ENGAGED!

Galashan/Bamford

Congratulations to Ben Galashan & Sharon Bam-ford who were engaged on

Friday, May 1. Ben & Sharon are planning to be married on October 10, this coming Fall.

JUST MARRIED!

Pastor Courtney had the privilege of perform-ing the marriage ceremony of Maegan Gill (daughter of Kevin & Karen Gill of ICC) and David Fudge on Saturday, May 2. Following the ceremony a reception for invited guests was held at The Holiday Inn, Barrie. The new-lywed couple spent a week honeymooning in Jamaica. Congratulations Maegan & David!

DEEPEST SYMPATHY

Our sincere sympathy is extended to Bob & Pat Stuckless on the passing of Bob’s mother on Wednesday, April 15. Funeral service was held in Newfoundland on Sunday, April 19. We also extend our deepest sympathy to Bruce & Susan Moore on the sudden passing of Bruce’s brother, Peter Moore, following a massive stroke on Saturday, May 16. Funeral service was held at the Innisfil Funeral Home on Wednesday, May 20.

PAOC CONFERENCE UPDATE

On May 4-6 Pastor & Beulah Courtney, Pastor Rob & Pastor Mark attended the PAOC West-ern Ontario District Spring Conference in Bur-lington. Rev. Lorrie Gibbons was elected as the new District Superintendent, assuming the role of former District Superintendent, David Shepherd, who has served the WOD for the past 12 years.

LAKESIDE SERVICE

Pastor June & John White are currently run-ning the fellowship hour at Lakeside Retire-ment Residence in Alcona. We appreciate Pastor June & John, Gerry & Margaret French, Carol Justice, and all who share in this ser-vice every Thursday.

THE LIFE

CENTER

(TLC) We are down to the wire leading up to the official opening of our new worship

auditorium, The Life Center, which will be on Sunday afternoon, June 14, at 3:30 pm. This is an open invitation to all and we would love to have YOU come and celebrate with us! Progress Report WOW! AMAZING! FABULOUS! EXTRAORDINARY! How do I describe the final days as we complete the las t stages of construction? Words can’t convey the excitement and awe that we sense stepping into the new auditorium, “The Life Center”. “The Life Center” is the new worship space where we pray Jesus becomes the very heart, middle and center of everyone’s life. We don’t want Jesus to b e just an “add on to your life” kind of religion. We want Je sus to be the “Center” of Life. We want this to be a place w here people find “Life”, with a capital “L”, in Jesus... the “abundant life!” It’s a place where people can come for a little “TLC” – The Life Center. The spelling of the word “Center” was a matter of discussion among many, inc lud-ing myself, prior to installation. Our sign company pre-ferred the "re" vs "er" . The choice was made to id entify that center of life is to be found in God... thus the center representing the middle point, the inner hub of all of life.... a place where one’s life can be c entered in God. There are those who would say that the American spelling for a building or a meeting place should be "Centre" as i n "Community Centre", and that the Canadian spelling should be "Community Center”. This may indeed not m ake any sense to some, but in our research there seemed to be a variety of opinions, and none with any great auth entic weight of proof for one or the other. The English l anguage is constantly changing and the words center and centre seem to be among those in change, and at times inte r-changeable. So, thus the logic why we went with “er ” in “Center”. The first lift of pavement has been completed. Land scap-ing is scheduled and should be done by all our volu nteers within days. A little more cement work to be done, (sidewalks and steps), some hand rails to be instal led, the last of the platform carpet, the sound booth… and w e will be ready! Check us out on our web page. See the bu ilding photos. Thanks for your continued support and pray ers.

Pastor Courtney

NEWSLETTER

MAY, 2009 Sunday, May 10

Mother’s Day is a time of commemoration and cele-bration for moms. It is a special day for honoring

mothers all over the world! Pastor Courtney’s Mother’s Day message reflected on the Prov-erbs 31 mother. “ A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” When she trusts and obeys the Word of God, He will grant her the tools and wisdom she needs to raise a good family. Pastor Rob recognized all mothers by having them stand and praying a prayer of blessing over them. God Bless Our Mothers!

BACK TO HOME ROOTS! On Sunday, May 3, Pastor Courtney was the invited guest speaker of Broadway Tabernacle, Orangeville, celebrating the church’s 78th anniversary. His sermon was taken from Reve-lation 1:8: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come.” Born and raised in Orangeville, Pastor Courtney gave his heart to the Lord at a very early age, graduated from Eastern Pentecostal Bible College, was on staff at Broadway and also helped with the con-struction of the church. As he took a nostalgic trip down memory lane, he challenged the con-gregation with a message of the God who “was” (back then), the God who “is” (now) and the God who is to come (future). The challenge to the church was to reach the harvest that is “now”, with a vision for the “future”, while still embracing the memories of the “past”. Congratulations Broadway Tabernacle!

News/Tidbits News/Tidbits

GROUND ZERO

Overflow, Overflow, Overflow!! Pastor Mark and about 30 youth and adult sponsors attended the Overflow Youth Convention in Waterloo the weekend of May 15-17. On Sun-day evening It was so exciting to hear testimo-nies from these young people as they shared how God had touched their lives during the convention. Pastor Mark is so grateful for the financial and prayerful support of our church family, allowing so many to go (at a reduced rate) who otherwise would not have been able to attend. God Bless you for investing in the lives of our young people.

PRIMETIMERS

The seniors continue to enjoy Shuffleboard every Monday—even on the Victoria Day Holi-day! They love to fellowship, and on the first Monday of every month a potluck luncheon is an added blessing. With the great weather we have been having, I’m sure they are looking forward to their annual outdoor June picnic with fresh strawberries!

WOMEN’S MINISTRIES

This season’s last WM meeting was held on Tuesday, May 19. Jennifer Hardware shared a personal testimony, based on the scripture found in Proverbs 3: 5-6. This was followed by a message from Caroline Sharpe on the topic of “Purity”. The final wrap-up highlight will be WM’s 5th Annual Daisy Déjeuner luncheon, being held on Saturday, June 13. For tickets or information, please call the church office at 436-1611. The next WM season will resume in September. Our thanks to Elaine Heeringa, (WM President) & her team, and Brenda Clair (Daisy Déjeuner Planner) for all their efforts on behalf of Women’s Ministries.

MEN’S MINISTRIES

Under the direction of Brad Young (MM Director), the first Christian Father’s Conference (Real Dads) was held at Innisfil Community Church on

Men’s Ministries (cont’d)

Saturday, May 9. There was a great line of seminar speakers, including Ron Ellis, (formerly with Toronto Maple Leafs) and Chef Francois, who prepares gourmet foods using power tools! Real Dads is geared to equipping fathers with knowledge through education, lit-erature, and seminars, enabling them to men-tor their children with a positive role model of what a father and a man should be. Thanks Brad for organizing this event. The ICC Innisfil Baseball Team also kicked off their season during the beginning of May, com-peting with other local church teams . “Go ICC!”

BG’s (Boys & Girls Club)

The BG Club wrapped up their year with a party and a sleepover on the weekend of May 22-23. They also participated in the BG Parade and Awards recognition during the Sunday morning service on May 24. We extend our thanks and appreciation to Bonnie Pereira who gives leadership to our BG’s, and the dedi-cated team who works alongside her.

CORPORATE PRAYER MEETINGS

On April 26 and May 24, congregational corpo-rate prayer meetings were the focus of the regular Sunday evening services; the latter one being held in the new auditorium. It is the desire of the church to place further emphasis on prayer and to seek God’s wisdom and direc-tion to help us reach the harvest that is before us. As well, the Friday morning prayer team continue to meet and intercede on behalf of the needs and prayer requests presented to them.

MOM TO MOM SALE

As this letter is being written, the Mom-to-Mom Sale, organized by Sheri Lind, is all set for Sat-urday, May 30. Approximately 200 people are expected to participate. This event is intended to provide inexpensive purchasing options for local parents. Also, all the money raised from table rentals will benefit LaTienda, a charitable organization that provides business skills to women living in the Dominican Republic.

Events/Activities (cont’d) Other News Events/Activities

WATER BAPTISM The last Water Baptismal Service to be held in the current sanctuary was on Sunday morning, May 24. Pastor Rob and Pastor Mark had the privilege of baptizing the following candidates as they desired to follow the example of Christ: Ethan Danby, Jesse Easton, Taylor Sharpe and Nicki Giroux. Congratulations! We look forward, with anticipation, to the first Water Baptismal service in our new worship auditorium (yet to be determined). The tank is almost ready!

CONGRATULATIONS

CAROLINE! After a lot of hard work and determination, Caroline Sharpe has finished her degree completion program and received her BRE

(Bachelor of Religious Education) degree on Saturday, May 9. The graduation ceremonies took place at Tyndale University College & Seminary in Toronto. As well, on May 7 Caro-line was among the award recipients who were honored for exemplifying outstanding charac-ter attributes, at the SCDSB Education Centre (Simcoe County District School Board). Con-gratulations on your achievements, Caroline!

COMMUNITIES IN BLOOM Innisfil’s annual Communities in Bloom Garden Gala was held at the Stroud Arena on April 30 and was a great success. Again this year, Pas-tor Courtney was invited to participate in the celebrity gardening challenge, competing against Innisfil Mayor, Brian Jackson; Brad-ford-West Gwillimbury Mayor, Doug White; and Rev. Glen Eagle of Churchill-Gilford United Churches. After a 3 minute time limit, Pastor Courtney and Mayor Jackson tied in the com-petition. However, Mayor Jackson was declared the winner with the help of some of Pastor Courtney’s props!

News/Tidbits