On Sunday, October 16, 2022, Pastor Eric provided a brief overview of the events leading up to New Beginning Church’s dedication ceremony and thanked everyone who contributed to this achievement. In his words,

We pinch ourselves every day to ensure that this is not a dream, but here we are. I am convinced that God is still at work and this is only Phase 1.

He then expressed his sincere gratitude to Gen Landry and Chris Blenkiron from RE/MAX Hallmark Excellence Group Realty Inc., the realtors who assisted in closing the sale of the land and acquiring this facility. The services they provided far exceeded what one would normally expect from a realtor. A special thank you was then extended to the members of the Pastor’s Council and to all the team, volunteers and workers for their outstanding efforts during this extremely busy time. Pastor Eric further stated,

Although we have been here four weeks, we have been running since Day 1. The busy schedules of our congregation members are a testament to their efforts, and they deserve our sincere gratitude.

Pastor Eric then invited everyone to stand and give praise to the Lord for what He has accomplished. After which, he stated,

I want to make it clear that the purchase of our new facility is not the result of human creativity or ingenuity. It is the manifestation of the Lord’s extravagant generosity towards the Church. We stand here today as living witnesses to the fact that with God, all things are possible.

He then introduced Pastor Brian Egert, Director of Missions Canada, who is also a dear friend and a spiritual father to him. Pastor Brian’s involvement in this community began many years before New Beginning Church was founded. 

He also introduced Pastor David Blakely from the Eastern Ontario District PAOC. Immediately following Pastor Brian’s address, Pastor David led the dedication ceremony.

Pastor Brian Egert

When he took the podium, Pastor Brian described New Beginning Church’s nomadic journey from one building to another, in search of a permanent home. In some ways, he felt as though we were the children of Israel trying to find our way to the Promised Land. God has been gracious to us. He has opened doors. Throughout the entire process, He had a plan. Even though the work He has carried out has never been visible to us, His work has continued unabated.

More than all we seek or imagine… 

To quote Pastor Brian,

I was involved in all of these developments back in the day. We held meetings and prayed together. In discussing our actions and plans, we pondered what we would do and how we would achieve them. We began praying for a permanent location for the Church to meet in Rockland. Among our efforts, we walked the streets of the city, conducted outreach activities, organized sports camps, distributed backpacks, and connected people in their journey toward Christ. In the end, the Almighty blessed us beyond what we could have ever asked for or imagined.

Read Ephesians 3:20-21

The above verses state,

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

In 60 A.D., Ephesus, the capital city of a Roman province located in Asia, served as a port city along a major trade route. A fertility goddess named Diana, also known as Artemis, was worshipped there. During his three-year stay in Ephesus, Paul preached the gospel to the inhabitants of this city, a church was established, and many of them were converted to Christ. A few years later, while imprisoned in Rome, Paul wrote them a letter, which is now known as the book of Ephesians. 

Read Ephesians 3:14-19

Paul was Jesus’ representative in Ephesus. According to scholars throughout the world, the prayer Paul prayed for the Ephesian Church in Ephesians 3:14-19 is considered to be the gold standard of prayer.

Paul said,

When I think of the wisdom and scope of his plan, I fall down on my knees and pray to the Father of all the great family of God – some of them already in heaven and some down here on earth – that out of his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you the mighty inner strengthening of his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of the Lord’s marvellous love; and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God’s children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high his love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves, though it is so great that you will never see the end of it or fully know or understand it. And so, at last, you will be filled up with God himself.

Paul prayed this prayer for the benefit of those with whom he had a connection while in ministry.

Are we aware of how much the Lord loves us? Do we realize that even if we were the sole inhabitant of this planet, God would have still sent Jesus to die on the cross for us to be reconciled to Him? When He created each and every one of us, the Almighty placed a God-shaped vacuum in our innermost being that longs for a relationship with Him. Despite the fact that many people deny the existence of God, deep within them, there is an insatiable longing for the Creator. While many people attempt to subdue it through drugs, alcohol, or illicit relationships, we know that there is no rest except in Christ.

Read 1 Corinthians 13:13

It is Paul’s desire that we understand the extent of God’s love for us. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could share with the members of this community how much God loves them? In 1 Corinthians 13:13, Paul writes,

There are three things that remain – faith, hope, and love – and the greatest of these is love.

It is important that we love others unconditionally as God transforms their hearts and lives.

Read Ephesians 3:19 and John 15:1-17

Paul prays that we will comprehend Christ’s love so that we might experience the all-encompassing essence of God, as described in Ephesians 3:19.

Pastor Brian asked the members of the congregation how many of them owned a handheld device. He then stated that occasionally his cellphone displays the dreaded red bar when it runs out of power. When our device is out of power, what do we do? We search for a power cable. In the absence of a power cable, our device will not function. We must therefore connect a power cable to the power source. It is important to understand that in order to demonstrate the Lord’s love, we must be filled with the fullness of His power. Love cannot be shown if we are disconnected from the Source of love. John refers to this as the branch that is connected to the Vine. There is no better way to live than to remain connected to the divine power source and have a full charge of love that transcends all understanding.

In Paul’s view, fullness in Christ produces two things:

1 – The elimination of our willingness for the world; and,

2 – The increase of our confidence in God’s ability.

In other words, if we are full of God’s love and compassion, we have no room for worldly desires. Furthermore, the fact that we depend on Him and not on ourselves also contributes to our increased confidence in God’s abilities. With respect to the advancement of this church, we rely on His guidance, and He provides us with the necessary strategies.

In the words of Pastor David Lindell,

The greater the experience of His fullness is the greater expectancy you have for God to move in your situation.

To put it another way, if we are full of Christ, we can rely on our faith when difficulties arise. And in challenging times, a strong sense of faith in the Lord will enable us to seek His guidance through prayer. Our true selves emerge when we are faced with a challenging situation.

Read Ephesians 3:20a, Romans 4:21, and Jeremiah 32:27

Ephesians 3:20a states, “Now to him who is able…” Loosely, the Greek word dynamai refers to strength, power, or ability. He has the right and the might. When God desires to move things forward, He has the authority and power to do so. He is able. It is recorded in Romans 4:21 that Abraham believed that the Lord would fulfill what He had promised. Jeremiah 32:27 further states that since He is the God of all mankind, nothing is impossible for Him. 

Read Ephesians 3:20b

Paul continues, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…” The Greek word perissos is translated immeasurably in the English language. It means exceedingly abundant, or beyond measure, extraordinary, far beyond what we could ever think or imagine. Paul says the Lord’s ability exceeds far beyond what we could ever understand, perceive, or think; therefore, everything is within the scope of God’s ability. As a result, if we pray in accordance with His will, we can expect our dreams to be fulfilled. The origin of every dream lies in the desire of the Lord to guide us according to His will. He invites us to pray and receive greater blessings than we could have ever imagined or dreamed possible.

Read Ephesians 3:20c

Ephesians 3:20c states, “…according to his power that is at work within us.” The Holy Spirit works within us, transforming our prayer into a conversation with God. Since we are incapable of accomplishing anything on our own strength, the Holy Spirit guides us, and we rely on God’s power to carry out what He has instructed us to do.

Read Ephesians 3:21

Paul ends his prayer with these words:

…to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen!

It is clear from this that God is not yet finished with this generation. His glory will be displayed through the Church. As the Body of Christ, we are called to serve as Jesus’ hands and feet in Clarence-Rockland.

Building Dedication

Pastor David Blakely

Pastor David Blakely then dedicated this facility to Kingdom work. Together, we transformed this facility into a committed house of worship that proclaims to this community what it means to be a follower of Christ.

Pastor David:

Having been challenged by the hand of the Lord and enabled by His grace and power to obtain this House of Worship to be used for the Glory of His Name, we now dedicate this facility to Him. To the glory of God, our Father, from whom comes every good and perfect gift… 

People:

We commit the use of this facility. 

Pastor David:

For the faith, vision and sacrifice of the people who saw the potential of this meeting place…

People:

We thank You, Heavenly Father.

Pastor David:

For the corporate worship of God, our Father; Jesus Christ the Son, our Lord and Saviour; and the Holy Spirit, our Comforter and Guide…

People:

We offer our lives.

Pastor David:

For the continued study, preaching and teaching of the Bible, God’s infallible Word…

People:

We offer our leadership and the use of this facility.

Pastor David:

As a place where the hurting can be healed, lost souls will be won, deliverance comes for those in bondage, Christians can be strengthened in their faith and those who are discouraged will be refreshed…

People:

We offer this space as a place of ministry.

Pastor David: 

For the education of children in the Christian faith, the reaching of young people and the enrichment of the home and the community…

People:

We pray that this facility will be an instrument of great use. 

Pastor David:

In the spreading of the message of the gospel in this community, in this country and through missionary endeavours throughout the world…

People:

May this building provide a place of challenge.

Pastor David: 

May no discord or note of strife ever be heard within these walls, no unholy spirit of pride or worldliness find a place here. May God graciously use this physical facility – our offering of a building for use in His Name. May every person who sacrificed to make this facility possible be blessed through their giving. May many find Christ at these altars, experience the fullness of baptism in the Holy Spirit and be set free by the power of blood of Jesus. Let it be a place where men and women are called into service of God’s great kingdom and make an impact around the world until the day of Christ’s return. To the glory of God, our Father, by whose favour we have obtained the use of this facility; to the honour of Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the Living God and our Saviour; to the praise of the Holy Spirit, source of Light and Life… (source)

People:

We dedicate this place. 

Pastor David:

In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I affirm that this House be consecrated to the worship and service of Almighty God, to whom be the glory and majesty dominion and power, forever and ever. Amen. 

All:

May the Lord bless our coming in and going out from this time and forevermore. Amen.

And the sound of cheering was heard, as the declaration was made and this place was dedicated to the Lord. 

Watch the video here.