Good News Sydney

Community

2007-12-06T12:41:00.000-04:00

As we've been living here in Sydney and figuring out exactly what a 'church' is, one thing we know for sure is that it is a community. It is full of people who care about each other, and others, and is willing to help one another out. Well, these past few weeks I've been able to experience that, and it is great!

Probably most of you don't know, but Jess and I just moved apartments last week. However, before we moved we wanted to do a little work at the knew place. George, a great friend and a guy who has been going to the group meetings on Sundays, was helping us peel wall paper off the wall one day (Thank You!) which was turning out to be a long and arduous task. Needless to say, we were worried we weren't going to have it done by the time we moved in.

Suddenly George came on an interesting idea. He suggested we ask some of the guys to spend the next night, which we have designated as 'Guy's Night', to help do the rest of the room we were working on. I was all for help, but 'Guy's Night' is usually a time we take to play games and relax and I didn't want to take that away from them unless they were willing. Well, they were willing and the next night a group of guys was over at our knew apartment working away. It was very encouraging and a great help to have them there, I almost couldn't believe it. The men took a few hours out of their own time to strip the walls of our kitchen and even were able to get a few coats of primer on it as well as the hallway. In the end, because of their help Jess and I were able to get what we wanted done to the apartment before moving in.

Now that we are moved in and in the process of unpacking, I am very thankful to all the guys who helped us that night; and to those who wanted to, but were unable for one reason or another. It was an amazing example and learning experience to me of what a community is. As the 'Church' we are to help those in need, but also be there for each other. Not only is it great to see that being lived out in Sydney, but also causes me to reflect if that is being lived out in my own life. I want to be part of the 'community'.

-Nate

P.S. I also want to say a big thank you to Matt and Terra for opening up their hope for us the other day when we had to go to Halifax for a meeting about my Permanent Residency. They took time out of their busy schedule to hang out with us! Also, to Heidi for her great friendship! It's great to have friends who are willing to help, and even do small acts of random kindness!

The Waiting Game

2007-11-28T13:34:00.000-04:00

I am sitting here at the desk, on hold with Expedia waiting to find out how they are going to get us from Newark to Dallas, as that leg of our family's journey for Christmas in Lubbock has been canceled. I've been on hold for a good half an hour now, which is always a challenge with three children home. So how do I have a few minutes to sit and write? Quite frankly I have no idea!! It's one of those moments that come every so often, when children are entertained or napping, or some combination of things, and it all aligns into a few moments where mommy can just stop and do something by herself. These moments are far and few between, but I love them. I never know how long I will have, or what I will be able to accomplish, so I must take advantage of the moment and get something that I have wanted to do done. Like blogging.
Have you ever noticed, that no matter how much you get accomplished, there is always more to do? And in fact, sometimes accomplishing one thing creates more things to do? One of the things that I have been learning this year is to take time to enjoy the special moments placed before me. And just today I'm recognized with how many of those can happen while I am waiting on someone or something else. For instance, this morning I was at an appointment for Laura and I, and we had Graham and Heidi with us. For some reason the practitioner was behind in her day, and we had to wait. Instead of getting frustrated with having to entertain three children in a room full of "don't touch" items, I accepted the situation, and enjoyed a special cuddle time with each of the children at different moments in their play. The best was Graham climbing up on my lap and nuzzling his nose against my check, and then planting numerous kisses in the same place. He just wanted to be with mom, and we were provided a time, where mom didn't have anything else to do but enjoy the moment.
Well, Graham's movie is over, and Laura is out of time-out, and I'm still on hold. I guess this moment has also come to an end. So the next time you are waiting, take advantage of the moment, slow down, and see what it is you can be doing to enjoy the wait.
Tammy

2007-10-23T18:03:00.001-03:00

Learning His Multiplication

The vision at Harbour Wesleyan is to reach out to people while being His church. Our desire is to Love God with all of heart, all of our soul, and all of our strength; therefore, we are determined to love our ‘neighbours’ as ourselves and sharing this rich, life-giving message of Jesus Christ who came in the flesh to show us the way to be reconnected with God. In the process of seeking direction we have sensed a definite call to be a church structured around small or cell groups. The backbone of these groups are people who have decided to follow Christ, who want to be taught how to do so by learning the scriptures and the disciplines of the faith; such as, prayer, fasting, Bible study, etc…

Recently our church made an attempt to grow from one group to two. Our intention was to create a group that would enrich family relationships and enhance the spiritual leadership of our parents with our kids. The focal point in our minds for the second group was to create a space for young adults. Much thought and prayer went into this move; however, I cannot say that it has been an easy transition. Not everyone has been pleased with the move. Not everyone was actually served by the transition. Nevertheless, we have patiently waited and watched over the past month as we moved into the two groups. First, let me say that often times we believe that people are ready for something that they often are not. This is a misjudgment on the side of leadership. Moreover, I believe that the bigger problem stems from how we made the attempt to grow. We made the assumption that people were ready and that we could take those people and break apart something very divine that was happening in our initial ‘prototype’ group and re-create that in two separate groups.

I believe that that was wrong thinking. After re-assessing what has happened I think we tried to do something artificially that must happen “organically.” The Spirit of God wants to direct things and will make things happen in accordance with our obedience to act. Sometimes we (with the best of intentions) take the reigns and move ahead in our own ‘intelligence’ and ‘know-how’ without thinking or taking time to realize that God is going another direction. I believe that this is the type of error we have made. Not that we were willfully disobedient, but that we were not sensitive enough to what the spirit of God was doing at that time. Therefore, the results were not what we had expected.

“What did we expect?” you ask. Well, what we hope and pray for is the development of a spontaneous movement of God through our obedience to serve and work here in Sydney. We pray to see God’s Spirit move and work to bring salvation and healing to the entire Isle of Cape Breton! As Neil Cole says in his book, Organic Church, “Spontaneous expansion is true power! This what we all want deep in our hearts. This is also what our Lord wants. Let’s have the faith in the Lord of the harvest and in the seed of His word rather than in our methods and strategies. Let us find a way to believe once again, like a child, in magic seeds and miraculous trees.” We didn’t move that direction with our first attempt at cell group multiplication; however, we are certain that God’s grace will see us through our own mistakes as well as any other setbacks that we have/will encounter/ed. We know that God is good and the people God has led us to befriend are just that, friends. The relationships we have formed are stronger than the errors we have made and thankfully God’s Spirit will get us in the right place. Cole also states, (with regard to cell group multiplication) “Actually, reproduction is not hard. It is natural. Dare I say, it is even pleasurable…The fact that reproduction is thought to be so hard and painful for churches is evidence of how far removed we are from being healthy and natural.” Not everything has been wrong or a failure. We have learned from our first experience at ‘multiplication’ and are excitedly waiting to see what is next!

-Michael Hutton

Heidi Marie Hutton, April 23rd, 2007

2007-04-25T23:06:00.000-03:00

Hello all. Just a quick report that we had a healthy
baby girl on Monday, April 23rd, 2007. Both Tammy and Heidi are doing well. Heidi weighed in at 8 lbs. 15 oz. and
was 21 inches long. Thanks for all of the prayers as we
delivered this baby!

Who Knew?

2007-04-12T21:33:00.000-03:00

OK, so we didn't plan to have a baby during the first year of our church start-up adventure! God knew. We didn't expect to be expecting and go through the ups and downs and joys of a new addition during this intense time. God knew. I hate to see Tammy miserable...and ready to 'pop.' She is ready to 'pop' me in the jaw! I don't think she reeeeeeeeally blames me...at least not fully :) Nevertheless, the due date is only four days away and our physician says that he will be surprised if she lasts through the weekend. We are so excited about the new baby. The kids are ecstatic...our new little church family are fully supportive and behind us. Thank God for the people here and Tammy's mom, Betty! Pray for us and the new little gipper.

-Michael :)

When it comes down to Faith

2007-04-10T03:54:00.000-03:00

So, I awoke early in the morning to help one of our little ones to the washroom. Then I realized that falling back to sleep was going to be a struggle. My mind was going full-tilt with thoughts of a new baby on the way, the call on our lives to start Harbour Wesleyan, and some other important things. Faith: This is a key ingredient to living life as a follower of Christ. This is a defining factor in the face of adversity, challenge, mistakes, failings, temptation, etc... I am reminded of this as I was awakened in the wee hours this morning. Different voices in my mind vying for position, for mastery over me. The granddaddy of them all, fear, wants control. I guess that is why, way back, I chose 2Timothy1:7 as my life's verse..."For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-discipline." Even then I realized that fear and faith do not coexist. They are mutually exclusive. I have learned that God's love casts out fear and replaces it with a relationship that fills me with faith. I know that Christ will lead me through the places of doubt and insecurity into the higher places of assurance (not self-assurance by the way) and confidence.

So, this morning, the voices in my head come. They want to rule me. I will stay firm in my trust in Christ and His call in my life because it is His true love that is more real than any of the things I have to worry about. It is love and direction that will take us through the realities that cause worry. As he says in Matthew 6 (paraphrase) I feed the birds and clothe the lillies of the field...how much more do I love you!...of course I will make sure you are taken care of. I have faith that those words are true. It is faith that brought us to Sydney and it is by faith through God's unmerited favor that He will sustain us! Writing is good for the soul, I remember truth as I sit and write these thoughts down!

- Michael

Musing 1

2007-04-06T11:53:00.000-03:00

So, yesterday, I was sitting in my car in the driveway after taking my two daughters, Catherine and Laura, as well as a friend, Nicole, to school. I pulled into the driveway and felt a peaceful moment happening, so, I stopped the engine and sat. While I sat in the car the CD player advanced to a song by U2..."Where the Streets Have No Name." The intro. is so other-worldly, haunting, reaching I felt not only a peaceful moment, but a holy moment happening, stirring my soul. As I entered into that moment I knew God was near and whispering, "Give it to me."

At one moment in time I began to weep. I sobbed. I released something to Him. I cannot tell you exactly what. I do not exactly know. As the tears began to subside I questioned God, "What is it?" Help me to know. God didn't answer. It was almost as if that wasn't as important as my "giving it" to him. Deep down I knew it was there, but didn't know what it was. It hurts, it frustrates, it feels insecure, it...wants to take over. God knows and wants the best. Giving it to him is one of the hardest things in the world to do. It takes more than one event of giving it away for it to actually go away. I think that I have to give it away to God daily because it comes back...not because God can't hold it, but I (perhaps even subconsciously) take it back.

That happened yesterday and I thought you might like to know.

-Michael

Help Me

2007-03-31T07:24:00.000-03:00

It was really busy. The hum of voices carrying through the place were drown out by some rich conversation and a cup of coffee. The lines were running out the door and people were on their solitary mission before going on to the next stop. So is the way of Tim Horton's. I was sitting with a friend, Lloyd, at a booth in the midst of conversation when I noticed something on the napkin holder. I looked over a little more closely and noticed that scrawled on the first napkin in the device were the words..." Help Me. "

For a moment which was in actuality very brief, but in some ways could have been an eternity, I was stunned by the mystery of the experience. It wasn't so much about the words nor the fact someone had written on a napkin in a napkin holder. Upon reflection I was stunned because of the experience and the possibilities wrapped up in this message. Being in Tim's during its busiest 'rush' of the day in which 'everyone' is there - I read a quiet cry for help. It was so un-noticeable. It was so simple. It was so un-obtrusive. This message for help was pushed off to the side in a booth on a napkin holder. I don't want to read too much into it; however, my mind started to think of all the possibilities.

I thought that perhaps is was someone sitting in the booth sometime before me who was desperate, perhaps suicidal, who needed someone to talk to, yet, had no one to listen. Or maybe it was someone who had gotten themselves into trouble somehow and just needed some help, but didn't know who to ask or what to do. It quite easily could have been someone who was bored and wanted to write those words in 'jest.' Finally I considered that it could have been someone who was kidnapped and while her abductor was distracted had scrawled these words on the napkin in hopes that a 'saviour' would see her message and come to her rescue. I thought about lots of different possibilities for this wee note.

Finally I determined that I was thinking way too much about this, but I could not shake the importance of this experience. I guess the profundity of it was still sinking in (and still is). There is a world all around us crying out for help in some way. How will we respond? Will we take the note seriously or just blow it off? We have choices to make day in and day out. When the desperate cry for aid shows itself at our doorstep what will we choose to do with it?

-Michael

Buying T-Shirts

2007-03-19T17:16:00.000-03:00

In addition to the post below, we just wanted to add that if you are interested in buying an AIDS awareness t-shirt please contact us. They are $20 for each shirt, with all of the proceeds going to AIDS awareness. If anyone is interested please contact us at huttons@harbourwesleyan.ca. Thanks to all.

AIDS T-Shirts

2007-03-08T16:31:00.000-04:00

Our AIDS awareness t-shirts are in! Thanks to all who helped supported this ministry. Last week we finished making the t-shirts and began their distribution. Our goal is to increase the awareness of AIDS in the world and Canada, as well as support the local AIDS coalition in Sydney.

Half of the shirts were given to the Screaming Eagles, the local hockey team, to be thrown out into the audience. The other half we are hoping to sell, with all of the profits going to AIDS awareness. We are all excited as this ministry is getting underway.

-Nate

24-7 Prayer in Cape Breton

2007-02-14T22:31:00.000-04:00

The Vision for Cape Breton

A movement sweeping the nations is upon us. It is not so much about organization or institution as it is about Spirit and Truth! The excerpt from “The Vision” above is much of the heart of what 24-7 Prayer is all about. It is about renewal, relationship, and revival of the heart with Jesus Christ for individuals that launches them into ‘faith with works’ or prayer in action! 24-7 Prayer is about a non-stop prayer movement that catapults those who experience the anointing of God through the prayer room into world-changing mission to reach the lost, the hurting, the dirty, and the dying with the love of Christ and the promise of the Kingdom of God! This is all about prayer that makes a difference beyond the four walls of church or a prayer room. This is about an army readied for service and battle.

Last month, January 14th – 21st, here in Sydney, Cape Breton we linked arms with many brothers and sisters in Christ from all different backgrounds to reach out to God and others. Partnering with other church leaders we organized and ran one entire week of continuous prayer from Sunday to Sunday with an opening service of worship, praise and prayer for one another and specifically for the community of New Waterford as well as a closing service in which the prayers, visions, and prophetic words that God had given us during the week were read to all the people. The closing evening service was marked by times of Thanksgiving and Confession with opportunity for all in attendance (approx. 200) to speak out these things to God. The atmosphere was electric!

Thanks to the Salvation Army’s Capt. Bill Preston and Maj. Velma Preston the entire week of prayer and the closing celebration service was housed in their new church facility. Thanks to God the week logistically speaking went smoothly and the room was safe and secure! Thanks to others’ cooperation with God and willingness to take the time to pray and be present the room was covered with prayers of word, art, writing, music, etc…non-stop(24-7) the entire week! This is history-making for our island and will have an impact as a catalyst for Spiritual renewal and transformation. People’s lives will be impacted for good, for Christ, because what happened this past week.

The room set up allowed for people praying according to their style of worship and expression. 11 stations and an area for communal prayer, discussion, or just plain ol’ hanging out gave physical substance to the room. The atmosphere in the prayer room was sometimes heavy and sometimes light and jovial, but God’s spirit was evident every time I experienced the room. One of the stations, the art station, was manned every day by my friend Dave Stephens who created a piece of art from a cherry-wood cross that was generously donated to our team. This cross will serve as a reminder and an inspiration as we move forward in God’s endeavor to plant Harbour Wesleyan Church. There is so much to tell about this past week of prayer including the spiritual warfare we encountered! Many people were touched by the presence of God in a variety of ways. Relationships were healed, people experienced peace, and the list goes on. I believe that the renovations of the heart that many experienced will lead to healing in this land.

-Michael

Catching Up

2007-02-14T22:23:00.000-04:00

Wow...Since we last blogged in detail many things have happened. We have been one busy team. Christmas parties, family festivities for each of our team families, and 24-7 prayer...non-stop for one week in conjunction with other churches in the Sydney area are all a part of the fair. God has really been at work keeping us busy. I will post some articles with more detail. Sorry for the blogging laziness, but thanks for keeping in touch. We have had a team retreat for planning and hanging out together. We have also started a worship gathering small group on Sunday mornings and are so thankful for the response! God is so good.

Tammy and Michael

We got a place!!!!

2007-02-10T22:21:00.000-04:00

So I just wanted to write a quick note to let everyone know that Terra and I got our own place and its sweet. We will be moving here over the next couple days and just wanted to praise God for the new place anywho thats all I got
peace
Matt

Roofing 101

2006-12-29T15:35:00.000-04:00

check it out

Reality Check

2006-11-30T13:55:00.000-04:00

So i was browsing through some music videos on MSN this morning and came across this one by Billy Talent. Its a reality check at what a lot of our kids our facing at school and i thought it would be good for others to see it hope it hit hard and challenges you wherever you and what ever your doing. It's a reality.
just click the link below

Billy Talent: Nothing to Lose

You'll need to be running Internet Explore 6 or later to run the link.
peace
Matt

Local Artist

2006-11-28T13:45:00.000-04:00

Dear Blog Readers,

Michael wrote this article about a local artist he met in town. *Warning* before you read: It is a long one...

A Morning or Two with Dave Stephens.

After several hours over coffee the past few weeks David Stephens and I have become good friends. David is someone I met while on my journeys back and forth from taking Catherine to school, Brookland Elementary. David has a daughter the same age as Catherine. He and I went for “The Great Canadian (yes even in Cape Breton) experience” which we all know is a medium double double and good conversation. I have learned many things about Dave over the last few weeks. I have discovered a man of great depth and insight. He has the wisdom of a sage and the life experiences that have endowed him with his unique understanding of his “journey” in life. David is truly Nova Scotian and a proud Cape Bretoner, although he is anything but typical. He has lived on and off the island throughout his life and has lived in places; such as, Labrador City, Labrador; Dawson Creek, BC; and Halifax, NS. In all he has moved off the island and back five times which is not uncommon for a Cape Bretoner; however, as you will learn David is anything but common.

First of all you must know that Dave is an artist. Not so much in profession, but in existence. He sees and experiences things through an eye for exposing the truth within. “To tell the truth…from day one when I was aware of being an artist…I knew it would have to be the one most important purpose.” Dave reflects. He possesses a creative spirit that can do nothing but express itself through the medium of painting and sculpture. He also has a not-so-usual canvas that he likes to use, the automobile! Yes, David Stephens creates “Art Cars.” Of late he has done two full cars and car doors(separately) as well which you can experience for yourself at http://davidpstephens.tripod.com/. One that you will experience is called the Seaflower, a sea-scaped 1984 Chevrolet Camaro Z28. This particular one he drove to and from Houston, Texas for an Art Car exhibition. In all of his works you will experience the underlying themes of the world where the land meets the sea. In a way the sea is his muse, a source of inspiration and shaping force in his artistic expression. However, David delves into many different thematic issues as you will discover as you experience his artwork.

Nevertheless, there is no simple way to understand when, where, what, why, or even how David creates a piece of art. It is not so cut and dried when it comes to the creative process. “My life and my career are one….where often times people divide their life from their work and put life on hold to earn the money. Many artists do not divide up their life like this, but it is more about being and living.” Dave stated as I querried about his goals for his ‘artistic career.’ Art is merely the overflow of the fullness of life. Money-making is not the bottom line for Dave, yet, he has quite a following. Something I discovered about him is that he is not going to do things in order to ‘make a buck.’ He has had the opportunity to mass-produce his work, but has decided not to because it then takes away from the message and the unique nature of his work. I truly appreciate his desire to make and sell authentic pieces of art.

Dave has had a series of people influence his life in very positive and negative ways. Both have shaped his outlook, his artistic expression, his life. Among those are people; such as, his parents, his first art instructor, Jean Jock, and colleague, Lorne Reid. You can read more detail on his bio in his ‘Artist Statement’ on the web site (http://davidpstephens.tripod.com/artistinfo.html). However, even though these people and other things have shaped his lifework, Dave credits humanity as a whole as the major influencing factor in his life. “Humanity encourages and discourages…adversity, love, nurturing, all these things have influenced me. It is the broad answer. This is where my interests are…in discovering things about humanity and expressing it.” Yes it is because of this broad perspective that Dave Stephens can see the bigger picture of life and keep his head up amidst great personal loss and tragedy. He has to believe that good overcomes evil…that even in darkness there is light. Dave refuses to ever give up and falls back upon his artwork through the struggles of life.

When it comes to living, Dave has not led a sheltered existence. He came upon opposition to his artistic leanings early on. In grade six, his school principal was convinced that one must follow the ‘family trade’ in a sort of Western caste mentality; therefore, Dave was (in the mind of this principal) destined to follow his family in the lumber trade and had no business ‘wasting his time’ with art. Later in high school he had similar discouragement from the school administration in terms of his artistic work and direction, so much so, that he was asked to leave the school. Adversity as Dave stated earlier has been the crucible in which his life has been forged. Beyond this he has faced personal loss on a grande scale. His good friend, and business partner died in the prime of his life from Cancer. Fellow artist Lorne Reid had been a good friend and was an inspiration for the direction Dave's art took from 1992 to the present. These two, Dave and Lorne had met in the early seventies in boot camp for the military. It was not until eleven years later that the two would meet up again by chance in Reid's pizza parlor, Sonny's Pizza, in Cheticamp (Cape Breton) Nova Scotia. It was in Cheticamp that Dave and Lorne worked together. Dave is quoted as saying, "Utilizing our shared interests in art as a medium for exploration, Lorne and I began the process of visiting our childhood years. After previously struggling to seek new directions, we began anew, from a child-centred perspective, with simplified, easy flowing forms, filled with pure unmodulated colours. The Stephens-Reid team later worked with friend, fellow artist and mentor, Chris Huntington to begin the Nova Scotia Folk Art Festival and Picnic which began as an intimate gathering and has become 'a world-class festival now held annually on the first Sunday in August in the seaport of Lunenburg' The loss of Lorne and several other colleagues/friends has had its impact on Dave, the man/artist which has influenced his work greatly as well. Nevertheless, his resolve is to look for the light in all things. Dave also has discovered that the truth to this journey is found inside oneself. The answers we seek are not so far away as we might believe, but as close as our own heart and soul. "I am in the search for my true self…in the search for this it is really simplistic…the answer is either inside of you or very close to you. You will not find it by packing up tomorrow and moving to Ft. McMurray…it is your life…inside of you, inside of me." This wisdom is something that Dave strives to live by and shares with the world. In many ways it is a divine message that Dave has to share and believes that the spiritual aspects of life are very important. It is that very spirit within us that we share in common as human beings that pours forth onto the canvas in Dave Stephens studio.

-Michael Hutton

Are You Listening?

2006-11-23T11:34:00.000-04:00

So has been a while since we last updatedthe blog and by a while i mean a super long time. This is not a reflection of laziness but rather quite the opposite. In fact we have been super busy working on several different projects and the one i want to show you now concerns the AIDS pandemic that has scared our globe. As the Harbour Wes Team we have decided to stand up and shout about this issue. Its not a pretty one, its not one that can be bandaged and put back in the drawer and it is not one that can be ignored. There is a need here that as followers of Christ we must stand up and face. We must put a side petty differences and stand untied as the body of Christ with passion and fervor and Love as our guide we have to dive in and attack this issue head on. So my challenge is to the Church to all you who claim to follow Christ get up and shout out against the dark and speak out against apathy and complacency. We have a responsibility to humanity to be a light in darkness and the those dieing daily from AIDS need that light and they need our support in the fight for a cure. But before we can work for a cure we have to make people aware. This is the issue of our time. So shout out.

And there ya have it folks.
Peace

Arrr, the Pirrrrates took over this Halloween!

2006-10-31T22:07:00.000-04:00

Our first Halloween in Sydney we decided to do some various things to reach out to our neighbors. On Monday afternoon, we had a pumkin carving party in our living room for our neighborhood families. Our neighbors Troy and Celina with their kids, Vincent and Keegan, won the day with a very intricate carving of a jack-o-lantern on their pumkin. We also had a candy scavenger hunt in the house with the kids and had them dress up as mummies.

For Halloween night we decked out our sunporch like a pirate ship bridge complete with cobwebs and blacklight. All of the kids who came by would get loot from our real-live treasure chest. We also gave them a Focus on the Family Adventures in Odyssey CD with their candy. It was a way to connect and get something of value into their hands. I took our kids out trick-or-treating with our neihgbors, Troy and Celina, with their kids and relatives. We believe that every contact we make is of value to bringing about God's plan on this earth!

-Michael

T Minus two nights

2006-10-30T13:56:00.000-04:00

And so the count down is on for Halloween. I am discovering quite quickly that Halloween here s almost as big as Christmas. It reminds me a lot of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" actually . And for all of you who haven't seen that movie my question to you would be where have you been. Tim Breton's classic "The Nightmare Before Christmas" was an epic tale of one mans or rather skeletons journey of self discovery. K so the only real connection between that movie and Halloween here is that they are both big holidays but never the less it reminded me of it.
Here at Harbour Wes aka the house we are going with a Pirate's theme for Halloween night. We are turning out front porch into a pirate ship turning us all into sword carrying, eye patch wearing, parrot perching pirates. Its been crazy trying to get our costumes together for this whole deal. I have been to al all the major thrift stores around and have yet to find pirate boots. But that's not really important . What is though is the fact that we are going to be able to hand out a bunch of adventure in Odyssey CD's with the candy for kids to listen to which will be great. It is also an opportunity to meet a lot of our neighborhood kids cause according to legend aka Bobby we get over two hundred kids on Halloween. So with our cannons loaded with candy and our best pirate impersonations in place we are hoping to meet and reach a lot of people tomorrow night be praying for us as we yield sword and CD.
Peace
Matt

Truck Troubles?

2006-10-12T15:42:00.000-03:00

The other week started out as...let's just say not-so-good. Jess had been driving our truck to the Hutton's for her hour of prayer when the truck died on her. We couldn't figure out what the problem was and were fairly worried as she needs the truck for traveling to and from work. Our lack of funds made us uneasy of sending it to a mechanic's shop so I was asking for as many suggestions as I could get. Bobby from next door to teh Huttons even took a look under the hood for me.

Unfortunately, with my lack of mechanical expertise I was unable to get the truck running again. A neighbor of the Hutton's suggested a local mechanic and pretty soon I was traveling down the road in a towtruck. At this point it seemed like it might be a disappointing day. However, along the way I was able to have a good chat with the towtruck driver, a long-time resident of Sydney. We talked about the city and what it was like, and then I was able to explain about why I was here in Sydney. He was very open to what I had to say.

At the mechanic's shop, also a long-time local who actually works out of his garage, we talked about the problem and then I set out to head home. His wife, upon hearing that I was walking back home, offered to give me a ride. Once again, it was another good conversation and I was able to explain my purpose for being in Sydney. On top of all this, I met Dave, the neighbor who suggested the mechanic to us, at Thanksgiving dinner the other day. It was a good connecting point to talk about.

Anyway, all this to say that even though at first having a broken down truck seemed to be the worse, it gave me an oppurtunity to meet three contacts and tell some people about the Church Plant starting here in Sydney. Oh by the way, it was simply a problem with the connection, it didn't cost too much, and the truck was ready by the next time Jess had to take it to work.

Ciao,
Nate

Salt Water Turkey...

2006-10-11T13:02:00.000-03:00

Good morning good morning good morning, SO yesterday was the official day of thanks giving here in the great white north and a crazy thanks giving it was. Mike got the idea a lil while back that it would be cool to invite everyone we could possibly think of over for thanks giving and have a huge feast. It was a great big idea but it also required a huge a mount of planning organizing and professionalism, which of course we really don't do well. That's not to say that we didn't have a game plan but more that we have a very vague game plan, on with very little clear detail or reason, but that my friend is half the fun. So we all got our heads together and started cranking out a menu and then it was time for the grocery shopping. I have discovered something very important about Mike and I, if it ain't on a list we don't get it! And so with our semi complete list which we thought was complete we headed to the grocery store and began the great shopping extravaganza. With list and hand and shopping cart in tow we ran around the grocery store hunting for bargains any chance we had. And so after some amazing wheeling and dealing (if I do say so my self which I just did!) we rolled into home and unloaded our full van load of food.
Well next came the planning of the day. The first thing to consider was how many people were coming. And so we went to our main recruiting expertise to gather a tally (aka Mike) and after some careful calculation and examining is records he promptly informed us that he had no idea how many were coming and when asked how many people he had invited he proudly announced "everyone I know" and for Mike that is saying something!
And so with a bunch of food, no idea how many people were showing up and a very vague idea as to what we were actually going to do on the day we called in for back up. And what better back up then a giant his wife and their trusty missional minded counterpart! And So Ryan and Sarah and Heidi showed up Sunday night ready for action.
Monday morning rolled around and the chaos ensued. There were more potatoes and carrots peeled, sliced and cooked then Mike has contacts in his contact list (which again is saying something because as mentioned Mike knows almost everyone;))we managed to cook two turkeys thanks to Tammy's keen sense of forward thinking and were able to pull out three pies a couple dozen rolls and a last minute upside down cake thanks to Nate's until recently hidden Baking skills. The girls pulled there own as the official decorators/dishwashers/keep the kids distracted/ save Ryan and I when we were going nuts specialists. Mike with his gift for gab was able to entertain all of our gusts which worked out to be probably 25 plus people, in a single bound and as for Ryan and I, with our armor in place our, long knives at our sides and our pots and pans in hand we attacked the culinary beast before us. After countless hours of preparation and sweat blood and tears the meal was complete, the guests were feed and content, the dishes were cleaned up, the leftovers were packed away(which by the way will probably last us a nuclear winter!) and we were exhausted.
It was a great day. I think all of us got the chance to hang out with people that we had never met with the exception of Mike(seeing as he had invited almost all of them). It was a great opportunity to show Christ's love in a practical way without programs and committees but rather with fellowship and love. Cause relationship is where its at!
Well that was a glimpse of our thanksgiving. I hope you enjoyed it now if you'll excuse me I need to go make another turkey sandwich apparently we have a fridge full of leftovers that have to be eaten.(PS if you have any suggestions of creative ways to eat thanksgiving leftovers that would be much appreciated a man can't live of turkey and crandberrys alone!)

Peace
Matt

PS a special thanks goes out to our back up, you guys saved us!

And that was our thanksgiving

The Bean Bank

2006-10-02T21:29:00.000-03:00

Hello all you friends and blog people! I just wanted to announce that I discovered through word of mouth the best/coolest hang out spot in Sydney, NS! It is called the Bean Bank which is an esspresso bar/cafe with several rooms/alcoves for chillin'...and I heard the rumor that it has wireless internet!!! They play really good music in the background...ambience! This reminds me of my favorite place in Lubbock, Texas...Daybreak Coffee Roasters. I am so stinkin' excited about this new discovery!!!
(For Matt...coffee is good, coffee is great, coffee, coffee, coffee...hahaha!)

Night the two...

2006-09-29T13:42:00.000-03:00

28th September, 2006, 1:00am to 2:15am
Traveling the streets of Sydney
It was the second night we have traveled around the city looking for homeless people. Tonight however was much different from last night. Michael and I jumped in my Saturn and hit the road at 1ish tonight thinking we were going out looking for Homeless people; well that was our intentions anyway.
We traveled up and down George, Charlotte, and Esplenade looking around checking out nooks and crannies, any dark patch between the orange rays of light from the street lamps. Yet with all our searching we found no one. Although we were missing on the people front we did find the woods (for lack of a better term) between Charlotte and Esplenade which is supposed to be a gathering spot for homeless people in the winter.
After driving up Prince for a bit all the while shooting the breeze, I suggested we head to Whitney Pier or just the Pier as we have discovered it’s called here. Michael nodded thinking it would be good to scope out the area a bit. I don’t think, as I turned left at the Co-op, that I had any idea as to what God was planning for the rest of the night. In fact if I were to be totally honest, when I turned left at the Co-op the number one thought running around in my mind was the hope that we would finish up a little early so I could get some sleep before 2am. In hind sight which of course is always 20 20, I am glad that the thoughts running through my head at 1:30 in the morning aren’t the same as God’s.
We rolled into the Pier and as we did Michael shared with me that his oldest had come strolling into their room a bit earlier this evening and had simply began to cry for no apparent reason and without explanation. My mind began to wonder back to a weird dream I had had the other night about a person who appeared to me and told me that I wasn’t going to make it that I was going to fail. I had been weirded out by the dream the other night but as it came back to my mind tonight, driving through the dimly lit, run down streets of the Pier, most the shops boarded up or closed, the dream seemed to be a lot more then weird, so I shared it with Michael, and that’s when the feeling came. I use the word feeling here simply because I don’t really know how else to express, define or describe it. I also use this word because the feeling was different for Michael and I. As I began to share the dream I had had, driving down the main drag, Michael began to feel sick in his gut, his hair was standing on end and he was fighting his lunch down. Not to mention he had a pressing against his throat and chest. After sharing the dream Michael felt that this may have some connection to some things he has been experiencing and that he felt God might be showing him about the state of things here.
But no sooner had we turned onto the next street near the cemetery then my stomach began to twist into knots. I could feel fear trying to grip my and it was a nagging awful feeling of dread. I shared this with Michael and as we talked through it trying to figure out what was going down, God began to reveal some things to the both of us about what the deal really was. For me God seemed to be speaking to my heart revealing that the enemy had clearly claimed the Pier as his territory and that children of God were not welcome. More than that though it seems that the enemy has gripped the people of Whitney Pier and he isn’t letting up any time soon. It was tripping me out and I could feel the fear trying to pull me down.
Michael on the other hand felt God confirming the need for us to really get serious about this war we are facing. The truth of it is (and I don’t really care if people want to ignore the reality) God has gone to war for Cape Breton, He wants it back and He wants it back now, but the enemy is heavily entrenched here. In fact the enemy has constructed some strongholds and fortresses through, substance abuse, addictions, worthlessness, and self abuse. And the enemy doesn’t want to lose ground. Tonight I think we realized that more clearly then we have since we arrived.
We rolled into the drive way shortly after this all went down and personally I felt wrecked. More then anything I wanted to crawl into bed snuggle with my wife and try to push the fear that was still wrestling with my spirit out of my mind. But again thankfully what runs through my mind at 2 am isn’t what is running through God’s. Michael suggested we take some time and pray in fact he pretty much said we needed to pray, which in hindsight was the best suggestion all night. I took a deep breath waiting for Michael to open us up when the Holy Spirit showed up and decided that He was going to lead the show.
The funny thing about the Holy Spirit and when He makes up his mind to lead stuff is that most of the time you cant even process whets going down, most of the time your holding on for dear life like you would on one of those roller coasters that your feet dangle the hole time and you cant see through the dark tunnel, ha just close your eyes, feel the crazy butterflies doing death defying acrobatic maneuvers in the depths of your stomach and scream with glee as you enjoy the ride. When the Holy Spirit shows up all heaven breaks loose and tonight was no exception. I don’t remember every word that was spoken nor do I remember everything we prayed about and to be honest I don’t think I can ever really convey exactly what the Holy Spirit did while we sat in the car with the doors locked, in the drive way, but I can tell you that The Lord showed up and he found too seriously humbled fools crying out to him. And then there was peace, peace that passes all understanding and logic, peace that baffles shrinks and doctors, peace that trips the intellects and the scholars, peace that puts demons in their place and makes angels laugh like children. I believe that God showed us what is really going on in Sydney, underneath our good intentions, our grand plans, our newsletters and our contacts lists, there is a war raging on for the very souls of our neighbors, our friends, the people we haven’t even met yet, its for them that this battle rages, and its bloody, it hurts and its real. Oh it’s very real, more real then your everyday activities, your afterschool activities, your church socials, and your day jobs. It’s the thing that’s really going on when we find kids dying from overdosing, we find teens shooting up schools, when we see young adults getting sloshed out of their minds every day of the week, we find parents ignoring their kids or worse abusing and misusing them, and we find the old being herded together without any real concern for their well being. This thing is a war between heaven and hell and the battle ground is here on the plans of what we call reality, what we call life and we have a part to play. If ever there was a time for us who declare allegiance to the King of Kings to stand up and shout our battle cry the time is now, give up self imposed ignorance, throw down complacency, fight against apathy and stand up. There is a battle going on around us, in the very midst of us people are being lost.
We finished our time of prayer feeling exhausted but energized, at peace but restless to fight the good fight to be counted as one of the Lord’s fools. I truly believe that God is going to transform this place, He is going to build his church on this rock that the gates of Hell WILL NOT PROVAIL. The reason, GOD IS BIGGER, STRONGER AND MORE POWERFUL then anything the enemy can throw our way. God wants to raise hell to the ground here in Cape Breton and he’s going to build a church in its place. And it won’t be a Wesleyan church or a Pentecostal church or even a Baptist church, its going to be God’s church where God’s people come together and they worship him in Spirit and in truth, they help the poor and the orphans and the widows and the drunks and the addicts and the broken and the dying. In God’s Church his children are going to fight injustice, love the wretched, bless the poor, and feed the hungry. In God’s church a brother won’t be distinguished by color but by blood, Christ’s Blood which was poured out for all our sins, the blood that makes all men and women equal, the blood that frees the addicts, the drunks and the sex fiends. In God’s church we are going to dance in freedom and sing with Joy all the time. In God’s church we are going to understand grace that makes Holiness possible. Because in God’s church it won’t be about race, social status or who you know, wait, actually it WILL be all about who you know be cause in God’s church everyone is going to know who Jesus is even if they don’t know it yet.
And God’s church is going to start right here right now as his people pray. And prayer wont be a part of the day, prayer will be the day, any time all the time God’s children will be talking to their dad, they will be sitting in his lap sharing their darkest fears while in a traffic jam, they will be lifting up his praises while in the grocery checkout line, they will be praying for their lost brothers and sisters in their high school cafeteria all the while being scoffed at and ridiculed. In God’s Church prayer isn’t what we do it is who we are.
At 1am this morning when Michael and I hopped in my four door Saturn and hit the road looking for homeless people I had no idea what God wanted to do. At 3:30 am I sit here smashing keys on the keyboard with conviction. I still don’t know all that God wants to do but I know what he wants us to do next and that’s enough, to be honest I don’t think I could handle any more then that right now. So I’m going to post this get up from the computer and do what God has called me to do, but what I think God would like to know is what are you going to do?

peace
Matt

Play Pump

2006-09-22T21:22:00.000-03:00

Check out this link...to discover the creative and wonderful genius of those who want to tackle 2/3rd's world poverty. These guys are doing inventive things to bring fresh drinking water to a thirsty land.

http://www.we-are-one.org.uk/projects.html

Imagine, no one works to extract the drinking water from the land. Kids do all the work while having fun! That sounds like a wacky, heavenly, Kingdom-of-God type of answer to a major problem!

-Michael...2Timothy1.7

Gellin' like Magellen

2006-09-20T20:09:00.000-03:00

The great experiement here with the Sydney church plant, Harbour Wesleyan, is to live out an Acts chapter 2 existence at the roots, radical. We are not trying to be extreme or envelope pushers, just authentic followers of The Way. Acts 2 details some very exciting marks of distinction. It speaks of a body of believers who were dedicated to a lifestyle of worship together. It speaks of a community that was sold out to learning God's word from the leaders of the church and committed to one another so much that they spent time together daily sharing meals and their very posessions. This group of people truly cared for one another in action and deed as an expression of their obedience and love for Christ.

We aim to live this type of existence so much so that we are living together and eating together and meeting to worship and pray together as often as those believers who are written about in the good old book of Acts. The funny thing is...we are growing closer and full of love for each other beyond what we could have ever imagined! We are a tight team after only a couple of months! Our vision is melding together and growing out of our existence as a team focused on living truly dedicated to Jesus. Upon this and the foundation of prayer I believe we are headed for amazing things on this journey in Steel City, Nova Scotia.

-Michael...2Timothy1.7

I'm singing in the rain...

2006-09-20T14:33:00.000-03:00

So actually I wasn't singing in the rain for two very important reasons, the first being my inability to walk and do anything else at the same time and two because it would be a social injustice for me to break into song in public. However I was walking in the rain today Listening to Norah Jones sing in the rain on my way to Loaves and Fishes when I came across a young lady on the curb. I passed by her as I would anyone else but as my feet steered me around her I could hear God cough suggestively under his breath. (For many of you God may very well speak to you in a loud clear voice but with me I find he likes to give me the suggestive cough, and the thing about the suggestive God cough is that there is an entense exchange of words that take place between God and myself all contained within his suggestive cough.) but for real as I walked passed this young lady with her jacket over her head soaked to the bone on my way to the warmth of the soup kitchen near by I felt a very strong conviction(aka the God suggestive cough) and God began to remind me of all the things I have been reading about lately, and in God's way he let me know I needed to sit down and talk to her.
I wish I could report that we had an inspiring conversation about God's love, his salvation plan for her and that she needed to accept Christ as Lord and join our church plant. However that wasn't even close to what happened. I asked her why she was sitting on a curb in the middle of the pouring rain and I could tell in her eyes that she was probably wondering why I was standing talking in the middle of the pouring rain, but unlike myself she was much more discrete and not nearly as nosy. So being the more nosy of the two of us I did discover that her name was Krystal'she and that she had to drop out of school because she has just recently had a baby. The reason she was sitting on the curb was because she was waiting for her dad to pick her up to take her home he was late and she was cold and wet. I carried on the conversation as best I could after that which was rough at best due to my inability engage in conversation unless it is about the latest game out or my stats on world of warcraft (/sigh) and shortly there after her dad showed up and as fast as the rain had come that day she was gone and I was continuing on my way to Loaves and Fishes listening to Norah Jones sing in the rain.
My thoughts for the rest of the day have been mixed, first I wonder why I had such a difficult time talking to this girl, I was frustrated because I didn't get to bring the conversation around to the love of Christ and I also have been wondering why whenever it rains Norah Jones seems to be the best music to listen to. I also wondered if I even really made an impact in Krystal's life, if she will even remember me when she goes home and has to feed her new born when she is up in the middle of the night because her child has a fever or is hungry? I don't know, but then God planted an idea in my head that has been sticking to me like peanut butter on a kids hands, What if the point wasn't to talk about Christ but to be Christ to her. For one moment in a world of craziness what if just sitting and talking with her was being Christ to her. I have know idea and I don't pretend to be real good at this talking to people about Jesus thing either but what I do know is that Christ compels me to go out and love people and today I think I got a chance to show Christ's love to Krystal , the rest is really up to God.; could I have done more, definitely did I do it all right probably not, but it really doesn't matter, in the end if we are willing to go God will deal with the details.
Peace
Matt

Coffee is Good...for the soul

2006-09-18T20:57:00.000-03:00

Just wanted to say that coffee can be an addiction for some (the Christian drug of choice) but for others it is the ticket to a Bohemian pleasure like none other. There is nothing like sipping a cup of God's java in an asthetically pleasing environment in which melodious tunes roll and a good book is in hand. I do not mean coffee drinking in which one has to have one of those Tim Horton's pot-sized coffee containers refilled twice a day to get a fix type of drinking, but the more bougoise style of enjoying coffee along with the other fine things of life: Art, Music, Literature, you know, the classics! So, to Matt I can only hope that his report on coffee is an attempt to help his fellow man, the man who has a problem with beverage drinking control. Nevertheless, I feel that he could be implying more and should be wary of lumping all coffee drinkers into the same category.

Michael

Coffee is for death...

2006-09-18T10:04:00.000-03:00

So I was breezing through the news this morning and came across an article all you coffee addicts might find interesting and remember after reading don't shoot the messenger I just thought it was funny no need to get hostile. (but as a side note it is interesting how we defend the things we have addictions too when confronted with them!) anyway here is the address for it

http://www.cbc.ca/story/health/national/2006/09/18/coffee-report.html?ref=rss

On another totally different and entirely more serious but not so serious as to make you want to be an Emo kid note, Sunday was a really good day here in Sydney, the weather was great and no one had to work which is in and of itself an amazing thing (I give God the credit on that one for sure). I think it was the first day we have all and by all I mean the 9 of us have been able to just sit down and enjoy each others company so that was great and I just wanted to put that out there.
Anyway that's all I have for Monday morning and remember all you coffee junkies don't hate me I just read the article!
peace
Matt

The night life

2006-09-15T12:05:00.000-03:00

So the other night Mike and I got the opportunity to hang out with our neighbors and play some cards. It was great. I learned how to play a game called spades (or at least that's what I think it is called). Mike and I played our two neighbors in a game and after a tough game we came out the victor. But the really cool part was the fact that we got to hang out with them. They are a great bunch of guys who love to joke around and chill. It was a great connect and I am hoping we will get the opportunity again soon.

ON some other fronts God has been blessing us all in crazy ways. Jess got a job and has had some sweet opportunities to connect and even talk to a girl about what we are doing here and the girl was even interested in joining Jess's small group when she has one. Praise God for that one cause that's crazy she's only known the girl like three days. anywho another crazy God thing that's been happening is that God provided Terra and I will fifty dollars from a random donation which was exactly what needed so we could get food this month. Its insane how God provides what we need even before we get a chance to ask him about it. Its been crazy.
On the prayer request front be praying fro all of us that we can get out there and plug in to the community. We are all kind of looking for our places that we can relate to people and for some of us (myself included) that's a difficult task. Also if your thinking about it be praying for God to show us exactly where he wants us and what he wants us doing.
Anywho that's all I got for now
Peace
Matt

The video blog part the two...

2006-09-12T12:24:00.000-03:00

Hey everyone well yesterday Mike and I and the kids went for a drive and this is where we ended up. A couple weeks ago we gave you a taste of one side of Sydney well this video blog we wanted to give you a taste of another side of Sydney hope you enjoy

And there ya have it folks
peace
Matt

Office Space

2006-09-07T16:38:00.000-03:00

This will be a quick blog mostly cause we have spent the entire day cleaning up the office which if you haven't seen the office is a huge deal. Anyway with the arrival of Nate and Jess we discovered that we have a need for more room and another desk. So today's task was to see those things come into being. And so here is a look at the finished product

isn't it a lovely desk, thanks to the hard work from Nate and Terrell we now have a wonderful desk in the office so I'd just like to say thanks to both of them for their hard work

Anyway that's been our big thing for the day
talk to ya'll later
peace
Matt

Another day in the life of us Sydney folk

2006-09-05T09:38:00.000-03:00

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening. So another week has come and gone and this is what's been happening. First and foremost the Weavers have finally moved in to their apartment here in Sydney. Jess is currently on the job hunt so please be putting that in your prayers and please being praying for Nate as he starts diving into the ministry here with us stay at home men ;) see for those of you who don't know Nate and Mike are both Americans and still waiting for their paperwork which means they are full time stay at homers as for me well I just seem to suck at the finding a job thing. I've been applying but keep getting the old rejected sticker. And so here I am sitting on the computer updating the blog jobless. But God is teaching me a lot about trusting him and actually learning to trust in him and have faith that He will provide. And its been good. So that's what's been happening on that front so be praying for all of us as God teaches us Guys about trusting!
So here's a thought to ponder

"Our intimacy with God is the gift of grace, not the attainment of piety. Our involvement in society is inspired by mercy, not militancy. Grace is the heartbeat of our vision." -Pete Greig (the vision and the vow)

I've been reading through this book the Vision and the Vow and its been crazy sweet. God has been teaching me a lot through it but this piece really hit me hard the other day so I wanted to share it here. Grace is key to living for Christ. In fact without grace what hope do we have of following Christ. And yet so often I find that Grace falls to the back seat in our relationship with Christ. Instead of falling on grace in our day to day walk with Christ we fall into a mind set of rights and wrongs. We replace grace and love for duty and guilt. Why, in our journey towards holiness in our walk with Christ, do we trade grace for duty, for lists of rules and for self righteousness many times?
Anyway that's all we have time for today folks
Peace
Matt

FIRE

2006-08-30T07:06:00.000-03:00

Prayer is the fuel that creates the fire in our lives to reach this city, Sydney, for Christ! As our team was praying just over a week ago I was given an idea...Fire! Fire, which is used to describe in scripture the torture of eternal punishment for those who do not believe. Fire, for believers as a tool of refining as we grow closer to Jesus and become more like him, holy. Fire, the passion that comes as we meet with God as we grow closer and understand his love for us bit by bit:

FIRE

Fire! burning, dreadful, torturous-poisonous pain
Drinking, Drugging, Cheating, Abusing - brothers are slain
Godless humanity struggling for the spark
Hungry to know and to be known in the dark
Nights of the soul

Fire! burning, dreadful, torturous-reviving pain
Seeking, Opening, Digging, Exposing - reality to gain
God-fearing humanity fighting to die
Thirsty for organic H20 from Zion
Clarity thrusts through the blurred vision

Fire! burning, dreadful, hand of God-ordain
Exciting, Driving, Creating, Saving - Heaven to explain
God-serving humanity cruising the wave
New life marks the wake
And the soul is set free

-Michael

Xtra Xtra... This just in...

2006-08-29T22:55:00.000-03:00

So this is just a quick note,
I was browsing the XXXchruch Site today and saw this video. You need to check it out. It's a reality check about what the porn industry is really all about. copy this link into your address window and press enter. it will prompt you to download do it and watch the video.

www.triplexchurch.com/constance.m4v

Peace
Matt

No Soup for you... KD instead

2006-08-29T14:48:00.000-03:00

So its been a crazy week and I haven't had a chance to get on to update actually that's not entirally true I was on yesterday but the Blogger server was down. So here I am today with the update. A couple of crazy sweet things have been happening here at Harbour Wes. The first is that we were able to get connected with a Soup kitchen here in Sydney called Loaves and Fishes. I actually got the opportunity to go there today to help out its a sweet spot. A little bit of back ground on the place. They serve between 100-150 people a day 7 days a week, 365 a year. They are open from 10 am to 1pm every day without exception. It was a blast working with their head cook/co-ordinator/food delivery guy/floor man and pretty much any other job that makes the place run. Ron's his name and he's a great guy. I walked in this morning bright and early to discover two things first I was put right to work and second the main course of our menu today wasn't soup at all but KD how sweet is that. They have a few consistent volunteers that come faithfully everyday to help out but for the most are always looking for people to help. So if your ever in the neighborhood and looking for the sweet spots to hang out I would suggest Loaves and Fishes. They're located on Charlotte street just before the banks. IF you have never been here before then you'll need a map, which you can get at the tourist place by the big fiddle on the harbor. If you don't know where that is then ask someone I'm sure they will direct you to it, and possibly invite you to dinner because that's the type of people Sydneyites/Sydneyins are (I still don't know what to call people who live here!) and so after a good meal and some fellowship follow their directions to the fiddle and get a map then go to Loaves and Fishes I'm sure they would love to have ya.
The other cool thing that happened just last night was a crazy little thing I like to call the God being crazy and awesome factor. Terra and I were having a discussion last night about our current financial situation and were discussing the finer points of paying bills with only a 1.55$ to our name when a knock came at the door. Mike was there delivering the mail to us, and Terra being funny asked me if there was a checks for her, I smirked and said no and looked to find in my hand no checks addressed to Terra but two addressed to me. And its was more then enough to get us through this month. It's amazing how often God answers our prayers before we get a chance to pray them, ya'd think he knew what we needed or something. So I want to take this moment to praise God cause He is awesome and the reality is that it doesn't have anything to do with the money he gave us this month, its simply because He is God and he loves us like crazy. So praise God and pass the pickles.
Peace
Matt

Late wedding gifts are the best

2006-08-22T11:11:00.000-03:00

SO another weekend has pasted and God is at work. The first thing I want to share about how random God can be. Terra and I are still just getting on our feet and settled in as a far as finances go and we are as usual tight for finances. And recently we discovered that we were tight for grocery money. So yesterday as we were leaving Sussex to make the home journey, we were slipped 60$ plus gas money which was crazy enough but when we got home we received a super late wedding card (and by super late I mean over a year late) but tucked away inside it was a check for 50$ now we have enough for groceries. Praise God cause is is random and crazy but it doesn't stop there.
recently we had put the word out that we were wondering if anyone had extra Purpose driven life books and other discipleship materials to help pus get started with the church plant. Tam sent out an email to all the pastors in the district asking if they had any used stuff and well we got a response. A couple donated 200$ for the use of increasing our discipleship resources which is way beyond what we could have asked for. Our God is amazing. He provides more then we ask for because he loves to bless us. Its amazing. And so I want to encourage whoever is reading this today to put your trust in God alone because He is the God who provides. The Lord is good and all his people said Amen
peace
Matt

A Day in the life of a Sydneyian...Sydneyite... or something

2006-08-16T15:44:00.000-03:00

And here it is folks for the first time ever in full color the Sydney video blog

peace
Matt

2006-08-15T00:28:00.000-03:00

Today was a good, family day. We took the kids to Baddek to visit the cousins. Catherine had a golf lesson and it was a beautiful sunny day. It kinda started out weird. Our One year Bible and another book were left on the roof of the car and fell off somewhere on the highway (thankfully Matt and Terra were able to drive around and find them). However, it did not put a damper on the day!

While at the golf course I got talking to a man whose son was in the same class with Catherine. He was really nice and we small talked for about 20 minutes. After that I just asked him questions about himself and he shared very openly about his recent separation and impending child-custody hearings. His candor was quite amazing. I just thank God for the little points of light in the contacts that we are allowed to make day in and day out. I believe that these contacts here and there; although, now they seem random and outa da blue will conbine in the foundation of this new church here in Sydney.

-Michael
2Timothy1.7

One after Another...

2006-08-14T10:04:00.000-03:00

Good morning and good day...
So its been a couple of days since the last update (my bad) but God has been doing some great stuff around here and I need to tell everyone cause God deserves the glory. SO Friday was another crazy day of blessings all around. It all started at around 11 am. We had had to get the dryer fixed and the guy was gonna charge us 75 bucks for the repairs which is still pretty good. Anyway So Tammy and I went to pick it up and after talking to the guy for a few minutes we went to pay and he looked at Tammy and said, tell ya what your a nice lady its only going to cost ya fifty. Crazy yes, but it doesn't stop there. After that He went on to explain that there is a piece we still needed to get for it which would cost us around 20 to 30 bucks but then mid sentence he stops and says, wait a second I might have one that will work. And sure enough he gave us the piece for free. Crazy yes but not done yet. So after the dryer blessing Terra and I had to go to the police station to pick up our background checks for a job which was going to cost us 50 bucks. So we had been praying that God would provide the money cause basically we don't have any and he did. Crazy yes but God wasn't done yet. So we pull into the police station with the money that God had provided and ask the lady there for our back ground checks. She pulls them out and Terra pulls out the money to pay and the lady stops her and says, I must have been having a bad day it says here that ya already paid. So after a couple minutes of trying to tell her we hadn't paid and she insisted we take it as a gift wad have a nice day. Crazy yes but still God wasn't done. This last one shows that God doesn't just provide what need but sometimes he provides the wants. So my best Friend Dame hooked me up with a free trial of the best game ever World of Warcraft. And I've been playing it through and have come to love the game. Its great I can hook up with all my friends that I don't get to see online and we can play through a pretty sweet game. Well the game is expensive and there are monthly fees to be paid for online play. So obviously I'm not getting the game anytime soon. Well the day my mom left she decided that she wanted to give me one last little blessing before she left so she gave me the money for the game and for a prepaid card. But she was very specific that I had to spend the money on the game. Well I went to buy it and I couldn't find it anywhere for under 50 bucks. So before I bought it I went on line and sure enough Future shop had a deal on for two more days. I got the game for 35 bucks shipping and taxes in and a prepaid card for two months. Crazy eh!? Well that's what God did on Friday and he just keeps doing crazy stuff
So that's all I have to report today God is awesome and its crazy working for I'm gonna have to say its the best job ever
peace
matt

It's Raining Blessings in here

2006-08-09T12:16:00.000-03:00

So God has been doing some pretty crazy stuff. While in Woodstock God pour out the blessings on us through people giving money and food and a place to sleep it was crazy, but it didn't stop there when we got back here we discovered that our food supply was quickly diminishing and by quickly I mean hokey dyeing we ain't got any food left. But God was already at work. Our mom's drove us back from Woodstock (another blessing from God cause it saved us huge amounts of traveling expenses) and had already decided before they ever got here that they were going to come together and fill our cupboards and fridge and freezer with food. So we spend yesterday filling up carts with food it was nuts. So I want to take right now to thank God for moms but more importantly for his constant provision. He never lets us go without and its crazy. So this is a short blog but its a blog to say thanks to the moms but also and most importantly glory to God for he is awesome.
Peace
Matt

Home, home on the range...

2006-08-08T10:45:00.000-03:00

So we got back in last night from our adventures in Woodstock. Overall it was a great trip. We got to see lots of family and friends and were given the opportunity to speak at Woodstock Wesleyan Chruch. The Lord is super good. After speaking there we walk away with a lot of prayer support which was great. I had the opportunity to bring God's word to the people at Woodstock Wesleyan and it was a lot of fun. The Lord is at work with the people there and we want to give him glory for the stuff he is doing there the church is really coming to life and allowing the Holy Spirit to move there. It's great.

And Now we are home and it feels nice to be jumping back into it. We are hoping this week to connect with some soup kitchens and food distribution centers in the area so be praying that God opens the door there for some ministry opportunities.
Anywho as for me I'm seriously behind in emails so I'm out.
peace
Matt

Conversation with a Neighbor

2006-08-05T05:19:00.000-03:00

Hey everybody,

It is 5:15am and morning prayers are exciting. People come to mind...I pray. I read prayer requests from our prayer partners and exciting news from the 24-7 Prayer web site (www.24-7prayer.com)...and I pray! God is doing some wonderfully exciting things here. One of them occurred yesterday when a man down the street who showed up at our front door. Prompted by "who knows what" (I know!) a neighbor dropped over for a chat. He lives four or five houses down from us. He usually sits on a lawn chair recliner a good part of the day. I have made it a point to wave at him every time I pass by him whether in the car or on the street. We have had two previous chats and lots of waves...until today.

This man has had three months sober. He loves God and knows many scriptures and Catholic prayers by rote memory. As we sat and talked he quoted lots and lots of scripture. He must have stayed at the house from one in the afternoon until four thrity! This was a good thing. God is using our presence here in Sydney in a powerful way. This neighbor of ours even indicated an interest in being a part of a Bible study as soon as we get one started!!! He has also promised to take me to the next open AA meeting available. I pray for this opportunity to meet more of his friends. This is such a powerful indication that we are on the right track! Great is Your Faithfulness, Oh God my Father!

-Michael

On the Road Again...

2006-08-04T16:09:00.000-03:00

And so we find ourselves on the road again. Terra and I are currently in Sussex on route to Woodstock where we are going to have the opertunity to speak at Woodstock Wesleyan. It's a pretty exciting time and its great to see family and friends again. This is going to be a short post and more of a prayer request then anything. As we prepare for this oppertunity we are in need of prayer support. Not only are we going to be able to share the vision for Harbour Wes with Woodstock but we have also been given the oppertunity to preach and share the word of God with them as well. Its super exciting but i would ask poeple to pray that God gives us the right words and that He guides every part of the prep and peaching. It's God's word and I'm excited that we have the oppertunity to share it so please being praying that God's truth is all we speak that we surrender our will and focus and allow God to do the work. thanks
Peace
Matt

Night Ministry

2006-08-03T04:44:00.000-03:00

I am growing more and more aware of the incredible opportunities that God opens up in the wee hours of the night (or more appropriately, morning). I have been spending time with God in our prayer room during my 4am shift, the anchor in an all night vigil that our team is doing on a daily basis. Through being awake and praying at this time in the morning, I am realizing that there are a lot of other people who are also active at this time. This morning at 3:30 am Tammy woke me up saying, "someone just came to the front door and rang the doorbell and then ran off!" She heard them walk up the sidewalk to the front steps and then the bell rang. When she got up to answer the door whoever it was ran off.

So, being the protective husband that I am I got dressed went downstairs and put on my flip flops to go out and investigate. As I walked out the back door (so I could sneak up on them -- to have the advantage of surprise)a guy came running into my backyard from next door! I don't think my garments are stained, but it scared the B-geebers out of me. In my half-asleep/awake stupor I managed to ask why he was in the backyard and told him that he needed to leave. My voice due to being extremely sleepy sounded several octaves lower than normal probably like I was a bit doped up or something...kind of like Andre the Giant as Fesick in The Princess Bride. It was the combo of tiredness and fear that gave me the deep (hopefully intimidating sound)voice.

Anyhoo...after that fright I walked around the front of the house to hear a woman say, "Where is my daughter!" I decided to stand close to the house to observe what was going on without being noticed. A young guy came walking down the street to meet her. The next thing that happened...two police cars and a police van came screeching down the street. Things seemed to calm down a bit when a canine unit came sniffing around the house...this was around 4am. Now this probably doesn't sound that weird...yes it does! The fact is that the night before I heard someone "scratching" around the front door at 4am and in the newspaper, The Cape Breton Post, a man was reported to be walking down our street (Brookland Street)weilding a sword. Thank goodness he was arrested! So, life is really interesting here and lots happens before 6am than many experience all day!

-Michael

When a stranger calls, hire a stampede of Hogs

2006-07-31T11:08:00.000-03:00

So this weekend was pretty sweet. Sydney hosted a big Harley D. Rally here and it was insane, I've never seen so many Harley's ever not even on TV. It was crazy the video above is just a quick taste of what the Hog fest was like. The coolest part about the whole deal was that there were a lot of people out and it was great to be able to talk to them. Over all it was a crazy fun time.

On another note God has been doing some crazy awesome things during our times of prayer. As we have been entering into times of prayer we have been discovering that God is always doing crazy things. The other night I got a call at about 1:30 in the morning from a lady that just wanted to talk she had no idea who I was or what I was doing but she felt like talking. Last night Mike was praying for direction on a particular issue and out of no where while he is praying God showed him the answer through the internet. God is doing crazy things and its blowing our minds.

A couple of things we could definitely be using prayer for over the next few weeks is first and foremost that God will continue to guide and direct us in every aspect of our lives , second that we would continue to trust him for our daily provision especially financially and thirdly that we would be able to meet new people every day and that God would continue the work he has started here in Sydney.

well that's all I got so I'm done
peace
matt

In the middle of the night...

2006-07-28T11:20:00.000-03:00

God is always doing crazy things and last night was no exception. We started our twenty four seven prayer the other night and basically it breaks down that we all take some time out of the day which we spend in prayer and meditation. All four of us are on a night rotation where we each pray for an hour one after the other and last night was a crazy awesome night. God is beginning to teach us all crazy things and last night God began to show just some of the hurt and pain that is holding this city down there is so much bondage and hurt here and God wants to do so much its crazy. Last night was a night where God showed up and said oh by the way this is what is really happening here. It was nuts God is so amazing and his grace is so big that it can overcome the problems and hurts here. God is stirring in our hearts as a team I think the need to totally surrender ourselves to him and to allow him to lead every step and I mean quite literally every step we take here. God is so awesome and it makes me feel like David did when God told him what He was going to do for him kingdom. Its such a feeling of utter awe and being humbled because there is nothing any of us have done no check list we have followed, no right people we have kissed up to, no amount of money we have given that makes God want to bless us and work in this place, its his love for us and his mercy for us that makes it all happen. If that doesn't slice ya off a piece of humble pie you might want to go repent!
On a praise note God worked out the plumbing thing and we now have a tub in our bathroom hurray for tubs in the bathroom.
well I need to go do something else besides playing on the internet so I'm out.
peace
Matt

What a difference the internet makes when you want to blog...

2006-07-26T10:14:00.000-03:00

Good morning, good day, good afternoon and good evening,

Its finally arrived, and with no further adieu I give to you, the internet. Oh to have such a friend as the internet, here whenever I need it, here to listen to my ranting and ravings, to catch my tears and listen to my laughter to... to...

Okay so if you enjoy the internet that much you may want to consider getting out some more and meeting some people. I hear that people can be as much fun if not more to interact with, not really sure though as I spend all my time with my friend the internet(just kidding.. but for serious).

Anywho as you have guessed and if you haven't by this point in the blog well I guess your in for a shocker, We finally have the internet. And I have discovered a couple of simple things that take place when you become disconnected from the world wide web for an extended period of time that I would like to share at this time. First, if you have been without internet for a long period of time you will discover that your inbox will only hold so much mail before it virtually explodes and digitally lights all your excess emails on fire leaving you hopelessly lost missing some major emails. Thankfully mine did not quite reach the point of said explosion but it did take over an hour to respond to all my mail. Lesson to take home kids, if you have more friends then our friendly internet which I'm sure you all do, ask them if you can check your emails periodically it might save some stress. Lesson two of two (and this one really only applies to gamers so if your not a gamer feel free to skip ahead to the next paragraph. This is just like a choose your own adventure novel "if you want to see Billy explore the deep dark abandoned mine shaft where there is sure to be villains with the most horrible evil intentions turn to page six hundred and forty- two") anyway where were we, oh right lesson the two. If you have been without internet for quite some time you will discover quite quickly that when it comes time to game with your buddies over the net you have some how achieved internet amnesia, you can not remember how to get one the internet let alone add a new port to your windows firewall so as to allow you access to gaming content so you can play some of the classic all time favorites. The lesson that can be learned here is that when all else fails attack your computer with a hammer or simply turn the firewall off.

On a more serious and sweet note is that we are finally moved into our house. Its crazy we still have boxes here there and everywhere but at least now we have a path cut through it all (for serious its like a cardboard jungle in here). We have all started checking out the area getting used to where things are and what all is out here and I can almost even get to the mall and back without going the wrong way at least once which is great. God has been doing some awesome stuff which we are super excited about the first of which is the BOB. You will hear a lot about the BOB which stands for the board of blessings. Its a place where we write down sweet stuff that God is doing and post it there so that we can be reminded day after day of how faithful God is and the sweet thing is that daily we are putting new stuff on the BOB. God is awesome and he is doing crazy things. We have loads of opportunities to meet people Mike and Tam have been heading up the park near by with the kids and God is faithfully bringing people to them. Just last night Terra and I had the opportunity to meet some the teens here and talk with them for a while which was very much a God thing. The Lord is here and he is working in crazy ways, providing for our needs from day to day as they come.

In fact speaking of needs that God provided for we needed some plumbing done the other day and after an assessment from a local plumber we found out that it was going to be 700$ to have done which is a lot more then any of us had in our pockets. So we took it to God and during prayer he let us know that he would take care of it. anywho the next day Mike is in at Home Depot and is talking to one of the guys that works there and surprise he's a plumber on the side and after some more conversation and an assessment we have found out that it is only going to cost us about 420$ to get twice as much work done and that's parts and labor included.

God is always doing crazy stuff like cause that's the type of God we serve. He is a God full of love and grace and he pours that out on us everyday in crazy ways. The more we find our selves depending on him and walking with him the more we find that He takes care of all the stuff around us. Don't misunderstand me please I'm not saying that if you do one thing you'll be rich and powerful and never have a down day but what I am saying is that when we turn to God and depend on him and put our focus into walking with him every step of every day we become like the disciples as Christ sent them out with nothing but themselves and his love, then had nothing to eat or extra to wear and no place to sleep but God provided every step of the way. Lesson three to take home is simple, follow God wherever he leads you I guarantee you it wont always be easy but it is always worth it. From the words of a movie I think most of us have seen, "after all he's not a tame lion... But he is good."

peace!
Matt

Sydney is Comin' Soon

2006-06-20T23:06:00.002-03:00

Well, it is hard to believe, but we will be moving in under two weeks! We are excited about the coming changes and very sober about the lifestyle shift that we will be experiencing. I am reminded of the words of Paul, the apostle, in Philippians chapter four, "...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." We are leaving the safe and predictable to go to the place where God can use us in a whole new way! We know that he is faithful and also understand that it does not necessarily mean that we will live at a certain level or standard. God's call does not guarentee a middle-class life, yet, I know that He will give us exactly what we need to lead a healthy family. I pray that in this new 'place' in the Hutton's life that we go in faith and never in fear.

-Michael

Who are you anyway...

2006-06-06T19:49:00.000-03:00

So after coming out of the closet, it was suggested that we actually let people know who we are and what are deal is so here’s the deal.
My name is Levi lightwalker; I am a lone starfighter for hire. I like to spend my free time jumping star systems in my Star Runner 553 known as the Twilight Dancer, hunting Nelion butterflies on Javlin 2 and long walks on the beaches of New Saturn. I like chocolate cupcakes but not chocolate cake that’s just nasty...

But for serious my name is Matt Keith and the hot girl in the pic is my wife Terra. We have been married for almost a year and it’s crazy to think that we are about to dive into a church plant with Mike and Tammy but its great. So here’s a little about us. Terra is an awesome girl from Woodstock, NB. She has a huge passion for teens and hurting people. Terra loves to hang out with teens and has a passion to teach people about self worth and about their identity in Christ. She is the much more organized of the two of us and has a strange obsession with using envelopes to organize everything. I don’t personally understand it but since I don't naturally like to organize myself out of a paper bag I go with her system, hey it works what can I say? Terra thinks Sydney is going to be cold but she is excited to move there and begin to meet people.
As for me although it has always been my dream to jump star systems in a star runner 553 known as the Twilight Dancer the reality is that I am about two hundred years to early. So putting aside my dreams of space exploration and hunting Nelion butterflies on Javlin 2, I actually just finished up my BA religion degree at Bethany Bible College. I have a passion to reach the lost with the truth of the Gospel of Christ. I love to preach Christ to people and to share God's love. I also love to play video games. Right now my favorites are Invisible War for Xbox, Lego Star Wars for Xbox, FF10, and of course Halo 2 which really never leaves the favorite category I mean dude its Halo 2 seriously. But besides loving God and enjoying video games I am also excited to get to Sydney. I am really hyperactive about getting down there and finding a job. More importantly I am excited about community living, it means I have someone I can play video games with to all hours of the night how awesome is that.
So that is a little about us. We are both crazy and love to goof off all the time if not more then that and we are really excited about where God is taking us. Be praying for all of us as we make this transition into a new life its gonna have it's stressors but I think that it will more so have its blessings. Anywho that’s all I got

Peace
Matt

2006-05-17T21:39:00.000-03:00

The Sydney Story

by Michael Hutton – (2Timothy1:7)

“I really appreciated the heart of this church.” I thought to myself. “They passionately worship the Lord and they are all the way out here in Margaree Valley!” “Nothing fancy,” I thought. “An old church building with a family of faith who are alive in Christ worshiping in Spirit and in Truth.” Where is this place? It's in the middle of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. This is the home of Margaree Valley Baptist Church, a small independent congregation led by Pastor Hugh Morris. I think the exciting heart of this church on the move is in the leadership. When the leadership has contagious enthusiasm it is hard to keep the people of God from being of like mind and spirit. Later after the church service Tammy, my wife, and I introduced ourselves to Pastor Hugh. Home grown Cape Bretoner and Margaree Valley Baptist Church parishoner, Hugh, shared his passion for ministry and for his Island. As this young pastor shared his heart and desire to see lost souls find Jesus in Cape Breton county I was inspired. He quoted a figure, 1% of Cape Breton people are born-again believers. My heart shattered for the spiritual condition of this land. It was like a small spark ignited in my soul as Rev. Morris shared his vision and dreams with me that Sunday morning in October 2004. This Jesus-spark would begin a spiritual revolution in my life that would continue to hone my vision personally as well as my future aspirations for ministry.

Now, skipping forward to June 2005 at the Prevailing Church Conference in Moncton, NB... “Dean, check out this new book I picked up, Planting Churches In a Postmodern Era by Ed Stetzer!” I said. “Hey, looks good, I'll have to have a look at that one.” Dean replied. “I am really interested in church planting, Dean, I have been thinking about Sydney, Nova Scotia.” I mentioned. “We will have to talk sometime.” Dean replied with interest. It was that little conversation that began to solidfy my heart's desire and direction to go. This coupled with some other encouragement from fellow believers with whom I had complete confidence. I remember a comment from my friend and colleague, Lisa Fowler, when she said to me, “You will not be at Sussex Wesleyan for more than another year.” I had no idea where she was coming from and she had no idea of the dream that God was developing in my heart towards Sydney. I was afraid she was prophesying that I would be fired (tongue in cheek). However, when she said this a sense of peace overwhelmed me, not fear. Things like this began to happen over and over. Little confirmations and moments of guidance began to “pop up” time and time again. After the conversation with Dean I began reading the book on church planting and it began to overwhelm me with a sense of affirmation and calling. I began to realize that this church planting thing was a part of my purpose. Even as I look back over my life I can say that my youth pastor, Kevin Evans, was a great model for me. He led 200 plus students weekly in a 3000 plus regular attender church, but left his position to move from Lubbock, Texas to go to Arlington, Texas to plant a new church. He was the first person I ever knew to go and do something “out of the ordinary.” As I read the book I had shown Dean, I developed a nagging sense that I must do the same and nothing else.

Therefore, with a growing sense of God's direction and the urgency to move forward in this way, Tammy and I focused our prayers and our attention on this heavenly idea of Nova Scotia. That was mid-Summer 2005. In August while on our youth group mission trip to Halifax Tammy and I met with Dean and Rosalie Brown to discuss the dream that God was developing in our hearts for church-planting. This was an informal time of chatting about what was on our minds and to ask them questions about their journey, starting Metro Wesleyan. We have learned so much from this ministry couple! They have been excellent mentors through this process and in life. From this conversation until November we did not really do anything to advance the Sydney thing, but lived out our lives as focused and purposed for Jesus' Kingdom here in Sussex as we possibly could (while still corresponding with the Browns). The whole thing is...we just want to be God's people wherever we are. Sussex is such a wonderful community and we have loved the ministry here. It has been a place where I have learned so much and have grown so close to our church family here. I feel more dedicated to this place than ever, even as we look toward the future in Sydney. Sussex is our home! The community, our Christian brothers and sisters outside of Sussex Wesleyan, the Refuge youth group and its leadership, the church staff, etc... all are our people. Nevertheless, sentiment and relationships, though important, are not reasons to stay in a situation. Financial security, a nice home, and all the friends in the world will not fulfill one's soul nor will they please God, so, with all that in mind...well, we have prayed and lived and sought direction.

That brings us to November. Tammy and I found ourselves at Beulah camp for an interview of sorts. Perhaps it was more like a gut-spilling, gut-wrenching, yet, cordial getting-to-know you session. We met with both Dean Brown and our denominational church-planting assessor, Genetta Herrera. Genetta has a way of getting to the bottom line. She is very friendly and all, but she did not waste any time getting to the business of finding out what makes Tammy and me tick. She asked me questions that got to some very serious heart issues. We talked about my painful experiences in ministry while in Portland Maine. In Portland I had been hurt by my ministry director and ultimately been forced to resign under a very painful set of circumstances. I remember dealing with feelings during our church planting assessment that I had not fully acknowledged. I was set free from some major bondage through our time in that meeting. I don't know if that time was meant more for my healing or for Genetta and Dean. We also talked about some of the pain Tammy has experienced as an ordained woman in a “man's” world. Though brief, our assessment was of major value. We felt cared for, understood, and qualified through the process and were so thankful for a denomination that goes the extra mile for its people. We were filled with confidence in the Wesleyan church at an entirely new level and thankful for its proactive stance in supporting us in this way. There have been no rubber stamps in this process! From November to February was another period of discernment. Tammy and I were growing more and more confident that this was the direction we should take. This whole planting thing became more and more solid. Things like dreaming about how our styles of leadership would play out in roles in the new church were stronger than every before. We were gaining a vision for team planting. We knew that we did not want to do this thing on our own, so, we began praying and praying for a 'core team' to join us. The content of who we are began unleashing itself and we started putting things down on paper and discussing those elements and how they would become the backbone of a church leadership.

It was not until Februay that anything Earth-shattering happened. One morning the first week of the month I woke up with the intense feeling that I needed to make this dream a reality. I needed to do this by letting go of my security here in Sussex, my staff position at Sussex Wesleyan. Tammy was very supportive. She has been with this vision from the beginning. She is vital as we develop this new church together. So, I sat down and drafted a letter for Dr. Neville Gosman, my senior pastor. It didn't take too long to write, but the hard part was delivering the letter to him. When he read he was not shocked nor surprised. The Spirit had prepared him for this. Since that time Pastor Neville has been 100% behind us and an encouragement like I could have never expected. God has used him in powerful ways to confirm and build up this call in my life. About two weeks later I shared this same letter with the entire church who were saddened, yet, full of love and support for our new direction and decision to move onto Cape Breton. Since the point of letting go at Sussex Wesleyan power has come and the Spirit of God has filled us with greater confidence and manifestations of his Spirit like never before...preparing us for a very bright future. “For I know the plans that I have for you declares the Lord, plans for good and not destruction, plans for a hope and a future...in those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. “I will be found by you,” says the Lord. (Jeremiah 29: 11-14)

More to come...the further thoughts and adventures of Team Sydney...

Coming out of the Closet...And joining the Sydney Team

2006-05-16T13:12:00.000-03:00

So this if my first post with the Sydney team and I'm super excited that I am on here. So rewind back to the beginning. My name is Matt Keith and my wife, Terra, and I are joining Mike and Tammy on their adventure to Sydney, N.S. It's super excited to be able to make it offical and to in the final stages of planning before heading out in July.
So a little about us...
Terra and I have been married for almost a year and we both feel called to work with the homeless and the Poor and with youth. I just graduated from Bethany Bible College and am working towards ordination and My wife has two and a half years of training in youth and global ministry. okay enough about us so about the church plant...
If you have been following along with the blog posts then you know a bit about Mike and Tammy's heart and passion for this church plant. Its super exciting to be a part of this team and to share in their vision and passion what's even sweeter is seeing how God is working all this craziness out for his glory. God is great in how he has brought our two families together and how he is even still now calling others to join in this endevour.
Anywho there will be lots more to come and it will be awesome to see what God does over the next few months espeically anywho until then watch out for potholes and pidgeons
peace
Matt

Core Values: Part I

2006-04-19T00:07:00.000-03:00

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

2006-04-13T23:14:00.000-03:00

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

2006-04-11T00:08:00.000-03:00

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!

2006-04-04T22:24:00.000-03:00

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.