As you kow we went the opposite direction a couple of years ago, so our experience won't be much help to you, but what was helpful was talking to US citizens who had recently taken calls and moved to Canada. Probably the most helpful thing for you would be to do the same with Canadians that have recently come to the US. The denom. office will likely have a list of Canadians that have made the move recently. You likely won't be a problem since you're a US citizen and (for better or worse) we have to take you back. Sandy might be tougher. She likely won't have a problem getting in since you and the kids are US citizens but getting a work permit might be a longer process. If the church is willing to, you might want to ask them to hire an immigration attorney to give you some advice. Can't say about importing the vehicle, we had to pay off ours (purchased in the US) and have a clear title in order to bring it into Canada, as the bank wouldn't sign off on the title without having it paid off. I don't know whether it would be the same going the other way, but my guess would be that it is similar. But good to get a clear answer one way or the other.
My one suggestion would be that you have as much paperwork as possible relating to your move and employment (even stuff you don't think you need). Our experience was that if you make them go blind on paperwork and give them the impression that you've got all your ducks in a row and aren't hiding anything they're just a lot less likely to give you a hard time. I would suggest that you and the family go to the US customs and immigration with your paperwork a week or so before your actual move and get any potential difficulties taken care of, because the last thing you want to have happen is to get stuck at the border with a truck full of your stuff and have them turn you around. We had a gret mover recommedned by an American who had moved to Ontario recently, but they probably wouldn't be much help to you in Alberta.
One more thing. About covering the costs of the immigration attorney, it's best to figure that out before you accept a call and have it spelled out in the call letter. Even without it being explicitly spelled out, I think you could reasonably read it into the phrase in the call letter re: "paying for the costs of moving, etc." Hope that helps.
Thanks for sharing this post. I'm reminded of a recent conversation in which a older, wiser church leader cautioned that in this age of anxiety over declining memberships and budgets, not to ever underestimate the power of the Spirit (especially in this season of Pentecost). He said, "When you stop and think about it what we are called to do is not expensive. It doesn't require much. Just a Bowl, a Book, Bread, and a Cup. It isn't about fancy programs or facilities.
Thanks for your blog post on the early church. I agree that our individual and communal faith would be enriched by a deepened awareness of and appreciation for the first centuries of the church's history...after all, we do claim to be part of the "one, holy, catholic and apostolic church".
You write, "I’d love to see a Protestant revival of interest in the history of the ancient church." Though perhaps not widespread there is indeed such a revival going on largely due to the work of Christopher Hall (Eastern University), DH Williams (Baylor), and Tom Oden (Drew), Christopher Seitz and Ephraim Radner (Wycliffe College - Toronto), the late Robert Webber and numerous, though less well known, others. So be encouraged.
Posted in: Planning an International Move
Randy,
As you kow we went the opposite direction a couple of years ago, so our experience won't be much help to you, but what was helpful was talking to US citizens who had recently taken calls and moved to Canada. Probably the most helpful thing for you would be to do the same with Canadians that have recently come to the US. The denom. office will likely have a list of Canadians that have made the move recently. You likely won't be a problem since you're a US citizen and (for better or worse) we have to take you back. Sandy might be tougher. She likely won't have a problem getting in since you and the kids are US citizens but getting a work permit might be a longer process. If the church is willing to, you might want to ask them to hire an immigration attorney to give you some advice. Can't say about importing the vehicle, we had to pay off ours (purchased in the US) and have a clear title in order to bring it into Canada, as the bank wouldn't sign off on the title without having it paid off. I don't know whether it would be the same going the other way, but my guess would be that it is similar. But good to get a clear answer one way or the other.
My one suggestion would be that you have as much paperwork as possible relating to your move and employment (even stuff you don't think you need). Our experience was that if you make them go blind on paperwork and give them the impression that you've got all your ducks in a row and aren't hiding anything they're just a lot less likely to give you a hard time. I would suggest that you and the family go to the US customs and immigration with your paperwork a week or so before your actual move and get any potential difficulties taken care of, because the last thing you want to have happen is to get stuck at the border with a truck full of your stuff and have them turn you around. We had a gret mover recommedned by an American who had moved to Ontario recently, but they probably wouldn't be much help to you in Alberta.
I hope everything goes well.
Grace and Peace,
Mike
Posted in: Planning an International Move
Randy,
One more thing. About covering the costs of the immigration attorney, it's best to figure that out before you accept a call and have it spelled out in the call letter. Even without it being explicitly spelled out, I think you could reasonably read it into the phrase in the call letter re: "paying for the costs of moving, etc." Hope that helps.
Mike
Posted in: Is Your Church Too Small or Too Poor to Do Missions?
Wendy,
Thanks for sharing this post. I'm reminded of a recent conversation in which a older, wiser church leader cautioned that in this age of anxiety over declining memberships and budgets, not to ever underestimate the power of the Spirit (especially in this season of Pentecost). He said, "When you stop and think about it what we are called to do is not expensive. It doesn't require much. Just a Bowl, a Book, Bread, and a Cup. It isn't about fancy programs or facilities.
Grace and Peace,
Michael Borgert
Posted in: The Apostles According to National Geographic
Paul,
Thanks for your blog post on the early church. I agree that our individual and communal faith would be enriched by a deepened awareness of and appreciation for the first centuries of the church's history...after all, we do claim to be part of the "one, holy, catholic and apostolic church".
You write, "I’d love to see a Protestant revival of interest in the history of the ancient church." Though perhaps not widespread there is indeed such a revival going on largely due to the work of Christopher Hall (Eastern University), DH Williams (Baylor), and Tom Oden (Drew), Christopher Seitz and Ephraim Radner (Wycliffe College - Toronto), the late Robert Webber and numerous, though less well known, others. So be encouraged.
Grace and Peace,
Michael Borgert