From Steeple and Study

A public version of my 2025 Pastor's Report for our coming annual members' meeting. 

From the Steeple

​​Our steeple represents a big picture overview of the life of MBC. While a small but growing church, the Lord has continued to use us in mighty ways. This has also produced growing pains, which we are seeking to constructively surmount with God’s help. In this it is good to know that as part of the quiet revival, many churches are sharing similar experiences.  
Highlights of the year include:

• Our 30th Anniversary, with a formal celebration in May, along with other events and videos
• Our two main weekly Lord’s Day gatherings, a.m. (60–70+) and p.m. (40+).
• A journey about ‘standing firm’ from 1 Peter, Daniel, some summer Psalms, 2 Peter and Malachi.
• In intergenerational worship the children learned from CAT, Christiana (Pilgrim’s Progress part two), and the ABC’s of the Reformation (we’re blessed to have 18+ children worshipping with us).
• 6 new members: 3 by baptism and 3 by joining.
• 41 in membership (+7 formal adherents); as of August, which along with adherents totals 110 worshipping with us altogether (as of Dec the number was around 99).
• The death of three members and one adherent
• Many new visitors, some who stay and some who don’t. We hosted our first newcomers luncheon in September with 31 present. There have been 29 who’ve stopped coming. May we all see to reach out to them.
• A fall Foundations I class with 14 who crammed into pastor’s office.
• Three community outreach flyers to 3700 homes in 20 min radius around Markdale. Themes included hope, stability and light. Together with our other exposure ministries (website, newsletter, Youtube, etc) ensure we have a strong exposure ministry in the community and plant many seeds.
• Supporting those in our midst with dementia + their carers.
• A summer VBS with 65 children and family fun night with 150 people.
• Our pianist stepping down but us gaining a guitarist. We are grateful for Sue’s service.
• The existence of various ministries: prayer central(s) (30), Life Groups (30+), Ladies Coffee Hour (12+), King’s Kids (20+), Fabulous Friday’s (70+), men’s breakfast (15+), Merry and Mature (high 20s), social (e.g. fellowship meals, games, funerals), missions (see report), benevolent and meal ministry (see report) and Grey Gables chapel. Many others help support aspects of worship (i.e. music, A/V, parking service, nursery) and the general life of the church (i.e. property, kitchen coordinator, etc).
• Extra gifts to missions: New Life Camp, Pastor Henry, Christian refugees
• Property upgrades: a pavilion and a cleaned steeple
• A fall survey, which revealed many strengths as well as some areas for improvement.
• Christmas outreach: 1000 candy invites, a walking parade, & carol service.
• Fellowship meals and socials (a.m. and p.m.) and spring and fall games nights
• Welcomed many guest preachers and visiting missionaries

With a growing church it is difficult to capture everything that took place throughout the year.

From the Study

​From my basecamp I’ve engaged in numerous activities over 2025:
 

• General oversight/vision and leading the Eldership.
• Regularly present with my family at our morning and evening worship gatherings.
• Preaching: I regularly preach twice each Lord’s Day and lead the children’s time. Over 2025 we learned to stand firm in our series through 1 Peter, Daniel, some summer Psalms, 2 Peter and Malachi.  
• Life Groups: Write the weekly questions, which are part of our sermon book studies.
• Blog: publish a weekly blog, Drippings, that covers a variety of subjects. Please check them out.
• Music: I regularly lead music in the evening service and upon occasion in the morning.
• Visitation: I regularly seek to visit at least 2 individuals/families, make phone calls and receive visitors who pop into my study. Much visitation time was taken up connecting and discipling visitors/new believers/those being baptized and joining the church. I also engaged in some hospital visitation and crisis counselling.
• Funerals: 2025 was a big year for funerals, I conducted 5 in the early fall and one community funeral in the winter.
• Fabulous Fridays: I’ve taught one chapel each month to 70+ moms and children
• Hospitality: We host a weekly Life Group in our home. We’ve also had some guests over from church, though not as much as we’d like given Rebekah’s health.
• King’s Kids: Regularly teaching these precious young souls.
• VBS: enjoyed teaching and leading music at our weeklong VBS.
• Discipleship Ministries: I led a fall newcomers’ luncheon and the fall Foundations I class.
• Community: Food Bank board member; bi-monthly chapel services at Grey Gables.
• Church Health: We held a round table in May. With the input and help of the Elders, Deacons and communication’s team, I helped to craft and present our fall Church survey.
• Association/Denomination: Coordinate the Barnabas program. This entails coordinating instructors and doing some teaching. I’m grateful for the administrator, Val, who takes care of the majority of the day to day work.  I’ve also sought to attend our Bluewater Association meeting and attended/led a workshop at the FEBC Stronger conference. With the Elders’ support, over the summer and fall, I was also part of a national grassroots team that has sought to keep our Fellowship complementarian.
• Other related duties (largely administrative and property based)

 
Beyond MBC I’ve taught 2 courses at Toronto Baptist Seminary: Church History B and Baptist History and Thought. I also continue to edit the seminary’s Gospel Witness journal that produces scholarship for the church. You may find copies in our library.
 
I have many research and writing interests that time doesn’t wholly allow me to pursue. However, I did present a paper at the Canadian Baptist Historical Symposium in April. Also, my book Drippings from the Honeycomb is finally in the final stages with the publisher and should be out in late 2026. I also spoke at a pastor’s retreat and co-taught at a summer Chinese Baptist church retreat. I’m also preparing a book chapter titled, “Ontario Baptist Confessionalism” (2026) for a Canadian Baptist Historical Society volume. Into 2027 I will also be the coordinating editor of various Ontario scholars to produce the 100th history of Toronto Baptist Seminary.
 
As a family we took a summer trip around the world’s largest lake—Superior. Despite having caught the plague at VBS it was a beautiful journey. We were grateful to finish our major renovations at Orange Valley Acre too. Please continue to pray for various health concerns and Digory’s spiritual well-being. 

Back to the Steeple

We are certainly transitioning from a smaller to a more medium church. This brings with it growing pains. As we grow the truth remains that the “harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few” (Mt 9:37). I want to thank our core members who serve sacrificially and encourage others to join the church and experience Acts 20:35, which says, “it is more blessed to give than receive.” As we rally around God’s word, we’re also seeking to turn harmony into unity as we all mature in the faith together.