Core Values: Part I

We are trying to get some of our true passions on paper. This is the first in an on-going discussion of the heart's cry we have discovered deep in our souls. Let's try these on for size.

! Prayer: We believe that we should listen to and cry out to God for the direction of our lives which would include our ministry. Every aspect of what we do should come through the directive of God. We must place ourselves in His way all the time. We must also craft ministry with prayer as the number one priority. The prayer must be the fuel. As the author, Peter Greig, describes prayer rooms as the "boiler rooms" of the work we do for Christ.

@. Community/Connecting: This is an essential part of the DNA of the church...living life together as Christ follower. Being true to the action of serving one another and being sharpened and refined in our character and faith expression. Through authentic community we can actually grow closer to the image of Christ. A community of God's grace can show the world what this Jesus is all about. We must be intentional about communicating and working together in unity.

#. Poor: Not to become poor, but to reach those who are poor financially and/or in spirit. We must make reaching those who are without a top priority (see Matthew 25).

$. Holistic: To reach out to our fellow people body, mind, and soul. To be relevant to others at all levels of their existence and to be "in the trenches" with them in life. We must learn to laugh and cry with our friends in Sydney. In so doing we must be willing to change and lead in change within the confines of a traditionally structured society.



%. Christlike: Our aim is to create a community whose goal is to live and breathe Christ. To become like our Saviour in character, power, goodness, and most importantly love. This is our aim using the means given to us as described in the holy scriptures. We must practice the spiritual disciplines, seek out others and love them, live a life of generosity and hospitality, and love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.

^. Generational: Our aim is to reach the Postmodern generation. We believe that God has called us to reach our generation! This does not mean to exclude those of a different generation, but does mean that the most intentional efforts will focus on people approximately40 and younger. Those who are of the older generations are welcome to this community and will be encouraged to focus their efforts in the ministry of mentoring.

&. Mentoring/Discipleship: We must be intentional to teach, train, and model the Christian life through a multiple variety of methods. Most effectively, mentoring orf one on one downloading of the Christ following life. You know the adage, "Christianity is more easily caught than taught!" However, we do believe that there is a time for a more academic/studious approach that will effectively prod others to grow in their faith.


So, these are a few of our thoughts with more to come. These are not the final listing of our values, but an initial attempt to clarify who we are and what priorities we should hold as a church in Sydney, Nova Scotia!

Assembling a Team

Our core group met just the other day and discussed the important things that we do when considering team members. One is to clearly communicate our vision for the church to those interested in being a part of the plant (duh!). Another is to clearly communicate the leadership/roles that all will play. We also have decided to ask those interested to give a detailed understanding of their 'spiritual autobiography' and call into this particular ministry. References are also a necessary item for following up on those who would like to join their ministries with this Sydney church plant. The keys are clarity of call, chemistry, and competency in ministry when it comes to this team.

Vision Award

Tonight at my final Dale Carnegie class I made the top three for winning the Achiever's award which is elected by peers in the class! I also received an award (The Dale Carnegie book of quotes) for my clarity of vision for the future that God has called the Hutton family to in Sydney, Nova Scotia. The Vision is God's call to Sydney to be a part of healing for people and helping others find faith in Christ. This is something that I know will happen. I am convinced that there is no obstacle that can stop what God has already done there in Sydney!

Michael Hutton
2Timothy1.7

DBA said YES!

Yesterday our District Board of Administration (DBA) appointed Michael and Tammy Hutton (that's us) to be the lead church planters. Here is a direct quote from the District Superintendent of the Atlantic District of the Wesleyan Church:

"One of the very significant actions of the DBA was to approve in principle a church planting project in Sydney,NS. Our E&CG guy, Dean Brown, has been working for a number of months with Michael and Tammy Hutton concerning their passion for church planting in general and for Sydney in particular. While there are details still to be finalized, I am pleased to announce that under the leadership of the Huttons, we will be planting a new church in Sydney, NS with the Huttons moving on site following Beulah this year. Watch for further exciting details!"

We are so pleased to see God doing everything to make it possible for us to go and put His plan to action. Right now our Vision is one of prayer, community, and serving the poor. It may be foggy, but we believe that every step in faith will bring greater clarity to our prime directive.