Good Morning Friends, Family, and Internet Wanderers!
I hope this Christmas season is treating you well and that you have been able to take time to recharge your batteries as well as to give to others. Over the last two months so much has changed and happened that it is hard to believe that it was only two months ago that I was in such a different place than I am now.
Thankfulness
About five years ago I was in a place of deep frustration. I wanted to follow the Lord's leaning on my life and move towards ministry, yet I could not find an opportunity to do so. Shortly after that I took a chance and joined the Trek program and with your help I was able to raise funds for that year. After that and despite my desire to go straight into full time ministry the church and the conference convinced me that I should slow down, further my education and continue to develop my skills at the same church. While I was initially hesitant, it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. And now as I am about to enter my final semester of my final year I am excited to say that my prayers have been answered. In my last blog post I wrote about the process of interviewing and the stress of spending a weekend speaking to the various shareholders at a new church. Now I am excited to say that the church heard my heart and vision for the future and for their young people and offered me a job in August to which I accepted. So when my term comes to an end at my current church at the end of May (middle of June more likely) I will have a new role to begin in August. The group I will be heading up is currently about 50 youth, with many younger kids about to graduate into the program. I am so excited and will definitely have my work cut out for me.
Yet as big as this new job is for me, the second thing I am thankful for this season is so much bigger. As many of you know, since January I have been dating a beautiful young woman. For the past 11 months we have been growing together, spending lots of time with each other, and praying for our respective futures. So to that end, in late November I ordered a ring, and on December 20th I asked her to marry me, and she said yes! For nearly 15 years I have been praying for a wife, asking God to show me who she is and to take away the desire for a spouse if he did not plan that for me. Now after years of praying and longing, I am so amazed at the person I have found in my fiancee. She is kind, generous, beautiful, funny, and most importantly she has a strong faith and character. I am so excited for what our future has in store and to begin planning a life together.
Finally, as if the two above were not enough, I am thankful for the generous support I have received from friends and family, from you who are reading this. As of yesterday I only have $350 left to raise until the end of my time at Crossroads. That is right, I did not forget a decimal or a zero I only need another three hundred and fifty dollars.* This has been a long road, and at times it has been a source of much stress and anxiety because 10,000 a year is a lot to ask for from people, yet I am regularly and continually blown away by your generosity. As the final funds come in, if in the next few months I receive more than the 350 that extra money will go to support the other existing and important ministries of the church. Thank you so much for your generosity and for your prayers.
Prayers
As you may have noticed I left a star beside my final numbers and need. This is because there is a small chance that this number may change. As you may well remember a part of my wage comes from the conference of which I am a part. Usually they send money twice a year, once in January and once in June. Prior to this the church treasurer reaches out to the conference to verify when this can be expected. This year she has not received any confirmation back about these funds. Likely this is an oversight as people are away this time of year, and there has been some staffing transitions, but please pray that this matter is sorted quickly and that there are not any larger issues or concerns to work through.
Now that I am properly engaged the work of wedding planning has begun. We both have a lot of ideas of how and what to do with this, but as with any wedding there are going to be a few struggles or disagreements, specifically regarding costs. It is no surprise that weddings are expensive, and while we want to be frugal we also want to celebrate the commitment we are making to each other. Please pray that we would find a good balance between saving money and celebrating well. Pray that we would find favour with venues, vendors, and that the process of planning a wedding would be more joyful than stressful as we look ahead to our future together.
Finally please pray for me and for my current church for these final months of service. At the same time that I am finishing my term, the long standing pastor is retiring and that means there will be a lot of change in this little church over the next 6 months to a year. Pray that God would guide the process of finding the new pastor(s?) for this church. Pray that as I wind down my ministry here that I would serve well, and that God would guide me and the church to someone to take leadership of the youth and young adults groups for the next season. Pray that this church would continue to flourish under the new leadership that will come.
Thank you for your prayers, for your love and support, and I am so excited for this new season of life that I am entering into. May the Lord bless you as you have blessed me!
Preaching
Preaching during the main service at church
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Saturday, November 9, 2019
September & October - Conferences, Candidating and Planning for the Future.
Good Morning Friends, Family, and Internet Wanderers!
It seems like such a long time since I have done one of these, at least two months have passed since I last updated you all on what has been going on in my life and ministry. The past two months have been good and that is in no small part to your prayers. While I was serving and attending classes in September, there was not a lot that was noteworthy. So I decided to include September and October together. I will continue in this fashion until I finish my current ministry position in June and then will re-evaluate if and how I will continue to make these updates.
Thanksgiving
Every two years the MB denomination holds a study conference to help the various churches and leaders to think deeply on a subject. For the third time in a row I have had the privilege of attending. This past years conference was held in Waterloo ON, and the church flew me and the other pastor out to attend. I am deeply grateful for the continued investment both my church and the larger conference have in me. Along those lines and something that may not be widely known is that I have been working on my credentialing in the MB church. Credentialing is an awkward term, that essentially means that the Canadian conference is looking at endorsing me as a pastor. This does not mean I was not previously, but it does mean that they publicly acknowledge me as a pastor and would get me in the door for future job opportunities, they also register me to perform weddings. To be credentialed I needed to write out a 20 page document about my thoughts and beliefs on pretty much everything, and then be interviewed by some current pastors. This is a longer process and I started it about a year ago, and I finished it in the last week of October. As such I am a fully credentialed pastor in the MB church!
Another thing I am deeply thankful for is the chance to attend the Canadian Youth Workers Conference this year. Generally speaking I try and attend every year and this year between school, the church, and my personal life I felt like I might not have time to do so, yet after some consideration I went again and was very pleased. This year the conference centred around youth and anxiety a difficult and unfortunately all to common occurrence. I found as I often do the teaching to be both engaging and helpful. Also at this conference I bumped into a friend I had not touched base with for some time. He shared with me some of his faith journey and asked me to meet with him at a later time to talk about it. For me this was another affirmation of my own growth as a pastor and leader and I am excited to see where things go.
Then finally but certainly not least this past month I had the chance to baptize another person. I have been walking with and serving a young couple who started attending the church a little over a year ago. They have slowly and surely become more engaged both with our young adult group and the larger church. And it was again another affirmation when this young man approached me and shared how he had not been baptized and then asked me to walk with him through that process. Being a part of a baptism is possibly my favourite part of my job and I am so grateful to help another person on their walk with Christ.
Prayer
As I indicated last time I wrote, this is my last year serving at my current church. This has been an amazing opportunity and while I am excited for the next phase of my journey I will be also sad to leave. Please pray for me as I try and be intentional about preparing those I lead and the leaders I serve with for my leaving. I finish right around the same time that the lead pastor finishes and he has served for much longer than I. I have also heard a few people express their remorse that I will not be pursuing to take over for the lead pastor. Four years ago when I accepted this position I shared that I was not intending to replace the lead pastor, and I share that sentiment still, yet it still weighs heavy on me. Please pray that God will continue to guide this congregation and its leadership to the right leader for this new season, and that the current pastors will equip the church well for this transition.
My second prayer request is another one that started in September, if not actually earlier. I believe it was august actually that I was called randomly and asked to interview for a youth pastor position at a church in Manitoba. In late September and early October I had two different interviews with this church, and they have invited me to candidate as their new youth pastor. So this means that late November I will have a little of half a dozen meetings with various people in the church, I will have to give my testimony a number of times and preach once in the main service and once for the youth. The whole process takes about 4 days and after which the congregation will vote to hire me or not. This is an amazing opportunity and everything I hope for, yet it does not come without its own concerns. The first is that my girlfriend is a little uncomfortable with the idea of moving churches. She has been affirmed as a leader in her own right at her church and while she supports my ministry and wants us to attend together, it would be a loss for her. The second is that I do not want to do anything without the blessing and guidance of the Holy Spirit. So please pray that God's will would be done in this situation, and that everyone involved would discern well that whatever happens
My third and final prayer request has to do with the remaining finances I need to raise. As you know for the past several years I have had to raise 10,000 to cover part of my salary costs. This has been the easiest part of my role as your generosity has allowed me to mostly forget about this obligation. Now as it stands i need to raise about another $4000 and I will complete my funding requirements for the new year. This means I am covered until about January and need to go to part of June. I am so blessed by your support both financial and prayerful and so I ask that you would remember me this season one more time. In the unlikely event that I receive more than I need the remainder would go to the church to continue to support the ministries which I have been working with for the past several years. Please pray that the resources would come in and that the Lord would continue to bless my ministry.
Thank you
God Bless
- Stefan Klassen
It seems like such a long time since I have done one of these, at least two months have passed since I last updated you all on what has been going on in my life and ministry. The past two months have been good and that is in no small part to your prayers. While I was serving and attending classes in September, there was not a lot that was noteworthy. So I decided to include September and October together. I will continue in this fashion until I finish my current ministry position in June and then will re-evaluate if and how I will continue to make these updates.
Thanksgiving
Every two years the MB denomination holds a study conference to help the various churches and leaders to think deeply on a subject. For the third time in a row I have had the privilege of attending. This past years conference was held in Waterloo ON, and the church flew me and the other pastor out to attend. I am deeply grateful for the continued investment both my church and the larger conference have in me. Along those lines and something that may not be widely known is that I have been working on my credentialing in the MB church. Credentialing is an awkward term, that essentially means that the Canadian conference is looking at endorsing me as a pastor. This does not mean I was not previously, but it does mean that they publicly acknowledge me as a pastor and would get me in the door for future job opportunities, they also register me to perform weddings. To be credentialed I needed to write out a 20 page document about my thoughts and beliefs on pretty much everything, and then be interviewed by some current pastors. This is a longer process and I started it about a year ago, and I finished it in the last week of October. As such I am a fully credentialed pastor in the MB church!
Another thing I am deeply thankful for is the chance to attend the Canadian Youth Workers Conference this year. Generally speaking I try and attend every year and this year between school, the church, and my personal life I felt like I might not have time to do so, yet after some consideration I went again and was very pleased. This year the conference centred around youth and anxiety a difficult and unfortunately all to common occurrence. I found as I often do the teaching to be both engaging and helpful. Also at this conference I bumped into a friend I had not touched base with for some time. He shared with me some of his faith journey and asked me to meet with him at a later time to talk about it. For me this was another affirmation of my own growth as a pastor and leader and I am excited to see where things go.
Then finally but certainly not least this past month I had the chance to baptize another person. I have been walking with and serving a young couple who started attending the church a little over a year ago. They have slowly and surely become more engaged both with our young adult group and the larger church. And it was again another affirmation when this young man approached me and shared how he had not been baptized and then asked me to walk with him through that process. Being a part of a baptism is possibly my favourite part of my job and I am so grateful to help another person on their walk with Christ.
Prayer
As I indicated last time I wrote, this is my last year serving at my current church. This has been an amazing opportunity and while I am excited for the next phase of my journey I will be also sad to leave. Please pray for me as I try and be intentional about preparing those I lead and the leaders I serve with for my leaving. I finish right around the same time that the lead pastor finishes and he has served for much longer than I. I have also heard a few people express their remorse that I will not be pursuing to take over for the lead pastor. Four years ago when I accepted this position I shared that I was not intending to replace the lead pastor, and I share that sentiment still, yet it still weighs heavy on me. Please pray that God will continue to guide this congregation and its leadership to the right leader for this new season, and that the current pastors will equip the church well for this transition.
My second prayer request is another one that started in September, if not actually earlier. I believe it was august actually that I was called randomly and asked to interview for a youth pastor position at a church in Manitoba. In late September and early October I had two different interviews with this church, and they have invited me to candidate as their new youth pastor. So this means that late November I will have a little of half a dozen meetings with various people in the church, I will have to give my testimony a number of times and preach once in the main service and once for the youth. The whole process takes about 4 days and after which the congregation will vote to hire me or not. This is an amazing opportunity and everything I hope for, yet it does not come without its own concerns. The first is that my girlfriend is a little uncomfortable with the idea of moving churches. She has been affirmed as a leader in her own right at her church and while she supports my ministry and wants us to attend together, it would be a loss for her. The second is that I do not want to do anything without the blessing and guidance of the Holy Spirit. So please pray that God's will would be done in this situation, and that everyone involved would discern well that whatever happens
My third and final prayer request has to do with the remaining finances I need to raise. As you know for the past several years I have had to raise 10,000 to cover part of my salary costs. This has been the easiest part of my role as your generosity has allowed me to mostly forget about this obligation. Now as it stands i need to raise about another $4000 and I will complete my funding requirements for the new year. This means I am covered until about January and need to go to part of June. I am so blessed by your support both financial and prayerful and so I ask that you would remember me this season one more time. In the unlikely event that I receive more than I need the remainder would go to the church to continue to support the ministries which I have been working with for the past several years. Please pray that the resources would come in and that the Lord would continue to bless my ministry.
Thank you
God Bless
- Stefan Klassen
Friday, September 6, 2019
July & August - Vacations, Summer classes, and slowing down.
Good Morning Friends, Family, and Internet Wanderers!
It is hard to believe that we are already into fall, but the changing leaves and lowering temperature are harder to argue with. I trust that you have all had an enjoyable summer and have been able to make the most out of the weather and the longer days.
Thankfulness
Ever since I finished university (the first time) summer has always felt a little weird. When I was governed by the academic calendar summer was a time of rest and of slowing down. So when I graduated and joined the work force it took a while to get used to the idea of summer being just a regular time. However when I started serving with a church all of the sudden once again summer became a slower time, a time when students were away at vacations or camps and I went from having far to much to do, to being able to take half days and spend time on pet projects. This past summer was not one of those.
This past summer I needed to take two classes because the winter classes that had been offered the past year did not work for my schedule or degree. So from May until the middle of August I had assignments and readings to do. Don't get me wrong, in July and August church life slowed down, but this past summer has not been the rest that I once expected. That being said the last couple of weeks of August have been profoundly restful as classes had been completed and I was able to take some vacation time. I did not have a chance to go anywhere, but I spent the time with a few friends I do not see often, and a lot with my lovely lady. It has been just what I needed.
While the above makes it sound like my summer was really busy, that is not so much the case as it was just stressful to have classes when I normally have a break. That being said I also was able to take some time off in July and take in the Fringe Festival, not as much as I had in previous years, but still enough to enjoy it. So all in all I am very thankful for the blessings of time off, and of the cycle of the ministry year.
Prayer
I recently had a conversation with a friend who is a teacher and we both commented on how September feels much more like the start of a new year than January ever does. With the first few days already underway I am beginning to feel the familiar beginning of year anxiety. You see while it is nice that youth, and young adults, and even school slows down for summer, I have essentially fallen out of the habits that are necessary to do all of these things. So over the next couple of weeks I need to get back into the pattern of extended readings, of planning events weekly, and of preparing assignments and talks in between the other more fixed parts of my calendar. Please pray that this process will go well, and that I am able to start these ministries back up smoothly.
As I indicated in an early posting, this is also my last year at the church I am serving. I have been at this church for a little over four years now and am coming to the end of my program of school and service. It is my hope that I find a full time ministry position going forward, but that is far from certain. As I said before I have reached out and had an interview with a church about this, and I left that interview feeling fairly confident that I represented myself accurately. Please join me in praying for direction and wisdom for what comes next for me. Pray that if this church is the right fit that all those who contribute to that decision would come to agreement.
Please also pray for this year and the church I currently serve at as well. In addition to the end of my time here, the lead pastor is also retiring. In the space of about a month both pastoral staff will no longer be serving, and this could potentially be very difficult on the membership. Pray that the search committee will find a good and godly replacement for the leadership of this church. Please also pray for myself and the lead pastor, that we would transition well, and leave our respective ministries equipped to continue growing.
Thank you for your continued prayerful support.
God Bless
- Stefan Klassen
It is hard to believe that we are already into fall, but the changing leaves and lowering temperature are harder to argue with. I trust that you have all had an enjoyable summer and have been able to make the most out of the weather and the longer days.
Thankfulness
Ever since I finished university (the first time) summer has always felt a little weird. When I was governed by the academic calendar summer was a time of rest and of slowing down. So when I graduated and joined the work force it took a while to get used to the idea of summer being just a regular time. However when I started serving with a church all of the sudden once again summer became a slower time, a time when students were away at vacations or camps and I went from having far to much to do, to being able to take half days and spend time on pet projects. This past summer was not one of those.
This past summer I needed to take two classes because the winter classes that had been offered the past year did not work for my schedule or degree. So from May until the middle of August I had assignments and readings to do. Don't get me wrong, in July and August church life slowed down, but this past summer has not been the rest that I once expected. That being said the last couple of weeks of August have been profoundly restful as classes had been completed and I was able to take some vacation time. I did not have a chance to go anywhere, but I spent the time with a few friends I do not see often, and a lot with my lovely lady. It has been just what I needed.
While the above makes it sound like my summer was really busy, that is not so much the case as it was just stressful to have classes when I normally have a break. That being said I also was able to take some time off in July and take in the Fringe Festival, not as much as I had in previous years, but still enough to enjoy it. So all in all I am very thankful for the blessings of time off, and of the cycle of the ministry year.
Prayer
I recently had a conversation with a friend who is a teacher and we both commented on how September feels much more like the start of a new year than January ever does. With the first few days already underway I am beginning to feel the familiar beginning of year anxiety. You see while it is nice that youth, and young adults, and even school slows down for summer, I have essentially fallen out of the habits that are necessary to do all of these things. So over the next couple of weeks I need to get back into the pattern of extended readings, of planning events weekly, and of preparing assignments and talks in between the other more fixed parts of my calendar. Please pray that this process will go well, and that I am able to start these ministries back up smoothly.
As I indicated in an early posting, this is also my last year at the church I am serving. I have been at this church for a little over four years now and am coming to the end of my program of school and service. It is my hope that I find a full time ministry position going forward, but that is far from certain. As I said before I have reached out and had an interview with a church about this, and I left that interview feeling fairly confident that I represented myself accurately. Please join me in praying for direction and wisdom for what comes next for me. Pray that if this church is the right fit that all those who contribute to that decision would come to agreement.
Please also pray for this year and the church I currently serve at as well. In addition to the end of my time here, the lead pastor is also retiring. In the space of about a month both pastoral staff will no longer be serving, and this could potentially be very difficult on the membership. Pray that the search committee will find a good and godly replacement for the leadership of this church. Please also pray for myself and the lead pastor, that we would transition well, and leave our respective ministries equipped to continue growing.
Thank you for your continued prayerful support.
God Bless
- Stefan Klassen
Friday, July 5, 2019
May & June - Retreats, Conferences, Classes, and Future Planning!
Good Morning Friends, Family, and Internet Wanderers!
Thank you all for taking time to read about how I am doing and what has been going on in my life and ministry. I also must apologize for not sending out a May update as has been my norm. All of May and the first half of June were incredibly busy and I decided that this was something I could skip for a month. Moving forward I think I will continue this new trend and send out updates every other month as thankfully my life and work have both been relatively stable.
Thanksgiving
Thank you to those who faithfully prayed for the youth trip that we were to take in May. As is so often the case when I plan youth events this was incredibly stressful right up until everyone was in the vehicle and we were on the road. It is almost as if once I can no longer make changes my anxiety drops almost completely. The youth conference was amazing and I got to take a team of 5 students and 1 other leader to intentionally invest in our faith. The drive went smoothly both ways, and by in large the team worked and played well with each other. Some personal highlights were seeing some of the younger students take notes (something I have never witnessed before), and having deep and meaningful conversations with some of the older students. It was also a real highlight to be able to invest in the other leader who came with me. One of the best parts of my role is seeing how students and leaders grow overtime, and at one point one of my students shared with me an insight I know I had shared with him over a year ago!
Another huge blessing that came near the end of May was being able to attend the MB Pastors retreat. This event is always a bit of a mixed bag for me, as I wonder how to think of the event. On one hand it is set up as a retreat and a restful experience, on the other hand it is a huge networking opportunity with great teaching. This year the teaching was particularly good as they had invited Bruxy Cavey of the Meeting House, a large church in Toronto. I do not know how he would describe himself, but he seemed to me to be a classic Anabaptist, and offered many useful insights. The one which stands out the clearest to me is how he disparages the idea of calling Jesus saviour. This is not because the term is not accurate, but because when we refer to Jesus as saviour we then see our connection as one of only receiving. Instead he suggested we refer to Jesus as Lord. Lord includes the traditional understanding of saviour but also implies that we have a duty to respond to him.
The third blessing of these two months started out as a bit of a concern when the professor for one of my classes ended up cancelling the class last minute due to illness. I was understandably concerned, perhaps a bit too selfishly, that I wasted a lot of time preparing for a class that would not happen. Thankfully after a week or so of uncertainty the class was reformed and shifted into a more independent study project. This new format is actually 10X better for my schedule as it both freed up some time that I had allotted for the class, and allows me to work at my own pace. As it stands I am now very nearly finished both of my summer classes.
Prayer
The beginning of June marked the start of my fifth and final year at the church where I have been serving for the past 4 years. I have learned and grown so much in this time and now it is time for me to start thinking about next steps. Related to this I had a conversation with a Manitoba pastor at the retreat about their needs for a youth pastor. There is a lot of details up in the air as they had a candidate for the position. That being said about two weeks ago I was contacted by that pastor again because for whatever reason the candidate they had did not work out. I shared that I was committed to my current church for another year, and I was still asked to apply. So this weekend I am updating my resume and apply for this position. Please pray that the Lord guides me and this church to making the decision He wants, whatever that looks like.
Along the same vein I would ask for your continued prayer for my relationship with my girlfriend. Our relationship continues to grow strong and we have now met each others families and most of our respective friends. It continues to be exciting, and also eye opening as I begin to know another person in a much deeper way than I ever have before. As we look to the future and begin to think of what that might look like, please pray for us both that we would hear God clearly and follow His direction in both of our lives.
Finally please continue to pray for my mother. As most if not all of you know her condition while not deteriorating, has also not improved the way we would like to see. We are still optimistic that the new treatment plan she is on will do what it is supposed to, but with cancer nothing is certain. One of the particular difficulties for mom is that her new reality has meant adjusting her diet significantly which has not been easy. Please join me in praying for her healing and for strength of mind and she deals with not only the physical toll, but also the mental strain.
Thank you for your continued prayerful support. I could not do what I do without your intercession.
God Bless
-Stefan Klassen
Thank you all for taking time to read about how I am doing and what has been going on in my life and ministry. I also must apologize for not sending out a May update as has been my norm. All of May and the first half of June were incredibly busy and I decided that this was something I could skip for a month. Moving forward I think I will continue this new trend and send out updates every other month as thankfully my life and work have both been relatively stable.
Thanksgiving
Thank you to those who faithfully prayed for the youth trip that we were to take in May. As is so often the case when I plan youth events this was incredibly stressful right up until everyone was in the vehicle and we were on the road. It is almost as if once I can no longer make changes my anxiety drops almost completely. The youth conference was amazing and I got to take a team of 5 students and 1 other leader to intentionally invest in our faith. The drive went smoothly both ways, and by in large the team worked and played well with each other. Some personal highlights were seeing some of the younger students take notes (something I have never witnessed before), and having deep and meaningful conversations with some of the older students. It was also a real highlight to be able to invest in the other leader who came with me. One of the best parts of my role is seeing how students and leaders grow overtime, and at one point one of my students shared with me an insight I know I had shared with him over a year ago!
Another huge blessing that came near the end of May was being able to attend the MB Pastors retreat. This event is always a bit of a mixed bag for me, as I wonder how to think of the event. On one hand it is set up as a retreat and a restful experience, on the other hand it is a huge networking opportunity with great teaching. This year the teaching was particularly good as they had invited Bruxy Cavey of the Meeting House, a large church in Toronto. I do not know how he would describe himself, but he seemed to me to be a classic Anabaptist, and offered many useful insights. The one which stands out the clearest to me is how he disparages the idea of calling Jesus saviour. This is not because the term is not accurate, but because when we refer to Jesus as saviour we then see our connection as one of only receiving. Instead he suggested we refer to Jesus as Lord. Lord includes the traditional understanding of saviour but also implies that we have a duty to respond to him.
The third blessing of these two months started out as a bit of a concern when the professor for one of my classes ended up cancelling the class last minute due to illness. I was understandably concerned, perhaps a bit too selfishly, that I wasted a lot of time preparing for a class that would not happen. Thankfully after a week or so of uncertainty the class was reformed and shifted into a more independent study project. This new format is actually 10X better for my schedule as it both freed up some time that I had allotted for the class, and allows me to work at my own pace. As it stands I am now very nearly finished both of my summer classes.
Prayer
The beginning of June marked the start of my fifth and final year at the church where I have been serving for the past 4 years. I have learned and grown so much in this time and now it is time for me to start thinking about next steps. Related to this I had a conversation with a Manitoba pastor at the retreat about their needs for a youth pastor. There is a lot of details up in the air as they had a candidate for the position. That being said about two weeks ago I was contacted by that pastor again because for whatever reason the candidate they had did not work out. I shared that I was committed to my current church for another year, and I was still asked to apply. So this weekend I am updating my resume and apply for this position. Please pray that the Lord guides me and this church to making the decision He wants, whatever that looks like.
Along the same vein I would ask for your continued prayer for my relationship with my girlfriend. Our relationship continues to grow strong and we have now met each others families and most of our respective friends. It continues to be exciting, and also eye opening as I begin to know another person in a much deeper way than I ever have before. As we look to the future and begin to think of what that might look like, please pray for us both that we would hear God clearly and follow His direction in both of our lives.
Finally please continue to pray for my mother. As most if not all of you know her condition while not deteriorating, has also not improved the way we would like to see. We are still optimistic that the new treatment plan she is on will do what it is supposed to, but with cancer nothing is certain. One of the particular difficulties for mom is that her new reality has meant adjusting her diet significantly which has not been easy. Please join me in praying for her healing and for strength of mind and she deals with not only the physical toll, but also the mental strain.
Thank you for your continued prayerful support. I could not do what I do without your intercession.
God Bless
-Stefan Klassen
Friday, May 3, 2019
April - End of Semester, New Relationships and Fundraisers!
Good Morning Friends, Family, and Internet Wanderers!
I hope everyone has had a meaningful Easter and is excited for the warming weather. In my apartment I have radiator heat, and so this time of year it is either way to hot, or way to cold depending on if the heater is going. That aside this month has been an amazing one for me! From finishing the semester strong, to plans going well, and a new relationship I am truly feeling blessed this month and as such I am going to combine my prayer requests with my thankfulness today. :)
Youth
I want to first and foremost thank everyone who continues to pray for me and for the things I post on this Blog. As I have shared for the past few months I am planning a youth trip to a conference. Along with all of the paperwork and e-mails involved with figuring out how to transport teenagers long distances, I also needed to plan a fundraiser. The fundraiser was held on Friday April 26th, and it was very different than I expected. The total cost for this event is being estimated around 1800, which is not huge for taking 7 people on a trip, but more than I have ever spent on a youth event. In addition to planning this fundraiser I had prayed and discerned and asked those who attend to reach the target of 1200,feeling like this was a stretch but hoping to reduce student costs by 2/3rds. The event itself went well with students engaging attendees and serving coffee/ desserts. That being said we did not have a ton of people show up. Yet the event went well for those who attended, and after the event when counting the funds I was made aware that other people had been contributing to this on Sunday morning as well, and we had actually raised almost 1500! We are so blessed by the generosity of the church, but also by the prayers of people like you.
Please continue to pray for this event, it is almost 2 weeks exactly until we leave and there are still some students who need to submit papers, and some final things to get sorted. Please pray for me as a leader that I will lead well, and get everything sorted. Please also pray for the students who still need to get things to me, I would really hate to have to leave a student behind because they could not get a few basic things in order.
New Relationship
Speaking of answers to prayers, this month I made another announcement which I assume most people here are already aware of, but on the off case you are not I have started a relationship with a beautiful young woman. Speaking truthfully we have actually been dating for almost 3 months, but both of us wanted to make sure that this was not going to be a fling, before sharing it publicly. It seems a little to early still to comment on the longevity of this relationship but we are both cautiously optimistic about this.
Please pray for both of us as we continue to spend time to learn about one another, that we would have the conversations we need to have, and that we would learn what we need to learn about each other. Pray that God would guide us both and that our relationship would honour Him in all ways.
School
Finally, April marked the end of the semester! In many ways I was concerned about taking one less class this semester and the larger upcoming workload, but it has been great. I have been finding more and more that taking courses the traditional way (coming to the campus for an hour or two, 2-3 times a week) is increasingly difficult for me. More and more I am appreciating the ability to take a course all at once, by taking one week to do the whole class and then turning in the homework at my own pace over the next 2 months. This is what my upcoming semester is looking like and I am so thankful for it. Also with the reduced load of this past semester I am finding myself able to work ahead for both of my upcoming classes and by doing so I am finding the stress lessened.
Please pray for the upcoming semester and the two courses that I am doing. Right now everything is great, but I worry about the busyness of the end of the ministry year, combined with increased coursework might be a very heavy load. Pray that I will continue to manage my time well and that I might be able to finish early and take some vacation time this summer.
Thank you again for your continued support both prayerful and financial. I could not do this without such a strong support network behind me.
I hope everyone has had a meaningful Easter and is excited for the warming weather. In my apartment I have radiator heat, and so this time of year it is either way to hot, or way to cold depending on if the heater is going. That aside this month has been an amazing one for me! From finishing the semester strong, to plans going well, and a new relationship I am truly feeling blessed this month and as such I am going to combine my prayer requests with my thankfulness today. :)
Youth
I want to first and foremost thank everyone who continues to pray for me and for the things I post on this Blog. As I have shared for the past few months I am planning a youth trip to a conference. Along with all of the paperwork and e-mails involved with figuring out how to transport teenagers long distances, I also needed to plan a fundraiser. The fundraiser was held on Friday April 26th, and it was very different than I expected. The total cost for this event is being estimated around 1800, which is not huge for taking 7 people on a trip, but more than I have ever spent on a youth event. In addition to planning this fundraiser I had prayed and discerned and asked those who attend to reach the target of 1200,feeling like this was a stretch but hoping to reduce student costs by 2/3rds. The event itself went well with students engaging attendees and serving coffee/ desserts. That being said we did not have a ton of people show up. Yet the event went well for those who attended, and after the event when counting the funds I was made aware that other people had been contributing to this on Sunday morning as well, and we had actually raised almost 1500! We are so blessed by the generosity of the church, but also by the prayers of people like you.
Please continue to pray for this event, it is almost 2 weeks exactly until we leave and there are still some students who need to submit papers, and some final things to get sorted. Please pray for me as a leader that I will lead well, and get everything sorted. Please also pray for the students who still need to get things to me, I would really hate to have to leave a student behind because they could not get a few basic things in order.
New Relationship
Speaking of answers to prayers, this month I made another announcement which I assume most people here are already aware of, but on the off case you are not I have started a relationship with a beautiful young woman. Speaking truthfully we have actually been dating for almost 3 months, but both of us wanted to make sure that this was not going to be a fling, before sharing it publicly. It seems a little to early still to comment on the longevity of this relationship but we are both cautiously optimistic about this.
Please pray for both of us as we continue to spend time to learn about one another, that we would have the conversations we need to have, and that we would learn what we need to learn about each other. Pray that God would guide us both and that our relationship would honour Him in all ways.
School
Finally, April marked the end of the semester! In many ways I was concerned about taking one less class this semester and the larger upcoming workload, but it has been great. I have been finding more and more that taking courses the traditional way (coming to the campus for an hour or two, 2-3 times a week) is increasingly difficult for me. More and more I am appreciating the ability to take a course all at once, by taking one week to do the whole class and then turning in the homework at my own pace over the next 2 months. This is what my upcoming semester is looking like and I am so thankful for it. Also with the reduced load of this past semester I am finding myself able to work ahead for both of my upcoming classes and by doing so I am finding the stress lessened.
Please pray for the upcoming semester and the two courses that I am doing. Right now everything is great, but I worry about the busyness of the end of the ministry year, combined with increased coursework might be a very heavy load. Pray that I will continue to manage my time well and that I might be able to finish early and take some vacation time this summer.
Thank you again for your continued support both prayerful and financial. I could not do this without such a strong support network behind me.
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
March - Prayer, School, and Youth Trips
Good Afternoon Friends, Family, and Internet Wanderers
March has been another month of some Highs and Lows, yet overall my month has been a good one. In this month I have had the privilege to spend more intentional time in prayer, learn about scary and new things that I had not before considered and enjoy the support and guidance of my family at home and at church.
Thankfulness
The end of February and beginning of March is my favourite time of year. This is not just because spring is almost here, but because it is tax time, and the tax man normally owes me money. Yet this year I jumped the gun and submitted my taxes earlier than normal. In doing this I realized a mistake I had made on my taxes and for about a week thought I would end up owing a lot of money. Yet my bringing this up here is in thankfulness. Thankfulness at my family for listing to my concerns, and for working with me to figure out solutions. Thankfulness to the treasurer at the church who issues my tax forms and was able to talk me through my problem. All in all, and after a stressful week, not only did I not end up owing, but I actually got a little bit more back. I truly am blessed.
This past month I have also spent a lot of time looking into legal issues around ministry, as a part of my class work. To alleviate any concerns, I do not actually have a legal issue, but a hypothetical last semester sparked a desire in me around this topic. As such i was able to meet with the churches insurance people at a conference, and pick their brains. I was also able to meet with a representative of the Canadian Council of Christian Charities, and not only find answers to my questions but a valuable resource for future questions. I have also begun to realize just how much of my life and work is governed my administrative needs and how blessed I have been to have people in my life and ministry who not only know this but are themselves resources to me in this regard.
I have also been blessed this month as a part of my course requirements to spend more intentional time in prayer. As a part of this exercise I have spent a lot of time in prayer and specifically I was once again invited to pray over the youth groups of SOAR, an inner city mission trip. In these moments God has been growing in me an awareness of just how much he desires my prayers and my devotion. It has also been amazing to see how he answers prayers and addresses my needs and the needs of those I have been praying for.
Prayer Requests
Speaking of prayer. Most of you know that late in March my mom was taken to hospital due to severe stomach pain. Shortly after that they found that she had another tumour that was causing the complications. This was both shocking and discouraging for her as the doctors had been believing she was improving. Please remember my mom in your prayers, pray for healing, pray for strength of spirit for her and for those of us who surround her to know how best to support her.
Last month I shared that I am planning a youth trip, this is still the case. So in addition to continued prayers for wisdom and discernment I would ask that you pray for me as I relate to parents of my students. For the last 3-4 years I have largely not had to think about parents too much. Occasionally they would ask for updates about their kids, but mostly they were just happy for me to be investing. Recently I have been having more interactions and while the vast majority are positive, a few are not. I have been encouraged by my lead to see myself not just as the pastor of the students, but also to the parents and to try and be a resources to them, but this intimidates me. Pray for positive parent interactions and that I can be a blessing to them.
Finally I ask for your prayer for the upcoming summer semester. Last month I shared how light this semester has been because it was only one class. As summer approaches this will change. Pray that I would be able to schedule myself and my ministry well. Pray that I would find a good balance for life, ministry, and school.
Thank you again for your prayers and support, they mean the world to me.
March has been another month of some Highs and Lows, yet overall my month has been a good one. In this month I have had the privilege to spend more intentional time in prayer, learn about scary and new things that I had not before considered and enjoy the support and guidance of my family at home and at church.
Thankfulness
The end of February and beginning of March is my favourite time of year. This is not just because spring is almost here, but because it is tax time, and the tax man normally owes me money. Yet this year I jumped the gun and submitted my taxes earlier than normal. In doing this I realized a mistake I had made on my taxes and for about a week thought I would end up owing a lot of money. Yet my bringing this up here is in thankfulness. Thankfulness at my family for listing to my concerns, and for working with me to figure out solutions. Thankfulness to the treasurer at the church who issues my tax forms and was able to talk me through my problem. All in all, and after a stressful week, not only did I not end up owing, but I actually got a little bit more back. I truly am blessed.
This past month I have also spent a lot of time looking into legal issues around ministry, as a part of my class work. To alleviate any concerns, I do not actually have a legal issue, but a hypothetical last semester sparked a desire in me around this topic. As such i was able to meet with the churches insurance people at a conference, and pick their brains. I was also able to meet with a representative of the Canadian Council of Christian Charities, and not only find answers to my questions but a valuable resource for future questions. I have also begun to realize just how much of my life and work is governed my administrative needs and how blessed I have been to have people in my life and ministry who not only know this but are themselves resources to me in this regard.
I have also been blessed this month as a part of my course requirements to spend more intentional time in prayer. As a part of this exercise I have spent a lot of time in prayer and specifically I was once again invited to pray over the youth groups of SOAR, an inner city mission trip. In these moments God has been growing in me an awareness of just how much he desires my prayers and my devotion. It has also been amazing to see how he answers prayers and addresses my needs and the needs of those I have been praying for.
Prayer Requests
Speaking of prayer. Most of you know that late in March my mom was taken to hospital due to severe stomach pain. Shortly after that they found that she had another tumour that was causing the complications. This was both shocking and discouraging for her as the doctors had been believing she was improving. Please remember my mom in your prayers, pray for healing, pray for strength of spirit for her and for those of us who surround her to know how best to support her.
Last month I shared that I am planning a youth trip, this is still the case. So in addition to continued prayers for wisdom and discernment I would ask that you pray for me as I relate to parents of my students. For the last 3-4 years I have largely not had to think about parents too much. Occasionally they would ask for updates about their kids, but mostly they were just happy for me to be investing. Recently I have been having more interactions and while the vast majority are positive, a few are not. I have been encouraged by my lead to see myself not just as the pastor of the students, but also to the parents and to try and be a resources to them, but this intimidates me. Pray for positive parent interactions and that I can be a blessing to them.
Finally I ask for your prayer for the upcoming summer semester. Last month I shared how light this semester has been because it was only one class. As summer approaches this will change. Pray that I would be able to schedule myself and my ministry well. Pray that I would find a good balance for life, ministry, and school.
Thank you again for your prayers and support, they mean the world to me.
Wednesday, March 6, 2019
February - Family, Sermons, and Slowing down.
Good Morning Friends Family, and Internet Wanderers
February has come and gone and as with so many months I wonder just where all that time went. This month has been a pleasant mix of some very full days, and a few lower key moments.
Thankfulness
I do not know about you but February is easily one of my favourite months. While there are several reasons for this, like the fact that it marks the beginning of the turn in the weather and that it is the halfway point in the ministry year. But by far the biggest factor is that I can start thinking about tax returns. As much as I can I try not to budget for receiving this return, but between leftover Christmas bills, and unexpected costs related to my health and vehicle I often need the influx of cash. This year I was feeling particularly anxious about needing the resources, and so I filled my taxes as soon as I could, mid February. Yet it quickly became apparent that I made a mistake, as I later received a tax document that I had not known I was going to receive and therefor did not factor it in. This itself caused a lot of anxiety and frustration. Yet as I work with my dad, my uncle, and the treasurer of my church to clear up the mistake I find myself feeling profoundly thankful. Thankful that my dad has a program that can address this, and has the patience to work with me in it. Thankful that my uncle has both the expertise and the willingness to take calls and answer questions. And thankful that my church treasurer is gracious in explaining and encouraging me to look into these things.
I also find myself being profoundly thankful this month for the slower pace of life. As I shared last month, I am only taking a single class this semester and that has been a real blessing. I found last month I was stressing about school a lot, and with the different duties at the church I was not giving attention to everything that I wish I could. Yet this semester I have been able to attend 2 conferences, and several additional events that I could not have had I also been having to do a second class worth of work.
Finally I want to thank everyone who prayed for me this past month in regards to both of my mental health sermons. Last month I shared how anxious they were making me, and how much I was concerned that I might not have anything valuable to say. Yet after both sermons I found not only the usual encouragement that I often receive from my loving church, but much more personal engagements. After the first service someone came up and shared with me about their own struggles and how much they could have used my sermon at their low point. They even went so far to ask and then distribute my sermon to those they knew who were struggling. After the second sermon I had a long conversation with someone who really identified with what I shared. The talk and the sermon were both productive for this person. All of this has encouraged me greatly as I continue to work and serve at the church.
Prayer Requests
As a part of my class this semester I need to be regularly evaluated by a team of people at my church. This review is coming up soon in March and while I am fairly confident I am still also stressed out about this. Last semester this process was relatively painless and I hope for that to be the same again, yet I cannot help but wonder what I may or may not be doing that people might struggle with. Please join with me in praying that this group would be gracious to me as they have been in the past. That God would speak through them, not only encouragement but also the areas I need to grow in as a pastor and leader.
Another hope I have for the future has to do with our youth group and an upcoming conference. I have often wanted to take my group of students to more retreats and conferences yet have had many difficulties in this. In the next few months I am hoping to take a small group of students to a conference in Saskatchewan, there are many variables I need to reflect on and think about. Please pray for me as I take on this new challenge and task. Please pray that the event would come together and that the students would benefit from this event and that God would move among us.
Thank you to everyone who supports me both prayerfully and financially. I could not do this without the generosity and support of people like you.
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
January, The New Year, Grief, and New Beginnings
Good Morning Friends, Family, and Internet Wanderers
January has been an exciting and intense way to begin this year. On paper this month has had less in it than past months, yet somehow it has felt very full.
Thankfulness
In December I was not feeling very well, and it was not my usual kind of sickness. Normally and pretty naively I would just ignore it until I got better. Yet I shared my concern with my pastor who advised me go to the doctor. One visit turned into three, as well as an appointment at a lab where I had to give several vials of blood. All of this was a new experience for me and I found myself more than a little nervous because there was potential for my illness to be something very serious. Yet after all was said and done, in January I got my test results and it ended up being something very minor and the doctor gave me a clean bill of health. I did not share this widely at the time, but I am so very thankful for those who prayed and for God's provision in my life.
Another point of thankfulness this month is that I was able to take four Jr. High students to a large youth event outside of the city. One of my struggles with a smaller group of students and being divided with several different roles at the church is that I do not often get to attend a youth conference or event like this. It was an amazing time of investing in students and sharing the love of Jesus with them in a fun and unique setting. I am so blessed that as our group continues to grow I will be able to do more things like this in the future.
I have also been blessed this month to continue to see the young adults group continue to grow. The numbers at our bi-weekly bible study are still pretty stable, but the additional events that we do have seen an increased attendance. I have also been able to meet with several of the other young adults in our church in January. It is one of my favourite things to do, to meet people for coffee and hear some of their story. This month I have had the privileged to have many more of these conversations than previously. I truly feel blessed and that I am making a difference when someone is comfortable enough to share with me their struggles and I am able to encourage them in their faith.
Prayer Requests
Last month I mentioned that there was someone in my community who had cancer and was suffering. This month the Lord saw fit to bring him home. The man who passed leaves behind a wife and several younger children. Please join with me in praying for the family of the deceased, that they would know and experience the love of God and their church despite this difficult situation.
Looking to February, I am scheduled to preach twice, both times on various elements of mental health. This is an area that I know is very personal to a lot of people and I have been experiencing a decent amount of my own anxiety as I prepare for it. In addition as I have been preparing for these sermons I have found myself struggling with clarifying what I want to say. Please pray that I would listen well to the moving of the Holy Spirit and speak only what he would have me say.
Finally please continue to pray with me that I would find a good balance between work and school for the next few months. As I wrote last month, my class schedule is lighter this semester due to lack of options. My plan is to take an additional class over summer. Yet as I alluded to above, right now my schedule still feels very full. Please pray that I will make sure to not overload myself this semester and that I can work on the other projects that I had set aside for this time.
God Bless
- Stefan Klassen
January has been an exciting and intense way to begin this year. On paper this month has had less in it than past months, yet somehow it has felt very full.
Thankfulness
In December I was not feeling very well, and it was not my usual kind of sickness. Normally and pretty naively I would just ignore it until I got better. Yet I shared my concern with my pastor who advised me go to the doctor. One visit turned into three, as well as an appointment at a lab where I had to give several vials of blood. All of this was a new experience for me and I found myself more than a little nervous because there was potential for my illness to be something very serious. Yet after all was said and done, in January I got my test results and it ended up being something very minor and the doctor gave me a clean bill of health. I did not share this widely at the time, but I am so very thankful for those who prayed and for God's provision in my life.
Another point of thankfulness this month is that I was able to take four Jr. High students to a large youth event outside of the city. One of my struggles with a smaller group of students and being divided with several different roles at the church is that I do not often get to attend a youth conference or event like this. It was an amazing time of investing in students and sharing the love of Jesus with them in a fun and unique setting. I am so blessed that as our group continues to grow I will be able to do more things like this in the future.
I have also been blessed this month to continue to see the young adults group continue to grow. The numbers at our bi-weekly bible study are still pretty stable, but the additional events that we do have seen an increased attendance. I have also been able to meet with several of the other young adults in our church in January. It is one of my favourite things to do, to meet people for coffee and hear some of their story. This month I have had the privileged to have many more of these conversations than previously. I truly feel blessed and that I am making a difference when someone is comfortable enough to share with me their struggles and I am able to encourage them in their faith.
Prayer Requests
Last month I mentioned that there was someone in my community who had cancer and was suffering. This month the Lord saw fit to bring him home. The man who passed leaves behind a wife and several younger children. Please join with me in praying for the family of the deceased, that they would know and experience the love of God and their church despite this difficult situation.
Looking to February, I am scheduled to preach twice, both times on various elements of mental health. This is an area that I know is very personal to a lot of people and I have been experiencing a decent amount of my own anxiety as I prepare for it. In addition as I have been preparing for these sermons I have found myself struggling with clarifying what I want to say. Please pray that I would listen well to the moving of the Holy Spirit and speak only what he would have me say.
Finally please continue to pray with me that I would find a good balance between work and school for the next few months. As I wrote last month, my class schedule is lighter this semester due to lack of options. My plan is to take an additional class over summer. Yet as I alluded to above, right now my schedule still feels very full. Please pray that I will make sure to not overload myself this semester and that I can work on the other projects that I had set aside for this time.
God Bless
- Stefan Klassen
Thursday, January 3, 2019
December, Christmas, Leaders, Difficulties Redeemed, and Missed Opportunities
Good Morning Friends, Family, and Internet Wanderers
December has for the most part been a wonderful break from many of the stresses of work and school. I know for many who work in the church December is chaotic, but for someone who works with kids like me, many of our programs take a break for the holiday and only start up again in a week or so. So this month has been one of rest, joy, and while there have been fewer stresses and fears, there still have been a few.
Thankfulness
The month of December has been a fairly positive one and I leave it feeling energized to continue serving the people God has put in my path. One of the things which I am profoundly thankful is the growth I have been seeing in the two ministries which I spend most of my time, Youth and Young Adults. Both groups have been struggling numerically in the past, yet the final events of the year of both were exciting in terms of attendance, and also just in the quality of the interactions that were had.
Related to this I have experienced an answer to your prayers in regards to the difficult person I wrote about last month. For most of December I gave this person a wide berth, not knowing how to really interact with them in a positive way. I know I should not let it affect how I treated them, and worked to have short positive interactions with them, but mostly I just tried not to speak to them and instead prayed about the situation as often as I remembered it. Yet I started to feel convicted by the Spirit not to avoid the person, but to love them as best I could despite the difficulties. Shortly after that this person came to me, and shared that they had prayed more about the situation and me, and that they now thought I was doing a good job. Not only did they change their mind, but the way the person spoke to me was significantly more positive. I do not know all exactly what sparked the change or if perhaps they had just been having a bad day earlier, but I thank God for his work in the situation.
Another point of thankfulness this month has to do with the pastor and his wife. I hear so many stories of difficult or tense relationships between Sr. and Youth Pastors, and while I occasionally disagree with my lead, he is always gracious and a teacher to his core. There are so many different ways that he and his wife have blessed me and as I reflect on December I specifically remember when I was debriefing the difficult situation with them how much I felt as if they were on my side. I asked about the issues, and wanted to make sure I was leading well and I felt such encouragement from them both. I am also so blessed that my lead lovingly calls me to be a better person. Earlier this month I was sick and I often ignore any symptoms I may actually have due to a combination of personal laziness and discomfort with doctors. Yet he encouraged and pushed me to get it sorted out, I had not been to a doctor in about 10 years and when the doctor ordered a battery of tests I was very nervous. Yet the results came and other than being a little overweight I am in perfect health. I am so very blessed to be lovingly pushed towards personal growth in all things.
Prayer Requests
As I shared last month there has been an increase in the number of people who I am praying for. In November I have had a few significant interactions, and in December I tried to build upon those but was not able to. This is partially due to the business of the season, but I also suspect it had to do with discomfort around sharing. Please join with me in praying for those who are sick and hurting in my community. Pray that they would experience the love of God in the midst of crisis. Specifically I ask for prayers for someone in my circle who is struggling with terminal cancer, that God would heal him.
I believe I have also shared before that I regularly pray for opportunities to share my faith with the people in my building, and my neighbourhood. Recently I have noticed some missed opportunities once it is too late to rectify them. I have ignored opportunities to talk, or interact with people on the street or in the local grocery store, etc. Please join with me in prayer that I would not miss any more, that I would notice the people God places in my path and greet them with hospitality and not be "in a rush" and so ignore them.
Finally this semester will look a little different for me than previous ones. The trouble with a graduate program is that there are only so many courses that can be offered at my level. For me this means that this semester I have taken almost all of the classes that would be offered and as such will be taking 2 classes in summer instead of 1, and 1 class now instead of 2. On the one hand I am excited as this will give me a bit more time for the next couple of months, but on the other hand it looks like it will really increase my workload in April-June which are traditionally my busiest months. Please pray that I will plan well, that I will use my extra time now to work ahead and make the most of the one class I am taking this semester.
Thank you so much for your continued prayerful support. The longer I spend serving the more I realize just how dependant I am on other people, on their prayers, their patience, and their support. I am so blessed by you.
December has for the most part been a wonderful break from many of the stresses of work and school. I know for many who work in the church December is chaotic, but for someone who works with kids like me, many of our programs take a break for the holiday and only start up again in a week or so. So this month has been one of rest, joy, and while there have been fewer stresses and fears, there still have been a few.
Thankfulness
The month of December has been a fairly positive one and I leave it feeling energized to continue serving the people God has put in my path. One of the things which I am profoundly thankful is the growth I have been seeing in the two ministries which I spend most of my time, Youth and Young Adults. Both groups have been struggling numerically in the past, yet the final events of the year of both were exciting in terms of attendance, and also just in the quality of the interactions that were had.
Related to this I have experienced an answer to your prayers in regards to the difficult person I wrote about last month. For most of December I gave this person a wide berth, not knowing how to really interact with them in a positive way. I know I should not let it affect how I treated them, and worked to have short positive interactions with them, but mostly I just tried not to speak to them and instead prayed about the situation as often as I remembered it. Yet I started to feel convicted by the Spirit not to avoid the person, but to love them as best I could despite the difficulties. Shortly after that this person came to me, and shared that they had prayed more about the situation and me, and that they now thought I was doing a good job. Not only did they change their mind, but the way the person spoke to me was significantly more positive. I do not know all exactly what sparked the change or if perhaps they had just been having a bad day earlier, but I thank God for his work in the situation.
Another point of thankfulness this month has to do with the pastor and his wife. I hear so many stories of difficult or tense relationships between Sr. and Youth Pastors, and while I occasionally disagree with my lead, he is always gracious and a teacher to his core. There are so many different ways that he and his wife have blessed me and as I reflect on December I specifically remember when I was debriefing the difficult situation with them how much I felt as if they were on my side. I asked about the issues, and wanted to make sure I was leading well and I felt such encouragement from them both. I am also so blessed that my lead lovingly calls me to be a better person. Earlier this month I was sick and I often ignore any symptoms I may actually have due to a combination of personal laziness and discomfort with doctors. Yet he encouraged and pushed me to get it sorted out, I had not been to a doctor in about 10 years and when the doctor ordered a battery of tests I was very nervous. Yet the results came and other than being a little overweight I am in perfect health. I am so very blessed to be lovingly pushed towards personal growth in all things.
Prayer Requests
As I shared last month there has been an increase in the number of people who I am praying for. In November I have had a few significant interactions, and in December I tried to build upon those but was not able to. This is partially due to the business of the season, but I also suspect it had to do with discomfort around sharing. Please join with me in praying for those who are sick and hurting in my community. Pray that they would experience the love of God in the midst of crisis. Specifically I ask for prayers for someone in my circle who is struggling with terminal cancer, that God would heal him.
I believe I have also shared before that I regularly pray for opportunities to share my faith with the people in my building, and my neighbourhood. Recently I have noticed some missed opportunities once it is too late to rectify them. I have ignored opportunities to talk, or interact with people on the street or in the local grocery store, etc. Please join with me in prayer that I would not miss any more, that I would notice the people God places in my path and greet them with hospitality and not be "in a rush" and so ignore them.
Finally this semester will look a little different for me than previous ones. The trouble with a graduate program is that there are only so many courses that can be offered at my level. For me this means that this semester I have taken almost all of the classes that would be offered and as such will be taking 2 classes in summer instead of 1, and 1 class now instead of 2. On the one hand I am excited as this will give me a bit more time for the next couple of months, but on the other hand it looks like it will really increase my workload in April-June which are traditionally my busiest months. Please pray that I will plan well, that I will use my extra time now to work ahead and make the most of the one class I am taking this semester.
Thank you so much for your continued prayerful support. The longer I spend serving the more I realize just how dependant I am on other people, on their prayers, their patience, and their support. I am so blessed by you.
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