Editorials

From our General Superintendent David Wells The Randomness of Sovereignty

God’s sovereignty is both a comforting and a mysterious concept. We express our confidence in His sovereignty when we make statements such as, “the Lord knows” or “His will be done” or when we sing songs like “God Is in Control” and “He Reigns.” Yet we often wrestle with the idea of God’s sovereignty, especially when events that take place in our life appear random. When a family that loves Jesus is hit with tragedy, or when disease str...

From the Editor Steve Kennedy Listening to the Body

It’s taken me 59 years, but I am finally trying to listen to my body. The fact that it is talking to me more loudly than ever before may have something to do with my newfound attention to it. The arrival of grandkids has been a catalyst for change as well. The invitation to get down on the floor and play trucks is one I want to accept, as will be the ones to swim, fish, play ball, ride bikes, or any of the other hundred things I dream of doing with them. Unfortunately, decades of undisci...

From our General Superintendent David Wells Empowerment — More Than a Nice Idea

One of the six strategic responses expected of PAOC churches and ministries in our 2020 Initiative1 is “Equipping for Spirit-empowered living.” Empowerment has been a popular concept in leadership circles over the last number of years. The theory is that if you give someone a responsibility or a mission to accomplish, they should also receive a corresponding amount of authority and resources to fulfil that task. Unfortunately, a feeling of disempowerment in c...

From the Editor Steve Kennedy Everyday Moments

In many parts of our world, and for a variety of reasons, the month of May kicks off with a party. From Finland to Hawaii, from Drumheller, Alberta, to the Northern Territory of Australia, the first day of May—May Day—is a cause for celebration. It also happens to be my birthday. And this one’s a big one. This year, while millions of people around the world welcome the arrival of spring, march in solidarity with their fellow workers, or pay tribute to their country’s nat...

From our General Superintendent David Wells Grounds for Relationship

It was a casual conversation with a relative stranger, but it quickly turned to a topic I find myself discussing with people on a regular basis. “I was talking to a friend,” this person said, “and she asked me, ‘If there’s a God, how can He allow what’s going on in my life right now? There’s just so much trouble.’” Then this person offered an insight that you don’t often hear in our culture today. “What I told her was, I&rs...

From the Editor Stephen Kennedy Something Better

The tree came with the house. It’s an American linden and it stands in the middle of our backyard, about two-thirds of the way between the deck and the back of the lot. Thirty-one years ago, I could have wrapped one arm around its trunk. Now I can stretch both arms around the main trunk and still be a yard short of its circumference. For more than three decades, we’ve watched it grow. We have measured its maturing by the growing girth of its trunk, by the lengthening of its limbs and...

From the Editor Steve Kennedy Something Worth Hoping For

I enter a new decade this year. Come May, my fifties will be behind me. I’m told I will be able to apply for early CPP. I’m not sure if that excites me or not. I haven’t crunched the numbers to see if it’s a wise thing to do. I need to have a chat with my financial advisor some day—when she isn’t out shopping for the grandkids. What I am excited about, though, is all the money I’m hoping to save when I turn 60. I can see already that my calendar is goin...

From our General Superintendent David Wells Anticipation

There are many things I look forward to at the start of each calendar year. My plans for this year include trips to many events and settings, all of which I will begin to anticipate months in advance. This spring I plan to be in Jerusalem, along with thousands of Christians from around the globe, to participate in Pentecost 2015. Come join us! With the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games coming to Toronto in July and August, I will have the opportunity to serve as the co-ordinator for the Faith C...

From the Editor Steve Kennedy A Broken Ankle Christmas

On December 23, 2010, my friend Larry broke his ankle. He slipped on some ice on his own front porch and went down hard on the concrete. It was a bad break. To add hardship to injury, he had no one to sue but himself. Larry is a man who is most often on the move. He’s been active in his local church in men’s ministries and as a visiting elder and cell group leader. When my mom was, as we used to say, “shut in” during her last few years of life, Larry visited her faithf...

From our General Superintendent David Wells Not Just Another Number

In our 2020 Initiative we use a lot of numbers to define our vision and the goals we have for increasing the “missional vitality” of our leaders and churches. The initiative challenges us to believe that in the year 2020, 1 per cent of the Canadian population—350,000 people—will be part of 1,500 PAOC churches and disciple-making communities across the country. We are also challenged to believe that there will be 420 PAOC global workers in 85 nations outside Canada, 40 Mis...

From our General Superintendent David Wells A Spiritually Vital Fellowship

As part of our 2020 Initiative, we have developed three clear statements of vision that explain what we mean when we talk of spiritual, theological and missional vitality. They describe what we believe is needed in order to see our 1,120 churches, and the 236,000 followers of Jesus who attend them, become 1,500 disciple-making communities with 350,000 spiritually alive Christ followers empowered to share God’s grace and truth. Consider with me these three statements of vision. 1. To exper...

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