It is a privilege to serve our Lord as your General Superintendent alongside of my wife Susan, my fellow Officers David and Murray, and my Assistant for Mission Canada, George. Together with our fellow workers at the International Office, we seek to serve your district, its churches and ministries with diligence and excellence.
I deeply value the vital role your district has in our shared mission in Canada and around the world. Through clear missional vision, pastoral and church care, leadership development, church multiplication and organizational support, our districts do yeoman’s service, enabling our Pentecostal family to fulfil our mission “To glorify God by making disciples everywhere by proclaiming and practicing the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.” In fact, the most common expression I hear from leaders who have been called to serve in a district position for a first time is: “Wow, I never knew how much a district did until I got into this role!”
Our wholehearted appreciation goes to Craig Burton and other district leaders not only for their district service but also for their contribution to the broader Fellowship in the many ministries we share together.
The Pentecostal family in Canada is a diverse community of churches, ministries and leaders. We respect and love our Lord for how He has made us that way over the last number of years. As General Superintendent I have the privilege, with the help of many others, of communicating what at our core knits that diversity together in unity.
A shared passion to love God and bring glory to Him
This leads us to our need for a Spirit-enlivened, Word based relationship with Him. Our recent gift book Authentically Pentecostal, as developed by our Theological Study Commission, is an expression of our hunger to be a family that continually engages life in the Spirit so that the life of Jesus is seen in us.
A shared mission to make disciples in Canada and the world
Murray and George will highlight the specific dimensions of our shared mission in their reports. My covenant to you is that Susan and I will continue to personally live out His mission through our lives. By engaging others through our relationships and “open doors,” I can assure you that I am more convinced than ever that we must “champion new initiatives” even as we strengthen existing churches and ministries.
A shared generosity to respond to the opportunities and needs the Lord has made us accountable for
Give Every Day was not launched as a fundraising gimmick or a flash in the pan marketing strategy. It is an ethos among us which arises from a clear vision of a generous God who gives of His very best to us. It is good theology and practice!
Imagine what would be possible if each adult connected to the churches of the PAOC gave a minimum of $1 a day to PAOC based missional endeavours in Canada and around the world. Quite simply, it would double our current impact. As our constituency is gripped by this vision of a generous God, the benefits of increased giving will be a release of resources for the strategic objectives of local churches, Districts and our shared national and international mission. Thanks for instilling this vision in your context. Resources in a “toolkit” are available at www.giveeveryday.ca.
A shared dependency on God
Clearly, if we are to be a people who are “Authentically Pentecostal,” fulfilling our shared mission with generous lives marked by grace and truth, we will always be aware of our desperate need for God to be at work in us. Pray Every Day is our ongoing call to shared prayer as a Pentecostal family. The response from churches and leaders has been strong and demonstrates that the Lord is inspiring a fresh hunger and dependency. Monthly prayer themes have been identified and are being communicated through www.paoc.org, testimony magazine and e-mail blasts. For more information or to express your commitment, contact us at prayer@paoc.org.
Let me conclude by honouring our friends George and Eileen Werner who have served our Fellowship and Bill Morrow and I for over nine years in the ministry we now describe as Mission Canada. Through passion and diligent service, George and his team have taken what was a fledgling vision and blessed us with clarity about our shared mission in Canada. They have overseen the release of our first wave of Mission Canada workers across the country. “Thank you Lord for gifting us with this couple and we pray that you will empower and provide for their next adventure of faith in Europe as global workers.”
In the same way, I pray that our Lord will continue to empower and provide for each of you in the adventure of faith you are called to at this time, wherever you are.
Respectfully submitted by your brother in Jesus,
Dave Wells
General Superintendent