MOUNTAINVIEW CHURCH UPDATE

Quarterly Pastoral Report

Jeremy Norton, Lead Pastor (January 2024)


The Past 3 Months (Fall 2023)


Sermon Series

Over the past three months, we've been on quite the journey within our sermon series! We started with a series titled, "ARROWS: Living Toward the Target" through October and November, seeking out God’s target for various aspects of our lives. Then, at the end of November, leading into December, we got into the holiday spirit with a series titled, "The Wonder of Christmas." We unwrapped the wonder Jesus brings within the Advent themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love, leading up to the big celebration of Christ’s Birth on Christmas Eve. And the festivities didn't stop there! We rolled right into the New Year with Vision Sunday, asking ourselves, "What's Next?” seeking God’s vision to “Dream a Little Bigger." It's been a fantastic ride, and I'm excited about what the future holds.


Ministry Trips & Highlights

In the first week of October, I had the privilege of attending a retreat at Stillwood Camp & Conference Centre as part of the Fellowship Pacific Regional Board. It was an enriching experience, filled with strategic discussions and collaborative planning for the future. The following week, our family headed out to Echo Ranch Bible Camp's recently acquired campus in Haines, Alaska for a Ministry Leaders Retreat. This was a unique opportunity for pastors and ministry leaders (and spouses/families) from Whitehorse and Haines to come together for a week of worship, prayer, fellowship, and insightful teaching from a Canadian Missionary serving in Spain. Of course, we also enjoyed some memorable fishing moments! Fast forward to the end of November, and we found ourselves in El Salvador with Pastor Herber and Elena, exploring the roots of their ministry journey in their home country. It deepened my appreciation for the benefits we have, serving in Canada, and deepened my friendship with my co-pastor.


Christmas Eve

As December unfolded, we were busy putting together an online gathering and four physical gatherings for Christmas Eve, which achieved our highest Christmas attendance ever! Additionally, our annual First Gifts initiative raised over $14,500 for the Whitehorse Food Bank and Women's Transition Home. Wrapping up the year on New Year's Eve with Vision Sunday, we were thrilled to unveil new ministry opportunities, including the upcoming launch of a Filipino Campus in the Spring. The absolute highlight, however, was witnessing five individuals publicly declare their desire to follow Jesus through baptism. The past few months have truly been an encouraging time of growth, connection, and impact for my personal and pastoral journey.


Leadership Notes


Board & Ministry Team

Our church is privileged to have a multifaceted leadership structure, encompassing the Church Board and Ministry Team, each playing a pivotal role in the life of our community. This season, the Church Board has been working through Erik Hanberg's "The Little Book of Boards: A Board Member's Handbook for Small (and Very Small) Nonprofits." As always, we’re dedicated to board work, prayer, and comprehensive planning for the future. Our current focus involves aligning more with Robert's Rules of Order, to improve non-profit strategies while providing more of a community feel during our member meetings. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to Chan Kim, who has provided invaluable interim support chairing meetings during the past year, without a Chair or Vice Chair. As he steps down this season to focus on the joys of parenthood, we extend our best wishes and appreciation. It is noteworthy that the positions of Chair and Vice Chair remain vacant at this time, awaiting passionate individuals to help us lead the future trajectory of our church. Simultaneously, the Ministry Team is working through Rich Birch's "Church Growth Flywheel: 5 Practical Systems to Drive Growth at Your Church." We're also engaged in leadership, planning, and oversight across all of our ministry areas. We are pleased to welcome Hayli Deans to our team, leading our new Young Adult Ministry. We continue our work serving our church community while seeking new growth opportunities reaching our city with Gospel.


Mentees & Apprentices

The second facet of our leadership landscape involves the connection of emerging leaders through Ministry Mentorship and Church Leader Apprenticeship programs. The Ministry Mentorship program for young adults offers prayer support, scripture reading accountability, and guided ministry review, with an added focus on self-discovery through "The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey of Self-Discovery" by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile. In parallel, the Church Leader Apprenticeship program for adults combines prayer support, scripture reading accountability, and training grounded in the principles outlined in "Get Your Life Back: Everyday Practices for a World Gone Mad" by John Eldredge.


Special Mentions

As a special mention, I want to celebrate the dedication and commitment of Aaron Mones (overseeing First Impressions and Community & Care) and Elijah Istchenko (leading Outreach and Youth) who are in their final year of pastoral apprenticeship. As a final initiative, both of them will be planning, designing, and crafting a four-week sermon series on their own (Elijah in February and Aaron in July). Although they have been given preaching and teaching experience over the past couple of years, this is the first time where they will have full control of the theme, text, and content, leading our church as if they were the lead teacher/preacher of our congregation. I will be cheering them on from the sidelines, working with Board Members and past Elders in a coaching and review process of each message and the series as a whole. Please pray for them as they prepare for this last significant step in their pastoral apprenticeship journey. Last but not least, I want to commend Emma McFarland, who recently completed her first semester of Bible college while leading our Tech Ministry. We are all so proud of how far she has come in her biblical understanding and how she connects it to her chosen area of ministry expertise. Please pray for Emma as she completes this year’s Bible studies and plans out the next steps in her desired field of filming and video editing.


The Next 3 Months (Winter 2024)


Sermon Series

In the upcoming three months, our church we’ll tackle a diverse series of sermons. Kicking off January, we'll start with "Not Quickly Broken: Building Spiritual Resilience" based on spiritual disciplines to start the New Year. It’ll be a four-week exploration of a variety of Scripture, accompanied by unique in-house spiritual practices like prayer groups, fasting, ministry leader Q&A sessions, and discussion groups, fostering a sense of community engagement and spiritual growth. Following this, during February, we’ll experience our first Pastoral Apprentice-led series, focusing on the Book of Job, completely planned and facilitated by Elijah. Moving into March, we’re going to take a deep dive into John 3 in a series titled, "Rebirth: Speaking with Nicodemus". Note that this will be a 3-week in-house-only series. Yes, that's right – physical gatherings only, while our recording studio gets a redesign, enhancing our ability to deliver online content in the future. Lastly, to end March, we’ll enter into Holy Week which promises to be a meaningful experience, spanning Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, celebrating the resurrection of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.


February Events

Elijah will be taking on the heavy lifting of sermon preparation and preaching for February, allowing me to redeem some time wisely. After experiencing my busiest December ever, which included the addition of a funeral and wedding to an already full schedule, I accumulated some lieu days that I will be taking at the end of January and the beginning of February. Also in early February, I have a Fellowship Pacific Regional Board trip scheduled, to engage in discussions and collaborative efforts with fellow pastoral board members from across the West Coast. I’m also planning on a personal spiritual retreat in February, dedicating time to long-range planning and vision casting for the future of our ministry. We've also planned for a leadership retreat, bringing together Board members, Ministry Leaders, mentees, and apprentices for a time of reflection, planning, and collaboration. Lastly, as a special celebration, I will be taking a week of vacation at the end of February with my second son, Luke to Atlanta, Georgia. This upcoming season promises to be a blend of rest, reflection, and strategic planning to ensure a fruitful and purposeful year ahead.


Prayer Requests

As I look back on the past quarter, I want to express my sincere appreciation for your continuous support for me, my family, and our team. It has been a deeply rewarding season of ministry, marked by the evident hand of God in personal commitments of faith, meaningful expressions through baptisms, and the emergence of new leaders and ministry workers. Our journey has been abundantly blessed, witnessing the presentation and acceptance of the Gospel, bringing the glory of Christ and growth to our community. As we move forward into the upcoming season with various commitments and events, I humbly ask for your prayers. Your prayers are a source of strength and encouragement for me, and I am grateful for your partnership in this journey of faith and ministry.


Peace,

Jeremy Norton, Lead Pastor

Mountainview Church, Whitehorse, YT