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David Macfarlane resigned as lead pastor at Waterloo (Ont.) MB Church Feb. 21, after serving for two-and-a-half years. Previously, he pastored Chilliwack (B.C.) Central MB Church for three years, Richmond (B.C.) Christian Fellowship for three years and Islington Evangel Centre in Toronto for 11 years. He and his wife Diana have three daughters, Susan, 22, Heather, 20, and Victoria, 15. They are open to further ministry.
Marcus Ho (Ho Kam Tsan) began serving as senior pastor of Tri-City Chinese Christian Church in Coquitlam, B.C. on March 1. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Hong Kong and worked there several years before immigrating to Canada in 1997. After working for a year, he undertook nine months of self-study in Richmond (B.C.) Peace Evangelical Church and then earned an M.A. from Associated Canadian Theological Schools in Langley, B.C. He and his wife Aden Ho have a son, Caleb, 11 months.
Vijay Manuel has resigned as pastor of worship arts at South Abbotsford MB Church, effective Aug. 31, 2003, after serving for one year. He will return to the position of music teacher and choir conductor at Rick Hansen Secondary School in Abbotsford which he had held for the previous six years. He has also served as leader of the Doxa band and worship ministry. He has a B.A. in psychology and has completed the Professional Development Program (teacher training) at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., and is working on an M.A. in educational leadership from San Diego State University. He and his wife Sarah have one son, Misha David James, 4 months.
Derek Zeilstra has resigned, effective May 15, as associate pastor of worship and music at North Kildonan MB Church in Winnipeg, after serving for over seven years. He has a B.Mus. from the University of Manitoba and has also been serving a couple of hours a week as a coach and mentor for the worship team at Canadian Mennonite University. He and his wife Lisa have a daughter, Arabella, 11 months.
Bernie Schotte resigned in March as pastor of adult ministries at Westwood MB Church in Prince George, B.C., after serving for two-and-a-half years. He has a B.Th. from Canadian Bible College in Regina and previously served pastoral internships at Faith Baptist Church in Regina and Beulah Alliance Church in Edmonton. He and his wife Sharlene have a son, Josiah, 11 months. They are seeking further ministry.
Kevin Snyder has been serving as youth pastor in Panorama Community Church in Surrey, B.C. since April 1, 2002. He is a graduate of Winkler Bible Institute, Bethany Bible Institute (now Bethany College) and Columbia Bible Institute. He served as associate dean of students at Bethany for three years, as part-time youth pastor at Fraser Heights Community Church in Surrey for two-and-a-half years and as a part-time coordinator for Youth Mission International on a contract basis over a period of about two years. He is engaged to be married to Sharon Peters this summer.
John Letkemann, 59, passed away March 8 after suffering a heart attack while playing hockey. He was an elementary school teacher in Yarrow, B.C., had previously served as an associate pastor at Central Heights MB Church in Abbotsford, B.C. and as senior pastor of Scott St. MB Church in St. Catharines, Ont. and was currently serving as chair of the board of Stillwood Camp and Conference Centre in Lindell Beach, B.C. He and his wife Betty have three children and eight grandchildren.
Gordon and Gwen Nickel have completed a three-year assignment sharing the gospel with Muslims in Hyderabad, India. They served with six Indians on the Interfaith Ministry Team, a partnership between the India MB Conference and MBMS International, the global mission agency of Mennonite Brethren churches in Canada and the US. Gordon trained team members, taught at the local MB Bible school and Bible institute and dialogued with Muslim leaders, while Gwen provided pastoral care to team members. Gordon previously served for six years as associate editor of the MB Herald, earned a master’s degree from MB Biblical Seminary and taught at Bethany College in Hepburn, Sask. He and Gwen then served with MBMSI for six years in Pakistan. The Nickels have returned home to Calgary. They will be involved in Ministry in North America (MINA) until the end of June, visiting Mennonite Brethren churches. Gordon will complete his Ph.D. in Islamic studies at the University of Calgary this spring.
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MB Biblical Seminary is delighted to announce the appointment of Rick Bartlett as Ministry Quest program director, effective June 2003. Ministry Quest is a program giving high school youth the opportunity to explore ministry as a vocational option. Ministry Quest is the high school component of the “Hearing The Call” project directed by John Neufeld.
In addition to directing Ministry Quest, Rick will teach courses and lead seminars in youth ministry, leadership development and discipleship.
Rick is a 1992 graduate of MBBS and has served in three MB congregations, at Hartland Christian Camp, as assistant to the national director of Youth for Christ – Britain 1993–2000, and as leadership development director of Youth for Christ Pacific Northwest Region 2000–2003. Rick will be relocating to Fresno, Calif. with his wife Karen and their children Grace and Toby. |
Baptisms and new members
Note: Baptism photos appear in the paper version of the Herald but not in the online version.
- Armstrong (B.C.) Bible Chapel welcomed 6 new members Dec. 8, 2 by baptism and 4 by confession of faith. Pictured are (l–r) Brody Klassen (b), Wade Dorsey (cf), Julie Dorsey (cf), pastor Greg Schmidt, Casey Brouwer (cf), Janice Brouwer (cf) and Ryan Unger (b).
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