Engaging Community
Community Connections During Christmas!
Christmas may be one of the last holidays that crosses most religious and cultural lines; there aren’t too many individuals and families who don’t celebrate it in some way, shape or form. For many, it’s a time to come together no matter who we are or what we believe. Because of this, Christmas could just be the most perfect time of year to reach out and get to know your neighbours. Here are some great ideas we’ve compiled!
Read MoreOntario Church Cooks Up Ways to Help Refugees
The Refugee Committee of Meadowlands Fellowship CRC (“MFCRC”) has been very active for the last 7 years. During that time, the committee has helped eight (8) families – a total of 39 people – move from places of desperation to settlement away from conflict and into a place of peace and hope for their futures. In order to support another refugee family that the church is working hard to bring to Canada, the committee held a unique fundraiser on Saturday, November 6th: an online Arabic cooking class!
Read MoreHelping that HELPS During Christmas (and beyond!)
We all like to be helpful, don’t we? Opening a door for the elderly man walking with a cane, making a meal for a neighbour or friend when they are sick or just overwhelmed with life, lending a hand at the school fundraiser, and the list goes on. These kinds of ‘helps’ are wonderful and meaningful and are a wonderful way to bless another person.
So as we enter into the Christmas season, many of us are looking for even more ways we can help those who are less fortunate than us. But what if I told you that some helping doesn’t really help?
Ongoing Care and Connection Despite Covid Helps London Ministry Thrive
Sanctuary London has always at its core been about creating relationships with people experiencing oppression and exclusion. Overnight Covid changed the way Sanctuary interacted with each other. In many ways, they went from being intentionally and intensely relational to a service-driven, needs-based ministry. Despite the many challenges, Covid has affirmed their mission and they have continued on!
Read MoreNewGround Helps London Church Offer Affordable Counselling
Good News Church recently received a NewGround grant in order to partner with the Community Counselling Centre of London, which offers affordable counselling services. This partnership has become a beautiful, reciprocal relationship that is bearing all kinds of fruit. Check out the story now!
Read MoreApart, Yet A Part of God’s Kingdom Work
One of the key components of a NewGround partnership is how it supports its partners with learning and networking opportunities; the main one being the annual Ministry Networking Day!
For the first time ever, the annual Ministry Networking Day was held entirely virtually. And while participants were apart and were unable to gather in the same room due to provincial restrictions, one theme resounded during the afternoon spent together: while we remain apart, we are still a part of God’s great Kingdom, serving in a variety of spaces and places in His name!
Read MoreCommunity Garden puts People before Plants
When asked where the idea for a community garden came from, Pastor Marcel deRegt noted that the idea came to him as he was looking out over some of the church property, wondering how that “resource” could be better utilized to serve their broader community. He also shared about Gateway’s desire to be so involved and impactful in the community, that if they were to close their doors, the broader community would not just notice the vacant building, but would be grieved at the loss. He wondered if the community gardens could be another way the church could invest in and work with their local community.
Read MoreBowmanville Church Remains “Wide Open” to Local Community During Pandemic
As the pandemic closed the physical doors of Rehoboth CRC last spring, the church continued to look for ways to be ‘wide open’ to their local community in new and creative ways.
They were able to do this with the help of a Covid-19 Grant from Diaconal Ministries Canada and World Renew Canada.
Read MoreBC Youth Centre Provides a Safe Harbour with Help of NewGround Partnership
Mission Youth House, also known as MY House, in Mission, BC, is a collaborative initiative to provide a place for youth to eat, shower, do laundry, access medical care and other services and receive help from caring adults. Mission Hills Community CRC has been a key partner in providing counseling to staff, prayer support, financial donations and volunteer support. In order to grow the ministry and move more into the spiritual transformational work within the ministry, they knew they needed some help.
Enter NewGround…
Teen from Sonlight CRC Cares for Homeless with a Covid-19 Grant
Hope Booy is a young adult at Sonlight CRC in Regina. She was awarded a COVID-19 grant from World Renew and Diaconal Ministries Canada to put together a backpack of essential supplies for the homeless people she saw in her community.
Watch this story now!
