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Who We Are
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Celebration 2005 Challenges the Church March 1, 2005 In cooperation with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) and World Vision Canada, Prairie Bible College in Three Hills, Alberta hosted “Ignite the Light” on Thursday, February 24, 2005. Over 2080 people attended the event which featured Raylene Scarrot, the Centre Street Church worship band and the 27-member Salvation Army band from Glenmore Temple in Calgary. “We are here for an evening of celebration and challenge,” said author and humorist Phil Callaway, who served as MC. “A watching world needs to see in us Christ, the hope of glory. We’re here to find out what we can do to bring our faith to life.” David McFarlane, Director of National Initiatives for the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada described the vision for the Celebration 2005 initiative: “We want to celebrate Jesus, to emphasize the importance of the local church and to strengthen its hand. We want your neighbours to say, ‘If this is Christianity, I want to be part of it.’ Together we can impact communities with the love of Christ in a practical way. Together we can make a difference in Canada.” Dr. Jon Ohlhauser, president of Prairie noted that Prairie’s mission to enable the Body of Christ to reach the world with the Gospel of Christ fits “hand-in-glove” with the Celebration 2005 initiative. To demonstrate the support of the college for the work of the church around the world, Dr. Ohlhauser announced that the offering taken would go in its entirety to support three groups of PBC students preparing to go overseas in summer ministries where they will assist in and support the work of local churches. Keynote speaker for the evening, Dr. Tony Campolo, challenged the church in Canada to allow the love of God to flow through them to their neighbours. “In every miracle that Jesus did there was something more at work than the power of God: it was the love of God. He did not come to blow us away with his power—he came to transform us with his love. When he was here in the flesh Jesus was limited to making an impact one person at a time. This same Christ ascended to heaven and now comes back to anyone who receives him and gives to them the power to love. If we will let him love and care through us we become the physical Body of Christ here on earth. There’s a big difference between a believer and a disciple. A disciple is someone invaded by the Spirit of Christ. Celebration 2005 is about getting people who believe to become the Body of Christ, to care and to witness on his behalf. “ The intent of Celebration 2005 is to challenge local churches to creatively and tangibly extend love and compassion through acts of service within their communities. EFC has identified the window of May 21 – June 12, 2005 to encourage churches to schedule activities in their communities across the country. Detailed information on Celebration 2005 can be found at www.celebration2005.ca. For further information about Prairie’s Celebration 2005 event please contact the Executive Assistant to the President, Vance Neudorf (3033@prairie.edu). Prairie is a leading Canadian centre of higher education for Christians. We equip students to achieve their life, ministry and career purposes and to fulfill their role within the Body of Christ. |
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