A Vision for Life: Part II

In 1976, I moved to Peterborough to attend Trent University. It was during my time at Trent that I became involved with the Peterborough Christian Fellowship. This was a huge blessing for me and an answer to prayer, because I was wanting to be a part of a church community that sought to fully embrace all that God was wanting His church to be. Under the leadership of Walter Best, "the Fellowship" (as it was called then) was on the cutting edge of what God was doing in the province of Ontario. With its vibrant praise and worship, and Walter's teaching on restoration truth, the Fellowship was developing a reputation as the place to be. Then at Easter of 1977, everything changed for me. It was over that weekend that we had the privilege of having Ern Baxter come to us from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to lay a foundation from Hebrews chapter 6. I will never forget his messages, for he truly spoke with great conviction and authority, and opened for me a whole new understanding of God's eternal purpose in Christ. It was a ground-breaking and life-changing weekend. After every meeting I went away with my heart burning, for the truth of God's Word was bursting every pre-conceived notion I had about what God was doing in His world.

From that time onward it became our quest - both Stephen Best and myself - to see from the Scriptures what God was seeking to restore to His church. We saw the emergence of apostolic and prophetic ministries as recorded in Ephesians chapter 4; we saw the teaching on the kingdom of God literally jumping off the pages of the New Testament; we saw covenant relationship, serving, discipleship, the gifts of the Spirit, and most especially, an eschatology of victory for the church, rather than a millennium of defeat. They were exciting times when God was moving in restoration truth all over the earth. But, it was not simply for then, but for now! The truth that was being restored was never meant to be lost once again as the church moved into the 21st century, but was (and is) to be part of who we are today. In 1980, I married my wonderful fiance, Margaret, and eventually graduated from Trent with a degree in History and Philosophy.