Hello Friends, Family and Internet wanderers!
It has been some time since my last update, and that is mostly because TREK has finished! But even though TREK is done, I am still continuing to serve with Crossroads MB church and they have brought me on as their Apprentice Pastor! For those of you wondering at the title, apprentice here is being used as it would be for a trades-person, as someone who has skill and competency, who is working and learning from someone who has been practicing even longer than they.
So I have decided to continue to use this Blog as a way of sharing my experiences and the different ways God is revealing himself to me, as well as my prayer requests. My hope is to invite you and others like you into partnering with me on this ministry journey. It is only because of the prayers and generosity of others that I am able to live and serve in this way and I am so blessed because of them and you!
The beginning of Elevation, the program I am in which allows me to serve and learn while still being compensated, started for me in June with a pastoral retreat. This retreat was a huge blessing and affirmation for me from both the conference and the people who make up it. I was also asked as a first time attender to review the experience, so if you are interested you can read my review here http://mbcm.ca/2016-pastor-and-spouse-retreat-in-review/
The rest of this month has been settling into the rhythms of ministry and finishing well the ministries I was a part of on TREK. Now for July and August I will have the opportunity to plan both for youth and for the children's ministry.
Thankfulness:
This past month I have been blessed greatly and I want to thank God for His leadership in my life. I have found a place to live for the foreseeable future and will be able to move August 1st. This past year has been incredibly stressful with most of my possessions being boxed up and living very minimally, it will be nice to finally unpack
A past student (not from this year) has invited me to mentor them as they are discerning things of faith and next steps. For confidentiality sake I cannot disclose who it is, but just say that I am so amazingly excited about the steps they are moving towards in their faith, and that this person considers me someone who helped them get there!
Prayer Requests
Our youth group is a fairly small one with a core group of 4 who regularly attend. But recently I have been approached by another small youth group and plans to combine the two have begun. If all goes well our core will double for next year which will open up so many opportunities for the youth, such as bigger games, and the ability to bring friends from school. Please pray that this other group and I will work well together for the betterment of the Kingdom and the students we seek to serve.
Financially I have still a long way to go for this year, not to mention the ones to follow. As part of the Elevation program I need to fund-raise 10,000 a year or 1/3rd of my 30,000 annual salary. With my starting in June this year I need about 6800 for this year and 10,000 for the following 3. So I am in significant need of monthly donors. Based on the numbers I know at this time I need approximately $830 a month in donations, and right now have a little less than 1/3rd of that. I have been blessed with a few large donations to tide me over for a bit, but if you could pray for God to bring people with a heart for giving to my ministry I would be really blessed. And if you feel like contributing either monthly (preferred) or a one time amount, please follow the link bellow and hit the Donate Now button on the top left of the page. http://www.crossroadsmb.ca/
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and to pray for me. Please let me know if I can pray for or help you in any way.
God Bless
- Stefan Klassen
Preaching
Preaching during the main service at church
