Learn the Word: Judges

Teaching the book of Judges last week Pastor Mark Lowrie joined us did an incredible job.  Pastor Lowrie was born in Ontario but orphaned at age ten.  He then lived with relatives in Tennessee.  He was saved at 13 and later attended Tennessee Temple.  After seminary in London, he pastored several churches in Ontario.  He is married to his sweetheart Margaret for over thirty one years.  They have three married children and are expecting their first two grandchildren in the spring!  He currently is the pastor of South End Fellowship Baptist in Owen Sound, Ontario.

This week we really learned how nothing is new under the sun, people back in the time of Judges did what was right in their own eyes, and we do as well!  Its up to us to be the difference in this crooked and depraved generation!

There is a constant battle between the flesh and the spirit, we learned that the flesh screams persuasively at us, while the Holy Spirit whispers gently to our souls.  We can't break the hold of the flesh on our own, we need the power of God to do so!

Learn the Word: The Gospel of John

Mr. Gary Stairs recently taught the Gospel of John here at WOLBI.  Mr. Stairs received a BA with Honours in History from McMaster University and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Western Ontario. He taught history in high school for many years before joining Word of Life Canada in 1993. He is currently the Executive Director of Word of Life Canada.
Here's what Mr. Stairs is learning as he  taught the gospel of John again this year:

"I love the way John presents the humanity and deity of Christ in such a convincing and easy-to-understand way.  His style is warm and flows through a narrative of miracles and controversy surrounding His claims to be the Son of God.  For the reader it is hard to arrive at the last verse without declaring with conviction that "truly Jesus is the Son of God!"  Even the Gnostics of today are confronted with powerful claims and statements of Christ as to His deity.  Cults cannot accommodate within their teachings the claims of the opening verses.  New believers are assured of their eternal security.  In John's gospel we see clearly that the purpose of Christ's life is to show us God!"

NW

Recharge Weekend Five!

From WOLBRANOS

Wow this weekend has been just amazing! With 125 extra people on campus it was an extremely high energy, and I must admit tiring time but God is good. 

One of our students commented on Sunday during our staff meeting that he had an amazing opportunity to stay up till the crack of dawn with two campers (one was very sick during the night). He shared with us that the opportunity he had to just minister to these teens was wonderful. It was really exciting to hear how God is using the students and staff.This weekend 3 campers accepted Christ as there personal Saviour, 1 was counseled for assurance of their faith and 95 dedicated their life to the Lord!

The more that I have been around youth and childrens ministry, the more I realize how much young people struggle with assurance of their salvation. I have struggled with it too as I have grown in my faith but I am just amazed of the assurance provided by God's Word. One of the verses I love from the Scripture Memory program during my Bible Institute year was Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor power, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Nothing can separate us from God’s love. I praise God and thank Him everyday.

Here are a couple of comments made by leaders and campers from this past weekend:

“The weekend was amazing and the sessions really hit home.”

“The benefits of having a camp where student’s minister to younger teens is awesome, makes it so much more relevant for them.”

“I loved this weekend for so many different reasons. I simply get a lot out of it.”

“This weekend, I felt I really grew closer to my leaders by hearing their testimonies...”

Prayer Requests:

- Please pray for our last weekend of Snow camp.

- Pray that the students and staff will be dedicated to finishing strong and to make this weekend the best one yet.

- Pray that the campers coming on property will be encouraged and challenged throughout the weekend.

KD

Recharge Weekend Four!

From WOLBRANOS

Well it has been yet another amazing weekend of snow camp!

Out of the 81 campers in attendance this past weekend, 2 teens were counseled in accepting Jesus Christ as their Saviour. There was also opportunity to speak with 2 youth regarding the assurance of their salvation. On Sunday morning the challenge was given to live your everyday life for God which saw 73 campers dedicate their lives to God! Praise the Lord!

A special thanks to all of you who faithfully pray and encourage us to serve God and share His word with Canadian youth.

This week leaders and campers said:

“This was an amazing experience & the sessions were fun and taught me a lot.”

“It was amazing! Met a lot of new people and grew closer to God. Now I really want to come back here for school.”

“This weekend I realized we are all afraid to share the gospel, but I also learned that God is the one doing all the work we just tell the good news.”

 KD

Learning the Word: Matthew

From WOLBRANOS

Mr. Scott Foreman serves full-time with the ministry of Word of Life Canada as our Associate Director. His responsibilities include oversight of the Owen Sound Camping Ministry, Resonate, Print, Web and Media Departments. He is a graduate of the first and second year programs of the Word of Life Bible Institute in New York, and a graduate of Tennessee Temple University where he received his B.Sc. in Biblical Studies. Its great to have him on campus regularly and especially these two weeks as we look at the book of Matthew together.

"Teaching Matthew to the student body at the Word of Life Bible Institute is one of the highlights of my ministry calendar. Why? Because I love teaching students, and I love seeing the lights turn on as they understand God's Word more and more. Matthew is a unique book because it is rich doctrinally and practically: it helps us to understand how Christ came to fulfill literally the Davidic and Abrahamic Covenants, but also how to follow the loving, caring example of our Lord. The more I study Matthew, the more I realize I need to better uderstand this book - but shouldn't that be the case with all the Scriptures?"

We are also enjoying the classes and learning a lot.  

"I enjoyed the assignment where we had to write about a miracle of Christ and that impacted me the most, because I never really though a lot about them personally and how I can apply them to my life."

"Having Mr. Foreman speaking I could really see the passion he has for teaching the Word and it was inspiring to me to have more passion for the Word and studying It. I got a more contextual view of the gospel rather then just reading through it."

"Mr. Foreman really challenged us as individuals to make our faith out own. Going through all the miracles it seems impossible to me how someone could not believe what Jesus did for us." 

 

Satellite Snow Camp #1

Some of our students and staff had the opportunity this past weekend to travel to beautiful Huntsville, Ontario. Riverside Baptist Church's Word of Life Student Ministry hosted a satellite snow camp. Five churches attended this event seeing 60 teens plus leaders gather for skating, tubing, snow sculptures, and piles of activities and challenges. WOLBI students helped as counselors, leaders, praise team members, and chaperons. Our Dean of Men and Professor of Bible Survey Mr. Jonathan Ward (blog here) shared God's Word and challenged teens to think about how they will win the "Game of Life" the "Battle of the Mind" and the "Battle against Temptation."
We praise the Lord for the 6 students who accepted Jesus for salvation and the 10 students that stood in front of their peers to commit their lives to Christ in the battle against sin!

This weekend was a great oppurtunity to serve the Lord. I was really excited about what God had planned. It was definitely a chance to grow as I stepped out of my comfort zone. By the end of the Snow Camp I could see some areas I needed to work on in my ministry. I'm so glad God gave me this oppurtunity and I'm excited for how He will use me next.

If your Church would be interested in hosting a WOLBI ministry team please contact Richard Heppner, our Associate Dean of Ministry.

Recharge weekend 3!

This past weekend of snow camp (Feb 4-6) was amazing. God worked in the hearts of many people, and it was such a privilege to be apart of this ministry. We had the privilege of hosting 106 teens and leaders.

On Friday night Mr. Gary Stairs shared the gospel message and 7 kids accepted Jesus as their personal Saviour. Also one of our students had the amazing opportunity to lead a camper to Christ on Saturday morning. Praise the Lord!

I have been thinking about the song “Amazing Grace” recently and these words have touched my heart “I once was blind but now I see… Was lost but now I am found.” God has been doing amazing things and we all have the privilege to be apart of it. He has been picking young campers out of the darkness and placing them into the light. Wow, eh? Praise God!!!

Along with the 8 salvation decisions, 1 teen was counseled for assurance of faith and roughly 85 teens dedicated their lives to Christ.

We also had 4 teens fill out applications to come to WOLBI.

Keep praying for us as we continue serving the Lord. Pray also for the youth groups that are coming these next few weeks.

Here are a couple of comments from campers and leaders from the past weekend:

“I always benefit going to snow camp every year. It is always good to know other Christians are going through the same things I am going through.”

“I really enjoyed this weekend. I think that it should be longer. The sessions were really good and they convinced me that I need to go home and share God’s love with my friends.”

“Great weekend!! The BI students were welcoming and friendly” 

KD

Recharge Numero Uno, Again!!

This past weekend (Jan 28-30), we had 10 salvation decisions and roughly 70 teens made a commitment to living their lives for God. We also received 2 BI applications and 2 SMT applications.

Praise the Lord for the work he has done during the past couple of weekends.

Leaders and campers had a great weekend:

"It was awesome! Best Recharge weekend by far. I made so many new friends.

 I look forward to coming back next year, and for campus days, and SMT!"

"So much fun! The BI students are so nice! I've made many new friends, I wish this weekend was longer!

Can't wait to come back!"

"This weekend was amazing and it changed my thoughts about God and I accepted Him as my Saviour."

"This weekend was amazing. There was a little bit of everything for everyone. The messages were convicting but presented in such a relatable was for the teens. The BI students went above and beyond to serve and love on our teens."