Avenue Church: Learning to be a Neighbour

Avenue Church, a church plant in Edmonton, Alberta, is learning to be a good neighbor. For Avenue, being the church is about being a stakeholder in their community along Alberta Avenue.

And it’s having a transformative effect.

“One thing God taught us early on about being a neighborhood church was learning what it means to be a good neighbor,” describes Aaron Au, church planter and pastor at Avenue.

“We’re a church that, from its very founding, was intentionally rooted in the neighborhood.”

“I think Avenue fits into Alberta Avenue neighborhood really well,” says Miranda, a member at Avenue and leader of the children’s ministry. “It’s easy to pass by and see people being themselves … we know each other’s struggles, and we’ve seen each other cry, and we’ve seen each other laugh, and that just comes from people being real with each other.”

The partnerships that Avenue has formed with its community have grown it far beyond the members that started the church in 2014. “Close to half of the worshipping community here actually live in this neighborhood or surrounding neighborhoods,” explains Au. “It’s an amazing thing to be able to walk to church.”

Members of the church love being part of a community where they can belong and where they can serve. “We’re all just different fabrics being woven together … It’s a beautiful picture with different people, different hearts,” describes Raissa, member at Avenue.

Avenue church isn’t a service provider, they’re a neighbor.

“Where I worship, where I live, where I pray—all this can happen together. It doesn’t have to be separated,” says Au.

The community at Avenue have been building partnerships in their own neighborhood and beyond. They’ve depended on support from the other emerging and established churches in Edmonton as well as their classis. Additionally, Avenue has depended on support from Christian Reformed Home Missions.
“Home Missions has been incredibly helpful and supportive in helping Avenue Church take root here,” acknowledges Au.

“Without Home Missions’ support we wouldn't have been able to get going. But beyond just the financial support, it's been great to know we have partners praying for us, right across the country.”

Home Missions offers this video for churches to use and share, along with many other resources available this Easter season at www.crhm.org/easter.

This video is the first of a series which will highlight the  missional movement happening in Edmonton – check www.crhm.org/stories for future updates!