It was two years ago when we arrived in Edmonton that we first heard about International Student Ministries.

I’m a farm girl at heart, so I was delighted to have the opportunity to attend the harvest fundraising event hosted by the Leduc & District Chapter of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank* (CFB) on October 20th.

A Lesson From a Muddy Hike

For the last several years, the end of May has brought Jeannie and me the opportunity to attend a High Adventure Camp with our Focus 3 Leadership Small Group. 

Retirement is a part of life that some people look forward to and others dread. For me it was a bittersweet experience. I was looking forward to a slower pace of life, by that I mean not getting up at 5:30 every morning. 

I was talking with the junior high and high school students at Oasis recently about the Sunday in December 2010 that we as McKernan Baptist celebrated...

The path that has led me to my baptism today has been long. I was raised by loving parents who raised my brother and me with Christian values. However, when I was young I did not understand nor appreciate what it meant to have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Throughout this ministry year, we have focused on the theme, “Love God – Love Your Neighbour.” As we enter 2011, our church leadership is exploring the question, “What kind of facilities will best help us love God and our neighbour?”

In the fall of 2008 I noticed a familiar bleak depression creeping in. I’d been off antidepressants for a few years...

About a year ago, Pastor Blain asked all of the Children’s Ministry interns if they would consider stepping in to fill his position while he is away on sabbatical. While I (Kirstin) thought that it would be an interesting position, I could not see how it would be possible...

Many Small Groups have been meeting since around the beginning of the ministry year (September). It was great to see the people that returned to your Small Group, and you were open, albeit somewhat hesitant, to include new people. 

Come in, up the steps, turn right, then right on entry...you’re in the library! (from parking lot entrance). Welcome to the remodelled church library! 

The Alpha course offered me the opportunity to get to know Christianity in a friendly, no judgment, inclusive atmosphere. -Michael

Many of you know that our youngest son Jack has a disease called Cystic Fibrosis or CF. CF is a disease that I compare to oil in an engine.

Let these words from Phil. 2:5-11 (Phillips paraphrase) stir a sense of gratitude for what Christ has done for you and all people!

With that most ‘magical’ time of the year just around the corner...that time when we come together to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ...it is a pleasure to share what we’ve been up to within the realms of Women’s Ministry.  

Being part of a small group is the heartbeat of my church life experience. I would like to share three things that stand out to me in my small group experience.

Have you ever found yourself wishing that God would just write in the sky what He wants you to do? Have you ever thought that this kind of clarity would make life simpler? 

To me, Mexico is about the people. People I never expected to have such a closeness to in such a short time, so I thought I’d introduce you to a few of them. 

I was reminded that God gives us continually an amazing grace and strength to press on in life...God never gives up on us...

Hazel Lee has personally experienced this ministry, so I have asked her to tell us her story.  

Another fall is upon us. Another semester with all of its potential awaits us. What will we do with this school year? This is always a tough question to wrestle with.  

Four years ago I wanted to join a small group. Hearing that the waiting list was long due to lack of leaders I figured, hey, I can do that. After a few phone calls I had 7 people meeting in a basement 

...but it doesn’t have to stay that way

What is our part in ‘sharing our faith’ with others?  

The main purpose of our Equipping Ministry is to give opportunities for us to be like Jesus.

Over the past 6 years, I have had the pleasure to benefit from the rich history, which McKernan has established – interns.

As we enter into the summer months many of the groups shift their meetings to a more casual schedule.

McKernan Child Development Centre is a non-profit, accredited daycare that operates with the support of Mckernan Baptist Church.

On the last Sunday of the month in September, October, November, January, February, March & April, we held our C&C Toonie Lunch.

Transition: A time of change, of moving from familiar, comfortable roles and paths to new directions and roles. Such change can cause a person to question and challenge their identify, sense of security and place. 

I asked our students and leaders to reflect back on this past ministry year and share some of their highlights as a way for you to catch a glimpse of what happened in MOBY & F.I.T. this past year.

Brokenness. Emotional scars. Shame. Guilt. Betrayal. All things I experienced.

From the outside an observer of our small group would likely be surprised to find such a mixture of ages, personalities and cultural backgrounds. One would also discover that our length of spiritual walks covers a wide range of years and experiences. 

What an incredible delight it has been to be involved in two women's study groups this year; to watch how God is at work and how He stirs up revelation from His Word.

So how does a retired family man, who has been a painter all his life, find himself ministering to truck drivers as they roll in and out of the Road King Travel Centre on Highway 16, near Sherwood Park? Here is his story.  

Faith and healing - what is the connection? Here are some questions you might be asking yourself: “Why am I sick?”

... is it possible that we carry more pain than we need to because we do not know how to access this ministry from Jesus?  Can Jesus really heal our broken hearts?

I have been searching for healing in different areas of my life and have been shown clearly that through emotional and spiritual healing, often comes physical restoration.

Part of the vision for this venture is to provide the Church with an avenue to love and serve the poor; to respond to God's call to mission in a difficult way.

Overall the greatest gift has been learning to trust God and realizing that I will never be alone or abandoned or forsaken by God.

This is our second edition of “An encouraging word…”.  Trudy Schatz, a retired medical missionary who served the Lord for many years as a nurse in Cameroon, is one of many seniors in our church who knows what it means to ‘live fully - live holy’. I have asked her to share her story.  

As terrified as I feel, I take comfort in knowing that God’s will is being done in our lives.

In the late Spring of this last year I had the opportunity once again to run another ultramarathon in the Gobi Desert in northwestern China.

The H.O.M.E.S. (Helping Others Meet Emergencies Service) Ministry provides emergency support to individuals or families going through a difficult time or crisis.

To experience the multiple fracture of an ankle-and right ankle at that-is not something to celebrate.

Is fear our default response to the information that we receive about H1N1?

As I prayerfully journey through life I am amazed at God’s goodness to me. I look back and see HIS hand on every season, the times we walked together and the times He carried me.

“I’m so proud of you!” 

“I love you so much.” 

God speaks to us in various ways. He knows us well; He knows how to get our attention. One of the ways God speaks is through the arts.

Download our Flu Precautions brochure, prepared by our Faith Community Nurse.

Sometimes it’s hard to find the right words to describe the journey of grieving. To attempt to define grief somehow communicates that it should be neat, tidy and orderly, but in actuality it can be a very complicated thing.