Dear Folks,
On Wednesday, May 29th we will begin our Ordination Examining Council, preceding our Assembly. There are six candidates appearing before us whose names you will see below. They include those who have been previously or presently are employed as engineers, those from other traditions, a social worker, and those who have been imprisoned and persecuted for their faith… an incredible variety. It is an honour to be a part of the process on behalf of the denomination, and affirm their church’s intentions to set them aside for ministry. There are many who have participated in this event, notwithstanding the churches and areas that interviewed them, and the four folk that met them at Mini-Semester who mentored them through the preparation and clarification of their Ordination papers. These included Brian Stelck and Axel Schoeber from Carey Hall, as well as Faye Reynolds and Laura Nelson from the denomination.
We have been grateful in the past for the work of Wayne Larson as Chair of Council, who has now retired from that position. Laura Nelson, who is the pastor of Olivet in New Westminster, and Steve Simala-Grant, from Laurier Heights in Edmonton, are co-chairs of the Council. We hope that part way through the Council’s proceedings (Wednesday afternoon), there will be a chance for the candidates to meet the Council. We are trying to create an atmosphere that encourages a familiarity and a relationally-based process, as any Ordination Council should be. The Regional Ministers have a strong role in this particular process, and I ask for you to pray for them as well. All in all, I am very excited at the opportunity that lies ahead, and I ask you to pray for each of these individuals as their churches support them, not only through this process, but through their calling to ministry in the years ahead.
This year’s candidates are as follows:
- Edgar Unrau, Calvary Baptist, Chemainus
- Amanda Hecht, Faith Community, Wakaw
- Eijiro Campo, First Baptist, Calgary
- Ceu Hrin, Vancouver Chin Baptist, Vancouver
- Cung Bawi Thawng, Vancouver Chin Baptist, Vancouver
- David Jenkins, Kitsilano Christian Community, Vancouver
Warmly,
In Christ,
Jeremy