

Delicious refreshments were served ending an

evening enjoyed by all.

The Ladies Group held their annual supper on

November 28, 2017. A great evening of food,

fellowship and singing. Pastor Chris and Sister Pat

held two Christmas suppers this year to

accommodate all the members. The first one,

December 15th, was held for the seniors of the

congregation. A wonderful evening of fun,

fellowship and a great home cooked, hot meal with

pie and ice cream for dessert. On December 19th,

we held a supper for the younger group in our

church. This supper also turned out to be a

wonderful evening, well spent in fellowship with

God’s wonderful people.

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Helping Hands concert, community breakfast,

programs, special services, gift exchanging all

added to the festivities of the season. Since our

three churches, Roddickton, Bide Arm and Englee

are in close proximity to each other, we take turns

hosting the Christmas Program each year. This year,

Englee was responsible and their program took

place on December 17. Musical selections,

children\adult singings and drama with Mary,

Joseph, angels, shepherds and other characters from

the Christmas story all added to make it a night of

celebration.

We were privileged to have Pastor Pierre Hancock,

his wife, Michelle, and their four children from Los

Angeles, California, visit us for Christmas. He was

scheduled to preach on Sunday morning of

December 24, but the service was cancelled because

of bad weather. However, the scheduled

Candlelight service went ahead in the evening at

7:00. The sanctuary was filled to capacity. The

senior and young adult choirs filed in carrying lights

as Pastor Chris Hewlett recited scriptures

concerning Jesus, the light of the world. To open, a

beautiful song entitled, “Shine, Jesus, Shine,” was

sung by the choirs. Selections from our children and

adults followed, including a great song entitled,

“Light of the Stable” sung by Pastor Pierre Hancock

and family.

The program was interspersed with joyful

congregational singing of the grand old Christmas

carols. What better way to spend Christmas Eve

than to be in the house of the Lord, blending our

voices in praise and adoration to Jesus, King of

kings and Lord of lords. Thank God for a

wonderful, spirit-filled evening of music and song!

Since Pastor Pierre Hancock didn’t get to preach for

us because of the cancellation, a decision was made

to hold a combined, evangelistic service on

Wednesday night, December 27, giving us the

opportunity to hear him before he travelled back to

the USA. The Hancock family opened with a

lovely song entitled, “I’ve got a Mansion.” Great

testimonies were given including Myles Hancock

who was also visiting for Christmas with his wife,

Stephanie, and family from Kitchener, Ontario. He

sang, “God’s Greatest Gift to the World” to open

the service for testimonies. He then told how he

was saved at a young age after thinking he would

just leave the gospel and church behind him when

he got a certain age. But there was such fear and

conviction upon him that he responded to the call of

God. Since then he has been serving the Lord with

no desire to give up. He is thankful to be able to

teach his children that Christmas is more than about

the gifts we receive, it is God’s great plan of

salvation. Many wonderful testimonies and

uplifting choruses followed. The special before the

Word was done by Hollis Cull entitled “It Still

Takes a Wiseman to Pray,” which went right along

with the sermon. Pastor Pierre Hancock took his

text from Matt. 2:10, 11. The wise men gave us the

example of giving gifts. Is the giving we celebrate

at Christmas only for Christmas? The wise men

recognized the gift even before they saw Him. They

saw the value in this child. He expounded on how

much these men gave to travel the great distance to

see and worship the Christ child. As we enter into

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New Years can we evaluate what have we done for

God equal to what the wise men did? The best gift

that only we can give is our willingness to serve

God. We were encouraged to come to the altar and

recommit to God. The sweet Holy Spirit was in our

midst.

On December 31, a combined Watch Night Service

was held in Bide Arm. It was a snowy, wintery

night but there were still many saints who withstood

the discomfort of wind and snow to attend. It was a

lovely service opened with prayer then followed by

a Canning/Hancock family ensemble.

Pastor Chris gave his Christmas, New Years’

greeting and exhortation followed by a special by

Barbara Randell entitled “I Call Him Lord.” In the

middle of testimonies we were favored with a

special from Freeman and Glenda Cull entitled, “So

Many Reasons.” Before the sermon Wesley Cull

sang “More than anything in my Life, I’ve got to

Make it.” Pastor Michael Ivany used I Sam. 17:32-

37 for his sermon. This coming year we do not

know the Goliaths we will face but we can look back

and say God has delivered us before, He can and

will do it again! Is there a formula that we can find

in the Bible to make this coming year a success

story? We must be determined and he encouraged

us that Joshua 1:6-9 can direct us.

Englee - August 10, Bonnie and I arrived,

after a two week journey from Thompson MB, to a

wonderful welcome here at Englee. We were

privileged to have served at the Thompson church

for 6 ½ years. Our welcome at the Englee church

was complimented by a supper with the saints. The

moment we entered the door for that first meal we

could feel the love and unity of this congregation.

August 13, was our first Sunday morning here. Oh

how the blessings of the Lord flowed as we

worshipped in His presence. The evening service

was like the chorus we sometimes sing, “I tried to

tell it again and again but its better felt than told.”

Many made comments that it just confirmed our

move here to serve. Bonnie and I are so blessed.

Then on September 27, we were privileged to

prepare and host a supper for the saints. Once again

it was a time to bond in fellowship.

December 13, the saints met at the group building

for our Christmas potluck supper. A variety of

wonderful dishes was enjoyed by all in attendance.

Salads, turkey, other meats and casseroles along

with dessert, made the meal complete. Yes, it

appears we like to eat a little, lol, but we read many

accounts in the Word where Jesus and his followers

fellowshipped during meal time.

December 15, Bonnie and I were blessed to hold an

open house at the parsonage. Folks came throughout

the afternoon and evening to chat and enjoy finger

food. It was an awesome time indeed.

December 17, our Sunday school children and

church group presented an evening Christmas

program to a combined congregation. We were

blessed to have so many attend. The program was

introduced with a rousing musical by some of our

talented musicians. Following this the choir brought

a rendition of “Glory to God in The Highest.” This

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was the theme of the program. The night brought a

variety of selections from the children and adults

along with congregational Christmas numbers as

well. It was a treat and a blessing to hear and see

our young people as they expounded upon the story

of our Savior’s birth. Near the end of the night a

young girl from our Sunday school came forward

with back-up singers and sang, “Hallelujah.” Her

voice was angelic as she sang, giving praise to the

King of kings who was born a humble babe so

many years ago. We are so blessed to have a

thriving Sunday school and awesome Sunday

school leaders who stop at nothing to learn about

and help present the gospel.

On January 7, our Junior Sunday school came to the

parsonage for an open house. We sang some

Christmas choruses

and enjoyed

chatting and

spending a few

moments with the

youth. Along with

the chatting there

was food and drink for everyone. Some met under

the dining room table to eat while others just sat

around conversing together.

We attend each and every service expecting God to

move and we are never disappointed. Many times

the sick have come forward to be prayed for. We are

believing that 2018 will be a year of miracles and

blessing. We are looking forward to seeing souls

added to the church. From the Englee congregation

we wish you all a Happy New Year.

Winnipeg Christmas concerts and carols

are a medium of outreach for our organization to

reach individuals in the community. It is a time

when the salvation story of the Savior of the world,

Jesus Christ, is preached through songs, Bible

recitations and short drama.

As a small group in Winnipeg, our choir members

started the compilation of songs in late August and

choir practices started early September. We are so

thankful to God for the commitment and dedication

of the choristers to their call in the music

department of the church. The practices were held

on Saturdays and again after church on Sundays.

To the glory of God, more than the physical

preparation, the church, individuals and families

spent time praying for good weather and for good

turnout of the invitees.

Our host church offered us their main auditorium

for the program and everything required was put in

place. Members were designated with various

responsibilities and all were faithful in fulfilling

their part to make the program a success.

God answered our prayers, giving us a great day of

-21 degree temperature with the wind-chill. At

about 12:00 noon on December 23, members

gathered and everything was set for the program to

take off at 3:00 p.m. At the appointed time, the

choir filed in and the program was declared open

with prayer by Peter Oyeniyi who also made a

formal introduction of the program.

The first part of the program was led mainly by

Pelumi Enejoh, the music leader and various

renditions were offered. These include; “Ring the

Bells” - by Harry Bollback, arranged by Joseph M.

Martin, “Amen”! Tell it on the Mountain – arranged

by – Mary McDonald, “Hear the Bells” - by Will

L. Thompson; “Holy Night,” a solo accompanied

with the orchestra and the last piece before the

intermission was “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” –

(Solo), arranged by Burl Ives presented by Pelumi

Enejoh.

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Choir members: conducted by Sis. Pelumi Enejoh

The intermission was a time of recession for the

choir and announcement of our weekly programs,

while the Sunday school department and junior

choir presented their songs of the birth of Jesus

Christ, with Bible recitations and a short play

portraying the visit of the three wise men to Jesus.

The audience was moved with great excitement to

see the young ones, the future of the gospel,

displaying the Christmas story.

The second part of the program after intermission

was ushered in with Holidays for piano and strings

– “Festival of Lights” and “The Angels Sing” – by

Leonard Slatkin. The choir presented “You Raised

me up” – by Tom Fettke and a solo/choir “Mary’s

born Child” written by Jester Hairston.

Locally arranged pieces were presented in local

Nigerian languages; “Jesus! You are so good,” and

“Joy Through the year.” An acapella (vocal) song

was presented as the last rendition for the program

titled: “Going to Bethlehem.” It received a great

ovation by the audience to the glory of God.

Brother Samson Jimaza wrapped up the program

with appreciation to all and a short talk taking his

text from Romans 8:1, 2. Introducing the talk with

reference to a minor surgical operation conducted

on his left eye years ago and afterwards how the

vision was corrected. He emphasized his topic on

“Spiritual Surgical Operation” that God conducts

in the heart of a sinner and that is when such a

heart is free from guilt, condemnation and sin.

Various Bible references were read to buttress that

the message of the Christmas is centered on “Jesus

Christ” – Matthew 1:21 “…and thou shalt call His

name JESUS: for He shall save his people from

their sins” – the ultimate solution. He closed his

remark referencing Isaiah 55:6, 7. All those present

were admonished to take opportunity of the

presence of the Spirit of God, and His mercy

available to seek for the salvation of their soul by

repenting of their wrong doings. He warned “never

carry over the guilt, condemnation and sin from

2017 to 2018. Now is the time to settle it with

God.”

The program was closed with prayer, then all

attendees were invited to a Christmas dinner. We

had close to one hundred in attendance including

about fifteen to twenty members of our host church.

It keeps getting better every year since 2015 when

the Winnipeg church started Christmas programs.

This new year of 2018, should Jesus tarry, we

believe God will make it even better than what

we’ve previously experienced.

South Brook First of all I would like

to thank God for His guidance and protection

through the past year, 2017. Christmas is always a

joyous time of the year as we celebrate God’s gift to

the world, His Son, Jesus Christ. Christmas is also

a time to give to others who are less fortunate than

we are. Every year our Sunday school takes part by

bringing a different item each Sunday to help fill the

Samaritans purse boxes. What a blessing it is put a

smile on the face of a child from another part of the

world, making them feel special.

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On December 16, we held a church supper enjoying

sweet fellowship with fun, gift giving and singing

carols. On December 17, at 6:00 our Sunday school

children did an amazing job singing and reciting

their parts. A big thank you to Marlene Burton for

her time in organizing this program. On December

22, a luncheon was prepared for our Sunday school

children.

On the morning of December 24, the saints

participated in the twin ordinance. We had a great

time in doing what the Lord commanded us to do.

At 6:00 in the evening we held our candlelight

service. A beautiful poem was written and read by

Beatrice Gillingham and our singers did a great job

singing carols to the King of kings and Lord of

lords. Psalms 150:6 says, “Let everything that had

breath praise the Lord.” God is good.

We ended the old year with singing and testimonies

in which much appreciation and praise was given to

God for the past year. Concluding with prayer, we

stood around in a circle holding hands praying the

old year out and the New Year in. Let us continue

to pray and encourage each other. May we all be

blessed with good health and have a closer walk

with God. III John 2, “Beloved, I wish above all

things that thou mayest prosper and be in health,

even as thy soul prospereth.”

May God’s blessings be on everyone in this New

Year. May it be our desire to draw closer to Him.

Kitchener As we reflect on 2017 it

seemed that the year had passed so quickly, and

suddenly Christmas was upon us.

Christmas is a time of celebration, a time to give,

time to receive, a time to be with family and friends,

and it’s all possible because of the greatest gift ever

given “JESUS, God’s Son!”

On November 24, our celebrations began with the

youth and their families joining us for a wonderful

time of fellowship in our church basement.

Everyone seemed to have enjoyed the delicious

‘newfie’ meal that was prepared, along with all the

fun and games. We can truly say that 2017 was

another successful year with our youth. Looking

forward to see what God has in store for them in

2018. They need our prayers more than ever.

Please keep them upon our hearts.

On Friday, December 1, 6:30 pm was our Annual

church Christmas supper. We all met at the Harvest

Moon Family Restaurant at St. Jacobs. The event

was attended by families and friends, and the

evening was filled with games, music, singings, etc.

The delicious meal and fellowship was enjoyed by

everyone!

Rejoice! Our Saviour was Born! Christmas 2017

was fast approaching and that meant a lot of

practice, decorating and preparing for our Sunday

school Christmas program. Our gift giving and

final practice was December 17, 2:30 p.m. At 7:00

p.m. we began our Christmas program and there

was lots of excitement in the air. With the church

full of family and friends we started with the

Welcome and all the Sunday school students

singing “Hail, Hail, to the New Born King.” What a

great start to our program, seeing our children

lifting their voices and rejoicing over baby Jesus.

Our nursery is becoming so brave in doing their

recitation, singing “Happy Birthday JESUS,” and

they also did a musical. They definitely entertained

us!

Each class had their own recitation and song. They

all did an amazing job. One of our primary girls,

Charlee Randell did a solo entitled “The Little Baby

Jesus and Me.” Great Job. The primary children

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sang an action song entitled “Rejoice with us this

Christmas.”

Again this year we were entertained by our Quartet

Lip Sync group. What great fun we can have and

enjoy while celebrating the birth of baby Jesus.

Pastor Kirby Hewlett thanked the Sunday school

students, teachers and department heads, Beverly &

Stephanie, for another great program this year. Our

program ended with the Christmas story being

portrayed by a skit called “O Rejoice.”

For our ending song all the Sunday school sang a

song “O Rejoice, its Christmas Time” and “We wish

you a Merry Christmas!”

We need to keep rejoicing not only at Christmas

time but all the year through because baby Jesus

was born to be our Saviour, our Prince of Peace and

our King of kings.

Birchy Bay As we welcome in another

New Year we can look back over the past few

months and see how the goodness of God has

surrounded each of us, helping us, guiding us, and

keeping us from day to day. We have had great

services here in Birchy Bay as we have faithfully

gathered to worship Him. One Sunday morning

stands out in particular. On November 4, during our

morning devotional service we began to sing, “Just

look up there’s a new dawn a breaking,” the Holy

Spirit filled His house in a sweet and wonderful

way. Each one present experienced a fresh touch

upon their lives. We all sat there basking in the

glory of our Lord.

During the fall and winter months as the ladies

gathered for our fellowship time, we took it upon

ourselves to kit prayer shawls. As we knit them we

pray for those receiving them that God would touch

their bodies, encourage them and surround them

with His love. Our group of ladies visited several

homes, presenting those afflicted with a shawl as we

reassured them we would pray for them. Many

were encouraged to know that someone cared for

them and was praying for them, but more

importantly, that God loved them and cared for

them. One of the desires of our ladies here in

Birchy Bay is to be a blessing to others as our Lord

permits us to do.

On December 10, 2017 we gathered at a senior

home in a nearby community for a great time of

fellowship. We sang Christmas carols and heard

from the Word of God the ever beautiful Christmas

story of our Savior’s birth. After the service we

served them refreshments. We also presented one

of the saints there a birthday cake since that day was

her birthday.

Also in December month, all the saints here

gathered at the church parsonage for an early

Christmas dinner. It’s always wonderful when

God’s children get together. Robert and I feel we

are so blessed to be part of the folks here as together

we serve God.

With this New Year comes new hopes and new

expectations of seeing prayers answered and souls

won for Christ. Let us all pray for one another and

continue in our Lord’s work.

Bide Arm Daniel 2:21 “And He changeth

the times and the seasons.” Every year we

experience the changing of time and seasons. As

we are now into the winter months, we can look

back and reflect upon the fall months. In doing so

we can say, though times and seasons change, God

never changes. We are thankful for His faithfulness

and blessings. On November 28, we held our

church Christmas supper at the fellowship center.

This year we invited people from our community to

attend. It was a great time of fellowship as we got

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to meet and talk with some of our neighbors who

we don’t see regularly. During the course of the

evening, we did some singing that included all who

attended. Liam Cull treated us to couple of numbers

on his xylophone. The ladies from our church

provided us with a wonderful hot meal. There was

approximately ninety in attendance, including

children. It was an evening well spent as we shared

God’s love and blessings with family and friends

within our community.

As Christmas time came closer, many of our saints

were away to spend Christmas with their families.

We were blessed to have our oldest daughter, her

husband and our grandchildren come home and

spend Christmas with us. With so many gone, those

who remained at home were able to attend and

enjoy great Christmas services and fellowship with

the saints at our churches in Roddickton and Englee.

We are expecting God’s continued faithfulness and

blessings through the New Year.

Langley We have so much to thank the

Lord for!

The brethren here in Langley, British Columbia

have continued to feel the blessings to God through

the fall and into the winter months.

Our September saw a family fun and open house

event that certainly had God’s approval upon. We

published flyers throughout the neighborhood,

contacted friends and family to come and join us for

a day of fun and fellowship on the church grounds.

There was a bounce castle and dunk tank among

other activities plus concessions with popcorn, hot

dogs and snow cones. Everyone pulled together as

the family of God should and, to God be the glory,

it was a tremendous success. Although there wasn’t

an official new visitor count, we believe the new

faces mounted to over twenty. Praise the Lord!

October 29, we had the most wonderful news you

could ever hear and that was that a soul got saved!

Please keep this dear sister in our prayers as she

endeavors to please the Lord in her walk with Him.

During the Christmas season we held a singspiration

that was followed by food and refreshments. This

too was greatly blessed as we had nearly sixty in

attendance. As each family performed their special

numbers for the Lord, you could feel God’s

presence and experienced the uniqueness of the

Christmas season. Nothing brings people together

quite like celebrating our Saviours birth!

During our New Year’s Eve service, Pastor Scott

brought us a message from Ephesians 5:15, 16

where he encouraged us to “redeem the time.” He

had mentioned that though time has slipped away

and that time doesn’t stop for no man, we as

Christians ought to make the most of every

opportunity we have to benefit the cause of Christ.

We must redeem the time. Don’t let time waste

away!

Our first Sunday of the New Year, Pastor Scott

challenged us to live Holy in 2018. Although it

may not be esteemed in our society today, it is

vitally important that the child of God live a life that

is permeated with the Holiness of God. “Without

holiness no man shall see the Lord” Hebrews 12:14.

Fort McMurray Thinking of the

New Year we are reminded of the Sunday school

chorus “Countdown” 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Blast

OFF! We blast into 2018 with Victory in Jesus!

Happy New Year!

How great it is to serve a living God and to know

2018 could be the year Jesus will rapture His

children from this earth. We anticipate the grand

and glorious meeting when God’s children will be

together forever.

It is a privilege to share a little of God’s goodness to

us from this part of His vineyard. January 31, 2017,

watchnight service began with prayer at 8:30 pm.

The prayer and prelude helped us set the tone for a

great worship and praise service. We sang the

chorus, “We will Remember,” truly as God’s

children witnessed to the many victories

experienced in 2017; God was praised, the saints

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were blessed, and our hearts were knitted together

in the unity of the Spirit. Marcy Cassell shared her

testimony of near physical death in 2017, but God

in mercy reached down and touched her. She gave

an inspiring and heart touching witness to God

showing up in her hour of need. We look forward

to hopefully having her write it.

The message from Luke 18:18-27 encouraged us to

examine our own life and identify one thing we can

give Jesus that will draw us closer to Him in 2018.

Around 11:00 pm we enjoyed refreshments

together, all ages shared in the fun, food and

fellowship. Before midnight we stopped to pray.

Once again the sweet fellowship of the Holy Spirit

touched our hearts. No New Year’s celebration can

compare with those who seek the Lord in prayer.

To conclude our watchnight celebration, our

children attached written prayer request to helium

filled balloons and released them to soar towards

the beautiful starlit sky. They too had been

encouraged to pray the old year out and the new one

in. Prayers are more than words, they are powerful

messages to God. He hears every single word.

When we talk to God, these special messages travel

quickly to God’s ears. Thankful for the Word of the

Lord being passed from generation to generation!

How thrilled we are

that God opened the

door for a Youth

Retreat in Fort McMurray, November 9 – 12.

Pastor Jeff Downey, Melissa, his wife, and

daughter, Olivia, came from Fort Smith, AK, to be

part of our first Youth Retreat!

Thursday evening we had ‘Meet & Greet’ at the

church. Upon the arrival at the church the

Downey’s received a warm welcome sung by those

who arrived early to be part of the welcome team.

God’s amazing love was felt and shared. Our first

evening got off to a great start. Pastor Jeff shared a

little about what God has been doing in their lives

and all three of the Downey’s were welcomed,

appreciated, and loved. A bond that only God could

make possible.

Friday, 4:30-7:30: We held a family event at the

Syncrude Sport & Wellness Centre. It was well

attended by all ages. How exciting to see so many

come together and enjoy a fun filled joyful event.

There were lots of activities, food and treats. Three

hours went by quickly but out of the time spent in

sharing, friendships were made and all who came

had the opportunity to see love in action. God’s

love. We give Him praise for providing the funds to

enjoy a relaxing time together.

Saturday, 2:00 – 4:00: Our service was held at the

church and was called Music & Praise. Our Sunday

school families were encouraged to use their talent.

What a blessing to listen to our local church talent!

The service included music specials and singing.

Olivia played her flute. She did an awesome job.

One of our young Sunday school boys asked, how

can she do that? A brother mentioned while

listening, he thought, what will music sound like in

Heaven? It was Veteran’s Day so we dedicated a

portion of time to honour those who served our

country. Rochelle Reid shared a little about a

soldiers life, being a dedicated solider herself, she

certainly made it heart feelable. She then led us in

“O Canada.” Always a blessing to give God thanks

for our country. Rochelle was presented with a

lovely arrangement of flowers. A little token of

appreciation for her giving to help keep our land

with God’s help, glorious and free. Pastor Jeff gave

the Word encouraging our children and youth to

follow Jesus. After the sermon everyone was

invited to pray. Once again God came and blessed

us with His presence. All who attended were

presented with a devotional or a Bible. What a

great sight, standing around a table filled with

God’s Word and everyone picking their gift. Truly

God blesses us over and over, again and again.

Saturday evening, 5:30 – 7:30: What a great

crowd turned out for our Pit Fire event! Alvin

Cassell provided wood for the fire and he and Craig

arrived early to get the fire burning. Shortly after

5:30 pm a lot of people had arrived and many

brought treats to be roasted. Probably too many to

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share, but it even included dry capelin to roast on

the fire. Yes! We had a fisherman in our midst!

Pastor Jeff came to help fish our young people and

every event served its purpose, prayer, fun, food and

fellowship! Whatever anyone came to be part of,

there is no doubt they could feel the love of God.

Sunday: Sunday afternoon service was another

time of praise and worship. Our young people and

Sunday school children participated in the music

and singing. Sister Melissa along with Olivia did an

object lesson on Jesus washing away our sin stains.

Melissa certainly had everyone’s attention. Another

great lesson from God’s Word. They also taught us

two new Sunday school choruses which the kids

loved. Supper was provided by our ladies. Once

again we enjoyed good food and fellowship.

The best for last! For several months we had been

asking the Lord to bless us with a church where we

could hold a water baptismal service. We worked

on trying to make it happen but doors remained

closed. We left it with God and knew His timing is

right. God answered prayer and the answer came

on Wednesday, November 7. A local pastor who

had received the request but didn’t get to it,

remembered the call and called to say, we want to

help make it happen. We were thrilled and certainly

blessed the Lord for opening the door. When the

saints knelt to pray before the service the sweet

Spirit of God just showered down His blessing! It

continued to pour down as the musicians beautifully

played, “Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus,” and “How

Great thou Art.” Olivia, brother Foluso and Caleb

from Edmonton played their instruments along with

Fort McMurray musicians. It sounded heavenly.

The Spirit moved and wonderful testimonies were

shared, including several who had planned to follow

the Lord through water baptism. Pastor Jeff gave a

Spirit filled heart stirring message. The Spirit

continued to move in a special way. When Pastor

Jeff and Stefan stepped into the pool, the glory of

the Lord came down. Four sisters and one brother

followed the Lord through the water. What a

wonderful time of rejoicing. We left praising God

for what He had done all through Youth Retreat

2017!

Such a happy feeling to go through the waters and

know you are another step closer to the Lord. What

a blessing it was to witness my daughter going

through the waters as well. After the baptism

service on our drive home, my daughter and I were

talking. She told me that when she was being

baptized she prayed that the Lord would make my

feet better. For fifteen months I had pain in my feet.

I had a condition called plantar fasciitis. It hurt to

stand for any amount of time, it hurt to walk. It had

gotten so severe at the end it was hurting all the

time. I’m so thankful to say that the Lord heard and

answered her prayer. After church that night I

didn’t have any pain in my feet. The next day no

pain and so on. The Lord healed me that night and

took that pain away. I’m so thankful for what the

Lord has done and is continuing to do in our lives.

May 3, 2016 - January 3, 2018: In between those

dates there is certainly more details of God’s love,

kindness, mercy and goodness than what we can

share. May 3, 2016 a wild fire sweep through Fort

McMurray destroying everything in its path. God in

His mercy brought the people out alive, but

hundreds of homes were destroyed. 733 Beacon

Hill Drive (parsonage) was reduced to ashes. The

good news . . . god gives beauty for ashes. A

beautiful 3 bedroom house. There will also be a

completed basement, Lord willing. A place where

we can share times of fellowship when the church

rental is not available.

God is good and in His strength we are looking

forward to marching in step with Jesus in 2018!

******************************************

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their

strength. It’s always a wonderful time when we get

to have a youth retreat. Sunday evening water

baptism service was filled with the presence of the

Lord. Brother Bob reminded us how great it is to

go through the waters and be renewed. As the

young people went through the waters we felt and

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seen God’s Holy Spirit move and it reminded us

how good it is to serve a living God and how

blessed we were to have a youth retreat in Fort

McMurray.

Edmonton Christmas is always a happy

time in different parts of the world. The beautiful

Christmas carols, and Christmas songs over the

radio, the exchange of gifts, the delicious meals, and

most of all, the remembrance of God’s wonderful

gift of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ our

Savior, to save the world from sins. This past

Christmas at Apostolic Faith Church Edmonton, we

were blessed to have the Sunday school children

present the story of Christmas in the form of a play.

The songs, and memory verses all remind us about

God’s love to the world. The Children’s program

started with a Piano Solo. One of the children

played Sonata, Tempo di minuet by Ludwig Van

Beethoven. Other songs rendered by the children

included: Joy to the World, While Shepherds

Watched their Flocks by Night, Silent Night, etc.

Recitations from the Bible included: Matthew 1:21

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call

his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from

their sins.” Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born,

unto us a son is given: and the government shall be

upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called

Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The

everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Luke 2:

8-10 “And there were in the same country

shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over

their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord

came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone

round about them: and they were sore afraid. And

the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I

bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be

to all people.” etc. We had the opportunity to also

present both a shortened version of the children’s

program, and a Christmas concert at two retirement

homes in Edmonton.

This year, we were blessed to have brethren join our

church group in Edmonton. Towards the end of the

year, we were also blessed to have some brethren

visit our church group from Winnipeg. During the

morning service, on the last Sunday of the year, we

were admonished to uphold the standards of the

gospel, to ensure that our children will receive the

gospel in the original quality, as it was, when we

were growing up. For the last Sunday of the year,

and the New Year service, we rented a hall for the

whole day. This gave some brethren the opportunity

and time to stay behind, pray and fellowship

together till the New Year. It is indeed a good

experience to have a place where children of God

can meet together in sweet fellowship, without

being in a rush that the rented time is up. Please,

pray with us that God will increase His church in

Edmonton, and also provide a permanent place of

worship for His children.

Thanks be to God for the gift of His only begotten

Son, Jesus Christ. May God help us all to follow in

His footsteps, by offering our lives as a living

sacrifice unto Him continually, until we shall all be

with Christ in His glory, in Jesus Christ’s name.

Amen.

Calgary We praise the Lord for His

mercy and faithfulness in our Calgary church here

in Alberta. The Lord has blessed us indeed in this

past year: many prayers have been answered, bodies

healed and victory over sin won. We are most

especially grateful to our eternal King for

protection. A sister got into a minor accident on a

major highway here in Calgary, the day before New

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Year’s Eve and the Lord protected her, she came

out unscathed. It was a very icy and slippery day,

she was stuck in a perpendicular position on the

busy highway for forty-five minutes before help

could get to her but the Lord protected her the entire

time. We praise the Lord for His protection.

We are thankful for the many blessings. Our young

people, faithfully serving the Lord, continue to take

up musical instruments. We have now a beginner

on the violin, two beginners on the piano and one on

the trombone. We are looking forward to closing

this year with a bigger church orchestra. The Lord

has also greatly added to our number. We have

seven families worshipping with us now with thirty

people faithfully coming out every Sunday to

worship with us. Our weekly prayer meetings have

also been blessed with many answers to prayers.

We are hoping and praying that in this New Year,

the Lord will deepen our love and desire for Him.

We have much praise in our hearts and we look

forward to even more testimonies and victories won

in the coming year.

Pictures are during some of our Sunday

school classes!