Good News Chapel Annual Report

Yesterday's service was filled with awe and wonder and celebration over what God has done at the Good News Chapel (a ministry of Souls Harbour RESCUE Mission) since it's opening one year ago.

• Ken prayed and inquired about the church across the street up for sale but it was too expensive.
• Shortly afterwards, and thanks to the three donors, we were able to purchase and pay off the mortgage before our grand opening!
• The first activity was the wedding of Mel and Murray - board member to staff member. Fitting, since Jesus' first activity was a wedding!
• The first service was two weeks later.
• We've grown to 60 regulars.
• We had a potluck every week except Thanksgiving, and Ken said, "Boy did I hear about it!"
• We opened our Women and Family Home, attached to the church, where 9 women and their children can join our LifeChange Program.

We formed a leadership team:
Rev Ken Porter - Senior Chaplain
Dr Jack Katzberg - Associate Chaplain
Harley Porter - Volunteer Chaplain (on loan to another church)
Sherry Mebs - Music & Worship Minister
Murary Hack - Director of Visitation
Melanie Hack - Children's Church Co-ordinator

We were also informed that Ken can no longer fight everyone. If they want to call it a church, go ahead! And if they want to call him and Jack Pastors, that's okay, too!

Continuing the blessing list:

• 1000 homes were visited and personally invited to church at door to door. This will begin again once the snow melts.
• A clothing room was established for those in our congregation who need clothing.
• Children's church has been established.
• $2000 per month is being raised in tithes and offerings! This helps pay our utilities and loads of boiler bills this winter!
• 5 baptisms!!
• Share and Prayer, our mid-week meeting was established. We get about 12 people out for it and have been through 5 books of the Bible this year, verse by verse.
• MasterLife, a deeper life study, was formed, and is attended by about the same amount of people each night.
• An alumni group was formed for those who have graduated from the Mission's LifeChange Program. Jack is turning this into a Change Group, and opening it up to all congregants this upcoming year.

The vision of our chapel, developed by the leadership team, is to be a loving fellowship of believers who reach out to the community with the Good News.

Membership is a-typical. You can call yourself a member if:

1) You have accepted Jesus into your life.
2) You attend Good News Chapel regularly.

The strategy is the "Keep It Simple Strategy" KISS.

Ken then referred to this passage from Acts 2: 42-47--

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to
the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

He said, church IS simple. A new testament church is going to be active in 4 things: teaching the Bible, (preaching) fellowship (potluck), breaking of bread (communion) and prayer (Share-n-Prayer)

BUT, he said, as for this passage, we are not yet there! We are yet to see God adding to our number daily. Our revival meetings this Spring, combined with our individual growth and working together as a body will serve to give all of us a sense of awe and an awakening.

We were all given fun pencils to keep, with the catch that we had to fill out a yellow card stating what we might be interesting in helping with over the next year. What part of the body did we feel we could serve in? The list ranged from the technical computer and sound stuff, to dishwashing after potluck, to ushering, preaching, reading Scripture, or praying.

We had communion together and then went downstairs to celebrate at our potluck and make your own ice cream Sundaes!

To quote my former resident manager, Jeffrey Thiessen,

God is good. All the time.
All the time. God is good.