Quebec Alive moments

On April 6, 2009 (Quebec Alive Moment #13) we wrote about a little church in Montreal-Nord.  This church had been going through some tough times and asked Robert and Jackie Charpentier to help them grow in maturity and numbers, as the Lord would will.  Robert and Jackie accepted and began ministering in September of 2006.  At that time there were about 30 people.  Robert (pictured) began serving as the pastor and Jackie began to spearhead the evangelistic outreach, using the Evangelism Explosion program.  By the following September, the numbers had increased to an average of 75, with a high of 96.  With this number they had outgrown their existing facility.  They began looking for a new facility, but several obstacles prevented them from moving.  However, they knew that the Lord would provide in His time whatever they needed.  They did not want two services at that time (see Quebec Alive Moment #17), but in the spring of 2009, with the attendance frequently reaching 100, they finally began two services.  Today, the attendance is averaging close to 150.  The two services are now quite crowded, and zoning, location and financial issues are still producing obstacles, but not preventing growth in maturity and numbers (see Quebec Alive Moments #37, #51).  Many are coming to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and are maturing in their faith and desire to reach out to the lost.  Discipleship classes are ongoing and, as their faith matures, many become involved with Evangelism Explosion training and then begin sharing Jesus around the neighborhood.  What the Lord has in mind for them concerning a facility is unknown.  Maybe three services.  Maybe a new facility.  Without question, the Lord will provide for His glory.  Pray for this church, not so “little” anymore, as it works to evangelize and disciple the region of Montreal-Nord.

A vision of many of the French Baptist churches in Quebec is one of planting daughter churches by sending a couple to begin a Bible study group or sending a group from the congregation to begin a new church.  Since the new church is given birth by the sending church, the relationship between the two is a mother-daughter relationship.  Likewise, if the daughter church gives birth to a new church, then a granddaughter church has been established.  This Quebec Alive Moment will discuss one of the early church planting of daughter churches, as provided in the book, Servant for Jesus’ Sake, written by Blanche Phillips (see Moment #47).  In the Spring of 1969, after having already started churches in other areas, Bill (see Moments #4, 5) and Blanche Philipps set out to plant a church in a region of Montreal where there was no French Baptist church.  [Blanche is pictured above with part of a group answering questions about their involvement with the early church planting in Quebec, during the dedication of a building in honor of her late husband Bill, who went to be with the Lord in 2007]  They chose the region of Ahuntsic and in the Fall of that year they held their first official worship service with 12 people in attendance. By 1972 the attendance was at 40 and by 1977 it had grown to 75.  During the next seven years the Ahuntsic church had sent a group of its membership to Repentigny and Montreal-North.  In 1984 the Ahuntsic church sent 27 of its 75 members, two of whom were Bill and Blanche Philipps, to form a daughter church on the West Island.  Many of those who went lived on the West Island and eventually formed the Emmanuel Evangelical Baptist Church of the West Island.  Bill Philipps served as the pastor of the church from 1990-1995, when he retired.  In 1996, with the encouragement of Bill, Emmanuel sent 40 of its members farther west and planted their own daughter church in Vaudreuil.  The Lord used several other French Baptist churches in similar ways and He continues to do this today.  Quebec Alive Moment #66 will discuss some of these current situations.

If you are reading this Quebec Alive Moment, you probably have an interest in the Lord’s work here in the Province of Quebec and particularly in the ministry of SEMBEQ.  Over the past year or so, the Quebec Alive Moments have provided information on the history, vision, ministry, methods and fruit of SEMBEQ.  It is not the typical seminary of today.  It works directly with the local French Baptist churches in Quebec to help them raise up leaders from within the congregation.  It is not a residential seminary, but one that goes to regions or local churches throughout Quebec to reach its students.  Also, it prepares the students while they are “in the ministry”, not just preparing them “for the ministry”.  It simultaneously develops their Biblical understanding, character development and ministry abilities.  All under the supervision of a personal coach.  We have explained each of these aspects in more detail in the past Quebec Alive Moments and even in greater detail with our quarterly Quebec Alive.  If you are interested in a more personal presentation, SEMBEQ is more than willing to send a representative to your church to give a presentation about the Lord’s work in Quebec and the ministry of SEMBEQ.  We have a variety of presentations which vary in topic and length and can be given during a Sunday School class, worship time, small group gathering, weekend conference, or any other time.  We will design it for your needs and interest.  We have several people who oversee this process.  Please feel free to contact them directly: Jacques Alexanian (Ambassador for SEMBEQ) at j.alexanian@sembeq.qc.ca; Francois LaLonde (Representative for SEMBEQ in Canada) f.lalonde@sembeq.qc.ca; Doug Wilbur (Representative for SEMBEQ in USA) d.wilbur@sembeq.qc.ca.  You may also contact the SEMBEQ office at 514-337-2555 or president@sembeq.qc.ca.

We look forward to hearing from you.  May the Lord bless.

In Quebec Alive Moment #23 we highlighted the Cohort program.  One aspect which was presented was the formal classroom teaching which is generally held one Saturday each month from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM.  This allows for approximately seven hours of instruction.  Currently there are five cohorts being held in five different locations in Quebec.  This past Saturday all five Cohorts were meeting.  One was held in Gatineau (1st picture) which lies across the border from Ottawa.  They are studying Church History under the teaching of Stephane Gagne (Moment #15), who has come up through SEMBEQ’s training and is currently finishing his Master Degree in Church History under the guidance of Dr. Michael Haykin.  Stephane is the pastor of the Evangelical Baptist Church of New Life of Lanaudiere in Joliette, QC.  There are currently five members in this Cohort.  Traveling about four hours east, there was a Cohort in Sherbrooke where Normand Joseph is teaching a course on Homiletics (Preaching) to a group of ten Cohortists.  Normand is one of the pastors of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Gatineau.  There also was a third Cohort meeting in Granby, about 90 minutes east of Montreal, which was being taught by Rene Frey, who is the pastor of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Rosemont in Montreal.  Rene was teaching the course, Introduction to the Bible, to twelve Cohort students who began the Cohort in September 2007.  The last two Cohorts are less than thirty minutes from the SEMBEQ offices.  One is across the river in Laval.  This fourth Cohort (2nd picture) is composed of eleven members who are in their fourth year of the program.  This past Saturday they were being taught on Evangelism by Noel Morissette (Moment #45), who is the pastor of evangelism at the Evangelical Baptist Church of Terrebonne-Masouche.  The fifth Cohort, composed of nine students, was held at the Rosemont church (3rd picture) and taught by Philippe Bonicel.  Philippe is the pastor at the Evangelical Baptist Christian Church of the Jesus Island in Laval.  He was teaching on Hermeneutics (Bible Interpretation).  You can see that there was much teaching going on this past Saturday and each of the instructors is also a pastor of a church affiliated with SEMBEQ.  Through the ministry of SEMBEQ, the Lord is providing students and teachers from the local French Baptist churches in preparation for reaching out to the lost and discipling the saints.  Praise the Lord for His faithful provision.

Previously we have written about the coaching process (specifically #53, but many times within other Moments) in SEMBEQ’s ministry and how it is foundational to passing on what has been entrusted to us.  The coaching process is modeled after the manner in which Paul prepared Timothy for passing on what Paul had entrusted to him.  In 2 Timothy 2:2 Paul writes to Timothy, “And the things which you have heard from me…these entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”  This model of taking someone under your wing for the purpose of helping them pass on what has been learned is what directs SEMBEQ.  Just as Barnabas, though only for a short time, initially took Paul under his wing (Acts 9:27, 11:21-30, 13:1-3), Paul then took Timothy (Titus and others also) under his wing and, as we read in 2 Timothy 2:2, Timothy was encouraged to continue the process with others who would do likewise.  Over the past nine years the Evangelical Baptist Church of Saint-Hyacinthe has seen four generations of “Timothies”.  As senior pastor of the church, Francois Turcotte (pictured far left) took Donald Rodier (next to him) as his Timothy and coached him in the understanding of God’s word, the aspects of effective ministry and the development of a godly character.  During the years that followed, Donald began to take on more, and Francois less, of the pastoral ministry.  Two years ago Donald became the senior pastor of the church, while Francois became more involved with SEMBEQ (see Moment #10) and now is full-time with SEMBEQ.  A couple of years ago Donald took Steve Archambault (next to Donald) under his wing as a pastor-in-training and is coaching him in the manner he was coached by Francois.  Recently Steve has begun to coach Dave Laliberte (far right) as the youth leader.  Each of these men is in the process of passing on what they have learned to his “Timothy” and since each of them still continues to be coached, there is always something more to pass on.  This process is not only for men, but women are also coaching other women in the same way.  This process is practiced in many of the churches associated with SEMBEQ and the mindset of looking for “Timothies” directs many leaders.  Praise the Lord for the practice of 2 Timothy 2:2.