Eastern Canada


Eastern Canada had a very encouraging meeting September 26 - 28. Reports from almost all congregations indicated growing attendance. The highlight was Grace Toronto with about 200 coming to some part of the ministry every week, including a wide range of nationalities and backgrounds. Grace Toronto is planning to be organized as a particular church at our next stated meeting, the end of February. It was our first regular meeting with Dane Lewis, organizing pastor for London, Ontario in attendance, and we heard and dealt with reports of a number of other areas in which there are good church planting prospects when God gives us the right team. A sad note is that the promising house church begun in Kensington, P.E.I., by licentiate Tom Petrofsky is threatened because of the spraying programs for the potatoes, the main crop in the area. Tom and all his family are seriously affected by the spray, and may have to move from the Island.
It was agreed to recommend Derek Morrison to Mid-America Presbytery when formalities are completed for his transfer there. Sheldon MacGillivray was removed from the roll as he has moved to Fourth Presbyterian Church in Washington, and it was agreed to forward his credentials to the Presbytery of the East of the EPC. Nader Awad's call to Kasr El-Dobara Evangelical Church in Cairo was approved, and it was agreed to let him work out of bounds to take up that ministry, and to encourage our presbytery to support him in it. Nader's responsibilities will include work with youth and translation of good materials into Arabic. Unfortunately, this means that the Arabic work we hoped to see established in Montreal will not develop. It was also agreed to remove TE Jim Stade from the eldership, without censure, on the grounds that his view of the vow to submit to his brethren was not compatible with that of our church.
At this meeting Presbytery examined Alan Mills as a candidate for ordination and approved him. It also received the positive report of the commission appointed to deal with papers required from Masato Murai. Both are expected to be ordained and installed as assistant pastors in Grace Toronto Church November 17th. Grace Toronto is also calling Steve Christian to work part time with them as an assistant pastor.
Presbytery agreed to work with a group of people who want to start a new Presbytery congregation in Miramichi City, N.B. A major concern lies in their relationship with our existing small congregation in that place, Covenant RPC.
Eastern Canada approved all of the proposed amendments to BCO.
TE Donald Codling, Stated Clerk
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