Howdy folks!
We left Cochrane on Sept. 5th for the Cowboy Church in Sherwood Park, to start our tour of Northern Alberta. With the promise of warm weather, we looked forward to spending some time in the trailer. This will be the first time we will visit two of our Canadian National Baptist Convention churches in the northern part of the province (Peace Country). These are well-established churches and it will be an exciting opportunity to share the gospel in music and poetry, the cowboy way.
The Cowboy Church was well-attended and seemed to have grown since our last visit in February. Pastor Kevin was his usual welcoming self and we immediately felt right at home. Our first night out in the trailer was a new experience, as we we ran out of propane and spent a cold night under many blankets. Our next stop was in Evansburg at the Baptist Church. Pastor Al had been sick and we were glad to be able to help out with special music and poetry at the morning worship service and, a program for seniors at the Pembina Village in Evansburg in the evening. All in all, it proved to be a very full day of ministry.
After a day of rest, we were back on the trail heading for the Fairview Cornerstone Baptist Church in Fairview, Alberta. Again we had a very full day of ministry. I led the music and presented special music and poetry at the morning worship service. Later, in the afternoon we presented an outdoor cowboy gospel concert. This was the launch of their Sunday School ministry and both of these events were well attended. The weather was holding very warm during the day and it has sure been a very pleasant tour to this point.
We travelled only a short distance from Fairview to spend time with our friends Jerry and Rose Hale in Cleardale, Alberta. We first met them at the Cleardale Gospel Jamboree in the spring. They let us park in the yard and I was able to spend the week catching up with some writing projects, touring the area and having a good time of fellowship with the Hales. I even got to help out with my first branding! Jerry branded 10 cows and he was able to find something for me to do.
Our last concert was at the Worsley Baptist Church, Worsley, Alberta. Pastor Dick Hale and his congregation sure gave us a warm welcome. The church is of log construction, which added to the ambience of the cowboy gospel concert. We returned for the evening service and had a great time singing the old hymns and accompanying some of the songs with the guitar and harmonica. Next time, I'll bring the bass. What a great way to finish a tour.
On the way home, we stopped in Buck Lake, Alberta, to meet up with some dear friends, Iven and Lynne Bryant, and spent a couple of days touring the area and enjoying the fall weather. The Bryants have been supporters of our ministry since its inception and it was good to have an opportunity to fellowship with them.
After our short "vacation" at Buck Lake, we headed back to Cochrane to begin the serious work of getting the trailer winterized for storage and the yard cleaned up for the winter. Although the tour was shorter than usual, it was a real blessing to meet the pastors and folks in Fairview and Worsley. Their acceptance of our ministry was certainly encouraging and we look forward to another time when we can visit them again.
Thanks to all of you who continue to pray for us as we reach out with the gospel to folks in the small churches, especially, those in Alberta.
On the trail for Him,
Mike and Suzann
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
STILL LEAVIN' SOME DUST
Howdy folks!
It seems I've neglected to keep our ministry schedule up to date on our blog. For folks who follow our travels, it could look like we are packing it in for the fall. Not true! In fact, we leave Friday morning (Sept. 5th) for a short tour of Alberta churches. Over the next three weeks, we will be ministering in Sherwood Park at the Cowboy Church, Evansburg Baptist Church, Fairview Baptist Church and Worsley Baptist Church. This will give us an opportunity to say howdy to some old friends and meet some new ones. The churches in Fairview and Worsley are new to our ministry and we are looking forward to being with them.
It was a pleasant surprise to have the editor of the Baptist Horizon (our denominational newsletter) interview me and write an article about my winning the Golden Note Award, Songs of Faith and my cowboy poetry book. She even included one of my poems in the article. I've already been contacted about our ministry from folks who read the article. Several ministry opportunities are now in the works for 2009.
Right now we are very busy putting the last things in the trailer and trying not to forget anything. We appreciate your prayers and have no doubt that they keep us on the road.
On the trail for Him,
Mike and Suzann Burns
It seems I've neglected to keep our ministry schedule up to date on our blog. For folks who follow our travels, it could look like we are packing it in for the fall. Not true! In fact, we leave Friday morning (Sept. 5th) for a short tour of Alberta churches. Over the next three weeks, we will be ministering in Sherwood Park at the Cowboy Church, Evansburg Baptist Church, Fairview Baptist Church and Worsley Baptist Church. This will give us an opportunity to say howdy to some old friends and meet some new ones. The churches in Fairview and Worsley are new to our ministry and we are looking forward to being with them.
It was a pleasant surprise to have the editor of the Baptist Horizon (our denominational newsletter) interview me and write an article about my winning the Golden Note Award, Songs of Faith and my cowboy poetry book. She even included one of my poems in the article. I've already been contacted about our ministry from folks who read the article. Several ministry opportunities are now in the works for 2009.
Right now we are very busy putting the last things in the trailer and trying not to forget anything. We appreciate your prayers and have no doubt that they keep us on the road.
On the trail for Him,
Mike and Suzann Burns
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