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Grace MB Church in Waterloo Ont. has called its first pastor. A commissioning service for Jim and Doris Cober was held on Sept. 29. Jim is a biblical studies graduate of Messiah College and has undertaken further studies at Tyndale Seminary in Toronto. The Cobers have been involved in missionary work in India and have pastored several Brethren in Christ and Mennonite churches in Ontario. They have four grown children and four grandchildren. Grace Church held its first service in September 2001. Sunday service attendance averages about 85.
Tim Williams began serving as administrative pastor at Northview Community Church in Abbotsford, B.C. on Nov. 12. He is a business consultant who spent his early career in chartered accounting practice before moving into senior management positions with Australian and Canadian firms. He has a Bachelor’s degree in economics and an M.B.A. and is a Certified Public Accountant. In church he has served as a youth leader, Sunday school teacher, life group leader, church accountant and charity fundraiser. His wife Jenny is a teacher at Pacific Academy High School. They attended Bible College in Australia and have been attending Northview since moving to Canada two years ago. They have two children, Joshua, 9, and Holly, 7.
Xavier Law resigned as assistant pastor at Port Moody (B.C.) Pacific Grace Chinese Church, effective Aug. 31. He is now pursuing intercultural studies at Canadian Theological Seminary. He had served one year as an intern and two years as assistant pastor at the church. He has a B.A. from St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. He is married to Keeley.
Greg Harris has completed his ministry as executive pastor of Northview Community Church in Abbotsford, B.C. He began serving in the church as pastor of administration on Dec. 1, 2000 and became executive pastor Jan. 3, 2002. Previously, he was pastor of administration at Evangel Church in Kelowna, B.C. for eight years and worked in commercial lending at a bank for nine years. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla. and an M.B.A. from the University of Alberta. On Dec. 6 he took up a new position as executive pastor of Westside King’s Church in Calgary. He and his wife Patricia have three children, Jocelyn, Michele and Marika.
Correction: In the Nov. 15 issue, we reported that Rolven Don is serving as assistant English ministries pastor at Port Moody (B.C.) Pacific Grace Church. His name is actually Rolven Wai Doo. We are sorry for the error.
Andy Steiger began serving as full-time pastor of student ministries at Eagle Ridge Bible Fellowship in Coquitlam, B.C. on Aug. 1. He had been serving as youth pastoral intern at the church since Oct. 1, 2001. Previously, he did a youth pastoral internship at Milwaukie (Ore.) First Baptist Church and short-term mission work in the Andes Mountains of Argentina and Bolivia in 1997 and 1999 with Delta Mission International. He has studied at Northwest Baptist Theological College in Langley, B.C. and has a B.A. from Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, B.C. He is married to Nancy, who has a B.A. from Northwest Baptist Theological College.
Jen Werden began serving as youth pastor at Peace Arch Fellowship in South Surrey, B.C. on Oct. 15. This is a joint appointment with Greater Vancouver Youth for Christ. She works half-time at the church and half-time in the community, reaching pre-Christian youth. Previously, she worked with Southwestern Ontario Youth for Christ in Woodstock, Ont. for a-year-and-a-half. She has a B.A. in English from Trinity Western University.
Randy Heinrichs began serving as half-time pastor of North Fraser Community Church in Lake Errock, B.C. on Nov. 17. He is a graduate of Steinbach (Man.) Bible Institute and has a B.A. from Biola College. He has pastored Fellowship of Evangelical Bible churches in Mission, B.C. 1962-65, Langham, Sask. 1968-72, Humboldt, Sask. (a church plant) 1972-78, Winnipeg 1978-84, and Richer, Man. (a church plant) 1985-90. He was interim pastor of Lakeview Heights Baptist Church 1992-94, served with Village Missions in Sechelt, B.C. 1994-98 and was visitation pastor at Grace FEBC Church in Abbotsford, B.C. 1999-2002. He and his wife Dorothy have two grown children and six grandchildren.
Reuben Andres began serving as half-time interim lead pastor of Hepburn (Sask.) MB Church on Aug. 1. He is a graduate of Bethany Bible Institute (now Bethany College) in Hepburn and has a teaching certificate from Saskatoon Teachers’ College. He has pastored for about 15 years, in Carrot River (Sask.) Gospel Mission, Northwest Community Church in Meadow Lake, Sask., Arelee (Sask.) MB Church and Brotherfield MB Church in Waldheim, Sask. He taught school for seven years, was director of Redberry Bible Camp for three years, taught at Bethany Bible Institute for three years and for 15 years managed the workshop at Menno Industries in Waldheim. He and his wife Tena have four grown children and eight grandchildren.
Paul Morgun became full-time associate pastor of youth ministries at Hepburn (Sask.) MB Church on Sept. 1. He is finishing his B.A. in youth ministries at Briercrest Bible College. He previously served on a short-term missions trip to the Ukraine, was a pastoral intern in Fairmont Baptist Church, Saskatoon, and served for two summers at Redberry Bible Camp, as site manager and activity director. He was recently married to Jessica.
Mennonite Church Canada has appointed Sven Eriksson as denominational minister, succeeding Henry Paetkau. He assumes the position in February.
Bud Elford has been providing a pulpit supply ministry at Emmanuel Community Church in Pierceland, Sask. from August until Jan. 5. He and his wife Marjorie have served with Northern Canada Evangelical Mission for over 50 years. Bud served as general director of that mission. He is still an honorary member of the mission and teaches part-time at Keewatin Bible Institute in Lac la Biche, Alta.
Marilyn Muller began serving as full-time associate pastor of children’s ministries at Forest Grove Community Church in Saskatoon on Aug. 1. She studied at Bethany Bible Institute and earned a B.R.E from Briercrest Bible College. She served in short-term missions with Global Outreach in England for a year, worked with Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship in Toronto for three years and then studied toward an M.A. at Briercrest Biblical Seminary. She married a Messianic Jew, but after a-year-and-a-half he returned to Judaism and divorced her. She then worked as a secretary for Hillsdale Alliance Church in Regina for four years and as director of children’s ministry at Celebration Lutheran Church in Regina for five years.
Dale Kary began serving three days a week as director of youth ministries at Hope Fellowship Church in Saskatoon last June. He attended Briercrest Bible College 1984-88; served an internship at Forest Grove Community Church in Saskatoon; served at MCC’s Carmel House Group Home for teenage boys 1988-98; and worked part-time with junior high youth at Forest Grove Community Church 1993-95. He and his band Poor Man’s Wealth have been leading the monthly City Wide Worship in Saskatoon since 1994 (they have a CD called 060499). He served as a volunteer worship leader at Hope Fellowship Church in 1996 and at Lakewood Baptist Church in Saskatoon 1997-2000. In addition to his current position, he teaches music and does some contracting. He and his wife Sandra have two children, Dana, 8, and Evan, 7. She is production coordinator for Concepts 3, an advertising and public relations agency.
Dan Wiebe of Port Rowan (Ont.) MB Church is serving in a two-year assignment with Operation Mobilization. He will be with the Asia Challenge Teams in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula, passing out tracts and other tasks, possibly including teaching in Myanmar.
Abe and Shirley Banman and Warren and Linda Bracken from Community Fellowship Church, Newton, Man. will be in Guayquil, Ecuador for a short-term missionary assignment. They will team up with local churches, sharing Jesus and inviting people to view the Jesus film. The assignments are with Power to Change, a ministry of Campus Crusade.
Vidya and Gwen Narimalla were installed as pastor couple at Kitchener (Ont.) MB Church on October 6. Participating in the service were Steve Roy, Ontario Conference Moderator Henry Wiebe and Conference Minister Mark Johnson. Waldo Pauls, pastor of Fairview MB Church, St. Catharines, preached a message based on Matthew 22:37-40. The Narimallas have two children, Michael 14 and Rachel, 12.
A farewell for interim pastor couple Grant and Margaret Gordon was held at Kitchener (Ont.) MB Church September 15. The Gordons have served the congregation for almost 3 years. A copy of Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, and a quilt were given to the Gordons as a thank you for their ministry.
Grant Gordon began serving as intentional interim pastor at New Life Christian Church in Toronto on Nov. 4. Previously he pastored three Baptist churches in Ontario for 30 years; was director of supervised ministries and lectured in Baptist history at Ontario Theological (now Tyndale) Seminary for eight years; served as intentional interim senior pastor at Grace Church in Newmarket, Ont. for two-and-a-half years; and served as intentional interim pastor at Kitchener (Ont.) MB Church from December 1999 to October 2002. He is a trained mediator. He has a B.Th. from Tyndale College, an M.Div. from Gordon Conwell Seminary and an M.Th. and D.Min. from Princeton Theological Seminary. His wife Margaret has an M.Div. in counselling from Tyndale Seminary and is a chaplain at Southdale Health Centre in Newmarket. They have three children and two grandchildren.
Discovery Church in Pitt Meadows, B.C. celebrated its fifth anniversary Sept. 29. Dan and Berni Warkentin began planting the church in spring 1997 under the B.C. MB Conference Board of Church Extension; regular services began in September 1997. The anniversary celebration service and lunch attracted 172 people; church attendance averages 80-100, and about 40 people have accepted Christ through the ministry of the church.
B.C. MB Conference Board of Church Extension director James Nikkel thanks and prays for Dan and Berni Warkentin and Betty and Paul Fast, surrounded by leaders of Discovery Church. |
The event was also a farewell and thank-you to the Warkentins, who resigned as of the end of September. Dan has a B.R.E. from Prairie Bible Institute in Three Hills, Alta. and an M.A. from Providence Theological Seminary in Otterburne, Man. Before starting the Discovery Church, he was associate pastor for three-and-a-half years at Ross Road Community Church in Abbotsford, B.C., was half-time youth and outreach pastor at Steinbach (Man.) MB Church for two-and-a-half years and pastored Parkland Community Church in Yorkton, Sask. for seven years. He and Berni have three children, Steven, 18, Janice, 16, and Carissa, 15. The Warkentins are currently discerning their direction for further ministry.
Also on Sept. 29, Paul and Betty Fast were welcomed as two-thirds-time interim pastor couple at the church. They have just completed two years as interim senior pastor couple at Scott St. MB Church in St. Catharines, Ont. and have previously served interim pastorates at North Fraser Community Church in Lake Errock, B.C. and Fleetwood Community Church in Surrey, B.C. They pastored South Langley MB Church in Langley, B.C. for nine-and-a-half years, North Langley Community Church for seven years and Murrayville Community Church in Langley for four years. Paul taught in school for 15 years and at Bethany Bible Institute, Hepburn, Sask. for two years. He has a B.Th. from MB Bible College, a B.A. from Wilfrid Laurier University and an M.A. from MB Biblical Seminary.
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Last modified February 20, 2003.
© 2003 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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