(e)mergent Voyageurs

As many of you know, our friend, neighbour and urban hero, Pastor Harry Lehotsky of New Life Ministries, has been battling cancer since earlier this year. This morning at 12:30am, Harry died peacefully. We are grieved at the loss of our friend, but celebrate his life, legacy and faith. Please pray for Virginia, Matthew, Brandon and Jared as they go through the challenges of the coming days, weeks and beyond. Also remember the many friends and family whose lives have been touched by Harry. Kim & I grieve the loss of our friend, to whom we owe so much.

For any of you who have read my book (“Looking Forward: Facing The Future Of Christian Leadership”), you will be familiar with Pastor Harry Lehotsky, who tells some of his story in the Introduction. Harry is one of my heroes- an unapologetic inner city, New York city Baptist minister living and serving our Winnipeg neighbourhood for several years. He played a significant role in Kim & I deciding to plant out ministry where we did, including providing our first apartment as a married couple (which served as our YWAM office) and selling us our amazing mission house at price that was attainable to us.

In addition to being a pastor and urban activist/adocate, he is also a weekly columnist for the Winnipeg Sun. In the April 30th post of his “Inner City Diaries”, he bemoaned the terrible lack of funcationality of the Manitoba Health Care System, as he had been suffering from some serious pain. Tests were possibly going to be delayed until November. As a result of his column and pushing, he managed to get in earlier. And thank God he did.

I just learned that Harry has been diagnosed with an advance stage of pancreatic cancer. I have not heard the prognosis, but am familiar enough with this disease to know that it is one of the highest risk cancers. I ask that everyone take some time to pray for Harry and his family during the coming challenges they will inevitably face. Pray for healing and restoration.