When I was a kid, my Dad, who was born in 1919, would tell us tales of life going to school in a one-room schoolhouse and walking there 5 miles in a driving snowstorm, uphill both ways, and having to make a fire in the boiler to heat the classroom! Amazing stuff! Dad had great stories!Continue reading “Being Christian in the Age of Social Distancing”
Category Archives: God’s Desires
It’s Not Over Yet!
It’s not over yet! There are times in life when we think that we have it all figured out and just then God throw us a curveball that knocks us right off our feet! We are left wondering, “What was that all about?” Because we are frail creatures who have a limited sense of understanding we want to know all the details all at once! Thankfully, God has not designed life that way! 
Continue reading “It’s Not Over Yet!”
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Not So With You
What does it mean to be a ‘spiritual giant’? I have been thinking about that term that we often use in regards to those who have tremendous significant input and influence in our lives. They could have been a close friend, an influential author, a faithful pastor or someone whose life speaks to us today having served faithfully.
I think spiritual giants seldom, if ever, realize the total effect of their lives at the moment. I don’t think, either, that this is ever the goal a person has. It is the by-product of faithfulness over time that has produced ripples of influence to you and I today. I believe that there are common characteristics of people who leave positive marks on our lives. Let’s talk about those. Continue reading “Not So With You”
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Put to the Test
It would cause shivers to go through every member of the class.! Yes, it was that day again called “Oral Defense”. That fateful day when the professor would ask you to stand and begin to fire questions at you about the material that had recently been covered in class. No notes were allowed, one just had to count on his/her ability to recall the information in a second! We would not know when that day was going to come, we needed to be ready.
Continue reading “Put to the Test”
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Looking for Open Doors
Greetings, My Friend
It is my privilege to connect with you. God has me on a journey to encourage His people to grow, be more like Him and to share His message of love to the world.
I’ve been a Pastor and Missionary all of my adult life. My wife and I have lived, worshipped and led in 3 countries. It has been an awesome career. God has blessed, guided and encouraged every step.
It is a privilege to share my resume with you. I would love to talk with you about your Ministry and see if God is leading us together. Drop me an email and share it with those you know who are looking for a ministry partner.
For His Glory,
Pastor Bill Finch
Resume of Pastor Bill Finch
739 64th Ave NW
Calgary, AB T2K 0M3
403-612-1960
My Vision:
People experiencing the full significance of being a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ.
My Mission:
To serve the Lord and people, with integrity, excellence, and passion in order to live out God’s will every day.
My Values:
Integrity: I can only be useful to God and for others if I honestly and sincerely live what I teach. I must be ruthlessly honest with myself and allow no hint of hypocrisy to grow in me.
Sense of Call: I serve in my area of giftedness for the glory of God and the good of the people of God because I believe God called me to serve him in ministry for such a time as this.
Genuine Care: It is my goal to work as part of a team that with a foundation of camaraderie and friendship that is born out in how I serve my team members.
Persistence: I bring to the table a willingness to do whatever it takes to get the task accomplished. I will use my God-given gifts and talents in order to accomplish His goals.
Team: I believe we are on the same team! It is not about who gets the credit, it is about every person pulling in the same direction in order to accomplish God’s goals for our ministry.
Willingness to Learn: I humbly recognize that there are many ways to do things and I am open and willing to learn what others can teach me.
Additional Skills:
God has used me in the areas of international missions in Church Planting to Spanish-speaking nations as well as through teaching in Argentina and Rio Grande Bible Institute Texas. A natural outflow of both of these areas has been writing a blog on a semi-regular basis (billfinch.org). I am passionate about modelling Christ in my daily life as well as developing godly leadership that cares for others as we follow God’s direction together.
Experience:
Lead Pastor at Westbourne Baptist Church
January 2014 – November 2016
Through amazing prayer support, God encouraged our people to grow in their relationship with their heavenly Father and each other. As a church we learned to share our faith with those in our community who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Our church became known as a place of refuge for all who are seeking a place to call home.
Regional Director Operation Christmas Child at Samaritan’s Purse, Canada
December 2011 – December 2013
We strengthened the hand of national leadership as they served as committed volunteers through prayer, practical training, and providing the tools to accomplish the task of sharing the love of Jesus with the children of Latin America through the shoebox ministry.
Pastor at North Broadway Baptist Church, Tillsonburg, ON
April 2008 – February 2012
Through the ministry of the Word, prayer, leadership development, and outreach, we encouraged the people to resolve past issues to love one another and serve the Lord with excellence and passion.
Pastor at West Island Baptist Church, Dorval, QC
April 2005 – March 2008
Through the ministry of the 40 Days of Purpose, we developed the ministry of small groups that had as its goal mutual encouragement, prayer, and outreach through the ministry of the church.
Missionary – Argentina and Edinburg, TX with ABWE
July 1987 – April 2004
Together with my wife, Deb, we were blessed by God to raise missionary financial and prayer support to serve in Buenos Aires, Argentina and in the state of Texas. Our ministries centered on teaching as well as developing a struggling church to grow from a discouraged group of fifteen to an encouraged and excited group of seventy-five to eighty. I also was elected the chairman of our Field Council of missionaries for one term of service.
Professor at Rio Grande Bible Institute, Edinburg Texas
2000 – 2004
What a joy to teach young people from Latin America, theology, Bible, and practical Christian life issues. We formed great relationships with colleagues and students that last until today. This was a tremendous experience. Today, many of these students are living productive Christian lives serving God.
Pastoral Intern @ School of Church Ministries, Calvary Baptist Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1988 – 1989
This was a stretching year of learning the work of a local church. As a church intern I learned many skills that have carried me into the ministry I have today. Everything from teaching children, Evangelism Explosion, and Wilderness Leadership Camp taught me to love God and the ministry with a greater passion.
Languages:
Fluent in English and Spanish
Education:
Heritage College and Seminary
Master of Theological Studies, 1999 – 2000
Rio Grande Bible Institute
Language School Diploma, Spanish Language Acquisition, 1991 – 1992
Heritage College and Seminary
Bachelor’s Degree, Pastoral Ministry Minor, 1978 – 1986
References:
Dr. David Barker – Professor, Pastor, Mentor
Heritage Seminary
519-651-2869
Mr. Dave Ferguson
Director of Westbourne Place, Elder at Westbourne Baptist Church
403-650-0942
Mr. Laurie Kennedy
(Former Director of Fellowship Prairies)
Leadership Coach at the Jethro Group
lauriedkennedy@gmail.com
780-608-7149
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Passing The Torch
Raising children is the toughest assignment that God has given to ordinary, common human beings like you and me! Let me qualify that a little, raising children to honor God in our culture today is the toughest assignment that God has given us. Yet, this is not something new.Continue reading “Passing The Torch”
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Spiritual Amnesia
One advantage of growing older, there are many but one that is particularly advantageous, is life history. Those who are of my generation and older are able to look back and see how we have survived and thrived in the midst of adversity and challenges. Continue reading “Spiritual Amnesia”
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A Complete Makeover
The great struggle that you and I have as we walk the Christ-life, is that of getting on the same page that God is on. From the moment that we decide to become life-long followers of Jesus Christ, a royal battle is ensued. Before that moment, we were quite content to live life for ourselves. We could say that we were a law unto ourselves. Continue reading “A Complete Makeover”
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God is Always Good
Have you ever made plans that were full of dreams and hopes? You thought to yourself, “This is it, it is exactly what I need tohappen!” Only to find out that for one reason or another it is not going to happen. Just this week, I am wrestling with just this topic. I find myself again sitting quietly before the Lord worshipping Him for His goodness and divine sovereignty.
Many people wrestle with the question of the goodness of God in situations much worse than what ai am currently experiencing. I could spend the rest of the blog mentioning them but they are obvious to us, Life hurt, it is hard and sometimes, quite frankly, just stinks!
So I come back to Psalm 118 today and park my life beside it. I read that God is good and that His mercy endures forever, and that I should praise Him with that mercy in the front of my thoughts. I come to realize that what I need most is not to have my own dreams and desires granted but live in the wonder of being a sinner who has fallen short of the glory of God and been granted mercy! That is true goodness! That is a gift that I ought to meditate on and rejoice in everyday of my best life!
Today, the sun came up, and God continues to show His mercy to you and me. He invites us to cast our care upon Him because He cares for us! Today is a good day, my friend, because God continues to be God and His love endures forever! Therefore, if we apply 1 John 2:27 to remain in Him, we will be able to live rejoicing in His goodness!
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What in the World!
In recent days there has been a lot of hand wringing among the people of the church. There is a general feeling that everything is out of control and that the world is careening rapidly down to the hill into the abyss of hell. The announcement last week of the United States Supreme Court decision in regards to same-sex marriage has caused an uproar among people of faith. I have had the privilege of living in the United States and know how patriotic most of God’s people are. There seems to be a very close association between government and the church. To many government is a reflection, or ought to be, of Biblical values.Continue reading “What in the World!”
In Times Like These 