Project 2011

Operation Kick Start


You can get involved at www.fellowship.ca.

1.  Victoria, BC - Western Shore (Pastor Chris and Kellee Synesael)
The core team for this new work began their "pre-launch phase" in mid February with regular Sunday evening meetings (25 adults/10 children) in the pastor's home.  Their vision is to reach their surrounding population of 60,000 souls, where less than 5% of the population attends a church of any kind.  Their tentative goal is to launch public services in September, 2011.

2.  Nanaimo, BC - Central Vancouver Island (Pastor Garry and Lori Firth) 
This strategic new work (www.themeetingplace.org) was launched on January 9, with 147 in attendance for their first service.  Since then they have been averaging just over 100 each Sunday. Their goal is to have an average attendance of 150 by October.  Their prayer request is that as a young church they would keep their focus on reaching people with the Gospel.

3.  Sorrento, BC - Central/Shuswap District (Pastor Scott and Tamara Carruthers)
This brand new church was launched on February 13, and since then they have been averaging about 60 adults and 25 children each week, many of whom were not attending any church prior to this church plant.  The strategic Sorrento work is situated in the town of Sorrento (pop. 3,000), and has a vision to reach out to 10 nearby communities.  Their current prayer need is for help in their worship ministry.

4.  Alberta/Saskatchewan - Future Church Planting Projects
Laurie Kennedy (FEBCAST Regional Director) says, "We are praying for and with four church planting pastors…our prayer is that we will have the patience to wait on our Lord for his leading in each of these situations, and that when they each decide to come on board, we will have the time and personnel power to support them."  Two of these potential church plants are in the Edmonton area, and two others are in Regina.

5.  Thorold, ON - Niagara Region/Welland Canal (Pastor Allan and Bonnie Gallant)
The brand new "Church by the Canal" (www.churchbythecanal.ca) was launched on Sunday, October 24, 2010, and they celebrated their second baptismal service on Sunday, March 6, 2011!  They began with a core team of 12 and are now averaging more than 50 in attendance each Sunday.  As a young church, they are being very intentional about their outreach in their downtown location in Thorold (pop. 18,000), and to the nearby Brock University campus with more than 15,000 students.

6.  Belle River, ON - Lake St. Clair/Windsor (Pastor Dan and Karen Valade)
The Belle River work (www.northshorechurch.ca) was launched on September 12, 2010, with a core team of 8-14 adults.  Now six months later they are averaging at least 25 adults and 10 children each Sunday.  They are strategically seeking to build relationships in order to share the Gospel within their community (pop. 6,000) and the surrounding "Lakeshore" area (pop. 34,000).

7.  Cowansville, QC - Eastern Townships/Granby Region (Pastor David and Rebecca Warner)
This English-speaking church plant is the daughter work of a French-speaking church plant at Cowansville, QC, and the granddaughter of the Granby church which is also a French-speaking work.  At the present time they have a core team of 10 and a goal to see their core group grow and be fully assembled by May, 2011.  The plan is to begin public services in September with a view to reach out to the 12,000 Anglophones in the Cowansville area.

8.  Sherbrooke, QC - Downtown (Pastor Marc and Marie-Hélène Pilon)
The AXE21 (www.axe21.org) church has been training and worshipping together with their core group (plus many visitors) since September 12, 2010.  Their official opening was on January 30, and this young church had planned, prayed, fasted and invited many friends for that special day.  The result was the largest attendance we have ever had for the opening of a new Fellowship church:  405 (mostly young) adults and 71 children!  The good news is that a very significant number of those individuals are still attending.  Please pray for the AXE21 church family as they seek to share the Gospel with the thousands of young Quebeckers living in and around the City of Sherbrooke (pop. 148,000).

9.  La Petite Patrie - Montreal/East Central (Pastor Éric and Carole Lanthier)
This strategic church plant will be launched in an old bank building (which God has miraculously provided) near to Mount Royal.  At the present time the 20 believers in the core group are meeting for prayer and will begin services together in their pre-launch phase on May 29.  Their official public launch is scheduled for Sunday, September 11, 2011.

10.  St. Eustache, QC - North West of Montreal (Pastor Ken and Anne Taylor)
The City of St. Eustache (pop. 44,000) was founded back in 1768, and throughout its entire history it has been in great need of a much stronger evangelical witness.  On Sunday, September 26, 2010, Église Oasis (www.egliseoasis.com) was launched, and now just over five months later they are averaging about 80 in attendance.  The challenge that they now face is that the United Church where they have been meeting has decided to sell their building. This young church has put in a faith offer to purchase the building!

11.  New Brunswick/Nova Scotia - Future Church Plant
FEBAtlantic Regional Director, Glenn Goode reports that "within six months things will be much clearer, but right now we are working with two church planting couples while focusing on three potential church plant communities."

12.  Indonesia - North Sulawesi Province (Pastor Edwin and Helmi Karwur)
Indonesia is an island archipelago nation with the largest Muslim population in the world. Fellowship International missionary Edwin Karwur teaches at the evangelical seminary located in north Sulawesi.  He and his students reach out to nearby communities on weekends, with a goal to establish "preaching points" and eventually churches.  Ten new believers were baptized on Christmas Day 2010, in one new church.  Operation Kick Start monies will be available for travel, start-up costs and land purchase where needed.