October 2009 - Ladysmith, Canada

What an amazing weekend!  Ian Green visited our church here in Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada, to teach at a leadership training weekend and in doing so he blessed us all with his insight, enthusiasm, and passion for Christ.

Ian started the weekend off with a leadership session for those within our church membership where he showed us how leaders need to always be learning, adapting, changing and reaching out to others to be and become great leaders.  He showed us how to think ‘outside of the box’ of possibilities and to ‘reach for the stars’ by doing one small thing at a time.

Pastor Rob Bedard

Ian’s teaching on what holds some leaders back from achieving greatness holds one accountable and if we are aware of these challenges then we can take note and confront them as they emerge. There is no hiding from his points as they apply to everyone, no matter what your profession, stage of life, or financial situation.  We are all learners and should always continue to be.  Ian’s sessions drew parallels to our everyday roles in leadership – whether in the church, the community or at home.  He inspired, taught, and led both through his example, humour and of course through the Scriptures.  I think everyone who attended these sessions took a step back to look at how we are leading and were inspired to make positive changes and to perhaps challenge the norm.

A business owner’s session was held that evening where a select few were given the opportunity to meet with Ian in a small group to discuss the link between our faith and our businesses.  Ian challenged the business owners to make God a priority in their businesses, both in the day to day management there, but also when managing the profits of the business.  God wishes to bless businesses with financial stability and abundance, and in turn they should honour God with giving back to Him through tithing, missions and blessing others.

Sunday morning the church in its entirety was blessed as Ian preached about “Living Generously.”  Once again Ian entertained, inspired and challenged the congregation as he shared about the benefits of being a generous person and how we reap what we sow.  Ian’s sense of humour, honesty, and life experience drew us in and showed us that all is possible with God’s help, our faithfulness and our obedience.  As Ian shared, it was easy to see how passionate he is about his ministries and his family, but mostly about sharing the Good News of Christ’s love for all people.  He tells it like he sees it and encourages everyone to take a step of faith in whatever ministry they might be involved in.

It was inspiring to meet Ian and we look forward to welcoming him again in the future.

[Heidi Kulhawy, church member, Ladysmith, BC, Canada]