The Christadelphian population in the Maritimes after the Second World War was very scattered. In Nova Scotia there were a few in the Halifax, Stewiacke, and Sydney areas. New Brunswick had ecclesias in both Moncton and Saint John, with a small group in the Fredericton and Hatfield’s Point areas. Later there was one brother on Prince Edward Island, and a few years after that his wife became a sister. Sadly there are no longer any brethren and sisters on PEI.
One thousand miles to the east, St. John’s, Newfoundland, was expanding. There were two campaigns in the area, assisted by brethren and sisters from Ontario, the Atlantic Provinces and the United Kingdom.
As a result of attending a Christadelphian Bible Mission Conference in Nottingham, England, in the early 1970’s, and hearing uplifting reports of the work in Africa, Bro. Cliff and Sis. Julia Baines responded to an appeal for assistance from the three sisters that were left in Moncton. Cliff and Julia committed initially to two years, to help with the preaching in the Moncton area. They soon found that it is mainly personal contact that produces results.
Slowly a central core was formed in the mid-1970’s, in Sussex, New Brunswick, equidistant from Fredericton, Saint John and Moncton. A monthly gathering of the brethren and sisters in New Brunswick was instituted in June, 1975, and has continued from that date. This augments the various activities in and around Sussex. For many years, the Canadian Thanksgiving, in October, has been the time for annual fellowship with brethren and sisters from the Maritime Provinces. It now often includes brethren and sisters from Ontario, the New England States and the UK, for which we are very thankful. This is a real treat for us, as we are isolated from each other by many miles.
We have been helped by the ASK Great Lakes which has provided a speaker from Ontario once a year, usually for our Bible Study weekend in April/May. This has always been a springtime “pick-us-up” after the long hard winters of Eastern Canada.
Gradually changes have taken place in the Maritimes, with brethren and sisters from Ontario and further West relocating to the Sussex area. This has also happened in the Halifax, Nova Scotia, area. Recently retired brethren and sisters as well as younger families have moved east to help with the work.
Having seen the successes of ASK Great Lakes in Ontario, it was felt that an Atlantic ASK would be of help here, improving communications among the isolated ecclesias in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The ASKA was formed in May, 2006, with “the intention of coordinating the activities of and assisting the local ecclesias with the resources needed to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God in the Atlantic Provinces, and to support ecclesias and isolated brethren and sisters by promoting or coordinating activities for fellowship, edification and learning in the Word of God.”
In the short time that ASKA has been in existence, the Halifax brethren and sisters have benefited from a campaign in their area; Sussex has been helped with financing seminars, the latest being the “Give Your Life a New Perspective” seminar from Britain; and Halifax is producing a new seminar series which is based on the premise, “we need to simplify our approach, many people don’t even know what a Bible is”. The new series is entitled, “Keys to Success: Helping You to Understand the Bible”. It is a 38-week program, consisting of five modular series of sequential courses designed to incorporate adult learning principles. To date, the first six-week series, focusing on the inspiration of the Bible, has been delivered in Bedford, Nova Scotia, and has been very well received.
ASKA presently conducts two annual meetings via the “Elluminate” conferencing system, where ideas, news and plans are exchanged among its three member ecclesias. Some exploratory work is presently being done on PEI with newspaper advertisements promoting the “This is Your Bible” website (thisisyourbible.com), and further work is also being planned for one of the major cities in the New Brunswick area. In addition to the positive fellowship benefits from our meetings, ASKA has brought together the combined financial resources of its members to greatly assist each other in the costs associated with our outreach programs.
The seminar approach certainly seems to be working well. Halifax has been blessed with a baptism as a result, and St John’s, Newfoundland, also continues to run seminars. It is anticipated that the seminars will be taken to some of the adjacent towns now that there is more support for such activities.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One