WATERLOO, ONTARIO - Why is it that some churches are stronger in their faith and service than others? How can a church move from minimal involvement with missions and with the poor to a strong and active commitment? The process is different for every church, but here's how it happened at Creekside Church in Waterloo, Ontario.
It began in 2006, when the Creekside elders and missions committee met to discuss how they could become more globally engaged. Carmen Bajo Church (CBC) in Quito, Ecuador was identified as a potential service project. Then in March 2007, a Creekside youth team led the way with the first short-term missions trip to Quito.
Carmen Bajo Church, led by Pastor Fabian Erazo, meets the needs of their poor neighbourhood in every way their limited funds will allow. For example, CBC facilitates a Compassion International-funded program that provides a hot meal, tutoring and Bible instruction for underprivileged children.
Just like Canadian churches, CBC dreams big. When medical missionaries donated money a few years ago, CBC bought a piece of property and dreams of building a 4-storey structure that will house a medical clinic, a sanctuary, classrooms, a youth drop-in, and the Pastor's manse. The capital cost to build the shell would be $200,000 CDN - an amount out of reach for this beleaguered church.
"We realized that we could help with the capital cost," said Dan Murray, Executive Pastor at Creekside Church. "But Creekside wanted to avoid being the rich gringo church that shows up and tells CBC what to do. We want to help this church do that they're already doing."
However, two obstacles were identified. First, the project seemed larger than Creekside could handle. Second, the Charities Act prohibits donations outside of Canada without proper agency agreements. Creekside needed a partner and ITCanada was approached.
ITCanada agreed to partner if Creekside would become the lead donor.
"What I appreciate about Creekside is that they understand about letting the Ecuadorian church own the project, letting them design it in a way that meets the needs of their own people. We're just there to help," said Gary Sharpe, ITCanada Director of International Projects.
In April 2008, Creekside's "Due Diligence" team traveled to Carmen Bajo to verify the legitimacy of the project. While there, other costs in addition to the cost of the shell, were identified, including $50,000 to equip the medical centre and an estimated $100,000 to fully equip the rest of the facility.
Notwithstanding, the Due Diligence team returned unanimous in support of proceeding. At the Creekside membership meeting, elders proposed committing $150,000 by early 2009. In addition, Creekside will set aside a small monthly stipend that will come out of the Mission's budget to help expand programs and hire staff. 87% of members voted in favour.
"This is a good start in the right direction," Murray said. "The advantage for Creekside is that we get to live out Matthew 25. Our members get to participate. This is a huge spiritual advantage for our church."
ITCanada agreed to raise the balance of funds needed.
Undoubtedly fundraising is going to be a challenge but Creekside Church is excited to have the opportunity to get involved and make a difference.
"This year is gonna be the greatest year in the history of our church," said Senior Pastor Creekside Church, Ken Taylor. BLM
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Carmen Bajo Church, led by Pastor Fabian Erazo, meets the needs of their poor neighbourhood in every way their limited funds will allow. For example, CBC facilitates a Compassion International-funded program that provides a hot meal, tutoring and Bible instruction for underprivileged children.
In April 2008, Creekside's "Due Diligence" team traveled to Carmen Bajo to verify the legitimacy of the project. While there, other costs in addition to the cost of the shell, were identified, including $50,000 to equip the medical centre and an estimated $100,000 to fully equip the rest of the facility.