sprout 2013.indd - Mennonite Church Eastern Canada
Transcription
sprout 2013.indd - Mennonite Church Eastern Canada
MCEC sprout Winter 2014 inspiring stories from new & emerging ministries in MCEC Don’t Worry. I’ve Got You! Page 3 This Refuses to Let My Faith Go To Sleep Page 7 page 15 Living Into Post-Christendom Page 15 sprout Read about the recent UK Learning Tour on Page 15 Cover Stories “Don’t Worry, I’ve Got You!” A Story of God’s Faithfulness to a Guy from the Streets 3 This Refuses to Let My Faith Go To Sleep Inside 2 Tim Reimer, Mission Associate Markham Christian Worship Centre 9 7 From Ethiopia to Kitchener Bethel Ethiopian Evangelical Church 10 From Ethiopia to Toronto Medahnialem Ethiopian Evangelical Church 11 Act Like Men? Broadening the Conversation on Men, Women, and the Church 13 In Sprout MCEC Emerging/Exploring Congregations 1 Learning from Our Neighbours 15 Empowering New Leaders Jane Finch Faith Community 17 Living Into PostChristendom sprout / Winter 2014 We gratefully thank all those who shared their stories with us. Grace and Peace from Markham Christian Worship Centre CWC) ntre (M ity that e C ip e orsh ortun ian W for the opp e and peac t is r h C c l a u f r m k g a h e an unity. t Mark ited and th ring th s to b Tamil comm C for their c u x e o t e r n we a s give hrist to the thank MCE od ha our G ord Jesus C portunity to L ur his op of our st of o take t support. o t t n nd mo focus this er a d n n I wa a io t ry at ray emen prima ngreg use p involv ing co Lanka. Our through ho e to k a e p u s i Tamil ed from Sr ting people to church d owever, t r H C is a MCW s are migra ospel to hu nt to come d friends. r the n r a g a it e e s e v s h e h e e t li h to a g tiv be re bringin y Hindus a by their rela ity for them is r a n e n n y a tu gs. M oppor miliatio ur meetin ion and hu rings great vers. age o e s b li s to eng ders, oppre se meeting hip with be s ie it a s ctiv u and a o-worship le s. We the ho nd to fellow rams ie c a g r t l s o e r is a p p gos ting e min ipate to e crea outh partic volved in th at 7 p.m. is r a e w y y . a r in e r d m u . rmo 0p h. O to be very Tues at 7:3 Furthe with churc portunities of y E y a . a id m d r . p F n p tur childre ives them o vice at 5:15 ayer. Every ery first Sa second g pr er ery , ev which r Sunday s eliverance istries ice, and ev in m d o f v 's r n have meet hildre worship se .m. we and c 8:30 p udy, youth ayer, youth t prayer. st g pr where nigh Bible , fastin th we have ffville, w of our h u t o n t o S t fe the m f the mon rvice a ing a o ing se ing, includ n r o Friday m id rt s to sta mils are re nning Ta la f p o e s r r We a nt numbe ca signifi members. h c r u h c uthu avarim S h p r Jose Pasto A “Don’t Worry, I’ve Got You!” A Story of God’s Faithfulness to a Guy from the Streets A Closer Look at Jordan Thoms, Church Planter F rom a small jail cell this prayer was whispered, “Lord, I am tired of living like this. I know you are real. I pray that you would get me out of this life that I am living and that I would become closer to you.” Jordan Thoms grew up in the realities of a rough neighbourhood. As his mom struggled to care for him and his two sisters, Jordan found acceptance and power on the streets of Scarborough. From the age of 12 he formed his crew and they would do things they saw the older boys doing – causing a ruckus, throwing rocks at car windows, and getting into fights. As they grew older, they started robbing people so they could get the things they wanted, and that quickly grew into selling drugs and being a part of gang activity. Urban Promise, a Christian non-profit organization, was active in Jordan’s neighbourhood with after-school programs and camps. One day they asked him to come 3 “Lord, I am tired of living like this. I know you are real. I pray that you would get me out of this life that I am living and that I would become closer to you.” - Jordan Thoms Scarborough Church Plant image to their camp and he did – if not just to get out of the neighbourhood he felt trapped in. He really loved the camp and all the activities. His least favourite thing however, was Bible study and he would find ways to disrupt it. Urban Promise eventually hired Jordan sprout / Winter 2014 as a street leader – someone who lives in the community hired to be a leader with the kids. Part of the job was leading Bible studies. Jordan was not a Christian at the time and simply read what they had written on a paper. “God’s word is living,” Jordan now says. “Over the years, just reading those words off the paper – it was softening my heart towards God.” Jordan had begun to realize that he wanted to change the way that he was living. During an event when he was sticking up for some of the younger youth in his charge, he was arrested for “threatening” and found himself in a small jail cell, praying the prayer above. “I got bailed out the same day,” Jordan recalls. “I decided to follow more of what a Christian should be like. I was still wrestling with street life and the crew that I was rolling with, but I was taking the word of God more seriously.” Five months later, two undercover police officers knocked on his door and arrested him in a case of mistaken identity for possession and trafficking of crack cocaine, the substance, and in the rock form. If convicted, Jordan would face a minimum of five years in prison. Jordan once again found himself in a jail cell talking with God. This time, however, he was angry. “I started to take you more seriously, I was not hanging out with my friends as much because I wanted to leave this life,” Jordan ranted. “And this is how you repay me!! How are you just? How are you right?” A couple of hours later, in the quiet of his cell, he heard a voice deep in his spirit say, “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.” Sentenced to house arrest for 11 months, Jordan refused to speak with God for the first two weeks. “I was really questioning and battling with it,” reveals Jordan. “I was so angry and upset but I kept hearing the words ‘Don’t worry, I’ve got you.’ After two weeks I settled down and realized that I could either be angry at God or I could just take this time to really seek Him. I had nothing else I could really do because I was on house arrest, so I decided to try to get to know Him.” sprout / Winter 2014 4 I have fallen in love with the Word of God. I really have a heart for my community. So for the next 11 months, Jordan read the Bible and prayed for hours each day. “It was cool,” reports Jordan. “I was praying and reading and the Lord would make himself visible to me and that would lead my hunger to want to read more because I was starting to see God.” Jordan of course had some struggles because of his house arrest. “I would ask God why this was happening to me,” he recalls. “God would answer other prayers but he never answered this one.” Scarborough Church Plant image Fastforward a year, house arrest is done, and the trial is beginning. As Jordan’s trial began, the court room was filled with people supporting him – his family and a large group of people from Urban Promise. Three security guards as well as police officers identified Jordan and testified against him. “I’m thinking ‘I’m over!’” says Jordan. “You have the people that represent the law saying that this is me. I am going to prison for at least five years.” Although intimidated, Jordan took the stand and told the truth, that he wasn’t the person they were looking for. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you. Justice is going to come through. You didn’t do this and I’m going to set you free.” When the judge reconvened court to give his verdict, Jordan felt a “crazy amount of joy” come over him. Before the judge got to his verdict, Jordan heard deep within his spirit, Jordan was astonished by the answer: “Because you asked for it.” As the judge concluded his verdict he said to Jordan, “You are innocent. You are not guilty. I believe your testimony and therefore all these charges against you are dropped.” That evening, in the quietness of his room he felt God say to him, “Ask me again.” So Jordan asked the question again that had been only met with silence in the past, “Why did you allow this to happen to me?” In Jordan’s confusion he was reminded of that prayer he prayed back in the small cell. God said to him, “Well, didn’t you come closer to me during this time?” “It was like a big bang went off as I realized that everything that I prayed for, before any of this even happened, was answered, and then more,” Jordan explains. “I asked God, ‘Why couldn’t you tell me this earlier because it would have been easier for me if I would have known the outcome?’ God replied, ‘You never would have sought me as did.’” It was at that point in Jordan’s life that he gave his life over to God. Today you will find Jordan Thoms in the same neighbourhood in Scarborough, but these days he rolls with a different crew. “Since being on house arrest,” Jordan says, “I have really fallen in love with the Word of God and I want to teach it and minister to people by it and through it. I really have a heart for my community that I live in.” He has a crew of six or seven people and they are in the process of planting a church; currently looking for a space to meet. The team is involved in one-onone Bible studies, home visits to provide the community with items such as groceries, and a young adults program with several young men. Jordan is also starting a prison ministry, meeting with young men from his community who have found themselves in the jail system. Jordan, reflecting on the mistaken identity situation, remarks, “It was the worst thing that ever happened to me, but it is the best thing that ever happened to me in hindsight, because of what came out of it.” He continues, “A couple of people have said to me ‘If you can change, maybe I can change.’ That really chokes me up. They actually see Jesus now as a person that you can come to as you are, and not have to clean yourself up first. They have hope.” MCEC walks alongside Jordan as he and his crew minister in Scarborough, providing financial support and a coach, as he follows God’s calling in his life. Jordan Thoms @ the Haverim Summit Jordan (3rd from right, back row) was invited to attend and present at this leadership training event. Participants spent time with Tony Campolo (front row). “This Refuses To Let My Faith Go To Sleep.” 15 minutes with Tim Reimer, Mission Associate Three people are working with MCEC as Mission Associates: Jim Loepp Thiessen, Hans Peters, and Tim Reimer. Mission Associates nurture missional church, recognize and identify potential church planters, and build relationships with first generation immigrant congregations. We recently sat down with the Toronto Mission Associate, Tim Reimer (pastor at Danforth Mennonite Church). You are working with MCEC Ethiopian/Eritrean congregations in Toronto. Why did you zero in on these congregations in particular? That was an evolution. It wasn’t a conscious choice on my part. MCEC has three Ethiopian/Eritrean congregations in Toronto. One meets in the Danforth church (Freedom Gospel Ethiopian Church with Pastor Ashenafi Fulase), one is 800 meters away from the Danforth church (Medahnialem Ethiopian Evangelical Church with Pastor Tadesse Mekuria), and another one is about twice that – a mile from Danforth church (Rehoboth Evangelical Church with Pastor Kassa Lemma). They are all within walking distance of each other. Perhaps it’s a reflection of the larger demographic in Toronto. Danforth Mennonite Church is at the corner of Woodbine and Danforth, the same intersection as the Canadian Ethiopian Association. There are five Ethiopian restaurants in the neighbourhood. Some people refer to this neighbourhood as Little Ethiopia. I was also able to spend time in Ethiopia a few years ago - that really served to solidify my relationship with the Ethiopian/Eritrean community. Pastors Ashenafi Fulase and Tim Reimer in study. im Reimer in study. Worship at Rehoboth Evangelical Church What gifts do the Ethiopian congregations bring to MCEC? T he Ethiopian people are a migrant people trying to find settlement in a new land. We need to be reminded that not so many generations ago some of our forbearers were struggling in the same way. That is a gift to us but it also redefines the challenge that is presented now to us as Mennonites. The challenge in the past was survival, adaptation, and acculturation, but the challenge today is more a challenge of understanding and justice. How do we act as people of faith in a just and fair way to these people who are now struggling with the same things? Why is this position of Mission Associate needed? I see myself as a cultural translator. There is a great need for building bridges of understanding even though we both worship Christ. As we learn to live together we realize that there are many aspects of our being together that are far from clear, and we can’t assume that we understand one another. We need to keep working at it. It is learning to appreciate one another. For example, when I try to help Ethiopian churches find Sunday school teachers and curriculum, am I trying to get them to go back to the 1950’s and start being church the way that we were church back then? Rather than finding Sunday school teachers, I’m talking with the pastors about how they incorporate children in their animated, charismatic worship. I am translating Ethiopian culture and Canadian culture, but I’m also translating organizational, institutional, and congregational culture. How does this relationship inspire you? I find that key questions are posed all over again and I am continually prodded to not let my theology go to sleep. At the same time, I try to encourage other people to keep their theology from going to sleep as well. We’re in this together. sprout / Winter 2014 8 From Ethiopia to Kitchener Bethel Ethiopian Evangelical Church Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, are working hard to impart spirituality in these young lives. When we came as landed immigrants from Ethiopia to start our life here in Canada, we understood God’s plan for us as not only to make money and raise children, but to reach our We have a passion community and to be a righteous influence to the nations around us. to love the Lord We have a passion to love the Lord and worship him and to be a living witness of his resurrection. As a three year old church we are blessed to see our growth and strength. and worship him and to be a living witness of his resurrection. At this time we are learning how to evangelize the city by loving and reaching the community around us. We have a radio ministry in the Amharic language through FM 94.3 every Wednesday which will help to spread the good news, especially to those who are not coming to church. We estimate around 3000 – 3500 Ethiopians are in Kitchener-Waterloo at this time. We are working hard to reach and help them. Our youth are very open to the gospel, and last year 12 of them got baptized. The teachers of the youth Our second generation, our children, speak and learn in English. We see a need for an English church service in the near future. People come to worship and learn the truth with hunger. Here in Canada there is a lot of temptation which can pull you apart from loving, worshipping, and learning from the living God. We are working hard and we see change and growth in the saint’s lives. Blessings, Pastor Mesfin Woldearegay Bethel Ethiopian Choir leading in worship at MCEC’s 25th Anniversary From Ethiopia to Toronto Medahnialem Ethiopian Evangelical Church At the church at Medahnialem, we believe, as disciples of Jesus Christ, that our mandate is to provide spiritual food based on the Bible to our community. We believe the message of the gospel is life-changing and empowering. It has the power to set people free from sickness, hopelessness, depression, et cetera. Many in our community are burdened with so many problems in their lives. We feel that God has called us to reach out and let the Ethiopian and the Eritrean community know who God is, so that their lives can be restored and they can experience his unconditional love through Jesus Christ. Medahnialem image Our Sunday worship services offer an intimate experience through music and biblical teaching. We want people to find a new meaning and be empowered by the message to overcome life’s challenges. Our goal is to create an atmosphere where people can encounter God and have a level of intimacy which will help them develop a spritual kingdom mind-set and know their identity in Christ. Our ministry is growing, although at a slow rate. On Saturdays we’ve started small group adult Bible study. We also have a children’s program on Sundays. In addition to prayer services every Wednesday and Friday, we try to reach people in the community through engaging or attending events, visiting shelters for newcomers, and visitation to individuals who are sick or for families in need of spiritual guidance or prayer. We look to strengthen our partnership and work more effectively with MCEC in the coming year. We feel that together we can further God’s kingdom. We believe the message of the gospel is lifechanging. Medahnialem Ethiopian Evangelical Church Actt Like Men? Ac Broadening Broadenin g the Conversation on Men, Women, and the Church From the Voice of Randell Neudorf, The Commons As I’m writing this article, thousands of men are coming to my home town of Hamilton for a conference entitled “Act Like Men.” The event is facilitated by a number of American male pastors who believe men need to “step up” as leaders in their churches and homes. The implication is that being a man and being a leader are synonymous. Only a week earlier (on September 27th) a very different group of pastors held their own conference. It all started when a number of people from egalitarian churches in Hamilton and some folks from Epiphaneia (a network that seeks to create learning environments to engage big questions about faith, the local church, and God’s Kingdom) were saddened to think that this gendered view of leadership might be perceived as the only Christian perspective by the wider community. Eventually the idea of a counter-conference was born. It was dubbed “Act Like Men? Broadening The Conversation On Men, Women, and the Church.” Within three short months this alternative conference was pulled together and 200 people came to hear a wider story of gender and the Church. The Commons and MCEC came on board as supporters to help promote this learning discussion, and a number of Anabaptists attended the event. Kevin Makins (pastor of Eucharist Church in Hamilton) set the tone for the evening by saying “We aren’t presenting just one alternative but rather eight speakers, with eight different points of view, who are talking to 100 people with 100 more points of view.” He wasn’t lying. We heard from a Catholic nun turned feminist activist/Anglican deacon. Women teachers and pastors from a number of traditions dug into theology and translation. Photo By Zoe Neudorf Randell Neudorf, Community Curator, The Commons When The Commons The Commons blog September 10, 2013 Randell Neudorf was searching for a denominational tribe we were in talks with some communities that had specific structures in place that allowed some churches to adhere to men only leadership, as well as a disparity in who was able to be ordained. At least half of our leaders and teachers at The Commons are women. We could not with good conscience We heard from men who have been working for gender equality in their denominations for a long time, and a story of a husband and wife who were both called to pastoral ministry and how God provided a church where they could both use their strong leadership gifts. We also heard stories of pastors who are on the gender margins, a retired pastor who was diagnosed as intersexed, and a young man studying to be a minister who loves Jesus, lives with cerebral palsy, and is gay. Yes, the stories and people were varied, but as I listened to these unique journeys an overall theme (even spirit) emerged. Our feminist nun, Joanna Manning, said it best by proclaiming loudly “It is One Big God!” leadership, and saw the fruit of that commitment in action in the women and men around us. A number of Commoners (especially our ladies) were quite moved and encouraged When we attended the 25th annivesary gathering by hearing the voices of these women who led of MCEC last year we not as an exception (or were overwhelmed with the equal representation a token) but as a natural reflection of God as both of women in the highest male and female in a way levels of leadership. We that was full, balanced heard the long standing and beautiful. history and tradition of women in Pastoral step into a structure that would put these amazing women at odds with other communities in the wider denomination. How different the universal church must look to our one big God. How often do we focus solely on our own traditional church boarders that we miss what Jesus is doing in the rest of the Church? Many of the “Act Like Men?” speakers shared journeys that started in one corner of the church and have ended in quite a different corner. But through it all, God was there. As doors were shut for these leaders in one tradition, Jesus opened opportunities in other parts of the Body of Christ. In the end, even the people from the larger “Act Like Men” mega conference (whom I might disagree with) are a part of this body and are seeking after this one big God and I believe that God will honour that as well. We ended the counter-conference with a communal prayer written by Epiphaneia’s Nathan Colquhoun. Here are a couple lines that I think we could all do well to pray: “…We are really a broken bunch. Oppressed and Oppressor. We’ve all been both… …We remember those that will be at the Act Like Men conference. Be present with them.” sprout / Winter 2014 12 Empowering New Leaders Jane Finch Faith Community A young man stood during sharing time at Jane Finch Faith Community and said, “I want to thank God for allowing me to reach my 18th birthday!” In the midst of downtown Toronto, there is a group that is making a difference in their community and in the lives of the people who are a part of their community. Jane Finch Faith Community is a congregation of 20 to 25 people meeting in a government subsidized high-rise apartment in the Jane and Finch area of Toronto, ON. Pastor Hans Peters reflects upon another young man from the community, “I had a visit from a young man who had asked me for a Bible. After a few hours of talking and sharing, as we were saying goodbye, I gave him the Bible and told him that I would be praying for him which caused him to be a little emotional. I then asked him to pray for me. At this request, this tall young man broke down emotionally. ‘Nobody has ever given me that kind of responsibility before!’ he said to me.” This set the tone for the ministry Hans Peters has been doing at Jane Finch. “From that point on,” says Hans, “any Worship at Jane Finch Faith Community chance I had to handoff responsibility to young adults, I did.” Today you will find young adults involved in every aspect of the worship service at Jane Finch – from collecting and praying for the offering, leading sharing and prayer time, giving the benediction – and even preaching. One young adult has preached several times. This particular student is now working on his Bachelor of Ministry degree. Jane Finch and a benefactor from outside of the community support his education. Jane Finch Jane Finch image At one time there was no service on the last Sunday of the month, as it was the pastor’s week off. However, that changed a few months ago when some young adults took charge of that time. The service on the last Sunday of the month is now the responsibility of the young adults in the congregation. Hans recalls a service this past fall. “I was at the Lao Canadian Evangelical Mennonite Church and realized it was almost time for the service to begin at Jane Finch.” Hans and his Laotian friends arrived as the service was almost ready to start. Two young ladies were at the keyboard at the front, finishing details for the music. A young man from the Laotian church approached them with his guitar. He joined them in leading Sunday worship. “It was awesome,” says Hans. “That morning Jane Finch image has hired him for 10 hours each month. Out of that income, he pays for some of his education, offering a mutually beneficial relationship between the congregation and this young adult. Community Barbeque 2013 not only were we multicultural but also multiethnic – and it was the young adults who were doing it!” Jane Finch is currently forming a group called “Local Urban Young Adult Mission Team.” The purpose of this team is to be missionaries in the mission field they know best – their own local urban environment. They will also act as coaches and teachers for volunteers from the outside who wish to have a cross-cultural mission experience in Toronto. At present they seek to secure funds to hire one or two young adult interns as part of their university education. Hans intentionally continues working with young adults from the congregation. He says, “This training of young adults is enabling them and giving them responsibility in the service. It gives them a sense of ownership because they are contributing. The congregation is really supportive of them.” As Jane Finch Faith Community continues to evolve from a service ministry to a church doing service ministry, the congregation is thriving in their uniquely challenging environment. sprout / Winter 2014 14 Living Liv ing into Post-Christendom Learning Le arning from our neighbours The lawn was pristine. Each blade was the same height as the next. Weeds didn’t dare to settle into this lush expanse. I thought, “This is what lawns will be like in the New Jerusalem.” It was too bad that I had to stay on the sidewalk on my way to the chapel. The chapel was as holy, historic, and inviting as the lawn was green. The architecture was exquisite. Unfortunately, just as the lawn rarely had feet walk on it, the chapel doesn’t get used very often, at least not as often as it had in centuries past. My colleagues David Martin, Jeff Steckley, John Coffman`s Street John Coffman was the first missionary to the United Kingdom in the 1950s. He lived on Chequer Street. Photo: B. Bauman and I had the privilege of visiting the United Kingdom (UK) as we immersed ourselves in that nation’s post-Christendom culture. This world view has already devastated the church in Quebec and is likely coming to the rest of Canada sooner than you’d Photo: B. Bauman 7 sprout / Fall 2012 St. Thomas Church, Sheffield The church is very plain. Ministry happens in the neighbourhood, not at the church. Photo: B. Bauman like. Perhaps it’s time to sit up and take notice. In the UK the Church of Scotland serves as a somber example of how the church has declined. It, like the Mennonite Church, traces its roots to the European Reformation of the 1500’s. The website www. churchofscotland.org.uk expresses a great vision. “The Church of Scotland seeks to inspire the people of Scotland and beyond with the Good News of Jesus Christ through enthusiastic worshipping, witnessing, nurturing, and serving communities.” They publicize a membership over 400,000 with 800 ministers. The website carries no hint of the devastating toll which secularism and postChristendom has had on this denomination. However the harsh reality is that the current trend of decline has the Church of Scotland running out of money in 2023. By 2033 the doors of the last remaining church will close. They are a church in crisis. It’s sobering. We also saw hopeful signs for the church on this trip. Urban Expression, First Methodist Church This was the first Methodist church ever, and it still functions. People don’t know about Anabaptists, but know something of nonconformists. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church, was a non-conformist. an Anabaptist church planting outfit, is ready to work with us. They have started churches for several denominations. They birth new congregations that are responsive and sustainable in a post-Christendom world. Jeff and I were encouraged in a visit to St. Thomas’ Church Philadelphia in Sheffield. We witnessed this old, historic congregation thriving and serving the half million people of Sheffield. The leader who gave us a tour of the campus was 28 years old. Two of the other leaders were 34 and 29 respectively. At the age of 58 I felt old, but energized. This church has figured out how to make disciples, who know how to make disciples, who know how to . . . well you get the picture. We believe they can teach us to do the same. The UK trip provided a glimpse into English Canada’s future. Perfect lawns, a noble history, and great architecture don’t guarantee a future for any church. I’m convinced that the future of the Mennonite Church lies in being an intercultural body, starting new faith communities, and learning once again how to make disciples. Post-Christendom doesn’t have to be the end. We can choose to see it as a new chapter of invigorating possibilities for MCEC. sprout / Winter 2014 16 In Sprout MCEC Emerging/Exploring Congregations Bethel Ethiopian Evangelical Church Kitchener, ON Worship Language: Amharic Leadership: Woldearegay Mesfin Grace New Life Mennonite Church Hamilton, ON Worship Language: Lao and English Leadership: Sririsack Saythavy Chin Christian Church Kitchener, ON Worship Language: Chin Leadership: Jehu Lian Kingsfield - Clinton Clinton, ON Worship Language: English Leadership: Ryan Jantzi Chin Christian Church Ottawa, ON Worship Language: Chin Leadership: Board of Elders Lao Canadian Evangelical Mennonite Church Toronto, ON Worship Language: Lao and English Leadership: Chinda Kommala/Ongath Phounsavath Church of the Living Word in Ottawa Ottawa, ON Worship Language: Amharic Leadership: Board of Elders Maranatha Evangelical Church London, ON Worship Language: Amharic Leadership: Eshetu Asfaw Freedom Gospel Ethiopian Church Toronto, ON Worship Language: Amharic Leadership: Ashenafi Fulase Markham Christian Worship Centre Markham, ON Worship Language: Tamil Leadership: Joseph Savarimuthu flicker.com Every neighbourhood deserves a disciple-making presence. Google Image google image Medahnialem Ethiopian Church Toronto, ON Worship Language: Amharic Leadership: Tadesse Mekuria Aleme Rehoboth Evangelical Church Toronto, ON Worship Language: Amharic Leadership: Kassa Lemma Open Table Hamilton, ON Worship Language: English Leadership: Jeff and Mary Beth Druery Shalom Kitchener, ON Worship Language: Tigrinya Leadership: Yonathan Abraham Oromo Evangelical Church of Ottawa Ottawa, ON Language: Oromo Leadership: Teso Yman The Commons Hamilton, ON Worship Language: English Leadership: Randell Neudorf Quest Christian Community St. Catharines, ON Worship Language: English Leadership: Troy Watson The Village International Mennonite Church Ottawa, ON Worship Language: English (multicultural) Leadership: Stefan Cherry Refuge de Paix Sherbrooke, QC Worship Language: Spanish and French Leadership: Lucy Roca sprout / Winter 2014 18 Printing Generously Donated by Waterloo Printing www.waterloo-printing.com MCEC 201-50 Kent Avenue Kitchener, ON N2G 3R1 www.mcec.ca Photo Credit www.flickr.com