CHRISTMAS 2008
Dear friends:
Warm Christmas greetings! As we get closer to Christmas day I pray that you will pause to give thanks for the gift of God’s beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Where would we be if He had never come to redeem us from our sins?
What a year of change and transition it’s been! Without the grace and strength that the Lord so graciously provides it could have been a disaster but He walked with us each step of the way and provided all we needed.
It’s hard to believe that six months have passed since we moved to our “new to us” home in early June. We still haven’t unpacked all the boxes and the pictures haven’t been hung yet but we’re finally beginning to feel at home.
The sale of the family business, FisherCast Global Corporation, was another difficult situation but, again, God gave His strength during this time of upheaval. We have many fond memories of “Fisher Gauge” as it used to be called and we know that the legacy that Uncle Bill, Uncle Frank and my dad built and left will not be destroyed, no matter what.
In October I took a position with the missions agency SIM Canada (based in Scarborough, ON) in the Donor Relations department. Carol and I needed some financial stability and when this opportunity presented itself we felt that the Lord was opening a door that we should walk through. I left my position with Christian Horizons at the beginning of November and began a new phase of ministry at SIM. The apostle Paul was not adverse to “tent making” to supplement his income so I shouldn’t be either. We continue to trust God to provide for our needs through Epistle Sports Ministries but during this “season of life” we will thank Him for this door He has opened.
We will continue to minister through Epistle Sports Ministries as we have done for the past 33 years. More than ever I’m convinced of the value and importance of “a written word of encouragement”. The handwritten “epistles” will continue to be sent to athletes in all the major sports. Our work with the Peterborough Petes through Hockey Ministries International is a major source of joy and blessing as we see the marvellous response to our MONDAY WE HAVE FISH chapels which are held every second Monday.
Our boys Matthew (13) and Nathan (12) have adjusted well to their new school, Arrowsmith School, and we praise God for the positive gains we’ve seen. We are trusting God to provide for the tuition for next September but, until then, we are grateful that we made the move to get them the help they needed at Arrowsmith. Please pray that they will continue to do well there. THANK YOU!
Maintaining several web sites or blogs as they are called has been a blessing to me and to many who have found encouragement and help through what we write. Our Pilgrim Scribblings blog recently celebrated four years in cyberspace and our readership has continued to grow each year. Please check us out regularly if you’re not in the habit of doing so at: http://www.pilgrimscribblings.blogspot.com
Last year I joined a Christian writers group called The Writer’s Crucible. We meet each month to encourage each other and to critique our submissions. We pray for each other and spur each other on to work at our writing skills. I’ve enjoyed these monthly gatherings where we can mutually encourage one another.
Thank you for your ongoing interest in our family and our ministries. As we approach the end of another year, I pray that you would consider investing (eternally) in the lives of those we minister to by sending a year-end gift to Epistle Sports Ministries. Your gift would help us eliminate the deficit we’ve been carrying and enable us to finish the year in a stronger financial position. Thank you for your prayerful consideration. It means so very much! All gifts are tax-deductible and will be receipted early in the new year.
Gifts should be sent to:
Epistle Sports Ministries – 294 Rink Street – Suite 101 – Peterborough, ON K9J 2K2
