Ontario CRC Opens Ministry Centre

Since its formation in 2005, The Journey, a growing Christian Reformed congregation in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, has achieved a certain level of “success.” Now at 170 members, the church still enjoys a steady stream of newcomers most Sunday mornings.

But being a thriving church isn’t enough for Rev. Adrian Van Giessen, senior pastor of The Journey, which was started with assistance from Christian Reformed Home Missions. “We really want to be a church that is making a difference in our community, instead of just having Sunday services,” he says. “So we needed to find a place that could be the center of our ministry to this city.”

That’s why The Journey recently opened their new Ministry Centre in downtown Kitchener. The facility, which was purchased by the church and renovated with the help of local community members, is “a place for us to work and reach out to a city in need,” Van Giessen explains.

In fact, Kitchener-Waterloo is home to an increasing number of refugees and immigrants, a community The Journey has deliberately been reaching out to for the past two years. For instance, the church holds a weekly English Language Conversation Circle, where people taking English as a Second Language classes can come and practice their English skills with members of The Journey.

With the new Ministry Centre, the church now has more space and the opportunity to expand Conversation Circle and other community ministry programs.

“Previously, we were averaging about ten new immigrants a week at the Circle, but it’s grown to around twenty now, just since we moved here,” Van Giessen says. Part of that is because the Ministry Centre is located on a high-traffic corner with a lot of visibility. “It’s on a major bus route and gives us more exposure,” he adds. “At least five times a week, people walking by stop in and ask for directions, so we invite them to have coffee with us and we tell them about our church. It’s a nice, low-key way for us to minister to them.”

The Ministry Centre also has meeting rooms for small groups, creative arts, and pastoral ministry, as well as a special room designed for people in the community to reflect and pray.