Connections

Connect24 has come and gone. In fact, it has been a few months since we gathered at Dalmeny Bible Church, but I think it is important to share a few thoughts from this event.

Delegates from 24 of our churches descended on Dalmeny, SK for a truly encouraging and meaningful time. We connected, prayed, worshiped, and learned together. Our keynote speaker, Dr. Greg Carlson, brought challenging and helpful lessons regarding how we can lead like Jesus. We also enjoyed powerful breakout sessions led by FEBC leaders, pastors, and others, enjoyed insightful discussions about various areas of church life and ministry, spent time together in focused prayer, and much more. (You can watch the recordings of the keynote and breakout sessions HERE.)
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This year, we spent extra time highlighting our efforts to reach the world through missionary work and were excited to implement some new ways to emphasize the work that our Global Partners are doing.

As always, the most important and impactful aspect of Connect was just what the name suggests – connection! So many conversations were had, and connections were made between pastors, leaders, and laypeople from our various churches. The opportunity to relate with each other, to carry one another’s burdens in prayer, and to rejoice in one another’s successes is invaluable. Whether connecting with an old friend or making a new one, each person who attends Connect benefits.

The Annual General Meetings (held during Connect) affirmed the direction of our ministries, approved new terms for directors and commission members, and approved our operating budget for this fiscal year. Notably, the budget includes adequate funding to maintain the Ministries Coordinator through March 2025, but we still need more monthly supporters in order to maintain this position into the future.
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We made a bit of progress toward funding the Ministries Coordinator position through the Connect24 Project Offering but have not met our goal. Please consider whether God would have you contribute.

The following individuals were approved for 3-year terms on our commissions:

Commission on Churches: Mark Funk (Stuartburn, MB), Jonathan Coutts (Vita, MB), Tim Johnson (Beloit, WI), and Tim Knelsen (Rhineland, SK)
Commission on Global Partnerships: Roger Reimer (Omaha, NE)
Commission on Church Planting: Justin Epp (Indian Head, SK), Greg Guarnett (Langham, SK), and Gordon Reimer (Vita, MB).

We also announced the recipients of our scholarship funds for this year.

The Continuing Education Scholarship is for current FEBC pastors and global partners who are seeking additional education. The following individuals were awarded $1,500 each: James VanderVeen (Waldheim, SK), Herms Banico (Mountain Lake, MN) and Mikki Schmidt (Omaha, NE).

The Christian Ministry Scholarship is for college students who are seeking a Biblical education. This year’s recipients of $1,000 are: William Blatz (Rapid View, SK), Peter Wiens (Mountain Lake, MN), and Barry Wolfe (Waldheim, SK). Following are alternates: Nathan Hoff (Dalmeny, SK), and Tyler Willems (Waldheim, SK).

You can learn much more about what is happening in our Fellowship by reading my State of the Fellowship Address from Connect24 in a separate article. (Jump to the Fellowship Address from Connect24 by clicking HERE.)

We are incredibly grateful to the staff and volunteers at Dalmeny Bible Church who worked so hard to make this event a success! From generous and hospitable hosts to fabulous meals and meaningful times of worship, DBC truly blessed our delegates.
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I am also grateful to those who stepped in at the last minute to help when three of our directors experienced either a loss or a family illness and could not attend Connect. At times of unexpected adjustments, it is always amazing to see how God pulls everything together through the faithfulness of his people.