Hello Friends and Family,
Days and weeks have been ticking down and details have been falling in place for us to move to Vancouver. Monday, July 18th is now the day we’ll leave our home for the next home waiting for us. We feel a mix of excitement for all the upcoming plans, some nervousness over all that we don’t know and can’t control, and sadness for leaving so many good friends and family members.
The Upcoming Ministry:
Prayer Requests:
This book answered a lot of my long held questions about world religions and gave me new insight into how to approach people from different religious backgrounds.
Our Move:
Days and weeks have been ticking down and details have been falling in place for us to move to Vancouver. Monday, July 18th is now the day we’ll leave our home for the next home waiting for us. We feel a mix of excitement for all the upcoming plans, some nervousness over all that we don’t know and can’t control, and sadness for leaving so many good friends and family members.July 19th We’ll meet with a new donor family in Chilliwack B.C.
July 20th to 22nd We’ll be in Vancouver registering kids for school and other details
July 22nd to 30th We’ll be on holiday with family on Vancouver Island
July 30th to Aug 6th We’ll help lead an IVCF family camp on Thetis Island
August 6th We’ll finally arrive in our new home and begin settling in.
In June I gathered with about 130 IVCF campus staff in Toronto for our annual campus gathering. It was so inspiring and encouraging as we were taught about evangelism that works among this generation of students. I was able to stand in the midst of my 12 BC staff team members and pray for what God will do.
In Toronto, the entire national staff team celebrated and mourned the life of our student Felix who drowned while on an IVCF summer missions trip among the poor in Vancouver. Felix, from Kenya, would have been one of my 3 student leaders with the international group at UBC. His passing has stirred up many at the UBC campus who knew him and has potentially created inroads with UBC departments and student groups like the African students fellowship. The starting posture for our ministry in September will be one of helping people do some grieving as they return and also asking what it means to be people who see all of life as mission for Jesus like Felix did.
I’ve spent a lot of time in June and July with the 4 GPRC girls who returned from the missions trip where Felix died. They are all doing well, seeking counseling and prayer and becoming more able to make sense of the tragedy.
I’ve also spent a lot of time planning details for the fall ministry. On August 31st to September 2nd I’ll be part of an IVCF student leadership camp in Vancouver. It’s such a gift to walk into the fall with a small team in place and many people praying and planning for reaching students at UBC.
I want to give you the shape of my fall ministry and ask you to pray for effectiveness.
From September 6th to October 7th my “International Friendship Group” will host a series of Friday night dinners and Saturday adventures for students. We want to gather a wide swath of students from many cultures, both Christian and non, and form community with them. We’ll be praying that they sense the love of God from us and become curious about the other things we do.
Then from October 7th to 10th we’ll host a Thanksgiving weekend camp at IVCF’s Pacific Pioneer camp on Thetis Island. This is where the community will deepen and we’ll give students an unforgettable weekend in God’s creation. After camp these students will be invited to more specific events depending on their interest and readiness: From prayer and bible study, to more hospitality events and discussion groups. My sense from God is that I’ll discover what the ministry will be based on who he brings us. Our task is to cast the net wide expecting a marvelous catch, much like the disciples in John 21 who threw out the net one more time at Jesus’ request and filled their boats.
Then from October 7th to 10th we’ll host a Thanksgiving weekend camp at IVCF’s Pacific Pioneer camp on Thetis Island. This is where the community will deepen and we’ll give students an unforgettable weekend in God’s creation. After camp these students will be invited to more specific events depending on their interest and readiness: From prayer and bible study, to more hospitality events and discussion groups. My sense from God is that I’ll discover what the ministry will be based on who he brings us. Our task is to cast the net wide expecting a marvelous catch, much like the disciples in John 21 who threw out the net one more time at Jesus’ request and filled their boats.
I’ve been sharing with many current and potential supporters about how to partner with us in Vancouver. We are grateful for many who will continue supporting us. Currently we have a need for many new partners to join us to meet a budget shortfall.
We’ve been 100% funded for the last four years and anticipate a return to this. Being fully funded fuels an effective ministry of touching student’s lives.
I am currently $20,000 short on meeting my target. Several more supporters are needed. Here’s an example of how 20 people could partner with us to meet this need:
2 @ $250/month = $6000
5 @ $100/month = $6000
13 @ $50/month = $8000
Please contact me if you want to talk more about partnering with us.
Donation by Mail:
Designate Cheques to “IVCF”
memo line: “Mike Bennett”
Mail to: IVCF
1 International Blvd
Toronto, ON M9W 6H3
Donate On Line:
Click : Donors: Make a Gift: Support a Staff:
"Mike Bennett" is listed alphabetically under M.
Prayer Requests:
There will be many challenges to face by God’s daily guidance:
- How do I identify and invest in Christians with potential to become fantastic leaders? How about community and church volunteers? Pray for my current student leaders Aloka and Lifu that the would have vision and energy to launch this International student ministry with me.
- How do we reach Muslim students, how about the Indian and Chinese students? Some will be secular others will come with strong religious affiliations. There must be appropriate ways to expose them to Jesus and see what he’ll do among them. Pray for effective and appropriate ministry.
- This ministry in our home will include my family. How do we do I include them well, while also giving time and energy to other family activities? Pray that we share this sense of mission as a family.
Summer Reading:
I’ve just finished reading “God’s Rivals: Why Has God Allowed Different Religions”. It’s by Gerald R. McDermott, 2007, InterVarsity Press.
This book answered a lot of my long held questions about world religions and gave me new insight into how to approach people from different religious backgrounds.The author looks at the Old and New Testament along with the writings of the early church to come up with conclusions on how to understand world religions that I found affirming and refreshing.
He highlights how we live in a world where God is trying to reach all people by all possible means. Jesus, as author of all things, has left clues of his truth for all people, in all cultures. This means that as we approach people with news about the fullest revelation of God, the person of Jesus, we need to come as a learner for how God may have already instructed them through their religion about some aspect of himself. Though no other way leads to salvation, other ways give helpful pointers to guide people to Christ.
As well we need a prayerful approach to recognize how the religions contain real spiritual entities. There are real forces at work using a mix of truth and distortions to guide whole people groups. And yet, none of these rebellious powers can resist God’s sovereign purposes nor are outside the scope of his redemption plan. People can and are being reached for Jesus in a world that appears to be tragically fragmented by divergent religions.
