Thrive — Spring/Summer 2022

Spring/Summer 2022
CHURCH PLANTING THROUGH DISCIPLE-MAKING
HOW TO CHANGE A LIFE
WHAT IT TAKES TO PLANT CHURCHES IN CANADA
UKRAINE REFUGEE CRISIS
PLANT:
CULTIVATE,
WATER, HARVEST

Spring Summer 2022
CELEBRATING THE
FIRST OF MANY
CHURCH PLANTING
EFFORTS by Steve Jones
THE FIRST WORD
During one of my tours
visiting Fellowship
churches and pastors, I
drove out to Slack Cove,
NB, to visit the monument
commemorating the
first landing of Baptists in
Canada. On April 21, 1763,
13 Baptists, including Pastor
Nathan Mason, landed in
the remote Slack Cove from
Swansea, Massachusetts,
and settled in the Sackville, NB, area. Two Fellowship Baptist
churches, Wood Point Baptist and Main Street Baptist, are
both just 20-40 minutes away from this landing site. Main
Street celebrated its 259 th anniversary this past year. How
many Fellowship churches continue to thrive after two-anda-half
centuries?
The Fellowship is Still Discovering New Territory
The good news is that Fellowship Baptists have continued
the adventure. Church planting is in our blood
and we have quite the pedigree when it comes to planting
new churches. The Fellowship started in 1953 with
just over 200 churches. Our early church planting effort
was significant, with pioneer church planters establishing
local churches in every Region of our Fellowship.
Church planters like Ian Bowie, Art Hoehne, Don Robins,
Claire Hofstetter, Morley Hall, the Phillip brothers, W. H.
MacBain, Stu Silvester, Jim Rendle, Godfrey Catanus, Steve
Bell, Doug Blair, Jack Hannah, and others displayed amazing
courage and forbearance in establishing many new
churches in English-speaking Canada. Our Fellowship
French Mission (1958-2014) established well over 100
Fellowship francophone churches, starting with the early
pioneers like Murray and Lorne Heron, Wilf Wellington,
Yvon Hurtubise, Tom Carson, Bill Phillips, William Frey,

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>
FELLOWSHIP CHURCH PLANTING COUPLES FROM ACROSS
CANADA AT "MOMENTUM" – CANADA'S PREMIER CHURCH
PLANT TRAINING CONFERENCE.
Canada for Christ. Start to pray with some church members and
leaders about what your church’s response should be. There is a
lot of support out there for church planting. Start by contacting
your Regional church plant director for some information:
• Fellowship Pacific: Todd Chapman, todd@febpacific.ca
• Fellowship Prairies: Mark Breitkreuz,
mark@fellowshipprairies.ca
OUR CHURCHES, REGIONS, AND REGIONAL
CHURCH PLANTING DIRECTORS HAVE BEEN
VERY BUSY OVER THE PAST DECADE, AND
GOD HAS BEEN GRACIOUS.
Elisée Beau, the Cotnoir brothers, Ernie Keefe, and others.
Due in part to the Fellowship’s kinship with church planting,
our association of churches grew from 225 churches in 1953
to 496 churches in 2000. Our Fellowship Pacific Region grew
from 50 churches in 1970 to 90 churches by 1986 due in large
part to an agressive church planting strategic plan (11 plants
in the 1960s, 16 in the 1970s, and 20 in the 1980s). During
the lead up to the year 2000 and entrance into a new millennium,
our Fellowship of churches banded together with other
denominations in an effort to plant many new churches in
Canada. During the 1990s, Fellowship churches, along with
our Regions, planted 87 new churches. However, the first decade
of the 21st century saw a less than fervent desire to see
new churches planted.
During my first presidential address, at our Fellowship National
Conference in 2011, I declared: “the coffee break is over!” We
needed to become a “church planting machine” once again. Our
churches, Regions, and Regional church planting directors have
been very busy over the past decade, and God has been gracious.
Between 2010-2021 our movement of churches has planted 106
new churches. God is good!
Most of these church plants have survived, and many are thriving.
A big thank-you to the team of Regional church plant directors
who have served this past decade: Todd Chapman, Colin
Van der Kuur, Mark Breitkreuz, Tom Haines, Terry Cuthbert,
Steve Cloutier, and Brad Somers. Please join me in continuing to
pray for our Regional church planting leaders.
The Adventure Continues
My hope and prayer is that many more of our local churches
will prayerfully consider and commit to planting new churches
in the coming decade. Church planting remains one of the best
resources in our evangelistic arsenal to win the spiritually lost in
• FEB Central: Tom Haines, tom@febcentral.ca
• AEBEQ: Steve Cloutier, s.cloutier@aebeq.qc.ca
• Fellowship Atlantic: Brad Somers, brad@paxnorth.ca
If your church has an interest in supporting francophone
church planting in Québec through a “7x7=1” partnership,
please contact Fellowship National’s Francophone Coordinator,
Sergei Li, at s.li@fellowship.ca. Quebéc remains one of the
neediest spiritual places on earth with only 0.8% of French
Canadians self-identifying as an evangelical Christian. Our
brethren in Québec continue to need our partnership. I am
grateful to many Fellowship churches from across our nation
who are already involved in a seven-year partnership with
French church plants in Québec — thank you to all of you. If
you’re interested in starting a partnership, contact Sergei Li or
myself.
Enjoy this edition Thrive, “Plant: Cultivate, Water, Harvest”,
and read stories of courage, faithfulness, and perseverance.
Please prayerfully consider how you and your church might
become a part of the future stories of Fellowship Baptist
church planting.
Steven Jones
is President of
The Fellowship
of Evangelical
Baptist Churches
in Canada. Follow
Steve on Twitter @
FellowshipSteve.

4 / thrive Spring/Summer 2022
THE FELLOWSHIP’S THEME VERSE
DURING OUR 'YEAR OF JOY' IN 2022
IS: THE LORD YOUR GOD IS IN
YOUR MIDST, A MIGHTY ONE WHO
WILL SAVE; HE WILL REJOICE
OVER YOU WITH GLADNESS; HE
WILL QUIET YOU BY HIS LOVE;
HE WILL EXULT OVER YOU WITH
LOUD SINGING. ZEPHANIAH 3:17 (ESV)
6 UKRAINE REFUGEE CRISIS
You can connect with us on FACEBOOK:
www.facebook.com/FellowshipNatl,
on INSTAGRAM: @FellowshipNatl,
and on TWITTER: @FellowshipNatl.
Come and join the conversation.
2 THE FIRST WORD
CELEBRATING THE FIRST OF MANY CHURCH PLANTING
EFFORTS / Steve Jones
4 STAY CONNECTED WITH WAYBASE
5 FOUNDATION
INVESTMENTS WITH PURPOSE / Gord Baptist
6 OUT THERE
CHURCH PLANTING THROUGH
DISCIPLE-MAKING / Benjamin Porter
THE WORD THAT RESONATES / Lynda Schultz
UKRAINE REFUGEE CRISIS
10 LOVE EXTENDED
THE IMPACT OF YOUR GENEROSITY / Dan Shurr
HOW TO CHANGE A LIFE / Paul Hildebrand
12 GROUND WORK
HELP NEEDED! / Sergei Li
THE CONNECTION BETWEEN CHAPLAINCY AND
THE CHURCH / Larry Freeman
INTRODUCING ROSS HELGETON
14 UP TO SPEED
WHAT IT TAKES TO PLANT CHURCHES IN CANADA / Valerie Heaton
CHURCH PLANTING IN THE FELLOWSHIP PACIFIC
REGION / Todd Chapman
CHURCH PLANTING IN THE FELLOWSHIP PRAIRIES
REGION / Mark Breitkreuz
CHURCH PLANTING IN THE FEBCENTRAL REGION / Tom Haines
CHURCH PLANTING IN THE AEBEQ REGION / Steve Cloutier
CHURCH PLANTING IN THE FELLOWSHIP ATLANTIC
REGION / Bradley Somers
22 THE LAST WORD
THE GLOBAL CHURCH PLANTING STORY / Richard Flemming
MISSION STATEMENT: Thrive is the official magazine of The Fellowship of Evangelical
Baptist Churches in Canada. It is published to enhance the life and ministry of church leaders
and members in Fellowship congregations by providing articles, resources, and news that
reflect evangelical values, a common mission, and a shared sense of identity and vision.
Thrive is published three times a year and is available in English and French.
© The Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada
MINISTRY CENTRE: P.O. Box 457, Guelph ON N1H 6K9
T: 519-821-4830 F: 519-821-9829
EMAIL: president@fellowship.ca
thrive-magazine.ca
SENIOR EDITOR: Steven Jones MANAGING EDITOR: Valerie Heaton
COPY EDITOR: Jesskah McCartney LAYOUT & DESIGN: Ampersand
EMAIL: thrive@fellowship.ca
POSTAGE: Return undeliverable Canadian address to Circulation
Department, P.O. Box 457, Guelph ON N1H 6K9
STAY CONNECTED WITH WAYBASE
Is your church looking for new ways to serve the needs in your community? Does your congregation
need a better way to feel connected with your church and one another? WayBase is a digital platform
that brings churches and individuals together in meaningful ways, helping them to connect with other
people, churches, and Christian organizations, all while enabling them to meet the immediate and most
pressing needs within their communities. There are two ways to use WayBase: via their website or app.
Through the Fellowship’s partnership with WayBase, all Fellowship churches will receive 20% off their
subscription, along with demos, training, and helpful planning.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE WATCH OUR SHORT VIDEO THAT OUTLINES
THE PROGRAM AT FELLOWSHIP.CA/WAYBASE.

INVESTMENTS
WITH PURPOSE
by Gord Baptist
When the word “investing”
is mentioned, it brings up
issues that informed investors
consider, such as: What fees will I
be paying? What are the risks involved,
and do they fit within my
level of tolerance and align with
my goals? What are the tax implications,
and are there any ways to
reduce or avoid them?
Many rely upon tax avoidance products like retirement
savings plans such as RRSPs. Then there are tax-free savings
accounts (TFSA), growth investments that produce capital
gains, and investments that pay dividends to experience
capital dividends credits.
Another place of investing is in the building of God’s
Kingdom ministries. Surprisingly most tax advisors say that
the greatest untapped resource for tax avoidance, whether
used now or after death, is giving to ministries. This type of
investing produces results that are eternal. The issue is not
only to deal with the legalities, but that the entire process
needs to be surrounded in prayer — particularly when it
comes to discerning how to draft your will and complete
your estate plan.
foundation
Completing your will is extremely important. Inheritance is
mentioned many times in the Bible and should be a blessing
to those we love. As I have been helping individuals
complete their estate plans, I have appreciated the blessing
that they have expressed when they designate a portion to
God’s Kingdom. I see the benefits of this not only in spiritual
terms but also in monetary terms while working alongside
our partner, Advisors with Purpose, in completing estate
plans. Particularly in giving to Kingdom ministries, people
see how their taxes are reduced, blessing both their family
and chosen ministry. If you would like to have this opportunity
for yourself, please contact me and I will gladly set up
an appointment with an advisor for you.
—Gord Baptist is Fellowship Advancement Director
and can be reached at 519.821.4830, ext. 244;
fax: 519.821.9829; gbaptist@fellowship.ca
FOUNDATION

Spring/Sumer 2022
CHURCH PLANTING THROUGH
DISCIPLE-MAKING by Benjamin Porter
Fellowship International exists
to catalyze disciple-making
movements in strategic populations
by empowering nationals. A
proven and effective way to achieve
this vision is through disciplemaking
movements (DMMs). We
see disciple-making as a significant
part of the church planting multiplication
formula. At Fellowship
International, we catalyze disciple-making movements
through training in our essential elements, which leads
to movements which plant churches with the DNA of
multiplication imbedded in them. If you are interested
in more detail around this training and its potential on
the mission field as well as through local churches across
Canada, please see the resources available at fellowship.
ca/ResourcesInternational.
This is being implemented in different Regions of the world
through the work of our Fellowship International missionaries.
One of our key regions right now is Middle East and
North Africa (MENA). Fellowship missionaries Bechara and
Roula Karkafi are giving leadership to our ministry in this
region of the world. Bechara writes:
“Praise the Lord that He has blessed us abundantly by His
grace to lay down our vision foundation all over the MENA
area. Currently, 12 projects/ministries are running in five
different countries; we are partnering with more than 75
organizations and churches; we are impacting, supporting,
and training more than 300 pastors and planters; add
to that two seminary programs and four chaplaincies in
Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan, and Lebanon. In Lebanon, the Lord
blessed us to partner with and support a young converted
planter from a Kurdish Islamic background through the
Stronger Together Plus Project. Brother Philadelphios, along
with his wife and family, are planting among the Kurdish
Islamic refugees in Beirut, sharing the Gospel and making
disciples who are discipling others for God’s glory.
Philadelphios is witnessing the conversion of second and
third generations of disciples. His heart’s desire is to reach
out to every Kurdish refugee with the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, despite the severe persecution that he is facing from
his family and tribe.”
— Benjamin Porter is Fellowship International Director.
OUT THERE: FELLOWSHIP INTERNATIONAL

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THE WORD THAT
RESONATES by Lynda Schultz
The first complete Bible in the Sindhi language was published
in 1954. Changes in language and its use resulted in
a common language New Testament published by the Pakistan
Bible Society in 1985, followed later by the Old Testament published
in 2009.
But there was an issue—a big one. In 1990, Mark Naylor, who
has been involved in this translation project for decades, discovered
that the New Testament was not being used among the
Hindu tribes. It had been distributed widely in the province
of Sindh, which is mostly Muslim, and during this time many
churches were planted, and Hindus were turning to Christ.
Mark assumed that this newly published New Testament was
playing an important role in that movement. He was surprised
to find otherwise. When he asked why it wasn’t being used,
the reply came back that the Hindus found the New Testament
offensive, not because of the Gospel spoken of in its pages, but
because it was full of Islamic words and phrases that resonated
with Muslims but not with Hindus.
What a difference a word can make to those who read it from
their own unique perspectives and backgrounds.
So began the huge task of preparing two translations, one that
would resonate with Hindu Sindhis alongside a revised Muslim
Sindhi New Testament.
The team — a Muslim Sindhi, a Hindu Sindhi, and a
Christian Sindhi, with Mark as “exegete” — combined with
sophisticated Bible translation programs and access to international
resources and scholars, began the painstaking
process of ensuring that the Scriptures “speak” the language of
their respective audiences.
In August 2021, the task was completed. Mark comments, “We
pray that God will use His Word powerfully among the people
of Sindh, leading many to become followers of Jesus.”
To which we say “Amen” and “Thank You!”
Mark and Karen Naylor served in Pakistan
with Fellowship International from 1984 to
1999. Since then Mark has continued to be
involved in the translation of the Bible into the
Sindhi language, traveling twice a year back to
Pakistan to work with his team of translators.
Mark is Coordinator of International Leadership
Development at Northwest Baptist Seminary in
Langley, BC and our Fellowship International
department. For more detailed information on this project, visit
2015site.nbseminary.ca/cild_sindhibible.
— Lynda Schultz is a former Fellowship International missionary,
former editor of Thrive Magazine, Bible teacher, author,
blogger, and currently Fellowship Archives Coordinator.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A WORD CAN MAKE TO THOSE WHO READ IT
FROM THEIR OWN UNIQUE PERSPECTIVES AND BACKGROUNDS.

Spring/Summer 2022
OUT THERE: FELLOWSHIP INTERNATIONAL
UKRAINE REFUGEE
CRISIS
On February 24, 2022, the Russian military launched
attacks across Ukraine triggering a huge wave of
civilians fleeing their homes. As of March 27, the United
Nations had reported that 3.6 million refugees had fled
Ukraine, with Poland taking in the largest number of refugees
— more than all other countries combined.
In early March, Fellowship International Associate
Director, Luc Tétreault, traveled to Poland where he was
able to see the situation first-hand and assist the team
in establishing a plan for FAIR’s (Fellowship Aid and
International Relief) involvement and how best to meet
the critical needs. While on site, Luc wrote: “The refugees
are traveling by rail: 2,000 people, mainly women and children,
in trains designed to hold half that
amount. The train’s first stop, after
leaving Ukraine, is a railway station
that usually serves as a Polish border
checkpoint for cargo. In a scene
reminiscent of World War II concentration
camps, they spill out onto
the station’s platform where Polish
>
>
PIERRE AND
HANNA JUTRAS
BEN AND KRISTA
TAYLOR
officials check their documents.
They are greeted with the words,
‘Welcome to Poland. You are safe
now.’ The only people permitted on
the platform, besides Polish officials,
are pastor Szymon and his brother
Gregor, and a select few volunteers.”
Fellowship International missionaries
Pierre Jutras and Ben
Taylor were able to join Polish
pastor Szymon and his brother
Gregor to assist refugees.
FAIR on the Frontlines
Fellowship International missionaries, on behalf of FAIR,
are working on the frontlines. Hanna Jutras, originally
from Poland, and her husband, Pierre, have served as
Fellowship missionaries in Poland for the past 17 years. Ben
and Krista Taylor have served in the country for the past
ten years. They, along with their network of partners in the
country, have been able to gain strategic access to the border
in order to meet the needs of refugees.
Two emergency shelters have been set up at churches
in the Polish towns of Hrubieszów and Zamość near the
border with Ukraine. Each church is providing fresh food,
clothing, a clean and warm place to rest, and travel assistance
for 30+ refugees (mainly women and children) each
day. Travel assistance includes pickup from the border, a
drop-off in Warsaw, and bus/train tickets to Berlin. The
church in Hrubieszów is also running a canteen at the train
station providing food for 500+ refugees a day.
The team has been able to purchase three vans and borrow
three others in order to pick up and drive refugees to where
they need to go.
While Fellowship International missionary Ben Taylor
is helping to coordinate volunteers in Hrubieszów and
Zamość, Krista Taylor remains in western Poland caring for
their five children. She writes, “…the number of refugees
fleeing daily is down to about 30,000 from 120,000 when
the war first began. To date almost four million Ukrainians
have found refuge outside of the country; 2.3 million have
travelled through Poland. Many do not want to travel
further, as Poland’s language and culture are similar
to that of Ukraine, and their husbands and fathers are
still in Ukraine fighting. Many of them are waiting
for the war to end and just want to go home.”

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The Current Needs
The most urgent need at this point is to
provide food, shelter, transportation, and
bus/train tickets for refugees. Our team
estimates that $8,300 is needed each
day in order to continue the work
they have been doing.
Another significant need is to assist
refugees in finding a safer place within
Europe where they can stay during
the unrest. Our team, along with Polish
churches, are seeking to facilitate this
endeavor.
FAIR anticipates that there will be need
for long-term involvement as it relates
to this crisis. While it is still too early
to know exactly what that involvement
will look like, one way being investigated
is the potential of FAIR working
through its partners to settle refugees
within Canada.
How You Can Help
First and foremost, please pray:
• Pray for peace in the Ukraine.
• Pray that Ukrainians desiring to flee
the country would be able to do so
safely.
• Pray for strength and wisdom for the
Jutras and Taylor families as they
care for refugees.
Second, consider how the Lord would
have you partner with FAIR financially,
enabling our team in Poland to be the
hands and feet of Jesus in the midst
of this crisis. The needs are significant
and will continue for some time
to come. For more information or to
donate online, visit: fellowship.ca/
UkraineRefugeeCrisis.
MEET VIKA
One of the refugees our team met was Vika. She was in the Crimea peninsula
when Russia invaded it in 2014 but was able to escape with her young daughter.
Eight years later and living in Lviv, Ukraine, she, her husband, and her nowteenaged
daughter found themselves in a similar situation. She recounts, “It
was 4:00 a.m. and I couldn’t sleep. I checked the internet and discovered that
the war had begun. The next two weeks were very emotional.” Warning alarms
sounded indicating when people needed to seek shelter. She and her family
found refuge in a nearby church basement. “A man in the church was there to
offer shelter and said, ‘Don’t panic, but let us pray.’ He started praying and 100
or 200 people started praying with him which gave us strength… Gradually,
we began to see more and more refugees coming to Lviv from the eastern regions…
Shops began to run out of food. This sort of shortage made us work in
solidarity because the refugees needed food and clothes. Every family brought
clothes and shoes to share. But I knew that only God can give true security. I
knew that no country can guarantee security. It will be all right in God’s will.”
Over the next few weeks, the alarms became more frequent. Vika, who was
concerned for her daughter who suffers epileptic seizures and was showing
signs of stress, knew the only option would be to travel to safety. Although
her husband struggled to let his wife and daughter leave, there was no other
option.
The bus ride to the Polish border was horrendous.
Vika was ill during the trip where
she and 100 other passengers—all packed
into one bus—set out. The 80km trip took
20 hours! Vika shares: “It was hard to be
squeezed in with such a crowd in the bus with
kids crying and dogs barking… All the women
tried to support each other. At one point we
ran out of water and food, but volunteers were
waiting for us on the road, knocking on the
bus door to pass tea, hot water, food, diapers,
and baby food to us.”
They waited hours at the border because of the thousands waiting to enter
Poland. Vika writes, “I almost fell down when I got off the bus because my legs
were so weak and I almost lost consciousness, like many others.” In spite of
being offered hot food and water, she was too exhausted and sleep-deprived
from the 20-hour trip to eat.
Vika and her daughter were taken in for the night by Marichka, a Ukrainian
woman living in Poland who was nine months pregnant and had been waiting
at the border since 2:30 a.m. to offer assistance. Vika and her daughter slept
almost the entire next day and were so thankful to have arrived safely.
The following day they were put in contact with a local pastor and were taken
to a FAIR-sponsored shelter in Zamość. A day later they attended the local
church service. “It was my first time in a church outside of Ukraine. We were so
close with the same hearts. I recognized all the hymns and some of the words…
Some of these hymns were already precious to my heart and memory. I praise
God that the Body of Christ is so universal with the same Spirit. I really saw
them as family members. I was so grateful to God for His salvation.”
Vika shares, “I am very worried and feel great guilt because I left my parents,
my husband, and my church. I feel like a traitor. I left my husband in a very difficult
time.” One of the volunteers gave Vika a SIM card for Poland which makes
it possible for her to connect with her husband who has remained behind.

love extended
Spring/Summer 2022
THE IMPACT
OF YOUR
GENEROSITY
by Dan Shurr
Thanks to the generous support of our faithful partners, our FAIR appeals have been
able to help make real and lasting change in the lives of those involved. Read on to
hear encouraging updates on some of our recent appeals, and how they have served
the surrounding communities.
;LOVE EXTENDED: FAIR
Seeing, Hearing, and Believing; a report on the Hands of
Faith Appeal
Fellowship missionaries Diego and Claudia Cardona have
invested their efforts into ministry with the deaf population
living in Medellín, Colombia. Their objective is to
have a thriving sign language ministry in their church.
FAIR has partnered with
this faithful couple to raise
funds for the Hands of Faith
appeal. To date, $17,406 has
been raised, bringing us to
approximately 70% of our
goal of $25,000. Would you
prayerfully consider helping
us reach the remainder
of this goal? Join me in praying
that deaf people will
see, hear, and believe in the
Gospel. Visit fellowship.ca/
HandsOfFaith to contribute
to this important project.
Healing x 2; a report on the Out of the Waiting Room
Appeal
FAIR partnered with Dr. Jeshiah Thiessen, a recently appointed
Fellowship missionary to Madagascar’s Good News
Hospital last fall. We have been overwhelmed by the generosity
of God’s people to provide training for surgeons. Our
goal was to raise $145,000 through the Out of the Waiting
Room special appeal, but to date God has provided $210,693
from people like you for this program. Dr. Jesh Thiessen left
Canada with his family and in faith went to Madagascar,
because in a country of 26 million there were only 100 surgeons!
You can imagine the wait times for people to have
surgeries. Praise God for His abundant, above-and-beyond
provision of resources for
this program.
The Fellowship Child
Sponsorship Program is
Poised to Grow Again
Please keep your eyes open
and pray with us about the
upcoming launch of a new
location in our Fellowship
Child Sponsorship
Program. Newly appointed
Fellowship missionary,
Helene Hwang, has been
serving in the Dominican
Republic and caring for children there. Her organization
called “Joy Foundation” will join the Fellowship Child
Sponsorship Program in the coming days. Praise the Lord
for this exciting opportunity to see young lives changed
forever! Visit fellowship.ca/childsponsorship for more information.
— Dan Shurr is FAIR Director.

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thrive / 11
HOW TO
CHANGE
A LIFE
by Paul Hildebrand
The Fellowships Child Sponsorship
Program seeks to empower children, families,
and their communities. Sponsoring a
child makes a long-lasting, holistic impact
in the life of a child, providing love
for today and hope for tomorrow. In each
location, oversight is given by Fellowship
International missionaries to provide a
place of healing and safety for at-risk children and youth.
One of our Casa Hogar sponsors was telling us that when their
first son was born, they decided to sponsor a boy at Casa Hogar
of approximately the same age. Then when their next two boys
were born, they sponsored two more children of approximately
the same age again. They have loved seeing their boys grow
up at the same time as their three Honduran boys! At the end
of March, FAIR will be publishing an interview with them on
FAIR’s blog, at fellowship.ca/FAIRBlog. We hope you will be as
encouraged by their story as we are.
Between September and January, 24 sponsors have begun to
support 50 children. Praise the Lord! We are praying that by
2026, the program would have 1,050 active sponsorships. As of
January 2022, there are 484 active sponsorships.
One of the ways that God is helping to meet the needs of each
sponsorship program is through church partnerships. A church
partnership allows a Fellowship church to develop a close relationship
with one or more of FAIR's projects in:
>
>
>
Honduras: Casa Hogar children's home.
Lebanon: Clementia Learning Centre for Syrian refugee
children and Cedar Home for girls.
Sri Lanka: Two Love Trust ministry centres providing
education for children, vocational training for adults, and
medical clinics.
Formal partnerships allow local churches to have a special
connection and access to the children they support through
the child sponsorship program. This includes the potential
for sending short-term mission teams to visit the sponsorship
location and to meet the child, other children, and on-site staff.
These partnerships also provide unique opportunities to connect
with your children, gaining a clearer understanding of
how best to pray for your child’s care and salvation.
Multiple Fellowship church partnerships for each of FAIR's
four projects will ensure the stable long-term support of these
ministries.
— Paul Hildebrand is a FAIR Projects and Promotion
Coordinator.
PLEASE CONSIDER BECOMING A FAIR PARTNER CHURCH TODAY. EMAIL
US AT FAIR@FELLOWSHIP.CA IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE FURTHER
INFORMATION ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY.

ground work
Spring/Summer 2022
HELP
NEEDED!
by Sergei Li
Over the past decade, our AEBEQ region has planted 16 new churches. This has been possible due to the
partnership of Fellowship churches and individuals across Canada. More than 80 churches and individuals
have entered into seven-year partnerships to pray, encourage, and financially support these new church
plants. Please consider supporting these two new church re-plants with the same type of partnership.
Verdun
GROUND WORK: FRANCOPHONE MINISTRY
Église de Verdun is in replanting mode. The church is situated
in the midst of Verdun, a growing neighbourhood of
families and young professionals. Pasteur Josué arrived
from Brazil in 2016 to learn the culture and language, and
to serve as a pastor. In 2018, Josué Praça became the pastor
of the church, replacing Claude Laverdière after 19 years
of faithful ministry. It’s been a blessing to see Josué and
his wife take part in the mission of God in Verdun. Since
they’ve started to minister there, they decided to enter into
a period of replanting, and building a healthy team. They’ve
started to work with youth and kids’ ministry. Since the
return of in-person church services in September, they have
experienced, by the grace of God, an important increase
in the number of people who are joining the church in
Verdun. They had four
baptisms over the
summer of 2021 and
it’s been a blessing to
see them grow as a
church, especially during
a pandemic. They
will be seeking new
Fellowship churches
to partner with in the
next few months to
support them in this
new adventure.
Laustsen and Murray
We’ve been praying for new workers in Québec for a long
time. At 10:02, we stop to pray that God would send new
workers for the harvest. God answered by sending the
Laustsen and Murray families to Montréal from Ontario.
They arrived in 2020 in the midst of a serious lockdown
in Montréal. They started to learn the language and develop
their ministry in our Verdun church. For the past
two years we’ve been seeking God’s Will for a deployment
opportunity for them. This is what they wrote in their recent
newsletter:
“After several months of prayer, conversation, and
spiritual guidance, our team now sees the next steps
to take. Towards the end of November 2021, our
team, in collaboration with the AEBEQ strategic
team, unanimously agreed that we feel God leading
us to serve Him in Chicoutimi, in the Saguenay
region. We are very excited about this opportunity!”
For more information on how to partner with
either of these projects, please visit fellowship.ca/
ReachingFrancophoneCanada. Also consider joining our
next Québec Vision Tour, either virtually or in-person on
May 30, June 1, or October 17-19, 2022.
We would like to invite you to pray for these two families,
but also for God to send additional missionaries
to Québec. If God is calling
you into missions in Québec or if you
would like more information, please
contact me at sli@fellowship.ca.
— Sergei Li is Fellowship
Francophone Church Plant
Partnership Coordinator.

thrive-magazine.ca
thrive / 13
THE
CONNECTION
BETWEEN
CHAPLAINCY
AND THE
CHURCH
by Larry Freeman
How do you plant a church, or grow a church, in a society
that sees the Church as irrelevant or views it with
suspicion? You have to find ways to connect with people
outside the walls of the church building. Jérémie Julie
and Quentin Bernard are seeking to plant a church in
the Hochelaga area of Montréal, QC, an underprivileged
area of the city. As AEBEQ church planters, they have
also become volunteer Fellowship chaplains who seek
to connect with people by offering to officiate weddings,
funerals, provide individual counseling, etc. They also seek to hand
out Bibles on the streets to those willing to take one. In just a short time,
they have seen one individual begin to attend the church. They are just
one example illustrating how chaplaincy can help grow a church.
Rather than wait for people to come to the church, Fellowship chaplains
go to where the people are, seek to build relationships, and
then look for opportunities to begin a spiritual conversation with
them. Whether it is at the place where they work or out in the
community, Fellowship chaplains are looking for ways to connect
with people and break down barriers that are keeping people
from entering a church building — barriers such as disconnection,
disinterest, disappointment, or distrust. How and where
in your community could you be used of God to connect with
people and seek to share the love of Christ with them? This is
your invitation as a Fellowship church member to join the
growing group of pastors and lay people who are becoming
volunteer Fellowship chaplains serving their communities.
For more information on Fellowship chaplaincy, please
visit fellowship.ca/FellowshipChaplaincy.
— Larry Freeman is Fellowship Chaplain Coordinator.
INTRODUCING
ROSS HELGETON
Ross Helgeton has been a pastor
for over 43 years and, officially, a
Fellowship chaplain since 2015. Upon
leaving the full-time pastorate role, Ross
opened Hope Counselling in Stettler, AB,
where he lives with his wife Colleen. He is
currently a volunteer chaplain at the Stettler
Hospital. We are excited to have Ross come
on as our Western Chaplaincy Coordinator
Assistant to help us care for our Western chaplains
and also to help us grow the Fellowship
chaplaincy ministry in
Western Canada. We also
welcome his skillset to our
leadership team in as it will
enhance our Fellowship chaplaincy
ministry nationally.

Spring/Summer 2022
WHAT IT TAKES TO PLANT
CHURCHES IN CANADA
by Valerie Heaton
UP TO SPEED: REGIONAL UPDATES
The Fellowship has a rich history of multiplication and
church planting, with periods of intense and fruitful
growth across our great nation. There are many lessons
that we can glean from these past efforts, but one always
arrives at the question: are we planting churches across
Canada today? The answer is a resounding YES! Each of our
Regional church planting directors has weighed in on the
topic, answering some of our burning questions surrounding
church planting across our country.
To get the ball rolling, we asked our directors why it is important
to plant churches in Canada. Overwhelmingly the
answer was, as Fellowship Prairies Regional Director Mark
Breitkreuz put it: all Canadians need the Good News. The
church provides the opportunity for them to find Christ,
and to experience continued growth in their walk with the
Lord once they come to know Him. By planting churches,
our Regions are providing more opportunities for individuals
to come to know the saving power of the Gospel, and to

thrive-magazine.ca
thrive / 15
enter into the disciple-making process. This is
just as important today in our culture as it was
when the great commission was given over two
thousand years ago.
To probe a little bit deeper into the process of
planting churches in each of our Regions, we asked
how our Regions support churches in establishing
new church plants. The answers were variations
on a similar theme: in the Fellowship Pacific
Region, Church Planting Director Todd Chapman
says that the Region helps with finances, leadership
development, encouragement, accountability, prayer,
mentoring, coaching, and church connections for any
churches seeking to plant a new church. Churches in
the Fellowship Prairies Region receive financial help for a
three-year period, as well as a consultation through a partner
church within the Region who will help them in other
areas where support is needed.
FEB Central’s Church Planting Director Tom Haines reported
that they assist new church plants by meeting with local
leadership to assist with visioning and to help congregations
grasp the need. They offer planter assessment, Greenhouse
training, modest start-up funds, and ongoing coaching for
planters and mother churches. There are also regular gatherings
of their church planters’ network, called Round Tables, to
provide extra support. In the AEBEQ Region, Church Planting
Director Steve Cloutier has many supports available to churches,
including coaching for pastors and/or elders who wish to
explore the idea of planting. Through their partnership with
Acts29, they offer churches the opportunity to assess potential
church planters before a plant is started. In collaboration
with SEMBEQ, they have set up a program specific to church
planting, to provide additional training. They have developed
the “Base Camp” training program, which is inspired by the
Greenhouse training for church planters within FEB Central.
They also offer personalized coaching to planters, and the entire
Region benefits from the 7 X 7 = 1 partnership program through
Fellowship National, which allows new plants to be financially
supported by partner churches. Fellowship Atlantic Regional
Church Planting Director Brad Somers says that though they
are relatively new to building these supports for churches,
they have recently developed, launched, and successfully seen
candidates work through one-year ministry internships or twoyear
church planting residencies. These tools are available for
churches to use, and they include information on how to best
exegete your community as well as the best steps to plant the
church that your target community may need.
For those churches or individuals who are being called into
church planting ministry, each of our Regions encourages
both prayer and reaching out to surrounding churches and/
or planters as they embark on their journey. Perhaps another
church or planter shares their burden to reach a particular
community and is willing to help, or has valuable guidance to
provide. As a part of their next steps toward planting, they are
encouraged to contact their Regional office directly for support
and more information.
Each of our Regions has seen different models of church planting
produce more fruit. In the Pacific Region, churches seem
to require diverse multiplication options. Currently they have
most of their success in satellite and mother-daughter plants.
The Region’s mission is to “leverage the collective strength of
our churches to produce a God-honouring impact”, and their
successful church plants reflect this mission. Together, God is
working through their church plants to redeem communities
and create safe places, showing Jesus’ kindness and care. In the
Prairies Region, planting churches through a planting pastor
with a core team, launching with small groups, then transitions
into meeting regularly in a rented space when enough
people establish a core group seems to work well in most cases.
The FEB Central Region has seen success with various models
of church planting. The common denominator is that each one
consists of a planter and team who are on mission together to
evangelize the lost and make new disciples who will do the same
in obedience to the great commission in Matthew 28:19-20. The
AEBEQ Region believes that the models that generally bear
long-term fruit are those where the mother church plants by
sending a seed from the start. Most of their projects prioritize
a pre-church planting outreach time in the community, which
aims to reach out before officially launching a Sunday celebration.
They call this concept “shining in order to plant”. The
fastest growing model currently is the approach of replanting a
dying or critically ill church. Instead of starting a project from
scratch, they are mobilizing remaining strength and injecting
new human and financial resources to revive a dying church for
growth. The Fellowship Atlantic Region sees that plants birthed
out of healthy established churches have a jump start in their
Region. Starting a church in the Atlantic Region most often
means starting small by establishing a healthy Gospel DNA
within a missional community or life group that has a shared
burden for a Gospel-starved area. The overflowing beauty of
Gospel relationships lived out is most often how the surrounding
community is drawn into Christ and becomes the seeds that
grow roots, vine, branches, and the fruit of a church planted and
ready to reproduce.
Among all of our Regions across Canada, our church planting
directors agreed that we are better, stronger, and healthier as we
partner together to plant new churches for the advancement of
the Gospel in our country.
— Valerie Heaton is Managing Editor of Thrive Magazine.
BY PLANTING CHURCHES, OUR REGIONS ARE PROVIDING MORE
OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS TO COME TO KNOW THE SAVING POWER
OF THE GOSPEL, AND TO ENTER INTO THE DISCIPLE-MAKING PROCESS.

16 / thrive Spring/Summer 2022
CHURCH PLANTING IN THE
FELLOWSHIP PACIFIC REGION
by Todd Chapman
Since 2018, our churches have planted
12 new plants. One of these plants,
called Northern Collective, is seeking to
reach every First Nation village in the Yukon — their journey
has begun!
Our Region’s vision to “innovatively develop relationships and
resources which propel all our churches to be accountable to
their Gospel mandate” has encouraged our churches to plant
microchurches, satellites, churches online, and church replants.
Microchurches are a new venture which fits well with our current
pandemic-borne value of small community. Starting satellite
churches has been a staple for us, but we are always looking
to improve a satellite-friendly culture among our Fellowship
Pacific churches, especially in rural areas where it’s difficult to
sustain a local church. Online church allows us a new way to
reach a community of people for Christ without the physical
barriers of location and limited space. Finally, church replants
are on our radar because churches which are in process of dying
or closing down are reaching out to our Fellowship Pacific
churches for help.
Throughout this season God continues to be very kind to our
church plants. Here are a few examples of His kindness in
action.
Live Free (Kelowna, BC) officially kicked off Easter 2020.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 officially kicked off in early 2020
too! The BC government shut all large gatherings down the
month before church plant kickoff. For over a year and a half
the church basically met online like so many other churches.
As disappointing as this seemed, it worked out well in helping
Live Free be creative in its approach to planting. This
creativity led to the beach becoming a church venue for a few
months, and forced more one-on-one relationships to grow.
By God’s kindness, Live Free had its first in-person service on
September 12, 2021!
Village Church (satellites in
Surrey, BC; Coquitlam, BC;
Abbotsford, BC; Calgary, AB;
Winnipeg, MB; and Toronto,
ON) has had numerous stories of
people coming to faith, followed
by baptisms. A deep part of the
core DNA of each new Village satellite
involves reaching out to the
helpless. This past year these new
satellites were involved with organizations
that both fight human
trafficking and help women who
have come out of the trafficking world. One of these satellites,
in Abbotsford, BC, was also directly involved with local disaster
flood relief preparing meals for families of Sumas prairie
farmers who had been working around the clock to save their
livestock and homes through the flooding.
In October 2021, Abbotsford Village leaders visited the five
bands in the Lillooet areas to build connections with our First
Nation brothers and sisters as Lillooet, and similar communities,
journey through life impacted by both the destructive fires
of 2021 and the resurfacing of the tragic history of residential
schools. Mission trips have been planned to these areas in the
future.
— Todd Chapman serves on the Fellowship Pacific Church
Lifecycles Team, primarily in the areas of church planting and
multi-ethnic ministry.
UP TO SPEED: REGIONAL UPDATES

thrive-magazine.ca
thrive / 17
CHURCH PLANTING
IN THE FELLOWSHIP
PRAIRIES REGION
by Mark Breitkreuz
There is much to report on the matter of church planting in the Fellowship Prairies
Region. We’ve just finished a three-year financial commitment with our Saskatoon plant,
Grace Evergreen. Pastors Sam Whitehawk and Jeff Froese have done a fantastic job integrating
into the community with an established core of believers. They meet in a new
school gym in their neighbourhood, and have already established great relationships in
the area. We are trusting God for continued progress!
Here are some stories of how God is moving in our churches through baptisms and
spreading of the Gospel.
CROSSFIELD
BAPTIST CHURCH,
CROSSFIELD, AB
Harald Froise, Interim Pastor
Exciting things are happening at Crossfield
Baptist Church. Over the course of six
months we’ve had four baptismal services,
with a total of seven believers being baptized.
Our church has been running freedom sessions
for the past two years, and these have
added to the conversions, baptisms, and
a significant expansion in the counseling
ministry the church offers. At our upcoming
annual general meeting we are expecting the
congregation to approve eight to ten applications
for membership.
In addition, our search committee has been
hard at work seeking God’s guidance for a
new shepherd for our flock, and that search
may be close to a resolution. All in all, we
are greatly encouraged. We are conscious
of the work of the Holy Spirit in our midst
as joy and peace is being enjoyed in the
congregation.
FELLOWSHIP BAPTIST CHURCH,
DRUMHELLER, AB
Dave Wiebe, Interim Associate Pastor
We are thankful for how the Lord has been leading us throughout the pandemic
and our pastoral search. God has been with us in many ways and we sense His
presence among us. For example, He’s moved us to focus on outreach in this way:
shortly after my arrival, the Lord nudged my heart about beginning an Alpha
ministry for our church family. The hope was that during the pandemic we might
prepare ourselves to run the program for our community once things opened up.
As I poked about to see if the Holy Spirit was moving on other hearts, I soon discovered
that both our associate pastor and a men’s prayer group leader had already
been talking about the need for outreach. We felt confirmed in this direction and
promoted the program to the church, created a team, and finally ran Alpha with
just over a quarter of our congregation in attendance.
Lastly, I would like to tell you about Murray. Murray was an older gentleman who
worked locally as a farm hand. He carried a spiritual burden for the owners of the
farm. They were not interested in church but Murray longed for their salvation.
Recently, Murray was killed in a farm accident. We decided to centre our morning
service around his memorial and invited the farm owners to attend. The Lord was
very present in the service. The farm owners were visibly moved, and one of them
expressed a desire to come again.
— Mark Breitkreuz is Fellowship Prairies Regional Director.
GOD HAS BEEN WITH US IN MANY WAYS AND WE SENSE
HIS PRESENCE AMONG US.

18 / thrive Spring/Summer 2022
CHURCH PLANTING IN THE
FEBCENTRAL REGION by Tom Haines
At FEB Central our team is growing to meet needs and propel the mission forward. I am
Director of Church Planting; Bechara Karkafi is Catalyst among New Canadians; Marc Soto
is Catalyst in Southwestern Ontario; Graeme Melvin is Catalyst/Coaching Facilitator in the GTA;
Aaron Ottaway is Catalyst in Southcentral Ontario, Tammy Haines serves as our Administrator,
and Naomi Mills serves as our Communications Administrator.
Today there are 38 church plants in FEB Central that are at various stages of working toward
recognition as Fellowship churches, 13 of which were planted during the pandemic. We have
six apprentice church planters placed across the Region, and right now there are eight more
potential church plants on the horizon. Clearly God is at work!
Here are a few stories to illustrate how He has been on the move through church planting:
UP TO SPEED: REGIONAL UPDATES
A few years ago, FEB Central partnered with Summerside
Community Church in London, ON to see a new disciplemaking
effort started in the Chelsea Green neighbourhood.
From this, Chelsea Green Baptist Church was born.
Today, Peter Barnaby is excited to talk about how Chelsea
Green is encouraging a church plant among a different
people group. Samuel and Kelley Kim, who are new to
Canada from South Korea and have been a part of Chelsea
Green, are planting a church to reach the Yazidi Kurdish
people in London with the Gospel. Their initial efforts
have seen five whole families commit their lives to following
Jesus. The ongoing discipleship of these families
is proving to be quite a challenge with all of the cultural
and religious baggage from their past. Sam and Kelley are
co-vocational, meaning that they have started a small business
to support themselves as they work in the ministry.
Please pray for Sam and Kelley and their team.

thrive-magazine.ca
thrive / 19
In the summer of
2018, while Armen
and Zina Hakopian
were still in the
Middle East living
as refugees, the
Establishing New
Roots appeal was
happening here
to help establish
Arabic church plants
in Oakville and
Mississauga. They
were the planters we
had in mind. After
arriving in Canada,
their ministry
started as a home
church but soon launched into public worship at City Centre
Baptist (Mississauga, ON) — then COVID-19 shut their doors.
Visitation became key. They delivered meals and met wherever
they could to build relationships. They prayed for eyes
to see the unique needs of each family and asked God to use
them to meet those needs. At Christmas that year, 15 people
came to Christ. Armen asked each person, “Now that you
know me and know Christ, who can you introduce me to who
also needs Jesus?” This approach has opened doors, many have
heard the Gospel, and 10 people were baptised in 2021.
Fellowship Baptist Church (Port Hope, ON) planted out of
Fellowship Baptist Church Cobourg in November 2020, is the
first step in a broad vision to plant several churches across the
area — all inter-related and with a central hub. Because of the
pandemic they have met in six different facilities. Site Pastor
Ben Mills writes, “Churches in our town are known by their
buildings’ stained glass and steeples, but our desire is that we
would be known by our love for our town and the people who
live here. And this reputation has opened the doors for us to
share the love of God and the hope of Jesus with the people
of Port Hope.” Some of the ways God has opened the doors include:
allowing them to paint lines in a schoolyard, and providing
groceries for families in need. “We’ve handed out freezies
during the summer, hot chocolate during the winter, and our
band was asked by the town to lead in Christmas carols at the
Candlelight Festival.” They’ve served their neighbours by organizing
a river clean-up and have been involved in memorials for
children from the community who have passed away.
I hope these stories have encouraged you and given a glimpse of
the wonderful things happening in our FEB Central Region.
—Tom Haines is FEB Central Church Planting Director.

20 / thrive Spring/Summer 2022
CHURCH PLANTING IN THE
AEBEQ REGION
by Steve Cloutier
UP TO SPEED: REGIONAL UPDATES
Establishing a church in the context
of Québec is a colossal challenge.
Planting a church in Québec
during a pandemic is a mission that
seems impossible. Even as life as we
knew seemed to be on hold, God
continued to move His work forward.
Here is a small overview of what is
currently happening on the church
planting level in la belle province.
We are excited about the establishment of our new means
of action, Mission Québec, which aims to support all our
missionary efforts — whether it be the integration of new
missionaries, the planting of churches, outreach projects,
or the replanting of churches. Currently, two of our projects
are in the pre-launch phase (Hochelaga and Anjou).
We have five active church planting projects (Beloeil,
Laval, downtown Montréal, Plessisville, Vaudreuil) and
two innovative projects targeting the Spanish-speaking
(in Plessisville) and Arab (in Gatineau) communities. The
replanting of churches is also one of our priorities and
we have three projects in preparation (Chicoutimi, Sorel,
Verdun).
We are uplifted and encouraged to see the perseverance
and resilience shown by our planters, to see them develop
creative ways to reach people, and to see their efforts bear
fruit by the grace of God. Many of them have seen people
come to Christ and baptisms will be held soon.
Jonathan Labelle, pastor/church planter
La Cité Laval Church had the joy of launching on
December 5, 2021. The vision meetings had started in
February 2020, only three weeks before the first pandemic
lockdown.
Joanie, a young woman who was looking for a Christian
community to join, came into contact with the church
through her friend, a scuba instructor with whom I dive.
Since that time, Joanie has grown in her relationship with
Jesus, attending missional communities and Sunday gatherings.
She asked to be baptized. The church will therefore
have the joy of celebrating its third baptism in a few
months!
Stéphan Tessier,
pastor/church
planter
In Beloeil, an
intentional group
from the congregation
were
burdened to invest
in the lives of the
teens of the church
and their friends,
an age group particularly affected by the pandemic. One
of these young people, as well as a new convert, expressed
the desire to be baptized. The church is therefore planning
its first baptisms soon in the context of planting, which is a
great joy.
We keep repeating it: the needs are great in Québec! As
the Lord says in Luke 10:2 (ESV): “And he said to them, ‘The
harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray
earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into
his harvest’.” We persevere in this prayer and are grateful
to God for the workers He sends.
— Steve Cloutier is Church Planting Director for the
AEBEQ Region.

thrive-magazine.ca
thrive / 21
CHURCH PLANTING IN THE
FELLOWSHIP ATLANTIC
REGION
by Bradley Somers
Here are two short stories highlighting both the method and need for church planting
in Atlantic Canada.
Along with his brother, Ryan decided to drop out of university to have more time to make, bottle, and sell
Kombucha out of his apartment. As the business began to take off, he moved to Halifax as the home base for
expansion. Ryan soon met a young group of believers who often had people over to their apartments for food
and game nights. These believers were intentionally living on-mission as an extension of the church planting
efforts of their church. Through these genuine relationships, Ryan began to hear about Christ. Not too long
ago, Ryan told me the beautiful story of being overwhelmed with Christ’s forgiveness as he confessed his
need for salvation.
Andy and Kayla Ardern first felt a tug on their life for
church planting when they were on a missions trip to
Halifax, NS. Almost seven years later, Andy has completed
a two-year church planting residency out of PAXnorth
Church. They moved their family to Spryfield — a growing
part of Halifax — built relationships, and formed a
launch team by hosting missional communities. Each
week Andy leads a prayer walk through his part of the
city, asking God to open doors for Gospel life and proclamation.
This fall, they hope to see this church plant
dream take on a new shape as they mobilize the
more than 20 people who have joined this effort.
Over the last two years, the east coast has led Canada in population growth. According to a
CBC article 1 , we have added more than 13,400 people to our population. The two contributing
factors? Canadians are moving east, and newly arrived populations are making their homes
in the Maritimes. What strikes me is that we would need 44 new churches of 300 people
each (larger than average) to care for these new Maritimers. From my church planting
network connections, I can safely say that we are nowhere near planting enough churches
in our Region to see this need met. We need more churches that are willing to plant
churches. We need more leaders and families willing to be trained,
assessed, and released to do this good work. Finally, we need more
prayer and financial supporters to come alongside these efforts.
— Bradley Somers is a church planter and elder of PAXnorth
Church in Halifax, NS. He serves his wife and seven kids and
his home region as Church Planting Director for Fellowship
Atlantic and ACTS29 Canada.
1
CBC: “Despite pandemic, Canada's population grows at fastest rate in G7: census”
Zimonjic, Peter, CBC News, CBC Feb. 9, 2022, https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/
census-2021-release-population-cities-1.6344179.

Spring/Summer 2022
THE GLOBAL CHURCH
PLANTING STORY by Richard Flemming
THE LAST WORD
was first introduced to these extraordinary
movements of God in
I
2013. I learned that they had begun
to surface in the 1990s and that it
was the director of the International
Mission Board of the Southern
Baptist Convention, David Garrison,
who first coined the term “church
planting movements”. Today, “disciple-making
movements” is another term used to describe
them. These movements have been defined as “a process of
disciples making disciples, forming multiplying churches
to at least the fourth generation”. Often they are characterized
as fast-growing, indigenous (to the local culture), multiplying
groups/churches, and producing obedient followers
of Jesus (i.e. disciples). In essence these movements refer
to the rapid multiplication of Christ followers, who form
churches that in turn multiply rapidly, often in areas of the
world where traditionally the work has been slow. David
Watson, one of the early practitioners of these movements,
wrote that in 2014 there were 68 known movements
around the world. Last year, the number was 1,371! Each
of these represent a multiplication of churches to at least
the fourth generation, and each movement averages 57,000
believers 1 . Some believe these movements represent the
single most significant shift in global missionary strategy
in the past century. They contend that the data points to a
change in missions 2 . Fellowship International agrees and,
like so many others, is seeking to join God in these movements
that He is generating so powerfully among the nations
today.
Consequently, last
fall our Fellowship
International
Director Ben Porter
called me to ask if I
would be interested
in participating in
a Zoom call with
Ying Kai. “Are you
serious?” was my
response. Ben knew
that I had been teaching many of the Biblical principles
that Ying and his wife Grace had implemented in their
ground-breaking movement work in China beginning in
2001. In a span of some 12 years they saw 150,000 churches
planted and baptized over two million people. “Yes”, I replied.
“I most definitely want to be part of that Zoom call!”
We are trusting that in the fall of 2022 we’ll be able to host
(in Ontario) a two-day training that Ying and Grace Kai will
give in person. After all, why not here in Canada?
1
14, 24: “24:14 Movement Data Dashboard - 2414now.NET.” 24:14, Multiplying Movements Together, 24:14, Nov. 2020,
https://2414now.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/2414_Movement_Data_Dashboard_11-10-20.pdf.
2
Sergeant, Dr. Curtis, et al. “Can Kingdom Movement Strategies Work in North America?” Mission Frontiers. 1 Jan. 2021.
https://www.missionfrontiers.org/issue/article/can-kingdom-movement-strategies-work-in-north-america.
ZOOM CALL WITH RICHARD
FLEMMING (TOP LEFT), BEN PORTER
(TOP RIGHT), AND YING KAI (BOTTOM).

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