Save the Date!
We are pleased to announce that our Missionfest Manitoba Conference 2022, Compelled by the Love of Christ, will take place on February 4-6, 2022! We are committed to following all Manitoba Government regulations regarding Covid -19 Health and Safety Protocols. As it is impossible to predict exactly how these regulations will look in February of 2022, our Missionfest Executive Team is actively developing three possible event scenarios: (1) A full in person event with Speakers, Exhibits, Seminars and Children’s Programming at Church of the Rock in Winnipeg. (2) A hybrid event (offering part in person, part online). (3) An online event with live Speaker Presentations, Online Exhibits, and Online Seminars We will share details as we get closer to the date, but for now Save the Date, and share this post with those who may be interested. Let me introduce myself and the other members of the Missionfest Manitoba Executive Team:
Tom Castor is familiar a name to many who have been involved in Missionfest Manitoba through the years. From 1998 to 2013, Tom served the Grant Memorial Church in Winnipeg. After 10 years as the Lead Pastor there, he and his wife Lee moved to Vietnam, where he lead a team which planted The Well International Church in Ho Chi Minh City. In addition to being the Executive Director of Missionfest Manitoba, Tom leads Clear and Simple Media, a ministry dedicated to providing material to grass-roots church planters that is linguistically simple, theologically clear, and biblically faithful. Alison Wells-Dyck is well known to many for her work with the CarePortal Canada and as an instructor at the University of Manitoba. Alisonwill serve as Missionfest Volunteer Coordinator. She has significant training and background that will help you have a meaningful volunteer experience. Alison will also be responsible for building the Mini-Missionfest Team. Gord Gilbey who has served in multiple leadership roles with Missionfest MB over the years, has agreed to join the team to look after Missionfest Exhibitor Care. If you are an exhibitor, Gord will be managing the details to provide you, as best we can, a stress-free and effective exhibitor experience. Gord is currently serving as a LAMP missionary to Northern Manitoba’s First Nations communities. Krista Heide is a visual artist, graduate theology student, and part of the preaching team at Winnipeg Center Vineyard. Krista will be giving oversight to our website and, as Missionfest Media Coordinator, will work to increase our social media presence. She will be working to make our communication clear and to expand the reach of our exhibitors through our online tools. Cheryl Magyar has been involved, mostly behind the scenes, with these events for a number of years. Cheryl will be attending to many of the administrative and accounting task for Missionfest Manitoba. She is now our Missionfest Administrator. Collin Nickel is an audio technician and videographer, with experience with virtual event platforms. He will serve as Missionfest Production Coordinator. Adding this kind of expertise allows us to prepare for various contingencies, for the live event, a hybrid event, or should circumstances necessitate it, a virtual event as well. Bethany Stephens is an ESL instructor, working with many immigrants and refugees who call Winnipeg home. She has been involved in church ministry for many years, helping plan and implementing events for all ages. Bethany will serve as Missionfest Logistical Support as well as coordinating the Youth/Young Adult components for the 2022 event. The Board of Missionfest Manitoba is pleased to announce the appointment of Tom Castor as Executive Director, effective June 1, 2021.
Tom is well known to the community in Southern Manitoba, as he served on the pastoral staff of Grant Memorial Church from 1998 to 2012, for the last ten years there as the Senior Pastor. Tom and his wife Lee, partially because of the impact of Missionfest Manitoba, moved to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, where Tom led a team, whose work resulted in the planting of The Well International Church. He returned to Canada in 2015 to establish Clear and Simple Media, under the oversight of the Baptist General Conference of Canada. “Tom will make an incredible contribution to the mission and vision of Missionfest Manitoba," says Shannon Silvestri, Chair of the Missionfest Manitoba Board of Directors. “We are confident that Tom will continue to pursue the growth of Missionfest and extend its impact in Southern Manitoba and beyond.” The Board of Missionfest Manitoba is asking that the Christian community pray for Tom, his team, and the Board as we seek to make an impact for Christ through Missionfest Manitoba. “I am thrilled to be joining the team at Missionfest Manitoba,” says Tom Castor. “My wife, Lee,and I began our ministry life serving in Tadoule Lake, Manitoba. To be able to work with a team of people who are excited to bring their gifts and experience to help Missionfest work through the decisions that will assure the ministry’s long-term success is an exciting “full-circle” moment for me.” For more information, please contact: Shannon Silvestri Chair, Missionfest Manitoba Board of Directors |