KLC and Bow Island Mark Official Openings as EMC Churches

Editor’s Note: Some full names of Kingdom Life Church participants are not disclosed due to security concerns.

Winnipeg, Manitoba

On October 17, 2021, Kingdom Life Church (KLC) members met together at St. Vital EMC in Winnipeg, Man., with whom they have established a formal partnership. This service marked the official opening of KLC as part of the EMC, under the leadership of I and P, workers supported by the EMC Church Planting Task Force.

The service included greetings by Jerry Plett, minister of the St. Vital EMC, and other local ministers in the community. A dear friend of I and P’s from Southern Ontario led songs of worship.

I had the privilege of sharing from the Word, which was translated into Arabic. I and P were then asked to respond to several covenant questions related to their commitment to lead this community, followed by prayers of blessing.

The evening ended with food, accompanied by lots of wonderful fellowship.

KLC seeks to serve the Arabic-speaking population of Winnipeg, with a desire to help welcome them into life in Canada, which can often seem overwhelming to many who may have recently immigrated. KLC members serve in everyday ways such as translation services, accompanying people to doctor’s appointments, helping to provide for their practical needs, and sharing the good news of hope in song, teaching, and discipleship.

For more information about KLC, contact the conference office.

Bow Island, Alberta

On November 7, 2021, the Bow Island EMC church family met together at their new building, purchased earlier in the summer and subsequently renovated to accommodate their needs. The mother church, Gospel Light Fellowship in Redcliff, Alberta, was invited to attend to demonstrate their support and share in the celebration.

A variety of people connected to the church brought greetings, including several local pastors. Church planters Abe and Anna Bueckert, now retired but willing to assist the new leadership team get the church off the ground, led worship in song and a children’s story. Abe also took time to share from their personal perspective what this journey has been like.

I was again privileged to preach the Word, followed by inviting Abe and Anna to respond to several covenant questions related to their commitment to lead this congregation, and again followed by prayers of blessing. After the service, a potluck lunch was served, and lots of encouragement was shared among the gathered group.

The Bow Island EMC desires to faithfully welcome people who are hungry for a gospel that brings freedom and new life in Christ. The church hopes it can offer ministries that will nurture faith, and provide training and discipleship for the young and old alike, equipping people to live out their faith on a daily basis in their homes, schools and workplaces.

Pray for church plants

Serving in new church plants like these requires sacrifice.

For KLC, one of the challenges they face is not only trying to meet the needs of first generation immigrants from the Middle East, but also to become a place where the second generation feels like their needs are met.

For Bow Island, the sacrifice is perhaps more so for the those left behind at Gospel Light, a relatively new church plant in its own right, and now needing to refocus themselves in the life of the community. This is a bittersweet church plant for them, no doubt.

So please continue to pray for these churches, that God would carry them, and that leadership would find their strength in Jesus!