New music, inspiring reminders

In celebration services on the three evenings of convention, three different speakers explored one component each of the Gathering 2004 theme, “Refresh, Renew, Reach Out.” Worship in music was also a significant part of these evenings.

Songs led and performed by Brian Doerksen prepared the hearts of delegates. Very moving and perhaps the theme song of Gathering 2004 was “Today,” a new song Brian taught, culminating in the chorus “As for me and my house I will serve the Lord.”

Brian Doerksen in concert, Wednesday evening celebration service

“I still believe in the generations joining together and worshipping together,” he said, introducing the well-known “It Is Well With My Soul,” a song he had recorded some time earlier with his father. One of the songs touching the audience came out of Doerksen’s own painful experience with grief. It was written the day before the birth of his sixth child, who was born, like his brother, with Fragile X Syndrome. It starts, “I don’t know what the future holds,” and ends with the assurance “I can rest in your faithfulness.”

Gareth Goossen, executive director of Make Us Holy, and the Gathering 2004 band led delegates in worship the following three days.

Gareth Goossen band with Rebecca Mabbett (third from left). Rebecca Mabbett of Willow Park Church, Kelowna, B.C., delighted the audience with her original composition “Arise and Shine” during the offering of the Wednesday evening celebration service. She is 15 and has been developing as a church musician with her church worship group.

Refresh your spirit

Incoming moderator Willy Reimer (left) prays with Randy Friesen, speaker at the Wednesday evening celebration service

Wednesday evening, following the concert by Brian Doerksen and his band, Randy Friesen, general director-elect of MB Mission and Service International, posed the question: “Are you thirsty?” There are many different water sources in this world, he said, but only Jesus gives spiritual nourishment that satisfies. He reminded delegates of our forebears in Ukraine who were thirsty and began the MB movement 144 years ago.

Ministry is tiring and stressful and makes one thirsty, Friesen said. Telling stories and quoting Scripture, he brought the audience to Jesus’ invitation of Matthew 11:28–30, “Come . . . and I will give you rest.” To be yoked to Jesus means to surrender our own will to His, he said. “If you are weary, Jesus invites you to surrender to Him and His will.”

A multinational team of singers celebrated our unity in Christ.

Renew your ministry

Reggie McNeal spoke Thursday

The speaker Thursday evening was Reggie McNeal, director of leadership development for the South Carolina Baptist Convention and author of The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church. (McNeal addressed this topic at a well-attended optional seminar that afternoon.)

With insight and humour he outlined six disciplines that people need to strive for in order to achieve spiritual greatness: self-awareness, self-management, self-development, mission, decision-making, belonging and aloneness.

His message contained many memorable lines. He talked about the “risk of addiction to adrenalin.” He said, “Embrace what you are meant to be, because it honours the designer,” and he urged people to “build on your strength, not on your weakness.” Talent matters, he said, “but we don’t get all the talents, because that would keep us from needing one another.”

“The God of the universe lives in community,” he noted, “and has built that need for community, belonging, and relationship with others into our lives.” Great leaders, he said, pointing towards Jesus, David, Moses and Paul, also know how to schedule times of being alone.

Reaching out to your community

Jacqueline Dugas, Friday speaker

Friday speaker Jacqueline Dugas, director for the Centre of Prayer Mobilization of Every Home for Christ International, spoke out of her commitment to the development of a Christ-centred spirituality that enables people to reach out and influence the world. “When we take our place in history,” she asked the audience, “will we be called people of prayer?” She reminded delegates that prayer is an important avenue to be focused on for the gospel to reach people, because it is a “vehicle to travel into their hearts.”

Dugas pointed to “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:38) and explained that while God sees the need of the harvest, He also sees the possibilities. She asked, “Do you love the work of the Lord more than the Lord of the work?”

Dugas said that her passion for intercessory prayer has taken her into a passion to recapture prayer that is purely meditative. This allows the Spirit to come and move in us. “Prayer is not just something spiritual people do,” she said, “but something out of which they grow.”

—md

Offerings taken on the three evenings of celebration totalled $5500. The money will be divided between church building support for Congo MB Conference, NYC’04, MBBS, Evangelism Canada and MBMSI.