Quebec Alive moments

Last week we began to look at the vision for the next ten years that Gilles Lapierre, General Director of the Association of Evangelical Churches of Quebec, provided at the Association’s annual meeting June 3rd-4th at the Evangelical Baptist Church of Trois-Rivieres.  This week we finish highlighting some of Gilles’ thoughts.

Helping Churches Be Healthy- Gilles mentioned that the Association wants to create a team of four experienced people to help identify the best strategy for the growth of any given church and is working on training seminars and materials to help the Churches through the various growth stages.  There is a conference being planned for 2011 to address this issue.

Collaboration Between Pastors - “We are glad that two-thirds of our pastors participate in regional pastoral meetings.  We favour good relationships and collaboration between Church pastors.  These meetings allow for the development of a spirit of help, belonging, and collaboration.  We want our regional pastoral meetings to develop even more and become refreshing collaboration opportunities. Our wish is that ten years from now, none of our Churches will suffer from isolation.”

Missionary Vision- “Many of our missionaries were called in the 80’s and have been serving in different countries since then.  In the [following] years…only a few new missionaries answered the call.  Even if we lack workers at home, we must not forget the needs elsewhere in the world and we should rejoice over the answers to these needs.  Being an Association of Churches, Acts 1:8 reminds us of our responsibility to help those wishing to serve in foreign countries.  In that respect, we have established a committee for the purpose of developing a French missionary program for the young people wishing to live a short-term experience with missionaries from the Fellowship.”

Developing a Structure Facilitating Growth Towards 2020- “Facing the many challenges of the ten years ahead, your Association needs to develop its structure and staff to better answer the growing needs of the French Canadian Work.  We are preparing the administrative structure needed to serve 100-120 Churches.  We wish to decentralize the Association by hiring regional directors on a one-day/week basis.  They will serve as an extension of the Association in the regions and be front-line intervenors for the Churches and pastors going through a difficult time, a transition, or facing various challenges.”

Gilles Lapierre has clearly described the vision that as been set for the next ten years.  Pray for the Lord to provide the wisdom, direction and power for the Churches in the Association to accomplish these goals for His glory.

The Association of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Quebec, of which SEMBEQ is a ministry, held its annual meeting June 3rd-4th at the Evangelical Baptist Church of Trois-Rivieres.  During the meeting Gilles Lapierre, General Director of AEBEQ (the Association), gave a message laying out the vision for the member churches.  Below are some excerpts from that message.

“Let’s launch ourselves into the future to visualize what God has in store for us within the next ten years.  Despite the fact that we have 84 established Churches and that there are, including all denominations, about 50,000 [8,000 within the Asscociation] believers in Quebec, there is only 0.6% of evangelical Christians in Quebec.  Here are different ways your Association wants to help your Church accomplish its mission in your own community.”

Gilles went on to outline six areas the Association wants to help the local Churches in during the next ten years.  The areas are (1) church planting, (2) the training of new leaders, (3) helping churches be healthy,(4) collaboration between pastors, (5) missionary vision and, (6) developing a structure facilitating growth towards 2020.  We will highlight some of Gilles’ thoughts in each of these areas.

Church Planting- “We plan on establishing a Church in every county regional municipality and we need to double the present number in the Quebec and Montreal regions.  Since 2003 we have started thirteen Churches.  We are currently working on five projects with four mother Churches…We pray for eighteen other places where we would like to start new French Churches in the next ten years.”  See Quebec Alive Moments #66, #62, #60 and the spring and summer 2010 issues of Quebec Alive for more details.

Training New Leaders- “Training leaders is not optional for pastors.  SEMBEQ’s mandate is not to train pastors/elders, but to serve Churches in helping them with the development of the knowledge, competency and character of future leaders.  SEMBEQ provides theological expertise and technical and administrative support for the training.  [See Quebec Alive Moment #23 and the 2008/09 winter and the 2009 spring and summer issues of Quebec Alive for further explanation.] The local Church has to take charge of the training plan, the practical follow-up and the development of the future leader’s character.  Between 1990 and 2000, we were greatly concerned with the loss of 45 pastors, for various reasons.  Eleven others have left in the last 18 months.  Our hope is that cohort members will replace these pastors.  Eleven Churches are presently looking for a pastor and we gained only six new pastors last year…Among the 58 cohort members, including the 12 who graduated in June 2009, 75% are younger than 45 years old and the majority are between 25 and 35 years old.  An interesting replacement is ahead.”

Next week we will finish highlighting some of the thoughts Gilles had concerning the vision for the Association over the next ten years.  Pray for the Lord to use His people in Quebec for His glory.

William L. Phillips (1930-2007) wrote a short historical book called Modern Day Missionary Miracles.  It gives an overview of the evangelical Baptist movement in Quebec from the 1930s to the end of the 20^th century.  Bill, as most people called him, was a early evangelistic pioneer himself (see Quebec Alive Moments #4, #5 & #47), and ministered in Quebec from 1951 until he went to be with his Lord in 2007.  He was a church planter, founding member and first coordinator of SEMBEQ, former Secretary of the Association of the Evangelical Baptist Churches of Quebec and former Secretary of the Fellowship French Mission.  Therefore, he was part of much of what he wrote about in this book.  Bill wrote that the “ministry in Quebec has been like riding the surf.  At times the waves seemed out of control.  I came to realize that neither a political decree, a technological invention, a strike by surfers, nor the creation of a parliamentary committee could change anything.  God and God alone controls the surf.  Either you accept the waves and the wind or you stop surfing.  The wise surfer wastes no energy trying to change the weather.  He takes comfort from the fact that God is in control and asks for wisdom.  He remains flexible with his plans and strategies.  He learns to view the changing waves not as an enemy but as an opportunity.” (page 9)   

Thus was the climate and view of the early evangelical missionary outreach to French-speaking Quebec.  There were many struggles and challenges.  The Heron brothers persevered (see Quebec Alive Moments #2 & #3) amid fierce opposition from the Roman Catholic Church in the late 1940s and early 1950s.  Cars were burned and church windows smashed.  Fire hoses, tomatoes, fire crackers and tractor horns were used to disrupt open-air meetings.  Mail was confiscated; New Testaments and Gospels were gathered up by an angry priest and burned.  There were physical violence and constant arrests.  However, the Word of God prevailed and souls were won.  A beachhead into French Canada had been made.” (page 18)

Bill used another 80-plus pages to give an overview of the work of the Lord through the evangelists, church planters and pastors who devoted their lives to reaching the lost souls in Quebec.  This book, Modern Day Missionary Miracles, is presently out of print, but hopefully there will be another printing.  For more information about its availability contact the SEMBEQ office.

Last week we mentioned that Alex had shared some in-depth thoughts about his spiritual, personal and ministry growth.  His response gives us some good insight into the development the Cohort Program of SEMBEQ provides for its students and we will look at some of the thoughts Alex has given us.

“One of the ways I have grown spiritually is in learning to apply the gospel to my heart and life more.  Evangelism is the focus of my ministry.  By that, I mean that what we usually understand evangelism to be: sharing the gospel with unbelievers.  But, I have learned (through the means of [Dr. D. A.] Carson’s class on putting the gospel at the center of ministry and other means) that evangelism should actually not be restricted to sharing the gospel with unbelievers, but believers should continually evangelize themselves and each other.  For me, this was not just knowledge, but it provoked a spiritual questioning.  I spend my time evangelizing others, especially unbelievers that I’m convinced need to hear [the gospel], but should I also not preach the gospel to myself more?  Am I not also in need of applying the gospel to myself again and again?  There was a time during those six years [with the Cohort] that I felt guilty for not ‘performing’ enough in my spiritual life or ministry, because I was struggling with my Bible reading or prayer life or apparent effectiveness in my ministry.  It was almost as if I needed to perform to be accepted by God.  I realized that evangelizing myself was required if I was not to fall in the trap of trying to obtain God’s favor by my efforts…everyone needs to come back to the gospel again and again, to apply it over again to one’s life and struggles.”

“There was a part of me that just wanted to be out of the ordinary, to be original, and God showed me that the only original is Him.  I am only an image of Him, an image of the original, so why bother trying to get recognized as special, or original.  It’s just pride trying to get its way.  It is still a struggle because it’s my tendency, but I have to grow in that [area of my character].”

“A phase in my training with SEMBEQ is coming to an end.  I have finished the cohort, but I am pursuing a bachelor’s degree in theology, which, the Lord willing, will be done in December 2010, or by June 2011.  But, the Lord has led me in a wonderful way so that I could start a relationship with William Edgar, Chair of Apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.  I have done a year of preparatory work with [him}...in order to be ready to start a master's degree in apologetics [in the 2010-2011 school year] with Edgar as my supervisor…The master’s degree is with SEMBEQ and the plan is to work about 1 day/week on this project so that at the end of 7 years, I can complete the degree…we have seen God at work to put all this together.  I hadn’t planned any of this when I first started in the cohort.  In a way, we are just following God’s leading and…trusting him every step of the way.”

“Coaching is crucial and I am glad SEMBEQ puts such an emphasis on it.  It’s crucial and it’s not easy to practice, even moreso for people who have never been coached or have never been coaches.  The coaching I received during the cohort was priceless and God used it to guide, direct, correct and shape me.  I have been coaching as a young adult in my small group for the past 3 years trying to put in practice the principles of coaching that I benefited myself.”

As a conclusion, Alex shared his overall thought of the Cohort Program.  “My thoughts when I think of the cohort program are the following: It is a very demanding program.  It is also very rewarding.  It is worth the price and sacrifice.  I think about the fact that God doesn’t call the ones who are qualified (he would call no one if that was the case), but he qualifies the ones whom he has called.  So the cohort program is a powerful tool that God can use in order to qualify the one he has called.”

Praise the Lord for His work in and through Alex and all the other cohortists.  Pray for them as they continue to grow in spiritual knowledge, godly character and ministry ability.

D. A. Carson (pictured) was born and raised in Quebec during the ministry of his father, Tom Carson, to the French Canadians there.  Dr. Carson is research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL.  He often teaches an intensive course (see Quebec Alive Moment #68) for SEMBEQ during late spring.  He has written a book about his father’s ministry in Quebec entitled, The Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor.  Dr. Carson’s statement at the beginning of the preface gives us a good overview of the purpose of the book.  He states, “Most pastors will not regularly preach to thousands, let alone tens of thousands.  They will not write influential books, they will not supervise large staffs, and they will never see more than modest growth.  They will plug away at their care for the aged, at their visitations, at their counseling, at their Bible studies and preaching.  Some will work with so little support that they will prepare their own bulletins.  They cannot possibly discern whether the constraints of their own sphere of service owe more to the specific challenges of the local situation or to their own shortcomings.  Once in a while they will cast a wistful eye on “successful” ministries.   Many of them will attend the conferences sponsored by the revered masters and come away with a slightly discordant combination of, on the one hand, gratitude and encouragement, on the other, feelings of inadequacy, and guilt.”

Dr. Carson goes on to say that, “Most of us-let it be frank-are ordinary pastors.  Dad was one of them.  This little book is a modest attempt to let the voice and ministry of one ordinary pastor be heard, for such servants have much to teach.”

Further in the preface, Dr. Carson says, “But my aim is…to convey enough of his ministry and his own thought that ordinary ministers are encouraged, not least by the thought that the God of Augustine, Calvin, Spurgeon, and Piper is no less the God of Tom Carson, and of you and me.”  He ends the preface with a statement by his administrative assistant who had been reading parts of the documents.  He said, “I used to aspire to be the next Henry Martyn [heroic British Bible translator and missionary to the Muslim peoples of India and Persia].  However, after reading your dad’s diaries, the Lord has given my heart a far loftier goal: simply to be faithful.  I know we as men are but dust, but what dust the man I read about in these diaries was.”  This book is valuable for all, for God simply wants us to be faithful.  You can contact SEMBEQ for the French version of The Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor and many Christian bookstores carry it in English.

In the Preface of the Servant for Jesus’ Sake, a book about the life and ministry of Bill Phillips (see Quebec Alive Moment #4, #5, #47), SEMBEQ President Francois Picard writes the following.  “God has chosen for Himself men into whom He has poured His grace, entrusting them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He placed a People upon their hearts, in the days when Roman Catholicism was at its height in Quebec.”

“Trailblazing visionary, tireless worker, creative and skilled strategist with a passion for the Good News, Bill, as his peers called him, knew how to seize every God-given opportunity and, as a tender shepherd, how to love people and bring them together.”

He was able to gather together other trailblazers from various backgrounds and to rally them in order to reach out to Quebec.  Bill also developed a team of valued collaborators.  Since he easily identified people with potential, it was not long before he would put them to work, especially young leaders with strong personalities.  He would trust both God and others to accomplish work.”

“…Bill played a crucial part in the establishment of our Seminary, along with Elisee Beau and Jacques Alexanian…I also wish to emphasize his major involvement in establishing the Fellowship French Mission Board, through which English-speaking Canadians have shown their love and support for our French workers in a practical and effective way…With many hardships experienced through ministry, through illness, and through the arduous process of learning French, he embodied power through weakness.  He was not a speaker sought after for his eloquence, but rather for his faith, wisdom and advice…May the story of Bill Phillips awaken us and prompt us to follow in his footsteps, investing our whole lives for the sake of the Gospel.  Let us stand and walk in the path that is opening before us.”

If you would like more information on this book other material on the history of evangelism in Quebec, contact SEMBEQ.

“Jacques (see Quebec Alive Moment #11) grew up in a Christian home near Lyon, France.  Both of his parents were orphans, victims of the Turkish massacre of the Armenian people during the First World War.  His main goal upon arriving in the United States was to become a man of importance, wealth, and success.  But God had other plans.  While listening to a Christian radio program, Jacques submitted his life to the Lord Jesus and a year later, at a Baptist missions conference, felt the call to serve God as a missionary.  Believing the Lord wanted him to  return to France, he attended Philadelphia Bible Institute (now Philidelphia Bible University), where he met Loretta.  The doors to France closed while they were at Bible school, but God soon led them to consider the needs in the Canadian Province of Quebec.  After Jacques received his bachelor and master’s degrees at Wheaton College, the Alexanians were appointed as missionaries by Mission to the Americas in 1961.  Though French Canadians have often been hostile to the gospel, the Alexanians have labored faithfully in Quebec, planting churches in Sherbrooke and the Ottawa Valley, and training church leaders.  In 1973, Jacques Alexanian was instrumental in founding SEMBEQ…to train new leaders for the French churches of Quebec.  Jacques was named president of SEMBEQ in 1984 and held that position until 2001.  Today he continues to serve in a church ministry in Gatineau, Quebec.” 

Such is the overview given on the back of the book, The Son of a Wandering Armenian Orphan.  For more informagtion about this book or other books about evangelism in Quebec, contact SEMBEQ.

On a Friday evening two weeks ago the Gatineau Cohort (pictured here with their families and coaches) held a celebration dinner at the home of Sylvain and Lynn Plouffe commemorating the completion of their six-year commitment (see Quebec Alive Moment #23 for more background) to studying the Word of God and applying it to the development of their character and ministry ability.  This group formed the second Cohort and began meeting in the Fall of 2004.  Their first class was attended by more than 20 people, but only 10 were enrolled in the actual Cohort.  Normally, people other than those officially in the Cohort can take advantage of the teaching and attend the classes.  Two of the men soon dropped out and one was added.  Of the remaining 9 men, one moved away, another had to spread the program over a longer time-frame, two others stopped participating in the Cohort and the remaining 5 have competed their six-year commitment and will officially be recognized this Fall.  There was a time of fellowship prior to the dinner and afterwards there was a time of sharing various aspects of the Cohort Program and its impact on the lives of students, wives, children, coaches and churches.  There were two major themes shared.  First was the challenge of balancing their responsibilities to their Lord, wives, children, study, church and employment.  At times its was a heavy burden.  The second theme shared was the necessity and value of their coaches.  Their coaches helped them in their studies, character development and ministry experiences.  They were there to demonstrate by example and to offer prayer, encouragement, challenge, and support.  It was a very enjoyable evening and much thanks was given to Lynn for making all the preparations for the dinner and for what each one brought to the table in food and thought.  During the next couple of months Quebec Alive Moments will feature one of the Gatineau cohortists who have completed their commitment.  There are currently four other Cohorts in progress and another hopefully beginning this Fall in Quebec City.  Pray for all of them.

Another book describing the evangelism of Quebec during the 1900s that we want to highlight is the autobiography of Murray Heron entitled Footprints Across Quebec.  The following description is found on the back cover of the book.  “As one of Quebec’s pioneer missionaries Murray Heron [see Quebec Alive Moment #2] has a unique story to tell.   For over 50 years [over 60 years now], he has had an ardent desire to reach the people of Quebec with the gospel.  As a young man of 22, he received widespread media coverage in Canada when he was arrested and charged with a restrictive town bylaw for holding a street meeting in Rouyn, Quebec.  He weathered the protracted legal battle that followed and won the right to bring his message to the townspeople.  Action and innovation characterize Pastor Heron’s ministry.  He pastored English and French churches, held street meetings, organized weekly radio and television programs and began a Christian camp ministry.  This book communicates his steadfast commitment to his calling and offers a shining testimony to God’s power throughout a long and fruitful ministry.”

For more information about this book and the life of Murray Heron and his wife, Georgia, or other books available about the history about evangelism in Quebec, contact SEMBEQ.

Last week SEMBEQ offered an intensive course on the exegetical study of the book of Acts.  Dr. D.A. Carson, Research Professor of the New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL, exegetically taught through the book during a 4-day period of time.  There were nearly 70 students in attendance at the Evangelical Baptist Church on the West Island of Montreal and another 12 at the Evangelical Baptist Church in Gatineau being taught over the Internet.  Those who wanted to earn the 1.5 credits being offered (about half of those attending) were required to read about 300 pages of background material before the class, with other suggested reading being optional.  In addition to attending over 1000 minutes of instruction during the 4 days, they were required to read, at one sitting, the entire Book of Acts 3 times.  After the 4-day course, the students have about two months to complete a paper (no more than 15 pages), developing the theme found in the content of their selection and covering about 3 paragraphs, or half a chapter, in the Book of Acts.  The last three pages must include a developed outline of a sermon on the passage selected.

As mentioned earlier, the course was also transmitted over the Internet to a church in Gatineau (2 hours west of Montreal).  It was a trial run for the “Virtual Cohort” SEMBEQ wishes to begin in January 2011 (see Quebec Alive Moment #67).  There were a few glitches, but for the most part the transmission went very well and the students were well satisfied with the reception, which was clear (see picture of the transmission of Dr. Carson) and audible.  Pray for the students as they incorporate what they have learned into their preaching, teaching and living.  Pray also for the glitches in the Web-cast of the ”Virtual Cohort” to be worked out.