Well, I don’t have a ton of time to blog this week, but just reminding you that MAIN STREET CHRISTMAS starts this Thursday night!

We are super excited, and know that it’s going to be a great weekend of celebrating Jesus!

Hope you can join us, check out www.compasspointonline.ca for more info!

See you at Main Street!

Shelly

I’m excited about a lot of things right now, which puts me in a happy place! I am so excited that I can hardly concentrate on my normal life. In the past week, I have lost a Tim Horton’s sandwich and a bag of groceries. Went home and pulled into my neighbours driveway TWICE, thinking it was my house. I also forgot to put the gas cap back on after I got gas, resulting in many lights going off in the van. I wore my shirt inside out and I also lost my black dress pants since I last wore them yesterday.  I love excitement………it makes my life interesting!

So, here is the list of exciting things…….

I am excited that at our Kerns Campus, our children have been raising money all month for NETWORK, nets for children in Malawi, to protect them from mosquito bites which cause Malaria. I am excited that they have raised so far enough for 30 nets! ($300) I am excited that one little girl took it upon herself to go collecting for nets because it touched her heart and she wanted to help others.

I am excited that so many children are participating in Meet me at the Manger, our children’s musical for our Main Street Christmas. I am excited that many people are inviting friends and neighbours to come out to this weekend. I am excited to see us share Jesus with them

I am excited about the whole Main Street weekend coming up in less than two weeks….so many people working hard and coming together! It’s exciting to see the church come together and connect and work toward’s a common goal.

I am excited that along with our children’s musical that Godrocks! is performing at Main Street, as well as Trevor Dick.

That’s a lot of exciting.

Most exciting is getting to serve a great God who loves me. Who loves all of us and have plans and opportunities for us, that we cannot even imagine. But as we open our hearts and follow his voice, and serve – I know that we’ll see amazing things happen! How can we NOT be excited! Our God is big!

Please pray for our weekend, it’s going to be great

Please pray for me. That I don’t accidently lose myself……..

Shelly

I have been trying to come to terms lately with the adult-sized child formerly known as my “little” boy who is living in my house. I mean, he’s still my little boy, but I have to recognize as a parent that he is growing up. It’s REALLY hard. I mean I love that I can now sleep in and the kids can get up and look after getting their own breakfast. I like that they can play outside and I don’t have to worry about someone running into the street. I like that I can make laundry piles of everyone’s clothes and they can put it away themselves….so many good things – but as I face my first child entering this teen age – well, I am not really sure what I think! Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was sobbing my little heart out after the first morning of JK?

I am learning that it is a little bit hard to let go.  

But here is the cool thing. It’s exciting to see your child grow in Jesus. Our parenting skills have been FAR from perfect, however – I can say with confidence that we have done everything we can to raise our kids knowing that Jesus is their Saviour, that he loves them and they can have a personal relationship with him. It’s awesome to look at my son and see that he loves Jesus. It’s awesome to see him making choices on his own and that I am able to remind him of his faith, and about making the right decision and asking him how his faith interacts with the challenges and opportunities he has each day. I know that he will make mistakes, but I also know that Jesus has his hand on his life – and that is what I place my trust in. It makes it so much easier.

Last week Noah went to his first youth retreat. After telling him about 100 things to make sure he did or did not do (ranging from wearing his coat to not putting a wet towel in his suitcase..), I paused and said, “This is the moment that Mommy and Daddy have been preparing you for since you were little”.  He was a little baffled, his reply was, “You have been preparing me my whole life to go to Muskoka Woods for Getaway?”

(I know, I’m a little dramatic)

My Answer – “We have been preparing you to be able to make the right choices and do the right thing when we are not around to guide you. We have been preparing you to think about Jesus wherever you are, and to make sure he is present in your life. That is what we have been preparing you for…so here goes! It’s up to you!”

I kinda feel like he’s starting to launch out. And while it’s sorta hard not to be able to control all the situations in his life, it’s exciting to see and anticipate where Jesus is going to take his life and how he will use him.

ALL of this to say that when I put this into perspective as a parent, I then think of it in perspective as a children’s pastor – and I am reminded of the importance of equipping our families, empowering parents and speaking into and discipling our children together – so that when they come to the age of launching – we can do it will confidence, knowing that we have worked together with them to be the #1 influence in their children’s lives. It’s really exciting! And I am thankful that through my process of letting go (which is just starting…thankfully college is a long way off) that I am reminded of our family focus and how we can work together to equip our kids! That is my prayer – to see passion in our children for Jesus be turned into a passion for Jesus as they are teens and then turn into a passion for Jesus when they are adults. 

That’s the goal.

Shelly

It is so beautiful out today – you would hardly believe that it is November. I want to drag out my sandals again…but alas, I know it’s just for another day or two – and then we will be back to the scarves and boots!

It is hard to believe that Main Street Christmas is 4 weeks away (I try to avoid writing that, because it makes my heart race a little bit) This is a great event that we have coming up. It’s probably the best chance that you will have all year to INVITE friends and neighbours to church, to have a wonderful time and to experience Christmas in a loving environment. I remember last year – just feeling so thrilled at seeing everything come together and people enjoying the weekend!

A few weeks ago as a staff exercise, we had to think about our Top 3 things that give us the most excitement in our areas of ministry. On my top 3 list was definitely big outreach events. I mean, everyone goes away blessed. At Main Street Christmas, we are giving our children a chance to shine and use their gifts, we have a chance for the whole church to come together and serve as one to our community, and we have an opportunity to invite people to an excellent event that will share Jesus through our concerts and children’s musical performances.  Any way that you look at it, it’s good for everyone! That is what makes me excited and gets me pumped -  seeing service and outreach all rolled up into one!

So, please take time to pray for this weekend, that it will have a big impact on our community. And if you are looking for a place to serve, this is a great chance for you! It’s going to be a great weekend, and it’s all about Jesus – the reason we do what we do!

Shelly

We had a fantastic time on Saturday at the Big Top Bash! Wow. I got to live out my dream of having long pink hair and being a highlighter (well, the highlighter was not really part of the dream, but it was fun!) Again, as always we have amazing people here at Compass Point. From all of you who donated CANDY, thanks so much! We had all that we needed! Then I had the group of super duper candy counters, followed by the stellar group of candy baggers, followed by a great set up crew, then all the amazing people who showed up to help run events, and then the dedicated ones who stayed behind to vacuum up millions of pieces of popcorn and help get things ready for Sunday morning. WOW! What a team! I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

We had a great night of fun and community (I even met the fire chief of Burlington!) and I hope that all children went home knowing that they were in place where they were loved! Our light shined bright, and that was the goal! I just packed away the last of the Bash items and I already look forward to next year!

So, time to change gears REALLY fast onto our next event – Main Street Christmas! Wahoo! The children are busy learning music and drama and many other plans are underway for our next big outreach event. I love this time of year – it’s crazy but the potential for reaching out is huge and it is exciting to see everyone coming together to serve!

So, stay tuned for more excitement – and don’t worry – in the midst of it all is Jesus – because it’s all about him!

Still slightly on a sugar high,

Shelly

I had the pleasure of attending a really great conference last week. We are currently using a curriculum called 252 Basics which is put out by the Rethink Group. There is a book that has been written by Reggie Joiner of Rethink called “Orange”. I am currently reading it, and it is a great book on family ministry. The concept is that the forces of two things combined produces a greater impact then when on their own (like red and yellow together – make orange).  How churches and parents partner together in the faith journey of their children. I have read many books about family ministry – this one has really captured my attention. In my role as a children’s pastor – I need to be thinking of innovative, creative and intentional ways to partner with parents in our ministry. I can say that I am TRYING to do that. However, we are not there yet and I know that we are just scratching the surface with the power that can happen when the church and family effectively partner. It’s the #1 thing on my radar and I think about it constantly. This conference was a great refocus day for me, and has gotten me thinking even more strategically…….

One thing exciting that we have for families this week is our Big Top Bash on Sat, October 31st. I am excited about this night! I love big events and seeing people come together to serve – It makes me very happy! I also love facilitating opportunities like this where we can invite friends and neighbours to attend. It’s a great bridge from community to church, and allows us to just show love through serving and blessing families. It’s a fun night, but it is also a night with purpose. I will admit that I like to have fun, and I make no apologies for that. Our walk with Jesus is one that is filled with joy and excitement as we love and serve him! God’s truths remain steadfast and constant, but as his children – we can have fun in his presence celebrating him and the hope he has given to us!  On Saturday I pray that we will see many happy children having a great time in a safe and loving environment!

So, have a great week…..think about Orange and see you at the Big Top Bash!

Shelly

I love living in the Niagara Escarpment. We live in a little town called Beamsville, and it is right in the heart of fruit country. Can you say Yummy? Right now, one of my favourite sights to look at is all the vineyards in the area. As we were driving through the lovely fall country yesterday, I loved seeing the rows and rows of  vines heavy with grapes…such a beautiful site. It makes me want to be a vineyard owner and just walk among the vines everyday! (in a long flowing white dress…..)

The sight of the vines also spoke to my heart as I was reminded of something that Jesus said in the Bible.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

Jesus uses the imagery so beautifully here to describe us as fruit bearing. The key is that we need to stay close to Jesus – us and him, working together, remaining together. Without him, we can do nothing. With him, we bear fruit. It’s a powerful picture in my mind.

Yesterday I saw much fruit being grown here at CP. Walking through classes and hallways, I was blessed to see children excited about Jesus and seeing leaders serving with excellence. This month we are talking about Individuality and how God has made each one of us special. Yesterday the focus was, “If you use what you have, you can make a difference.”  Looking out into a sea of children’s faces, it is powerful to think that each of them has been created uniquely, with special gifts, gifts that can be used for God’s glory. Gifts that we can have a part in discovering and nurturing. 

We have many young lives with great fruit-bearing potential. With Jesus at the centre of their lives, nothing is impossible and with him as their true vine there are many great things ahead! I look forward to seeing the harvest!!

Hi Everyone!

I hope that you had a really wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, and that you had some great time with family and friends. This year, I overcame my fear of being lost forever in a really giant corn maze, and I also had my once a year candy apple, and freshly popped kettle corn. Life is good!

So I feel like Thanksgiving is like the start of a race for me. It’s like the day after, I am at the starting gate and then it’s “READY, SET, GO!!!”   The starter gun goes off and then I run a really fast marathon until December!  But that’s cool – bring it on! I will admit I had a slight moment of panic this past weekend thinking that Main Street Christmas is 9 weeks away. But it’s ok. I can do everything through him who gives me strength (not to mention a great team, super volunteers and lots of coffee!!)

So, here is the scoop – First Things First!

Big Top Bash – October 31st – a great night for the family!  6:30-8:30pm, for ages 12 and under, must be accompanied by an adult. Inflatables, pony rides, face painting, carnival games, train, candy, popcorn, maze – and lots more!! Come for a great time. Costumes welcome, no scary ones please!! Free Admission! We are accepting candy donations all month – your support is appreciated!

Main Street Christmas – Dec 3-6th. Come visit Main Street – a wonderful winter weekend!! Children will start rehearsals this week for the musical, Meet me at the Manger – it’s going to be a TON of FUN!

Stay tuned for more info – and as always – there are so many places where you can serve!

So, have a super duper week.

Take some time for Jesus, it’s all about him!

Shelly

As we enter a weekend of focussing on thankfulness, I know that we have so much to be thankful for. I have overwhelming gratitude for my family and my friends, a wonderful place to minister in, food on my table – all the blessings we have in our everyday life. But most of all, above everything in my life – I am so thankful for JESUS. Without him, my life would be empty and I would not know the comfort of his presence and the peace that comes with serving him. I would not have salvation, I would not have a hope in the future, and a hope for those around me that are hurting and lost. 

So this weekend, among the turkey and the fun family time – I know that I will take time to be thankful for Jesus – it’s all about him.

Shelly

So, today I wore a fall sweater. I just thought I should share that because it made me happy. Enough with this hair destroying humidity. I want crisp air!!! That reminds me that it is almost OCTOBER!! (that is really scary on a number of levels that I won’t get into right now..) But it does mean that the BIG TOP BASH is approaching. Our SECOND annual Big Top Bash – to be exact – a super fun family event to be held on October 31st from 6:30-8:30 at our Kerns Campus. I am very excited about this night. It’s a night to provide a safe and fun place for families to come. Children can get dressed up (no scary costumes please), and we can open our doors to the community and let our light shine bright!! We’ll have lots of fun events for the family and all children will receive a bag of candy. Which reminds me, PLEASE START BRINGING IN CANDY DONATIONS! There are bash booths at Kerns and Eaglesfield for drop off! We don’t want sad kids…we want happy kids! Stay tuned for some exciting candy announcements coming up….(and by exciting, I mean embarassing….)

I am looking forward to this night….It’s one of my fav’s and such a great chance to bring our community together and for us to serve!!!

Stay Tuned for more details!

Following Jesus…

Shelly