Dear Friend,
A few days ago I studied again the resolve of the Apostle Paul recorded in Romans 15:20: "It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known..."

 Down through the years - 82 to be exact! - this has also been the purpose of CSSM Ministries: "To the otherwise unreached."

Today, as we "unpack" that challenge, we see two critical aspects of our mission:

     1. We take the gospel to those who have least opportunity to hear. One of our

    largest camps reports that at least half of their campers do not attend

    evangelical churches.

     2. We target children and youth. There is no more crucial ministry for the

    church today than to reach out to the young, who are often "missed". The

    will be taking over our country and our churches.

  Recently I viewed some "home movie" footage of CSSM Ministries in the early days. People dressed differently, drove different cars and had different expectations for Bible camp.  But in that "different day" our ministry was "cutting edge". Today we proclaim the same gospel and we must do it with the same fervency and relevance that we did 80 years ago.

 This is an enormous challenge!  We accept that challenge at the National Office to work hard to help equip our ministries across Canada to fulfill our purpose.  It's a privilege to stand with our Branch directors, the camp directors, pastors and others who work with them, and the boards, committees and other volunteers who serve faithfully. 

 You who pray and give are also important members of our team.

We would so much appreciate your consideration of a gift to CSSM Ministries to help us enter the New Year in a good financial position. Please click the link to canadahelps.org on the bottom left of the this page.

Thank you for your interest in CSSM Ministries.  May God bless you!

Sincerely in Christ,
Don Collins, National Director

LOOKING BACK

-    Missionary Orientation: We enjoyed working wih over 20 new CSSM missionaries during Missionary Orientation September 22 to 25 in Alberta. It was a wonderful group of young people, with their enthusiasm and insight, and "older" folks, who brought their experience and maturity.

-    New Board Members: Over the past year we have welcomed Lynne Ross and Don Hickey back onto the National Executive. Don has served as camp director and on the National Executive and was interim National Director in 2006 and 2007. Lynne served an earlier term as well and is looking forward to helping CSSM Ministries to be more effective in the years ahead.

-    New Bookkeeper: We said farewell to our bookkeeper Tannis Wills, who is going back to her "fulltime Mom" career after a year and a half of professional service in the National Office. We are happy to announce Val Heide as our new bookkeeper and are looking forward to her work for CSSM Ministries.

-    A story from camp: A 15-year old girl, a first-time camper, sat next to the camp speaker one supper meal. Ignoring her cabin leader's request to sit at their table, she whispered, "What you shared last night moved me in my heart to invite Jesus into my life. I had an accident last year. God protected me and gave me a chance to live."

-    Lesson material: Over the past several months CSSM Ministries lesson material has been discussed in various settings. Please pray for us as we consider this big and important area. Our material is Bible-centred and it also needs to be so written and produced to be relevant for the children and youth we are reaching and "user friendly" to today's teachers. 

-    On the road: Over recent months I made ministry trips to BC and Alberta, and also connected with
workers in New Brunswick during our recent vacation in the Maritimes. The last week of November I plan to be in Ontario and Quebec. How thankful we are for the dedicated staff God has called into this ministry.

LOOKING AHEAD

-    Website: These days a website is an essential tool to promote our ministry and to keep our own CSSM Ministries family informed. A volunteer, Brian Wills, is working to make some needed improvements. "Stay tuned!"

-    What's in a Name? When Canadian Sunday School Mission began in 1927 our name aptly described our work. We are giving consideration to adopting a new name that would better reflect our ministry activity and help us to expand our ministry into areas where we are not known. We do not yet have a new name in mind. We will not move quickly or carelessly and we will not abandon the values or distinctives that have marked this ministry for more than 80 years. Your responses and suggestions would be welcome! 

-    Prayer Links: Only through fervent prayer can our purpose be accomplished. We are re-vamping our "Prayer Links" to a mostly email format so we can communicate specific prayer requests in a timely manner. We will use regular mail to keep in touch with those without email. Please indicate your prayer involvement by e-mailing This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 -    Quebec: Various CSSM Ministries lessons are being translated into French and we plan to introduce French on our website and to begin making other promotional material available in French as well. Next week, while in Quebec, I will be participating in a meeting with a camp considering affiliation with CSSM Ministries. Please pray that our work in Quebec will be strengthened and expanded in the years ahead. 

 -   Christmas is Coming: In less than a month we will be celebrating again the wonderful birth of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. May God's richest blessing be upon you and your family during this wonderful season and throughout the New Year! 

 -   Annual National Banquet: Branch Directors and National Council members will
   meet in Winnipeg the last week of January and this will all culminate in our
   annual banquet January 30. If you are from Manitoba an enclosure should be in
   your envelope with details and a special invitation to attend.

It is with great regret that we need to inform you that Scott Kelusky has advised us of his resignation from CSSM, effective March 6.