Active Barnabas Initiatives

But her mandate and our shared vision goes beyond that community, and the renewal and building up of that church. Julie Ann will provide encouragement and resource-assistance to churches throughout the Ottawa Valley. We want to think (as missionaries do) not only about the ‘field’ of one church’s ministry and programming and community involvement, but also of the whole ‘farm’ of a wider region that needs to experience the grace and good news of God through the partnered outreach of churches in that area.

At Heart Lake Baptist, Brampton, Ted Brown has teamed with Ed McLean and Rod Vis to develop and enable a ‘come’ and ‘go’ mission strategy – helping the church learn how to live among normal people in our neighbourhoods, blessing them in all kinds of ways they wouldn't normally expect, demonstrating the love of Christ. In other words, being the church. Ted is also available to other churches and leaders in our regions as all of us strive to know how better to impact our streets and communities. (In fact, with regard to all of our Barnabas pastors, we want to make them somehow available to – either you as you go and see (and learn with them) or as you invited them to come and share what they’re trying, doing, and learning – so that together we may learn from these new ventures how we might become even more fruitful and effective in God’s service.

In Montreal, Westmount Baptist Church welcomes the pastoral leadership of David Smith. We’ve partnered with them, trusting that once more they will have a vibrant, leading, effective ministry in that great city, and serve other CBOQ churches in Montreal too as a resource base and learning centre for their collective work with Christ, and for their witness in their respective communal contexts.

At Heritage Green Baptist, Stoney Creek, we are seeking the building up of this church so that they may be a resource and encouragement to other Hamilton-area churches. Glenn Cordery is the new lead pastor – the ‘Barnabas encourager’ there. Already, Heritage Green has its ‘Barnabas Team’ in place and has begun working through some excellent resource aids available to them.

Fort Erie Baptist, and Matthew House next door, are both experiencing wonderful vitality and cooperative strength through the leadership of their Barnabas pastor, Gary Page and through Matthew House Directors Jim and Shirley McNair. On any given Sunday, they have people representing some 14 nations being welcomed through their ministries, the Haitians being a significant part of the that group. Several pastors have gathered through these diaspora gatherings - and we have partnered with Fort Erie to enable one of them, Adrienne Wilsonne. Speaking French, English or Creole, Adrienne helps to welcome and establish the Haitians and those of from other countries into life in Canada, and into the life of the church. Through our partnership he will continue to work with people as they move on to Montreal or Ottawa or other places where they may find employment . Adrienne will literally go with them to help introduce them to other pastors and churches and will gradually build a network – an ‘above-ground railway’ to help facilitate this.

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