Our Story
one Man Prayed…..
It all began in 1982, with the prayers of one man. He was searching for someone to preach God’s word in a way that would change hearts.
His hunger for the Word was not being satisfied at the church he was attending and over many years the church had several changes in leadership. Despite this, the building was soon filled to capacity. The newest Pastor had an idea to expand by building a new church in Thornhill. Land was donated for the new site and a survey was completed. The result of the survey was about 47% in favor of spiritual development; still, it seemed the body of the church was divided about moving into Thornhill. The one man prayed….
The Lord brought in a Shantyman missionary whose heart was to reach the lost. He started works in the outlying areas, preaching the gospel to the lost and discipling servants for the Lord. He taught the SEAN course, a compendium of pastoral theology, to a group of individuals in the Nass and Rosswood. They wanted to hear more about the Lord Jesus Christ they had received. They did not know what the Lord had planned for them.
On various occasions the Shantyman missionary was invited to preach at several of the established churches in the Terrace area. When he delivered God’s Word it had “punch”, the Holy Spirit brought conviction and changed lives. When the man heard the Shantyman preach at his church, he said to himself “If this preacher ever starts his own church, I want to go to it”. Later the Shantyman was asked to form a church in Thornhill but his initial response was “No”. The one man continued to pray….
It was six months or more before the Shantyman had worked through the thought of starting a church along with all the responsibilities of being a Pastor. He still had the desire to continue with his ministry, reaching out to the lost but the struggle was ever present on his mind and in his prayers. The Lord finally provided the direction. The idea came to him that if he was to continue his ministry, it would be only one person reaching the lost, but if he could train others to join him in the quest, together they could do a greater work. With this thought in mind, he reconsidered his previous decision. So…….now he said “Yes”, but where would this church be? There were already several churches in Terrace. There was a small group of individuals in the Nass being prepared for discipleship, but it was only a small church and not much room for growth in the area. It also had the potential to reach out to the combined population of Terrace and Thornhill, as well as outlying areas.
A group began meeting as a home fellowship on Wednesday evenings, which soon evolved to a Sunday evening church service. The group was small at first, with only four or five families that met for worship and prayer. The Sunday evening service still did not quench the thirst of the ever expanding group, who had a hunger for the Word and wanted to be ministered to by messages from the Bible. The group decided to start a Sunday morning service where they could not only worship and pray but also receive the Word as delivered by the Shantyman. With each successive message the group was being nurtured and strengthened by the Word of God.
Soon it became apparent the Sunday service was in conflict with other church services some of the group attended on the same day. As well, the steady increase in attendance had overwhelmed the Shantyman’s home where the services were being held. With this conflict and the need for a larger facility, it seemed the only solution was to form their own church. In the fall of 1988, they moved into the Thornhill Elementary School for Sunday Services and began to inquire about establishing a formalized church.
Early in the process, one church was very helpful in the development of a doctrinal statement. A suggestion was put forth to become an affiliate of the church. After praying for guidance from God and His word, it was decided not to affiliate with another church but to form a non-denominational church. The one man heard planning for the new church was underway and he continued to pray……
After this decision, the process was completed. In the meantime about 30 people continued to meet in the music room of the school and this seemed to be an ideal place. It was comfortable, with room to expand to 50 or 60 but the Lord had a different plan. There was a strike at the school and they had to find another place to meet. It was at that point they began renting the Thornhill Community Hall. The first time the group met in the building with only 30 people, they felt overwhelmed by the size of the building.
Soon, they began an outreach program for children called “Awana”. The program was met with enthusiasm by the community and they were able to minister the Word of God to children from preschoolers to teenagers. The attendance at the Sunday morning service also continued to grow………
With an increase in the congregation there came an expanding counseling ministry and the need for a place to meet with new believers. An office was built on property that had been donated to the church. The one man continue to pray….
All were learning, growing and seeking God for wisdom and direction. The Lord raised another man from within the body to be a pastor, along with workers of all types to meet the increasing demands of the growing church. As the church continued to grow, so did the vision of training and equipping believers to be active participants in bringing the gospel to others within Thornhill as well as training and sending people out with the gospel to other areas. The one man continued to pray….
After several years, it was decided to start a “building fund” to raise money to build a church on the property. In 1998 they broke ground for the current building. A lot of volunteer work from within the congregation was instrumental in completing the project. In May, of 2000, they moved into the building.
Over the years many voices have been added to that of our precious brother’s. We look ahead, seeking the Lord for direction and guidance in all things, may our hearts be filled with the expectation of faith and a commitment to the necessity of prayer.
God Bless!