Canada, Eh! Some Final Thoughts

I've spent the better part of this seek reflecting on out team's recent time in Toronto.  We had opportunity to see and do much, meet many, and learn so many things.  Friends here at home have asked us about the trip and those experiences that stood out to us. I want to take a moment to list a few of those highlights (although my list may differ slightly from what my teammates might say!):

• The ethnic and cultural diversity was overwhelming.  We learned that 55% of Canadians are now born outside of Canada.  In a gathering of some local Christian church pastors, five of the eight were non-Canadian born!  The Churchill Meadows Christian Church, a congregation of more than 600 with whom we partner, has more than 46 ethnic or people groups represented!

• This diversity provides great opportunity for the gospel.  We met with a young Polish church and its leadership, and spent a day in Little Portugal, distributing information for a new Brazilian church plant.  

• We visited Hindu and Buddhist temples, and a mosque.  The time at the mosque was especially engaging, as we spent time with a young imam named Munir.  He explained tenets of Islam with us and was extremely open and gracious as we discussed differences between our faiths.  There were times he admitted he had no answer to some of our questions, and we parted ways agreeing to continue seeking truth, wherever it might be found.  Please pray for him, that he will truly find the truth about God and the need for a relationship with Jesus.

• People throughout Toronto (properly called "Torontonians," we discovered!) were extremely nice to us, in every situation.  They received us politely as we distributed information about the church house-to-house, they helped us whenever we approached them with a need, and they were patient with us at every turn.  I asked the Canadian sitting next to me on the flight back to LA if every one in Toronto was so nice, and he replied, "Oh, there are many cities in the country where people are far nicer than those in Toronto!"  If that's true, I want to visit those cities!

• Canada has great spiritual need.  The culture has become increasingly secular in the last years, with little tolerance for Christianity.  The increasing immigration means a huge influx in other faiths, and a great deal of favor and latitude have been afforded them.  But standing for Christ has become more unpopular and difficult for individuals and groups.  There's more need for new churches now than ever!  We know that church planting is the most effective evangelism that can be done, and now is the time for contextually-relevant expressions of the church, meeting the needs of and hopes of this generation.

• We can make a difference in Canada!  Churches and individuals like us can impact and influence the spiritual landscape of those to the north of us.  Our partnership encourages and strengthens our brothers and sisters there.  Our involvement can help open new works and extend the influence of God's kingdom beyond our front doors.

Jim Tune, senior pastor of CMCC and president of Impact Canada, told us that it's understandable that we funnel resources and attention to the farthest points of the world.  And it's easy to overlook those who may be closest to us, assuming that they have all they need to understand the truth about God.  But with declining spirituality and burgeoning immigration, Canada, though a first-world nation economically, is a third-world nation spiritually (Jim's words).  And that a Canadian soul  dying without Jesus faces the same eternal consequences as a person in India, China, Japan or anywhere else who dies without knowing Him.


Thanks to those of you who prayed for us while we were away- but please don't stop your prayers!  Keep praying for your brothers and sisters at Churchill Meadows, for the churches in Toronto and beyond, for Impact Canada as it continues to plant churches throughout the country, and for God to be glorified among the Canadian people.  And in case you're interested, we're already talking about returning next year.  Pray about it...and the possibility of your place on the team with us.