Faith At Work In Canadian Cities
How receptive are Canadians to the Christian message?
Brian Egert is the director of Mission Canada, an agency that has over 50 workers across Canada to reach beyond the church walls. This episode features a plenary session at the Our City Windsor conference in March 2024.
Links:
Mission Canada
One of our podcast regulars, Ejay Tupe brought this message ‘Let Nothing Be Wasted’ at the Our City Windsor - Signs Of Hope conference.
His years of experience in urban ministry are informed by his reading of the Scriptures.
Ejay is an urban worker in downtown Toronto.
Link:
Brian Egert brought this opening message at the Our City Windsor ‘Signs Of Hope’ conference in March 2024. One hundred people gathered at New Song Church in Windsor Ontario to reflect on the hope that Canadian churches can bring to their cities.
Brian is the Director of Mission Canada, an agency committed to raising up workers with a heart of hope for the nation of Canada.
Link:
Mission Canada
With almost 30 years of ministry experience, Cal and Chrissy Krahn have often been drawn to those outside of the church walls. As urban workers with Mission Canada, based in Montreal, Quebec, they care for those around them who are lonely, hurting, or in need of a friend. This can be through involvement at the local food bank, sharing a meal or a coffee with someone, connecting newcomers to Canada with helpful resources, or simply giving a granola bar to a person who’s hungry.
In the words of Loren Cunningham, founder of Youth With A Mission (YWAM), "When you take up residence among them, you have an opportunity to do things for transforming that community and those people not only spiritually, but it will change their lives economically, socially, and educationally, and all the things that follow. YOU can make a difference in the world.”
In a province where less than 1% of the population attend an evangelical service on a Sunday morning, and where many do not trust religion or have been hurt, Cal and Chrissy desire to embody "the Jesus way" by living their lives based on the example of Christ - full of generosity, hospitality, and love.
Links:
Mission Canada Profile Page
https://paoc.org/canada/workers/cckrahn
Braden Brodeur is a youth worker at Marketplace Chapel at the West Edmonton Mall. The chapel is staffed by Christians and provides spiritual and religious care to shoppers, employees, and wanderers. He is in process to become a Mission Canada urban worker.
The West Edmonton Mall is the 2nd largest mall in North America at 5.3 million square feet.
West Edmonton Mall has over 800 stores and services including nine attractions, two hotels and over 100 dining venues in the complex, and parking for more than 20,000 vehicles. More than 24,000 people are employed at the property. The mall receives about 32 million visitors per year; it attracts between 90,000 and 200,000 shoppers daily, depending on the day and season.
Braden currently interacts with 100 youth on a weekly basis.
Links:
Marketplace Chapel
West Edmonton Mall
Mission Canada Profile
David Wells is the General Superintendent of the Pentecostal Assemblies Of Canada and an avid devotee to urban ministry in Canada. This is one of his plenary sessions at the Our City Scarborough Conference held at Global Kingdom Ministries in November 2023.
In this session he speaks on ‘The New Humanity - In The City’. This is a call to reveal God’s character and light by exhibiting His peace (Shalom).
Read More
At sixteen years of age, Nelly Latchman was on a youth group mission trip to New Song Church. The days in Windsor were an opportunity to experience God at work in an urban context outside of her own neighbourhood. That initial experience would eventually culminate in moving to Windsor after graduating from Tyndale Seminary.
Today, Nelly is a Mission Canada worker that serves as part of the national Serve Campus Network with her focus on the University of Windsor. She is also a young adult pastor at Parkwood Gospel Church.
Links:
Nelly Latchman - Mission Canada profile page
https://paoc.org/canada/workers/nellylatchman
Serve Campus Network
Red Frogs Canada
Parkwood Young Adults
https://parkwoodwindsor.com/youngadults
Our guests on this episode are Ejay Tupe, director of Toronto Urban Mission Hub in downtown Toronto and Mike Morency, executive director of Matthew House – Windsor.
We will be talking about a story that began unfolding this past summer when over 200 refugee claimants from African nations found themselves sleeping on the streets. Many were outside a homeless support centre at 129 Peter St. in downtown Toronto. There seemed to initially be a funding stalemate between levels of government.
Into the crisis, three churches got involved directly by opening up their buildings to provide shelter, food, and support.
· Revivaltime Tabernacle
· Pilgrim Feast Tabernacle
· Dominion Church International
This story eventually leads to some of the asylum seekers ending up served by Matthew House in Windsor.
Links:
Ejay Tupe
https://paoc.org/canada/workers/ejaytupe
Oct 30th update from Ejay
https://youtu.be/-o4LVpanGmo?si=J11xqAhrKoEd_DPb
Matthew House - Windsor
https://matthewhousewindsor.org/
Our City Scarborough Conference
https://www.ourcitytoronto.ca/
News article:
Ejay Tupe
Mike Morency
When it comes to medical conditions and healing, Christians hold a range of views from the intervention of doctors and medicine, alternative practices and healing that comes from God. I am not a doctor, so I would never give medical advice but would always encourage people to take a threefold approach to getting help.
First, we ask God for help in all things. Secondly, we investigate and utilize good medicine and thirdly we look at alternative methods when the first two are not yielding a result. Some will try alternative before mainstream and that’s their choice.
I bring this up today as we consider that the spiritual life of a person may be affected by physical and mental conditions. I believe that God heals, and today’s guest passes the test in my mind for a verifiable miracle from God.
Josh Tamblyn was healed of schizophrenia. We’re going to hear his story and also learn about his present involvement in ministry.
Links:
Mission Canada Profile Page
https://paoc.org/donate/joshtamblyn
University Christian Ministries
Serve Campus Network
Ministry Spotlight
What are the things that urban churches need to be thinking about? Pastor Duane Henry from Portico Church in Mississauga hosts a conversation at Our City Toronto 2023 with four urban pastors that are on the forefront of strategy and mission.
Olu Jegede is a return guest on Sidewalk Skyline Podcast and continues to pastor at Christian Centre Church.
Jessie Knight is an assistant pastor with Olu with a focus on student ministries.
Godfrey Adderley pastors at Stone Church in downtown Toronto.
Joel Spiridigliozzi is a regional director for Western Ontario District working with pastors and ministries in the Toronto region.
Links:
Duane Henry - Portico Church
Olu Jegede
Jessie Knight
Godfrey Adderley
Ejay Tupe has served as an urban worker in downtown Toronto for sixteen years. In this session he shares stories and ideas about listening to the city. What can we learn by listening to the people, the values and the culture?
Recorded at Our City Toronto 2023 conference.
Links:
Mission Canada
Charles and I work together with Mission Canada, a Christian ‘mission agency to reach Canada with the gospel in unique ways. There are many contexts where there is a gap; campuses, people groups, regions, and communities where Jesus is inadequately represented. Mission Canada is committed to identify and equip those who will pursue their calling to fill these gaps.’[1]
I am the urban ministry consultant and Charles is the Cultural Ministries consultant. As part of that role, he gives leadership to Neighbours & Newcomers Network National.
Links:
https://paoc.org/canada/workers/priorityculturalministries
https://paoc.org/canada/workers/nnnetworknational
Bill Reilly and I shadow the team of Street Level Advocacy in Peterborough, Ontario. Scott Couper, Leigh-Ann Davidson, Chris and a growing number of people are spending their days on the streets, in the Overflow tent city, shelters and agencies that work with street affiliated people.
You will meet Joe, the Aboriginal man run over by a snow plow and Will the bicycle recycler. Join us as we find God at work in desperate places.
Links:
YouTube version:
Scott Couper Interview - Season 2, Episode 24
https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/scott-couper-is-a-bridge
Scott Couper Profile
https://paoc.org/canada/workers/scottcouper
News:
Graham Gibson is the Director of Cultural Engagement Studies at Master’s College and Seminary in Peterborough, Ontario. He and his wife Linda have a life centred in students and mission.
In this interview we talked about seeing Canada as a mission field for the Gospel and the importance of cultural engagement.
Links:
Master’s College and Seminary
Ejay and Cheryl live above a coffee shop on Queen Street in Toronto. As parents of a toddler, they exemplify urban disciples of Jesus living on mission in their neighbourhood.
In this session from the Our City Toronto conference (2022) they share life lessons and guiding principles on the power of collaborative relationship. They depend on each other and rely on other community members in accomplishing good work for their city and neighbourhood.
Both have been guests on previous episodes of Sidewalk Skyline Podcast.
Links:
Mission Canada
https://paoc.org/canada/workers/ejaytupe
Urban Trends In Canada
https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/urban-trends-in-canada-cheryl-walsh
Sidewalk Pastors
Gangland Preacher
https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/gangland-preacher-ejay-tupe
My guests today are ‘Patmos People’, a term I coined to describe people that remind me of John the Revelator. From their embedded history in a city, they are uniquely poised to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church in their location.
Just as Jesus expressed his love through John to the Seven Churches of Asia Minor, these Patmos People are living messages of Jesus’ love for Montreal.
Patti Miller is the lead pastor of Evangel Church, a historic Pentecostal church in the heart of downtown Montreal. Their church is presently developing a multi-story building around the corner that will provide main floor retail, upper church and community spaces and housing units available across the socio-economic spectrum.
Cal and Chrissy Krahn are involved in French language training for ministry and are Mission Canada urban workers.
Jenna Smith is the Innovation Youth Director for Christian Direction, an agency that works at the intersection of faith, community and urban development.
Links:
Patti Miller
Cal & Chrissy Krahn
https://paoc.org/canada/workers/cckrahn
Jenna Smith
This is part 2 of my conversation with John Engels, Kelly Johnson, Jazelle Johnson and David Ritz. We talk about the effects of deconstructing faith and how university campus leaders are engaging in meaningful conversations. Many students are experiencing an awakening of conscience and sorting through what to believe about right and wrong.
If you haven’t yet listened to part 1 of the interview you can find it here:
https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/univer-city-life-part-1
It is no secret that public education finds its roots in the Christian faith. Study the roots of any historic university and you will find that clergy and prominent Christian community builders believed that education held the keys to greater wisdom and understanding. Christian faith is built on curiosity and wonder about all of Creation and unveiling its mysteries.
But today if you walk onto the campuses of Canadian universities, you may need to look harder to find a place for Christian faith.
Building on a history of campus chaplaincy, Christian outreach, and discipleship groups we are seeing a resurgence of gospel witness and Christian community emerging as Heaven’s counterculture in the midst of an often-hostile environment.
In this episode I have a conversation with John Engels, Milly Li, Kelly Johnson, Jazelle Johnson and David Ritz.
Links:
Serve Campus Network
Serve Campus YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN7cP5T3DKgpd2zRWg5lR9Q?app=desktop
Serve Campus Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/servecampusnetwork/
Milly Li @University Campus Ministries
https://ucmsfu.ca/about/#leaders
Kelly Johnson
https://paoc.org/donate/kellyjohnson
Jazelle Johnson @Lifeline Ministries
https://www.lifelineministries.ca/
https://paoc.org/canada/workers/jazellejohnson
David Ritz - Montreal
https://www.paoc.org/donate/davidritz
David Burke - Lifeline @Ryerson University interview
https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/post-secondary-lifeline
My continuing conversation with Levi Samson Beardy and Dan Collado as we talk about the gospel at work in First Nations, Metis and Inuit. With 50% of the Canadian indigenous population living in urban centres, there is a greater opportunity to build bridges and engage in reconciliation.
The billboard in this picture was posted in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 2014 as part of an art exhibit.
It is my honour today to invite a team of indigenous Christians from various parts of Canada onto the podcast to talk about what it means to be an indigenous or aboriginal person living in Canadian cities. Stats Canada uses the terms ‘aboriginal’ and ‘indigenous’ to refer to people that are First Nations, Metis and Inuit. It is estimated that about one-half live in urban areas as compared to those living on reservation land and non-urban areas.
Dan Collado, has been serving the Lord in full-time ministry since 1993. He initially took a step of faith and went to live and pastor in small isolated fly-in Indigenous communities in northern Ontario, and later in Nunavut. After some 15 years of pastoral ministry, while continuing to feel the burden for Indigenous initiatives, Dan accepted the role as Academic Director of Aboriginal Bible Academy (ABA) in 2009. Dan is part of the Mohawk nation and resides in Napanee, ON.
Jim Thunder is Director of Economic Development at Norway House Cree Nation and lives in Winnipeg, MB. He is an adjunct professor of Indigenous Economic Leadership at University of Manitoba.
Levi Samson Beardy is the Oji-Cree pastor of Aboriginal Believers’ Church in Toronto.
Links:
Dan Collado - Mission Canada Indigenous Priority
https://paoc.org/canada/workers/priorityindigenouscanadians
https://paoc.org/canada/workers/dancollado
Aboriginal Bible Academy
https://www.aboriginalbibleacademy.ca/about
Jim Thunder MBA
https://ca.linkedin.com/in/jimthunder
Levi Samson Beardy
https://ca.linkedin.com/in/levi-samson-beardy-9639537
Aboriginal Believers’ Church
https://www.facebook.com/AbOriginalBelieversChurch/