✠ Preambule
On March 3rd and 4th, 2012, I attended training to become a pastor-celebrant for weddings at the Pastoral Professional Training Academy. During lunch, as we walked to a restaurant, I spoke with the founder and director, Reverend Michel Beaumier, about chaplaincy. He asked me, “Why don’t you have your own?”
✠ Our Story
On May 11th, Reverend Marie Arnold left Halifax County by train to join me in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. Since there is no train to Trois-Rivières, she arrived the next day by bus from Montreal. From that moment, we began building both our love story and our ministry; the two have always gone hand in hand.
Before Marie arrived, I had already begun laying the foundation for what would become Eric Michel Ministry and Chaplaincy. It took us two years to develop the organization, culminating in the corporation’s registration on May 14, 2014. It was then renamed Eric Michel Ministries International and expanded to include five members in the USA.
Marie and I shared a common goal: to share our love and the love of Christ by helping others through the Chaplaincy. The ministry has grown beyond a simple chaplaincy, especially after the creation of an interdenominational partnership at our Synod in June 2017, in response to a request from rural churches of other Christian denominations. Our aim is to equip small churches with tools to spread the word of our Lord Jesus. EMMI’s mission includes international and domestic missions, theological education, advocacy for religious liberty, the production of literature for pastors and church workers, and the necessary infrastructure to support these cooperative efforts. Specifically, the association was established “to provide a general organization for Christians in Canada and to promote Christian missions at home and abroad, as well as other objectives such as Christian education, charitable initiatives, and social services that advance the Kingdom of God.” The Interdenominational Assembly of Churches Organization is a voluntary association of self-governing churches that partners with Eric Michel Ministries International and is committed to Christian reconciliation and unity. This partnership includes the African United Methodist Church of Malawi, represented by Rev. Xaviour Sebastian Chikwatu; the Pentecostal Church of Andhra Pradesh in India, represented by Pastor Philip Kumar; and the Evangelical Christian Church in Uganda, represented by Pastor David Kisaame.
Unfortunately, Eric Michel Ministries International does not provide financial support to individuals, other organizations, or political parties, as it is not part of our mandate. We also do not preach, give sermons, or travel to other countries; instead, we have partners who represent us in Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Cameroon, Congo, India, Nepal, the USA, and Canada.
The Right Reverend Marie Yvonne held several important roles:
1. The Co-Founder of the Chaplaincy of Eric Michel Ministries International and New Hope Ministry and Missions
2. President of the House of Bishops and Chief Chaplain
3. Co-Founder of the Interdenominational Assembly of Churches (Churches and Para-Churches association)
Today, the Emeritus Right Reverend Marie has been ill and bedridden for 19 months.