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WIN CANADA: ONE FAMILY, ONE VISION

The first WIN Canada Leaders conference was held in beautiful city of Calgary last July 1-5. More than 70 delegates, representing WIN Canada churches and Bible studies gathered for 5 days of fellowship, teaching and training.
The opening banquet provided a heart-warming start to the conference as the delegates convened for the first time. It became a reunion of old friends and a meeting of new ones.  WIN International Director, Rev. Emerito Paulate, reminded everyone during his keynote speech of the history of WIN and how the ministries in Canada were formed through the sacrifices of those who came first.

Plenary Sessions
Pastor Jong Duterte, WIN Canada Regional Director, presented to the delegates the vision of WIN Canada as formulated by the pastors last year. “Our vision is to see WIN churches  established in Canada’s multicultural urban centres by year 2020.” The succeeding plenary sessions dwelt on the different ingredients that would be key to the fulfillment of the 2020 Vision. Pastor Andoni Ros, preached about the essential role of the Holy Spirit in empowering our lives and ministry. Pastor Ramon Solidum taught about the importance of spiritual disciplines as the depth of commitment in these disciplines determine our spiritual strength. Pastor Ron De Villa spoke about effective leadership in today’s context. and the important role of our leaders as guardians of the core values of our Christian faith.

Divided Sessions, United Ministries
The conference also provided an opportunity for workers and leaders belonging to the same ministry fields to come together, equip one another and also look ahead for future partnerships. As a result of these sessions, plans are already underway for equipping seminars for the Music Ministry and the Youth and Young Adults ministries. The local church leaders were also blessed with workshops on Counseling handled by Sis Dana Wakabayashi and on Strategic Planning handled by Pastor Ramil Carmen.
Times of Refreshing
The evening sessions brought times of refreshing as the delegates spent time in praise and worship. Pastor Alberto Cordero, WIN US Regional Director reiterated the power of the Holy Spirit in personal and congregational life. The evening sessions always culminated in altar calls as delegates came forward to commit their lives to the Lord and experience renewed empowerment from the Holy Spirit.

A Taste of Calgary
The conference coincided with the Calgary Stampede, a festival highlighting the culture, values (and food!) of Calgary. Many delegates found time to go around the city and check out the local attractions as well as go to the world-famous Banff and Lake Louise. On Saturday July 4, the members of WIN Calgary treated the delegates to a barbeque and family day in Bowness Park. The growing sense of family was very evident as the children played together and everyone mingled.  There are no boundaries of which church one came from, just brothers and sisters in the Lord sharing a meal together with God’s creation as the fitting backdrop.

Worship Convergence
The Conference concluded with a Worship service on Sunday, July 5. Together with the WIN Calgary church, the delegates celebrated the faithfulness of the Lord for what He has done the past few days and at the same time believing that greater things are in store for WIN Canada in the years ahead. “We must be steadfast in serving the Lord!” was the concluding message shared by Bro. Babes Paualte. After countless pictures have been taken to preserve their memories of the conference, each delegate came home refreshed and revived, ready to return to their ministries with renewed commitment to play a part in accomplishing the 2020 vision, knowing that they are part of a bigger family, the WIN Canada Family.