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Mission - Values - Covenant
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What Is Church?
There seems to be as many definitions as there are denominations. For us there can be only one definition of a church when it comes to the followers of Jesus. That definition comes from the Master Himself, “…For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20.
Our Mission is to interconnect with people on this journey called life, baptizing & making disciples in the teachings of Jesus. We will be a vibrant & growing community living out the life of Christ, 24/7, both locally and globally.
A Trinity Of Values
Community - Acts 2:44-47
Journey - Luke 24:13-32Community is the body of Christ expressed in our shared lives. Our individual interactions are often the catalyst used by the Holy Spirit for personal transformation. The fact is we often don’t see the issues within our lives that need alterations. The Spirit primarily uses others to create changes within us. Corporately we are transformational “agents of change” in the world. As agents of change are deeply involved in people’s lives wherever we find ourselves: in our living rooms, across the street, across the city, and to the very ends of the earth. When community is participating in the kingdom of God it leaves nothing status quo. We no longer desire to live in isolation, but together in community, and it begins to affect all the lives around us. Community transforms…poverty to true wealth, oppression to freedom, and despair to hope. This life together is the same life that Jesus lived, the one we were created to live out.
Our value of journey begins by asking this question…whom did God ever use, that wasn’t brought to “another place?” We believe the answer is…everyone. This “another place” can mean many things to many different people. Some people will be called to journey to another country, another culture. Some may be called to move to the region next door (same culture), and some may be called to a deep place, within their very soul.
The journey is different and unique as a person’s thumbprint. The Father knows the way…the narrow way, and our Father longs to see us fulfill our destinies on this earth. Journey is an individual experience, but not an isolated one.
Worship - Romans 12:1ß
Central to the human experience is worship. We are the only living beings on the planet who are conscious of higher things. There has yet to be discovered a people group on the earth who don’t worship something! Worship is not an event. It is a life lived with the recognition that there is a Kingdom of God and this very real Kingdom is the only thing that we really should be living for. In addition this kingdom has a King, and this King should have no rivals in our lives. This is our spiritual act of worship.
What Does Covenant Mean?
Webster’s Dictionary defines covenant this way...
“an agreement, a compact between parties”.
What makes a covenant different from a simple binding agreement is that covenant implies meaningful relationship. Our Covenant is between those of us who feel that God has put us together for a reason. Covenant is a biblical concept. In the Ancient Near East, covenant was a binding agreement in which covenant members had certain obligations and could expect certain benefits in return. God covenanted with Noah, Abram, and eventually the people of Israel at Mt. Sinai. The prophets viewed the covenant at Sinai as a marriage between God and his people. We believe that to commit our lives to God, one another, and the world in meaningful relationship is what it means to be the church.
We covenant in COMMUNITY because we believe that we were created to live spiritual lives with one another. We believe that change will come to our lives and it will be God’s will for us. We know that some of these changes will be difficult but we are committed to live this way because we know it is The Way of Jesus. And we believe that the Kingdom of God is advancing and that we must be a part of that reality.
We covenant to JOURNEY because…we have come to realize that believing in God, who is Father, Son, & Holy Spirit is not something that will just save us at our death. But that we are saved from our past, and saved from a life we would choose now, if we did not realize that God is taking us on a journey with Him. We know that this journey is personal, but we also know that it is not traveled alone. We know that some of us will be called to journey far from where we are, some of us will live out our lives in the same community. But through it all we are committed to this great adventure in God.
We covenant to WORSHIP because …we realize that laying down our lives as living sacrifices to God is our only response to the new lives He has given us. Worship is not an event; it is a way of life. Our money, our time, our energies, all of these we lay down, not because we want God’s approval, but because we are so grateful of already having received so much from God.
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The Quebec Reality
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The Quebec Reality
7.5 million people live in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is a distinct society in North America, set apart by language, passion, creativity, a strong cultural and historical identity; this unique people are distinct from a religious and a spiritual perspective as well. Quebec ranks number one in Canada for child poverty, suicide, divorce, unwed live-in couples and illegitimate birth. The Quebecois is the largest unreached people group in North America. Less than 1% of the French speaking population is Evangelical. There are less Evangelical Christians in Quebec than in Cuba.
The society in Quebec is post-Catholic and yet anything that is not Catholic in Quebec is seen as a cult. There are over 1000 spiritual organizations and cults; 20% of all books sold in Quebec are new age books. In radically rejecting the Catholic Church, the spiritual search of the Quebecois became very eclectic and non-religious. Post-modernism is more advanced in Quebec than in any other society in North America.
Today there is less than one evangelical church for every 11,000 people! To have a church for every 1,500 people, over 4000 new churches would need to be planted.
“This is why we are here. Our hearts have been desperately breaking since 1985 when we first came to Quebec on vacation. We are not content to let things remain the way that they are. We are here to take back what the enemy has stolen”.
The Fontaines were sent out by Foursquare Missions International (fmi.foursquare.org) and their home church, Grace Capital Church in Pembroke, NH. They also served as the Founding Pastors of The Lake Church in Tilton, NH until their assignment to Quebec. Several churches in the Northern New England Foursquare District, Foursquare Missions International and personal friends and family support them. They are fully licensed Foursquare pastors with both the U.S. Foursquare Church (foursquare.org) and Canadian Foursquare Church (foursquare.ca) and they consider it a real honor to represent the Foursquare family in Quebec.
Daniel & Lauren live in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada which is about 35 miles north of the Vermont border. They relocated from NH in June 2005 and have obtained Permanent Resident status. They are focusing on evangelism and discipleship in their community and have gained the respect of many as they continue to love their neighbors and serve them in practical, physical, spiritual and everyday needs.
Daniel & Lauren’s oldest daughter Emily and her husband live in Virginia and recently celebrated their 1-year wedding anniversary. Their youngest daughter, Meagan relocated back to Concord, NH in the spring of 2008 and is attending college. Please continue to pray for their family and for the people of Quebec.
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Partnerships
+Name Location Description Foursquare Missions International Los Angeles, CA Sending Organization Grace Capital Church Pembroke, NH Sending / Home Church Life Fellowship Charlestown, NH Supporting Church
Calvary Church Gardiner, ME Supporting Church CrossPoint Hooksett, NH Supporting Church Harvest Christian Fellowship Jaffrey, NH Supporting Church Hope Community Church Londonderry, NH Supporting Church New Life Community
Manchester, NH Supporting Church
God's House On The Hill Sanford, ME Supporting Church Central ME Christian Center Skowhegan, ME Supporting Church Journey
So. Royalton, VT Supporting Church The Harvest Community Manchester, NH Supporting Church Faith Center Paducah, KY Supporting Church MetroWest Worship Center Ashland, MA Supporting Church Hope Foundation Keene, NH Supporting Organization Harvest Christian Fellowship Berlin, NH Supporting Church -
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Contact And Partner With Us
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If you are part of a Foursquare Church, you may give directly through their Missions Giving. Otherwise, you may send your contributions to our sending church at the address given to the right.
In order to comply with current IRS guidelines, please do not put our name on your check but rather simply write “Quebec Mission”.
As always, all financial contributions are tax deductible.
Thank you for your prayers and support!Pastors Daniel & Lauren Fontaine
