Since my last report, much has happened. The After School Kids Klub has become the flagship of the youth ministry, at least as far as I can see. We have not met our maximum of 15 registrations yet. We are holding steady at 10.5 (.5 because one comes only every 2^nd week). We have met and are meeting challenges as they present themselves, and are weathering the seas in good fashion. Relationships between the children and the leaders are beginning to really take shape, and our efforts are having positive impacts on their lives. We are seeing kids growing; learning to work and share with one another; learning to tolerate and celebrate differences. I need to say that it is always easy even at this stage. I have had to send some kids home for hitting another child, which I do not tolerate in my programs ever. Those are rough moments. But I have a strict ‘no violence’ policy towards all of my ministries. In general, we have had some real tough challenges, but also some really beautiful moments. Taking it in stride, I remember that this is God’s ministry, and that there is an inherent beauty that He is working to bring out for all to see here. 

On another note, we recently enjoyed success in a special Halloween event I called “Hallelujah”. The purpose was to give families a wholesome, Christian alternative to trickortreating and all the ghosts, ghouls and monsters and all that. It was a three-fold event. And although the element of Fun and Games in the Church Hall didn’t work out and was cancelled at the last minute, the other two, that of “Trunk or Treat” and the Youth “All Hallows Eve” Service in the graveyard went very well indeed for a first time through. “Trunk or Treat” is when volunteers load up the trunks of their cars and drive them into the church lot, open up the trunk and allow kids to hop from one car to the next in a very safe, well-lit area. The idea was to provide safety and convenience for both the kids and the parents. But it became more than that. I only had about 5 people on list as bringing their cars, but I was wonderfully surprised by the sight of 11-12 vehicles there! Cars, vans, flatbeds and even a truck with trailer all joined in. What made it wonderful was that it was a mixture of church members and families from the After School Kids Klub coming together, shaking hands and connecting with each other. Some even recognized each other from work and now know which church they go to. It was a blessed time. People were so impressed with it that they were volunteering themselves to be a part of a new committee to organize Hallelujah 2008! The Graveyard Service was also a blessing. It was never intended to be spooky or anything like that. In fact, moving away from the scariness of Halloween was one of the main foci of Hallelujah. The focus on this portion of the evening was to remember and reflect on the saints that went before us. And the service was a simple one, with only a couple of flashlights, and glowsticks to mark the way into the graveyard. Contemporary worship was played via CD throughout the service, some scripture, a couple of prayers, and a fair chunk of time for reflection was the entire service for those who came and sat on the ground. I asked one youth what he thought. He responded with a genuine smile on his face, “It was cool.” For your information, the service we used was found in the Book of Uncommon Prayer.

2. What’s happening now?

As things are settling down, and we are 2 months into the Fall programs, what’s happening now is a time of evaluation. Especially now as my first 6 months are almost up. The lion’s share of my time is being given solely to the Kids Klub program, which is not leaving much time at all for the other, which is the Middle School Youth Meetings on Fridays. And so, amongst evaluating the current youth budget and the forecasting of the next one for 2008, I am also examining how to strike a balance between keeping the momentum with the Kids Klub and forging a solid group of middle school youth.

3. What’s coming up in the near future?

There are 2 major things coming up in the near future; the Church Army Atlantic Regional Officers Gathering and the preceding dinner; and Christmas, which I am still working on plans for the Middle School Group. They hopefully will include attending “Christmas in Uptown” with Capt. Jonathan Springthorpe in Saint John, which I believe is in early January this time. Capt. Hugh Bateman and I may also have a unique dramatic/musical Christmas presentation. But that is not certain as of yet. I am very much looking forward to the Officers Gathering. Meeting up with old friends and worshipping with them, playing Carcassonne with Capt. Susan Roberts (and anyone else who wants to join in), shooting some pool, beating Capt. Michelle Solbeck at Euchre (it’s coming Michelle… it’s coming…). It will be a good time!

4. What book are you reading right now?

I am still reading “The Father’s Loveletter” as a devotional. But I have also started to read “The Wealthy Barber” as a guide to financial planning. It was a gift to me, and I am finding it very useful indeed. It’s not really boring either. It’s financial planning instructed through a story. You read the story – the conversations between 3 young adults and this wealthy barber – and you see sound financial advice. Simple, sound and well-rounded financial advice. I am thinking that this should be passed on to Ken Neilson or Capt. Reed Fleming as they teach the 3^rd year students about budgeting and such. Perhaps even have this book as a textbook. It is a must for people who, like me, are dumb as posts when it comes to financial stuff yet realize that this sort of planning is very wise for the future.

5. Prayer Requests

PRAISE! These are requests that are being met (as quoted from time of request)! Keep praying for them!

• Pray for the lost to return to their Heavenly Father.
  • New faces are being seen at church!
• Pray for the families who do not attend church in any way – especially those who have registered their kids with our After School Kids Klub, knowing that they will be taught about Jesus.
  • The Trunk or Treat interaction between congregation families and families from the Kids Klub program this past Halloween!
• Pray for me – that I may continually lean on God for strength and support.
  • Your prayers are getting through! Thank you!

PRAYER! Keep praying for these other items!

• Pray for a hunger for deeper spirituality within the youth as well as the community. There is a hunger here now. But it needs to grow and intensify.
• Pray for continued raising of devoted Christian leaders in the Shediac area.
• Walls are starting to crumble – some old wounds are starting to heal within this community due to God’s involvement through caring individuals who are intent on making that happen. Pray that this grows and that others will rise up and join in.
• Pray for the youth as they seek for guidance.
• Pray that the message of Jesus’ love and sacrifice is brought home to families through their kids.
• Pray for revival in general, as the harvest sure seems ready here.

That’s it for now. Check back in another month for another update!

God Bless,

Capt. Marc Daffern

This being my first detailed post about my life in ministry, it may be a good idea to tell you all where I am at the moment. I am currently the Youth Director of the Anglican Parish of Shediac in New Brunswick. And I have only been here since May 15th of this year, after having recently graduated from Taylor College of Mission and Evangelism and have been commissioned as a captain in the Church Army of Canada. My job here is simple; to reach out to the youth in the community, tell them about Jesus, and to foster a positive relationship between them and Jesus and the Church. Simple, but not easy. I had to hit the ground running so to speak, as there was a strong desire to see a summer day camp in operation. The camp started in July, which meant that I had about 6 weeks to move into my office, hire camp staff, plan the camp, advertise  it, arrange volunteers and donations, buy what wasn’t donated, prepare the camp space, and organize registrations, all the while meeting new people and getting to know a system and community that I have never seen before, and then ending off the summer with helping out with the Vacation Bible School in August, which was wonderful, but again was constant high energy. Needless to say, I was in high gear all summer. That should briefly bring you all up to speed.

1. What’s been happening lately?

Looking back on this past summer, I can see that God has been there all along. Before the day camp began, we as camp staff developed a weekly schedule, which included time for prayer and devotion each day before the kids arrived. As the summer progressed, that schedule had become more of a guide, with many aspects changing in length, and some aspects being removed altogether. Devotional time in the mornings had changed, which has given me pause to rethink that component. Apparently 8AM devotion times weren’t working. But we did pray every day – without exception. And I think that this was very important. There have been times when things would have most certainly gone very bad without that coverage of prayer. But because we prayed every day before the kids came, we were able to weather those challenging times, and the kids were wonderful and gracious as well.

My biggest goal for the summer program had always been to encourage spiritual development within both the children and the camp staff. I am glad to say that I believe this has been realized. In general, the kids had retained much of what they were taught with respect to the bible stories. And that is always encouraging. What delights me the most however is to hear that a child has accepted Christ as their own personal Lord and Saviour. This too has happened, and I have had the joy of watching this one child become more and more excited about Scripture. Since telling me this, they always ask to be the one to read the bible story for the day. The children in general began to ask deeper and profound spiritual questions, which to me is always a treat to answer, even if my answer is “I don’t know”. These questions have not only come from the kids either. I have found myself on a few occasions talking to my staff with regards to their own questions. The fact that they ask questions means that they are at least beginning a journey of spiritual discovery. I am honoured to be a part of that journey.

We wrapped up our summer with first an overnight trip with the day campers, which was a wonderful ‘last hoorah’ for the summer as a day camp. It was 24 hours of road trip, weenies, burnt smores, a talent show, games, and ended with a long tube ride down the beautiful Renous River. That coming week was also the church Vacation Bible School – Avalanche Ranch – which was full of its own good times and memories. Many people poured themselves into this program, which has been a tradition here at St. Martin’s-in-the-Woods Anglican Church. I am delighted to report that a good number of kids, both campers and leaders, (I lost count after about 12) accepted Jesus into their lives as well, and I had the great privilege of praying that special prayer to ask Jesus to enter their hearts with them. Having now come to the end of the summer, I can say that it was a good one, with its ups and downs. But in the same breath I can also say that I have been running on high gear long enough, and look forward to the change of pace that the fall programs will bring.

2. What’s happening now?

At this point, even as I am writing this, I am getting ready to launch yet another exciting youth ministry initiative. This is the After School Kids Klub, designed for kids who are not old enough to be home alone until their parents or guardians are finished work (Basically from Kindergarten to Grade 6). I am excited about it because it seems that this form of outreach is hitting a real need here in the community. We really only started advertising this program at the beginning of August, and are already at half capacity with registrations. God, it would seem, is really blessing this endeavour. With a staff of seasoned professionals (teachers, day care workers, etc.) and the soon-to-be-reopened church with its brand new facilities, being located literally across the street from one of the few elementary schools in the Shediac area, I can’t help but feel that this program is going to really take off – and FAST. The general pulse of the community, taken not just by me but by many others as well, says that this is a needed program here – an openly-faith-based after school program. Many people have responded to the faith component as a good and positive thing. The fact that the majority of the current registrations do not attend our church, or even any church at all in some cases, says a lot about how people feel about putting their child in a faith-based program. There is a real need here. This church has seen it, felt it, and is actively doing what they can to fulfill it. I am VERY excited indeed. We are even dovetailing our faith component on what the church school (with Capt. Hugh Bateman) is teaching that week, so that there can be a natural transition between after school attendance, and church attendance, which I hope will bring the parents as well.

I am also very excited about the prospects of the new Youth Group to be held on Fridays. I feel led to speak to the youth about God’s Father-heart, and I look forward to see how they react to the lessons about that. There is also an interest in the 30-Hour Famine, which I think would be a great idea to get involved. Christmas retreats, movie nights, bowling, and allnighters are all to be considered. We meet for the first time this week. And it will be then that we as a group discuss what it is that we expect to see in the fall term as far as the group itself. This includes events, atmosphere, lessons, etc.

3. What’s coming up in the near future?

In the near future, I hope to also kick off a Free Worship service, possibly in the Point Du Chène area. The idea is to get together with a small group of musicians in an evening, practice some songs a bit, and then after an hour, open the doors to whomever wants to come and worship with us, and do just that. Simply open worship with prayer, and the odd reflection. Not much in terms of sermons per se, nor liturgy – though that may change as the Holy Spirit guides.

4. Prayer Requests

• Pray for a hunger for deeper spirituality within the youth as well as the community. There is a hunger here now. But it needs to grow and intensify.
• Pray for continued raising of devoted Christian leaders in the Shediac area.
• Walls are starting to crumble – some old wounds are starting to heal within this community due to God’s involvement through caring individuals who are intent on making that happen. Pray that this grows and that others will rise up and join in.
• Pray for the youth as they seek for guidance.
• Pray for the lost to return to their Heavenly Father.
• Pray for the families who do not attend church in any way – especially those who have registered their kids with our After School Kids Klub, knowing that they will be taught about Jesus.
• Pray that the message of Jesus’ love and sacrifice is brought home to families through their kids.
• Pray for revival in general, as the harvest sure seems ready here.
• Pray for me – that I may continually lean on God for strength and support.

 That’s it for now. This will be a monthly update at the very longest. Although I may also post other things here from time to time as well. Check in once in a while to see what’s the latest. And don’t be a stranger – email me!

mE

Want to know more about why this one is here? Click on the “About this space” link to find out. ‘Cuz I ain’t repeatin’ it here!