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Thursday, January 11, 2024
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Celebrating 125 Years: Ontario’s Commemorative Camp Meeting
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Get ready to celebrate a significant milestone in the history of Adventism in Ontario! The year 2024 will mark 125 years of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the province. We will celebrate this milestone at an extraordinary camp meeting starting Friday, May 31, to Sabbath, June 1, at the International Centre.
Pastor Emile Maxi, Executive Secretary, shared, “To make this event even more special, we at the Conference thought it would be wonderful to have the members help us choose the theme of this year's camp meeting.” The theme defines the direction of the topics preached, the hymns and praise music, and even the overall look of the event.
Share your ideas with us! Submit your proposed camp meeting theme to the Communications and Media department at OCN@adventistontario.org by January 31, 2024.
This year, join Adventists across the Conference at Camp Meeting 2024. Let us also come together for this 125th anniversary to celebrate our rich Adventist heritage, praise Jesus for where He has brought us and seek His strength to help us finish the work before His soon return. Mark May 31 to June 1 at the International Centre on your calendars and make plans to attend. Come and celebrate our Adventist journey in Ontario and our wonderful saviour, Jesus!
Pastor Shawn Ellis
Director of Communications and Media
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On December 24, a Christmas lunch was hosted for Refugees at Dominion Church. In recognition of their ongoing support, the Director of Compassion Ministries, Pastor Andrew King, and Councillor James Pasternak of Ward 6 were invited by Pastor Eddie Jjumba to participate in the lunch with the refugees.
Pastor Andrew King
Director of Compassion Ministries
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Mount Gilead’s Christmas Dinner
and Music Day
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Mount Gilead Seventh-day Adventist Church continued its “Community Connect” with a Christmas dinner on December 16. The dinner was made a success through a partnership with Clintar, who graciously provided groceries for community visitors and Giant Tiger, who assisted with food items for the dinner preparation. The celebrations continued on December 23 for Music Day, which many community and church members attended, sharing cheer and gifts.
Yvonne Edwards
Communications, Mount Gilead
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Sudbury Celebrating
the New Year with Praise
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On the last Sabbath of 2023, Sudbury Seventh-day Adventist Church organized its first choir concert. After a year of hard work and dedication from choir directors and members, the church celebrated the new year with music, testimonies and a special moment of thanksgiving to God. The concert was a beautiful expression of the diversity of the church as voices of praise were raised by all members, including Indigenous, Latino and African groups. The evening concluded with a social and fellowship for church members and visitors.
Pastor Elvis Dumitru
Sudbury Seventh-day Adventist Church
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When You Let the Spirit Lead
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| (L-R) Elders Rodney Umrah, Howard Shaw, Eric Morris and Pastor Ainsley Richard in Belize |
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Jesus’s Great Commission calls all believers to preach the Gospel and serve others. There are many mission opportunities here in Ontario and across the world. However, many are hesitant because they are uncertain what to do. The following article highlights three individuals who felt the call to “Go” and allowed the Holy Spirit to work out the details.
Elder Eric Morris, an Elder at Apple Creek Seventh-day Adventist church, has always been passionate about ministry and helping the community. When he felt the Spirit call him to work in a different mission field, he was willing but uncertain how. God created a way when Elder Morris received a call from a childhood friend and Pastor Ainsley Richard, who was serving in Belize. In their discussions, he invited the elder to deliver a one-week evangelistic series at one of his churches in Dangriga Town, Stann Creek District, Belize. He immediately accepted the offer.
Excited, Elder Morris, impressed by the Holy Spirit, invited two other Elders, Howard Shaw and Rodney Umrah, to accompany him. For both of them, the opportunity was an answer to their prayers. They called their mission trip “Operation Belize.”
With a desire to serve, a location to minister and a name for their mission trip, the three elders faced a challenge: they had never done a mission trip and did not know what was involved. Undeterred, the elders agreed that the Holy Spirit would show them what to prepare and cover them in their journey. They fasted, prayed, planned with the local pastor and travelled on their weeklong mission trip to Belize.
When they arrived, they were struck by the dire physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the community, including the Zion Seventh-day Adventist School. The elders mingled with the people desiring their good. They helped with repairs of the school. They ministered to the people’s spiritual needs through home visitations, community meetings and prayer for all who desired it. In the evenings, they preached the lifesaving message of the Gospel. The community embraced the elders and their ministry. By the end of the week, fifteen people had committed their lives to Jesus.
That was in 2019. Today, Operation Belize has become the “Good Works Mission,” and the Holy Spirit continues to lead. God helped them find ways to support communities in Belize even during the pandemic. In 2023, they returned with ten volunteers to serve, support and preach the Gospel in two simultaneous series in separate towns. They are currently planning another mission trip in 2025.
It all began with a person willing to answer the call of the Holy Spirit. God used that willingness to touch lives, transform communities and build the kingdom. Best of all, the Holy Spirit worked out the details.
The Holy Spirit has called you to “Go.” What is your answer?
If you would like to take part in mission work in Ontario or abroad, email missiontrip@adventistontario.org.
ADRA Connections is ADRA’s short-term service program that takes volunteers into the field to put compassion into action and make an impact for communities in need, with no experience necessary. Through ADRA Connections, volunteers can take that life-changing adventure, find their purpose in service, create life-long friendships, and see faith in a new, transformative way.
Pastor Shawn Ellis
Director of Communications and Media
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On January 6, Blessed Hope Seventh-day Adventist Church welcomed Pastor Mon Ryan Llamado, newly hired to the Ontario Conference team.
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On January 6, Pastor Gerry Pasikatan was welcomed back into the Ontario Conference and was installed recently at Peterborough Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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Calling all writers and editors! Have you ever dreamed of being a reporter? Do you have the gift of copy editing? Reach out to us! Please email your contact to ocn@adventistontario.org. |
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Have you ever read the Canadian Adventist Messenger magazine and wished for more? More stories, more photos, more discussions?
Well, that opportunity is coming very soon because the Messenger magazine is lifting off the pages and onto the screen!
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ABC Christian Bookstore
Your store for Christian supplies,
gifts, food and literature.
95 Clarence Biesenthal Dr,
Oshawa ON L1K 2H5
abcchristianbookstore.com
Phone: 905-579-2311
or 1-800-263-3791
Store Hours: Mon-Wed 10 - 6,
Thurs 10 - 7, Fri 10 - 2,
Sat Closed, Sun 11 - 5
Follow us!
Facebook: abcchristianbooks
Instagram: @abc_oshawa
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What's Happening
Around the Conference
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| On May 4, 2024, New Life Seventh-day Adventist Church is hosting a Spring Gala Event supporting the New Life Neighbourhood Centre. It will take place at the Ukrainian Heritage Centre in Oshawa.
We envision a night where guests will be treated to a glamorous masquerade ball with live musical performances, a formal dinner and a silent auction.
Please take a look at the above flyer and mark your calendar for this special occasion. We would like you to join us for this enchanting evening celebrating the spirit of giving and community.
By marking your calendar for this special occasion, you are ensuring yourself a night of unforgettable memories and contributing to the vital programs and initiatives transforming lives within our community.
We can't wait to share this magical evening with you! Together, we can make a difference and create a brighter future for those in need. |
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The Seventh-day Adventist Church of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL Mission) is seeking a Broadcasting Engineer for Lighthouse VOAR-FM. This position is full-time in Mount Pearl, NL and its repeaters. Expected date of hire is April 1, 2024. A combination of experience and education in RF Broadcasting would be an asset. Proficiency in UPS Systems, computer systems and software, encoding of audio streams and Axia Broadcast Systems is required. Master Electronics Technician preferred. The position requires flexibility in schedule, as being on call is a requirement. Applicants should be Seventh-day Adventist in regular standing. Submit resume by email to voar@voar.org or by mail to 1041 Topsail Road, Mount Pearl, NL A1N 5E9. For more information, contact Sherry Griffin at voar@voar.org or (709)325-7627. The deadline for resumes is December 31, 2023.
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Ontario Conference
of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Mission
To Reach Ontario and the world
with the distinctive, Christ-centered,
Seventh-day Adventist message
of hope and wholeness
The Vision
Connecting like Jesus
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