From very special to crazy, insane to indescribable – each of the members of this Impact Group at Heritage College & Seminary had different words to describe the group of friends that was formed this year. But, one thing is for certain, this group of College students that was formed at the beginning of the year has now become more than friends.

“Our Impact Group is very tight,” explains MacKenzie Franche, a first-year Bachelor of Religious Education student at Heritage. “At the beginning of the year, there were smaller friendships within the group, but, soon enough, we were just one big happy family.”

Each year, College students at Heritage join together into Impact Groups. Every Monday evening, these groups will get together to study the Bible and pray together throughout the year, while also encouraging and supporting one another in their studies. For many of the students - those who live in residence and those who choose to be a part of an Impact Group who live off campus - these groups are an important part of community life at Heritage.

“I love that Impact Groups are so much more than one hour on Monday night,” says Miranda King, a Bachelor of Religious Education student at Heritage. “It’s doing homework together, going to class or the caf or Chapel together, being together crazy late at night, life chats together – doing life, together.”

It is this mutual encouragement and support as friends that many in this Impact Group have found a blessing this year as they lived life at Heritage together. It is a community that they continue to hold close even from their homes during this time.

Since classes have moved online, the friends have continued to stay connected and meet regularly online in order to be there for one another as they all work hard to finish their courses online.

From regular meetings online for prayer and encouragement to connecting with one another by text and social media, these friends felt that it was important to continue to meet as an Impact Group.

“In a time when we are isolated, it is so important to be reminded that you have a community that loves and supports you even when we’re not together,” says Kate Foster, a SERVE.experience student who joined this Impact Group as an off-campus student.

As they continue to study at Heritage, the group agrees that it’s been helpful to have the motivation from each other to complete their courses, while also reminding each other to be faithful in devotions at home.

For Foster, these times are a reminder of the true value of Impact Groups at Heritage.

“Most people think Impact is just studying the Bible together – and yes, we do that. But it’s so much more than that,” says Foster. “You do it with the people you live in community with; it’s like a built-in group of people who will spur you on throughout the year.”

Impact Groups not only provide all students involved with this sense of community that lasts throughout their time at Heritage, but also help to connect students with mutual support and prayer throughout that time. Though this is something that happens over the course of one year, the members of this group would say that the relationships made in these Impact Groups can – and will - last well beyond the last day of the semester.

“It’s experiences like these that show just how impactful our friendships are – that they will continue even after school ends,” says Myriam Alexanian, Bachelor of Religious Education – Intercultural Studies student at Heritage. “They will last for life.”

It started with the desire to do more to share the gospel.

This year, a group of college students at Heritage felt a strong conviction that they needed to be reaching the neighbourhoods that surround the college and seminary with the good news of Jesus. Out of this burden came the idea of going into the community of Hespeler to share the gospel – one door at a time.

Isaiah Bennett was one of the students who helped coordinate the student-led, weekly door-to-door evangelism efforts that started in the Fall. He explains that the hope behind this group was to find a simple way to engage students on mission in the community and share the truth and hope of Christ while studying at Heritage.

“Sometimes we try to overcomplicate things on how we’re going to reach our community, but by simply knocking on doors we thought this would allow us to interact with a lot of people in a short span of time in hopes of engaging in gospel centred conversations,” says Bennett. “Ultimately, we felt that the gospel is good news and has the power to bring salvation (Rom. 1:16), and because of that truth we can go out in confidence expecting God to do big things.”

In preparation for heading out into the community, students took part in a special training session held during Heritage’s Local Outreach Week in the Fall led by a visiting pastor. There the students learned a simple script and gospel presentation tool that was being effectively used at the pastor’s church when they started their own door-to-door ministry in their area.

With the tools in hand, Bennett says that the students got ready to serve by reading through Luke 10 together, which led them to be further compelled by Jesus’ call to send his disciples into the harvest fields. After reading Jesus say in Luke 10:2, “The Harvest is plentiful”, he says that the group had the confidence to start knocking on doors; trusting God’s work in their sharing of the gospel with the people they met.

“We believed in our hearts that God had prepared many people to receive the good news of Jesus Christ, but they just needed someone to share the gospel with them and that we would be those people,” says Bennett.

Though Bennett says that he and the other students were nervous to begin knocking on doors, he said that it was an opportunity to walk in faith trusting in what God would do through their efforts. Over time, the more conversations the students had with people, the more he says they saw God literally open more doors to spiritual conversations and give opportunities to pray with people and share Jesus with them.

After each and every weekly trip into the community, he remembers the students returning with great joy after seeing how God had worked in and through these doorway discussions.  Students would share stories of how God led many people to open up about their needs and brokenness, allowed students to pray for them at their doors, and helped people feel open to hear about the hope of Christ.

Bennett says that the highlight of the year was when one person they met turned from their sins and trusted in Christ at their front door.

“We all started to have a deeper hunger to share the gospel with people and a desire to see people trust in Christ that kept us going throughout the year even when we would have discouraging weeks,” says Bennett. “We may never see any of the results from the ministry, but we trust that there were many seeds planted and God will continue to grow some of those seeds.”

On Tuesday mornings, the Heritage community gathers for worship together during a weekly Chapel. To continue our worship together, President Dr. Rick Reed preached a message from his home for the students, staff, and faculty of Heritage on Exodus 13 – 14 looking at divine detours.

Dr. Reed talks about how we can recognize divine detours, how we as Christians respond to these changes in our lives, and why God allows these kind of detours to come into our lives.

Listen Dr. Reed’s sermon on our Heritage College & Seminary podcast on Spotify, iTunes, or DiscoverHeritage.ca - http://bit.ly/HeritagePodcasts

Or, watch his message below from our YouTube page:

By Dr. Rick Reed - President of Heritage College & Seminary

There are times when a preacher will need to preach to an empty auditorium. Right now, in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, we are in one of those times. Government officials have mandated that we avoid gathering in groups, effectively shuttering our Sunday services.

Since pastors are called to feed and tend the Lord’s sheep at all times, we still need to provide spiritual nourishment to the believers in our churches. And we still need to proclaim the gospel message to those who don’t yet know Christ Jesus in a life-saving way. We are commissioned to preach the Word “in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:3).

Thankfully, technological advances have made it possible for us to preach to people who are unable to gather in our churches. For the past few Sundays, many preachers have been recording sermons in empty auditoriums.

Here’s where it gets challenging for us as preachers. Preaching to an empty auditorium feels unnatural. We look out and instead of seeing faces, we only see spaces. No smiles, no nods. Nothing.

So how are we to preach well at these times? Especially if this is new to us and we don’t have a video team to help out? Here are ten reminders that I’ve found helpful when preaching in an empty auditorium.

Preach the Word

One thing that must not change when we move from live to recorded sermons is the centrality of God’s Word. We must study it deeply, handle it correctly, read it publicly, relish it personally and apply it practically. While preaching to an empty auditorium feels second-rate, our sermons should not be.

Preach to people not chairs

Remember there are people who will listen to your message even though you can’t see them as you speak. Think of specific individuals in your congregation who will hear the message. Speak to their hearts though you can’t see their faces.

Position the camera so you are easily seen but have room to move

Even if you don’t have high-end video equipment or an experienced production team, you can still use your smartphone or tablet to record an effective video of your sermon. Use a tripod or improvise with a music stand to place the camera directly in front of you. Frame the picture so that you are centred and central, close enough for people to easily see your facial expressions.

Do a partial test run to make sure audio and video settings are correct

Before preaching through the entire message, record a small sample of the sermon to make sure you are happy with the camera angle, lighting and sound quality. Make sure your video camera or smart phone has enough storage to record an entire sermon. By the way, the video will look better if you wear solid colours. Striped shirts create a blur when filmed.

Look at the camera to look people in the eyes

When you look directly into the camera, those watching the video will see you looking directly at them. This gives the message a more personal, direct feel.

Preach with both empathy and energy

Enter into the mood of the moment by preaching with a pastor’s heart full of empathy for those who are fearful and alone. In addition to expressing empathy, preach with energy. Remember, energy enhances engagement. Generally, you’ll bring more energy if you stand rather than sit. Don’t equate a conversational tone with a monotone. Speak with believable passion.

Get free from your notes as much as possible

How can you get free from your notes? Internalize them. Start by internalizing the overall structure of the message so you know where you are going next. Then, internalize your introduction (to make a personal connection right from the start) and your conclusion (to make a pastoral close). Next, internalize illustrations and applications. Remember, eye-contact increases connection.

Don’t worry about verbal perfection

Stumbling over your words a bit is normal in a live sermon. Don’t stop the tape every time you trip over your tongue. Authenticity outweighs perfection when it comes to presentation. (And do remember to smile at the right moments!)

Make a clear, compelling gospel move

While we should preach the gospel at all times, it’s crucial that we preach it now. There may be people who listen to your online message who will never come to hear you live. Make sure you present the good news of the gospel in a clear, compelling way. Tell your listeners how they can respond in repentance and faith right now. As you preach the Word to your congregation (2 Timothy 4:2), do the work of an evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5).

Trust God who is present when people are absent

Remember the Lord is with you as you preach and with your hearers as they listen. Pray for His Spirit’s empowerment. Trust Him to do immeasurably more than you could imagine (Eph 3:20). Even when the auditorium is empty, God’s can use your preaching of His Word to fill hearts to overflowing.

Redeem your time this spring and summer by learning and growing with Heritage College & Seminary. Beginning in May, Heritage is once again offering a wide variety of online course options over the spring and summer months for you to discover.

Dr. Rick Reed, President of Heritage College & Seminary, says this is a unique time and an opportunity for you to take the time to stabilize your soul by studying God’s Word and learning from distinguished faculty at Heritage and other schools.

“One excellent way to do this is by taking an online course at Heritage this spring or summer with a great variety of courses available to you,” says Dr. Reed. “These classes are excellent opportunities to spend your time wisely by going deeper in God’s Word.”

Each year, Heritage not only provides a great selection of courses that help current students at make progress on their degrees, but also gives Christians the opportunity to be equipped and learn. Classes can be taken for credit or by lifelong students who want the opportunity to study the Bible, learn more about a topic, or want to discover what learning at Heritage is like through taking courses as non-credit students.

This year, Heritage will be offering a large number of seminary-level courses that can be completed fully online. From Philippians to the Pentateuch – students have the opportunity to learn or continue their studies at Heritage from wherever God has them serving and living for Him. This now includes the option for Heritage Theological Seminary students to complete either their Greek or Hebrew Elements courses online over the course of the spring and summer.

Dr. Ian Vaillancourt, Associate Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Heritage Theological Seminary and Heritage’s Director of Distance Learning, explains that though in-class offerings are at the core of what Heritage is about, the College and Seminary desires to serve students with more online courses to help better serve the church.

“The goal is to equip the saints for works of ministry, and since each saint has particular growth needs, we seek to serve as many of them as possible through these diverse course offerings,” says Dr. Vaillancourt.

Registration is now available for current students and interested non-credit students. The registration deadline has now been moved to April 10.

For a list of our online course options and our module and multi-modal classes that are available this Spring/Summer and to learn more about how to apply, visit DiscoverHeritage.ca/Summer.

Spring & Summer 2020 Update - In order to enable students to continue their training at Heritage this spring and summer, all multi-modal and module Spring/Summer courses will be offered through an online delivery format.