Building Connections Among Canadian Churches

In early June, New Westminster Christian Reformed Church in Burnaby, B.C., joined with House for All Nations Church (an Indonesian Mennonite Brethren congregation), Nanoom (a Korean Christian gathering), and people from other neighboring congregations to hold a worship service celebrating their unity under God.

As part of an ongoing ecumenical initiative called “Multicultural Worship Night,” New Westminster hosted the service and provided a “Community Celebration Dinner” that took place just before the churches went on a summer break from meeting monthly.

Cost and promotion of the event was provided through a grant from the Christian Reformed Church’s Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Committee (EIRC). Since fall 2018, the EIRC, a standing committee that the Christian Reformed Church in North America created decades ago to encourage connections between churches of different denominations, has given a half dozen such grants to Canadian churches for programs and events that foster dialogue and connection between churches of different denominations in Canada.

“As an ecumenical/multicultural gathering, having a meal together was a great blessing and enhanced this ministry. We had about 80 people join us that night,” said Hyung-Jun Kim, pastor of Discipleship and Multicultural Ministry at New Westminster.

The focus of the ecumenical initiative in Burnaby, he said, has included getting to know each other and emphasizing both the unity of the church and the diversity of God’s people. In worship, they prayed in different languages and shared different cultural expressions to foster a multicultural, multicongregational community in Christ.

Starting this fall, said Hyung-Jun Kim, “the mission of God and how we together can reach out to our neighbors will be an important theme for our upcoming gatherings.”

Peter Elgersma, advancement director of the CRC in Canada, said the goal of the program is to award between $300 and $500 to churches seeking ways to bridge denominational barriers and to come together in various ways to celebrate and honor the Christian faith they all share.

Elgersma said they consider a variety of “reasons for receiving a grant, along with activities the grants can help to fund. Our hope is to create dialogue among churches. . . . The grants go to CRC churches, who then work with other churches to break down differences. We have a huge common relationship with God, and we don’t want to forget that.”

The Canadian EIRC made the decision to set aside funds for this effort, which offers the support to CRCs in Canada.

In the past year, said Elgersma, “it has been extremely encouraging to see the connections that are continuing to be made in CRC congregations and other churches across Canada.”

On the first Saturday of June, five local churches in South Dundas, Ont., teamed up in an event called "The Big Give" at Earl Baker Park in Morrisburg.

The participating churches were Williamsburg (Ont.) CRC, Community CRC of Dixon’s Corners (Brinston), Morrisburg Pentecostal Tabernacle in Morrisburg, Riverside Presbyterian Church in Iroquois, and St. James Anglican Church in Morrisburg.

“The Big Give is a movement of generosity that started in Ottawa a few years ago, and now many churches across Canada participate in this on the same day,” said Pastor Joe Groeneveld, director of youth and young adult ministries at Williamsburg CRC.

During the event, he said. They provided a yard sale, bouncy castles, BBQ lunch, face painting, cotton candy, popcorn, and bike repair — all at no charge.

“Volunteers come from all of these churches, both youth and adults serving together. Even with overcast skies, the turnout was amazing, with over 500 people coming to the park to enjoy the day — all the food and drinks were gone by the end of the day.”

The point of The Big Give is to show Christ's love to one’s community — which is why, Groeneveld said, the pastors “were intentional at this event also to mingle with people they've never met, both young and old.”

In the county of South Dundas, several pastors meet monthly for lunch for fellowship and to plan ecumenical events — such as the "The Big Give" event or worship services.

The pastors aim to take part in “The Big Give” for years to come, he said, because “we believe that as local churches working together, we need to show the love of Christ to our community in tangible ways. The Big Give is just one way to do that and is the only event that we as a whole county do together.”

Another EIRC grant helped Willowdale Christian Reformed Church in Toronto host a dinner in late April to mark one year after a van attack left 10 people dead and 16 injured in Toronto’s Yonge Street/Finch Avenue area.

Among several meals that took place on that anniversary, the event Willowdale CRC helped to sponsor took place Apr. 23, 2019, at St. George on Yonge Anglican Church. The two churches welcomed about 100 community members for dinner.

Other initiatives aided by EIRC grants have included an affordable housing forum in Etobicoke, Ont.; a backyard mission in Chatham, Ont.; a shared VBS program in Blythe, Ont.; and a community barbecue in La Glace, Alta.

The EIRC offers six grants each year, and each grant awards up to $500. The grant application process for 2019-2020 begins in July, and eligible Canadian CRC congregations and ministries can apply by sending an email to Peter Elgersma at [email protected].