AOTS Western Conference

The West showed up at Jackson point

2011-05-07T15:37:00.000-07:00

Western Conference had some good representation at the AOTS National Biennial & Central Region Roundup at Jackson point this Spring. These four men had a lot of presents in Ontario promoting The Dondi Project, the Youth To Camp project and all of the great things the men in the United Church from the west offer the rest of Canada.

It is our hopes to build up the Men's Ministry Network in the west and offer our National Organization of AOTS Men's Clubs to help show them the way. With our resources and network we plan to spend the next year promoting fellowship and Christian leadership to the western provinces. We hope the Dondi Project and the Youth To Camp project will help bring Men's Clubs together under one common goal.

Riding Mountain Conference of Churchmen

2011-04-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

June 10th-11th -12th 2011

It's time for anyone within travelling distance of Riding Mountain in Manitoba, to consider going to the annual Riding Mountain Conference of Churchmen, otherwise known as Men's Camp. This year, the camp will be held on 10, 11 and 12 June, and as always, at Camp Wannacumbac, the Riding Mountain Conference Centre. Our speaker will be Bob Wiebe, who will speak on the topic, "Be all you can be for God's service!"

We've prepared a big two sided colour poster to advertise the camp, and have a web site to provide details. See http://menscamp.ca/ . The PDF of the colour poster is there for download, or you can request copies from myself, Dean Weiten, or James Douglas,

For further information, contact either one of us.
Download Brochure http://menscamp.ca/rmcc11p1.pdf

2010-10-13T16:18:00.000-07:00

I’m David Murrow, author of Why Men Hate Going to Church and The Map: The Way of All Great Men.

For years I’ve wondered why men’s ministry programs don’t work for most men. It’s a mystery – there is some absolutely fabulous men’s curriculum out there, packed with great Bible teaching. Yet almost every church that launches a men’s program meets with failure. The men just don’t seem interested. Here are the facts:

The vast majority of men’s programs die within two years of launch.
Fewer than ten percent of churches offer any ongoing ministry to men at all.
Those churches that do offer men’s minstry programs see very low rates of participation.
Major national men’s ministry organizations are shrinking in size and influence.

Am I saying that all men’s ministry is a failure? Certainly not. Some men are thriving under our current models. If you attend a church with a healthy, growing men’s ministry, then keep doing what’s working.

But the statistics don’t lie. The vast majority of churchgoing men do not participate in any form of men’s ministry – and the under-30 crowd is particularly disengaged. There’s clearly room for a new approach to men’s ministry.

Or maybe an ancient one.

Men’s League is a discipleship structure based on the very first Christian men’s group: Jesus and the twelve. Men’s League develops twelve men at first, and then expands to seventy-two. Men’s League not only delivers powerful teaching, it also gives men personal coaching and a structure that keeps them engaged.

Men’s League is built around the metaphor of a modern sports league, but its methods are as old as Christianity itself. It’s an ever-evolving model that combines the best practices of today’s leading men’s ministries with the ancient structure Jesus modeled for us.

I’ve prepared a series of short videos (9 in all) that walk you through the vision of Men’s League. The entire video tour takes less than an hour to complete.To get started, click here.

Or if you perfer to read more, click on the “Vision” tab at the top of your screen.

Minnedosa United Church

2010-08-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

This is a new picture of the Minnedosa United Church with the stucco finished. They have been holding service since the beginning of June and the AOTS men held a Dondi Drumming circle in the hall the first week of June. The Minnedosa Men are looking forward to getting back to regular meetings the 1st Wed. of each month in their new home. Supper starts at 6:00 PM and any men visiting the area will be welcomed.

Minnedoa Club - Manitoba

2010-03-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

The Minnedosa United church AOTS Men's Club have had two more successful events this past March.

On Friday March 5, the club was able to raise $800 to go towards the Haiti Relief Effort of the United Church of Canada at there regular Spring Pancake Supper.

The men again gathered on Wednesday March 17th at St. Alphonse Catholic Church in Minnedosa to prepare a Beef Stew Supper. While the men did the cooking and serving, the UCW held a bake sale and the church members provided vegetables, buns and desert. The proceeds from this project will all go to the new church.

Everyone had a good time, a good supper and are looking forward
to our next event that will hopefully be held in the new building.

The early risers are waiting to get in to make supper.
Alf Iverson & Elgan Hall

Four satisfied customers at the St. Patrick Stew Supper.

President Don Jones presenting the $800 proceeds from the Pancake Supper to the Board Chairman, Minnedosa United Church for the Haiti Earthquake relief fund.

Exterior picture of church - located on the old building site - destroyed by arson nearly three years ago. This building will be completed and ready for occupancy by the end of April will no mortgage and maybe even a few dollars left in the building funds. Everyone is looking forward to being able to worship in the new sanctuary and hold events in the hall.

The AOTS Men's club have raised funds to complete the quiet room by installing an electric fire place and provide chairs, so that funeral families, brides and small meetings can have a special place.

Abbey Road Drummers - The Dondi Project

2010-01-13T22:34:00.000-08:00

Two Members of the Abbey North Drummers Visit Brandon & Winnipeg, MB October 23 to 26, 2009.

After a hectic three weeks of drumming and promoting the Dondi Project in Alberta and Saskatchewan, Bazza Hayward and Chris Cullen arived in Brandon. While in Brandon, they put in a busy day by taping a TV appearance for WCG-tv, which will be aired on the local channel several times over the next six months. Following an evening performance at the Central United Church, they drove to Winnipeg, arriving well after 1:00 am, Bazza and Chris soon greeted the break of dawn for a Men's Breakfast at Sturgeon Creek United Church.

The breakfast was a good opportunity to inform the men from this congregation of the background and development of the Dondi Project, a plan to raise a million dollars to rebuild the school established in 1914.

(pictures were taken at the Day Care Center in Winnipeg. It is easy to see that Bazza enjoys working with the kids and they responded by donating funds to the project. Teachers, workers and the kids all put money in for the project.)

The Drummers then supported Sunday morning worship, playing for the hymn of supplication with the choir and congregation, and looking forward to the Musical Surprise at the center of the worship service - even after finding out the surprise was the Abbey North Drummers!
Sunday evening saw the drummers return to the church for an evening fundraising concert. In spite of some people wondering how two drummers would produce a worthy evening of entertainment, Bazza and Chris brought out from their trailer of treasures a significant number of instruments, drums of all types, shakers, tamborines, sticks, gourds, various percussion instruments, and spread them across the stage.

Nearly 60 people filled the center rows of the sanctuary, and watched the video that the Mens Ministries Network, Abbey North Drummers and the United Church Social Justice wing created, from a trip to the Dondi Mission in Angola Africa. After a short description of the work of the Dondi Project, the involovment of the AOTS and Men's Ministries Network, and where the Abbey North Drummers fit into the picture, everyone in the audience was invited to come forward and pick one of the instruments, and take a place on stage. Then Bazza began to mix his magic of enthusiasm, encouragement and eager leadership, enticing out of the audience a stunning performance, for which no one had any practice or even awareness that they would be performing!

A free will offering was taken in a way that was consistent with what was experienced in Angola, everyone was asked to come forward and with their offereing scrunched in one hand, walk past a canvas bucket, and reach in, and drop the contents of their hand, whether it was money, an envelope or even an empty hand (acknowledging that even their presence at the drumming event was a gift in itself).

With some 60 people attending, the group raised a total of 752 dollars cash and cheques, and a number of people agreeing to take home literature, an make donations directly to the United Church over the next days.

There was a strong contingent of AOTS men from the various clubs in Winnipeg, many of whom expressed strong interest in future performances when the group would be able to return to Winnipeg. Plans started forming for a spring tour, with the contacts made, being able to take advantage of the AOTS plan, the power of ten.

Monday morning, the group again greeted early morning to attend the Military Family Resource Center Daycare and perform with some 50 children aged 2 to 5. The hour long concert was a welcome diversion for the staff and students at the facility, and again a donation was made to the Dondi Project.

With all cash donations and cheques nearing $1,250, the seeding tour of Manitoba, by the Abbey North Drummers was a very good success, and suggests there will be a strong future for this project.

D.R. Pool Memorial Trophy

2010-01-13T22:25:00.000-08:00

To the Minnedosa United Church AOTS Men

Presentation of the DR Pool Memorial Trophy to the Minnedosa United Church AOTS Men.

On a beautiful Wednesday afternoon, June 3, 2009, Harvey Douglas , Western v.p. on behalf of the National AOTS Executive presented the D.R.Pool Memorial Trophy to the Minnedosa United Church Men's Club. This trophy is presented every two years at the National Bi-Annual conference to the most deserving A.O.T.S club from across Canada who has supported and helped the "Kids to camp program". The Minnedosa men have been very faithful in supporting the United Church Spirit Lake Camp program over the past 20 years with donations for all kinds of items and campership donations.

Picture: (reading left to right) - Elgin Hall, Keith Robertson, Herman Klassen, Ron Petch, Don Jones, Neil Cameron, president Alf Iverson, Keith Wallace, Bob Fehr, Harvey Douglas - missing from the picture is Clayton Searle (charter member), Bob Bertram, Bill Campbell and Ron Hladun

The presentation was made at the annual June wind up meeting of the club, which always includes the wives of the members and spouses of deceased members. Nine of the members were present to receive the trophy, four other members were absent. Harvey thanked the members for there continued support of the Youth Programs of AOTS and wished them well in the future.

It is worth mentioning that this club is nearing its 50th anniversary. Well done good and faithful servants.

AOTS Conference Representative - Harvey Douglas

2010-01-13T22:20:00.000-08:00

I was born October 6th, 1939. The fifth child of Oliver and Eva Douglas, four miles east of Minnedosa, MB. I was raised on the farm and educated in Minnedosa, attended the Minnedosa United Church and took an active part with the U.C.Y.P. program, the TYRO boy's group and the Minnedosa 4-H Beef Calf Club. I have been blessed in many ways over my life.

Following High School I struck out to make my living. I am a journeyman carpenter and as I have often joked, I have completed 48 years of the University of Hard Knocks, but still don't have a degree. My father was a founding member of the Minnedsoa United Church AOTS club and after moving around the province for 15 years working in the construction trade I returned to the farm and became a full time member of the Minnedosa club.

Five years ago my wife and I built a little bungaloo in Brandon, MB and are now residents of this wonderful city called "The Wheat City". I believe, men need a club like our AOTS group. I believe that God has a purpose for AOTS and I would like to see new groups form throughout Western Canada. The Christian fellowship, the comradery, the opportunity to work and serve others is an important part of a mans life.

I pray that God will enter into the lives and heart of all men, especially

those who read this and will move them to either take an individual membership or make the move to ask for help to organize a few men together to meet once a month at there church, lunch room or homes to look at what AOTS can do for them.
A Jesus said "I come amongst You As One That Serves".

If I may be of service to you, Please feel free to e-mail me at
hed64@westman.wave.ca or call me at 1-204-726-5843.

May God Bless and use each one of us for His service.

Respectfully submitted, Harvey Douglas, Western V.P