Growing and Building Community

As neighborhoods grow and change, new needs arise in their communities. Churches across the continent are adjusting to these changes in different ways. Here are the stories of two Ontario churches who are responding to people in their communities and have found fellowship as a result.

Willowdale (Ont.) Christian Reformed Church

Hospitality is a major focus for Willowdale CRC, an urban congregation in the Greater Toronto Area. The sign in front of the church proclaims, “All are welcome!” — a reminder of one of Willowdale’s goals: to embody Jesus to everyone.

When a Farsi-speaking couple began attending the church in 2018, they were warmly welcomed and enfolded. Just a few weeks later, one of the new visitors fell ill and needed to be hospitalized. The pastor at the time, Joel Kok, visited the couple in the hospital. They were touched by his concern for them after a short time of connection to the church, and they decided to make Willowdale CRC their church home. This was the beginning of the church’s Farsi Fellowship.

With many connections in the Farsi community, both online and in person, the couple spread the word to the local Farsi-speaking Christian community. “Every Sunday, the number of people in the pews at Willowdale grows due to these connections,” said Jennifer Dekker, an elder at Willowdale CRC.

As the church grows, they work to find ways to worship together in attempts to bless all members. “We have had potlucks and baby showers, and we have translated portions of our service into Farsi [the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostles’ Creed] for us all to learn together,” said Dekker. The members also began wearing name tags each Sunday to help everyone learn each other’s names more quickly.

“Our Farsi brothers and sisters have reported back that they felt very welcomed when they first arrived,” added Dekker.

Ministry leaders at the church facilitate understanding and fellowship with “before- and after-worship discipleship,” said Syd Hielema, a long-time friend of the congregation and leader of the CRCNA’s Connections II project aimed at building connections among the CRC’s congregations and with its denominational ministries. Each Thursday, the preacher for the coming Sunday sends a sermon summary to the Farsi elders, which they talk through in a Farsi discipleship group on Thursday evenings. After church on Sundays, the Farsi Fellowship gathers with four or five other members of Willowdale and holds a 40-minute question-and-answer session with the preacher.

This discipleship effort, said Hielema, “is a powerful vehicle for building the community and strengthening the faith of participants. In addition, because Willowdale CRC hosts communion every Sunday, a significant part of the worship is free of language barriers as all partake in the sacrament together.”

Hope Community Christian Reformed Church, Mount Brydges, Ont.

Hope Community CRC is in a rural area of Mount Brydges, a town west of London, Ontario. Many of the farms and greenhouses in the area employ migrant workers from Mexico to work through the planting, growing, and harvesting seasons, from early April to late November.

Arnold Zietsma, a member of Hope Community CRC, was speaking with his friend and coworker Marcos about the Spanish-speaking church Marcos attended, which has a strong outreach focus. The pastors of Marcos’s church, Mario and Luis, were leading a ministry for migrant workers in Forest and Thedford, other communities near London. When they heard about the migrant community near Mount Brydges, they showed an interest in broadening their ministry to reach out to the workers there.

“Through much prayer and thought, we approached our church about starting a Mexican ministry,” said Zietsma. Hope Community CRC agreed; the church began a ministry to the migrant population in their community in 2015. Each Sunday throughout the agricultural season, the church welcomes up to several dozen workers for a meal, fellowship, and a message from the Bible.

After a time of prayer, volunteers prepare a hot meal, set up tables and chairs, drive the workers from local farms to the church, and greet them as they arrive. The workers also use the wifi at the church, share a meal, hear a message in Spanish from Mario or Luis, ask questions, and participate in an English class. Volunteers then clean up and drive the workers back to the farms where they work.

“It’s hard to put in writing all that happens,” said Zietsma. “So much connecting and sharing with each other. Language is not a major barrier at these times.” He noted that online translation apps help, and there is sometimes a lot of laughter. “We have become family with each other.”

In addition to the weekly meals and fellowship, the ministry connects with a wider network of ministry to migrant workers in southwestern Ontario for larger events, such as an annual Mexican Independence Day celebration in September, attended by about 300 people.

Many of the migrant workers return year after year to the same farms, so the ministry has been building community and trust with them over the years, said Zietsma. He added, “Many of the guys have given their hearts to the Lord over the years. . . . It is amazing to see how the Lord has blessed this ministry.”

If your church is seeking to reach out to the community around it, there are resources available to help. Contact your classis to see what ministry is already being done, or connect with Resonate Global Mission or Faith Formation Ministries to learn more about how your church can join God in the work of growing and building his worldwide church.