2012 Update

Dear Friends in Christ,

We returned from our 5th drive across the continent in a year and a half - from ocean to ocean in Holly’s van! having had the joy of visiting many friends and family on our journeys. It’s also been a time of growing together in unity, focus and vision. 

Enshrined in the Canadian mindset, after decades of the London Life commercial, is the concept of “FREEDOM 55!” This became a reality for us when John was released from the parish ministry at St. Luke’s, Seattle in November 2010, just days before his 56th Birthday. It marked the end of almost 30 years of parish ministry.

After a three-month sabbatical in Eastern Canada, in early 2011, we expected to return to the West Coast. However, the Lord made it clear that we were to return to the East Coast. In October 2011, we brought all our belongings back to Halifax, NS from Seattle in a large Penske rental truck! Everything is currently in storage and we’ve been steadily on the move since then. While in Halifax, Holly’s birthplace, we have been hosted by her mom, Mary White.

As many of you are aware, John’s mother died suddenly and unexpectedly on Valentine’s Day this year. John had the blessing of being with her at her bedside as she passed to glory… what a privilege. Had we still been on the West Coast, this would not have been possible.

Although it is great to be back “home”, frankly, we feel torn with three of our children living in Seattle, WA and our eldest in Vancouver, BC with his wife and two daughters!! However, we felt a clear call to return to Eastern Canada to serve our aging parents and encourage the saints here in the Body of Christ.

So… there have been some significant changes in our lives and ministry. Formally, John has “retired” from parish ministry. As many of you are aware, there’s been a great tearing in the Anglican family over several controversial matters – sexual ethics, etc. “Retirement” will allow us to step aside from the “politics” to minister to both sides of the divide, plus the larger Body of Christ. Thus, there has been a “stripping away” of the familiar, calling us to a fresh dependence on the Lord. Since our return, we have enjoyed great favor with friends and family graciously welcoming us home!

As you may have guessed from our letterhead, in June 2012, we were accepted as Staff with Power to Change (P2C), in Atlantic Canada (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ Canada) http://www.powertochange.com, to serve as Church Relations Coordinators. John will focus on connecting with churches in Eastern Canada to inform them of the prayer and evangelism resources available to equip the saints for the work of ministry.

Holly is working alongside Oasis Ministries http://www.oasisretreatscanada.com to support clergy couples facing church conflicts and burnout, etc. The West Coast Team is coming to Halifax in September 2012 to introduce the One-Day Health Check Workshops and Oasis Retreats. Holly also has a vision to develop networks for clergy spouse support throughout Atlantic Canada.

John continues to carry a burden to develop a comprehensive Prayer Strategy, and Presence-Centered Gatherings in Eastern Canada. He has also developed a model for equipping and releasing evangelists based on Luke 10, called The Seventies. Check out these initiatives on our personal website www.PleromaInternational.ca.

P2C, like Youth With A Mission (YWAM), and other Para-church ministries, have ‘missionaries’ who raise their own support. If you are interested in receiving regular prayer updates, please send us an email. We would love to hear from you. Our new emails with P2C are
john.roddam@powertochange.org   and    holly.roddam@powertochange.org
John finally got a NS cell number J 902-817-9533, and Holly has the same number she had in Seattle 425-205-7889. We’d love to stay in touch.

For those who sense a call to support us financially, provision is available on the P2C website at http://powertochange.com  On the blue ribbon across the top of the Home Page Menu is a Donate section on the far right. When you click on this, you will be taken to another page where you can click on the “Support a Staff Member” button. This, in turn, will lead to a page “Meet your Missionaries.” Under the blue section is a “Search By Last Name” feature. Simply type in “Roddam” and this will lead to a page where several giving options are presented. Or you can click here http://secure.powertochange.org/c-15-staff.aspx?query=roddam&x=0&y=0&
Thank you for considering this!

One of the exciting opportunities with P2C is the chance to travel. We are looking forward to connecting with Atlantic Canadian leaders, many of whom we have known for years. We are fortunate to serve on our home turf, resourcing leaders in Eastern Canada.

Please feel free to pass this email along to others you feel may be interested, and please keep us in your prayers!

God Bless! 
John+ & Holly Roddam

Dr. John and Holly Roddam
Atlantic Canada Church Relations Coordinators

John’s cell:  902-817-9533
Holly’s Cell: 425-205-7889
john.roddam@powertochange.org
holly.roddam@powertochange.org