Canadian Coordination Centre

The True Jesus Church in Canada was first planted in Toronto, when church members who immigrated to the region started to gather for family services. Later, in 1971, the Toronto House of Prayer was established. The membership grew over the following years, resulting in the dedication of the True Jesus Church in Toronto in 1977.

From the 1970s to the 1990s, a steady increase of immigrants, mainly from Hong Kong, Malaysia and Taiwan, brought new growth in membership to different areas of Canada. After the 2000s, believers from China followed in large numbers to settle in the country. Under the continuous guidance of God and by the power of His mighty hand, the Canadian churches flourished and were established in succession.

In order to utilize human and financial resources more efficiently, the churches in Canada held their first annual National Church Conference (NCC) in Toronto in October 1992. On the same occasion, the Canadian Coordination Centre (CCC) was officially founded, in line with the International Assembly (IA) by-laws. The purpose of the CCC is to pool and share the resources of the Canadian churches, to better carry out the sacred work across the country. These included the consolidation of the faith of the believers, preaching the word of God, carrying out the commission of God, and providing standardized training for the younger generation.

Up until this point, the church in Canada did not have any fulltime ministers. However, from 2002 onwards, God prepared three preachers and a deacon to help with the national church ministry on a voluntary assignment basis. Thank God for His providence, Timothy Yeung responded to the call of preacherhood and signed up for the IA Theological Training Program (TTP). After graduating and completing his five-year post-TTP assignment to a pioneering area, he returned to Canada in 2006 to serve as a fulltime preacher. In 2009, Preacher Luke Hsieh joined the sacred work to serve the church in Canada. In 2015, having completed four years of theological training and internship placements, Preacher Tony Kuo was ordained to become the third fulltime minister in Canada. This ordination marked a milestone because it was the first time a preacher had been ordained in Canada.

By the grace of God, there are currently four churches and one prayer house in Canada: Toronto (established 1971), Vancouver (1988), Edmonton (1990), Calgary (1994), and Montreal (1994), respectively. In total, there are 812 members. Most churches began with immigrant members who gathered for family services, which progressively expanded into houses of prayer, and eventually churches.

ORGANIZATIONAL STATUS

The CCC Executive Committee (EXCO) comprises seven council members, including the chairman. There are five departments in the CCC EXCO: the Department of Religious Affairs, the Department of Training, the Department of Literary Ministry, the Department of General Affairs, and the Department of Financial Affairs. Each department is managed by one director, who is responsible for mobilizing the work of the church on a national level.

CHALLENGES

The Canadian True Jesus Church membership is largely composed of immigrants and is predominantly Chinese in ethnicity. In addition, the local churches are geographically spread out and many provinces are still without churches or members. This poses some challenges to the pastoral and evangelistic work of the church nationwide. Many members left their native countries to seek a better life in Canada, but such a significant move is not without setbacks and hardships. As such, the church in Canada needs to address some problems for newcomers, such as the language barrier, cultural differences, the education of the younger generation, obstacles in professional life, and psychological pressure. For those who are already well adapted and comfortable in Canada, there is often the challenge of a lack of fervency as well as the tempting influence of worldly values.

Language barrier

The official languages of Canada are English and French, but most church members speak a different mother tongue. In order to cater for the needs of the diverse membership and the local population, each church conducts services which are delivered and/or interpreted into Chinese, English, and sometimes French. Some local churches have also created multilingual websites, evangelistic materials and online resources to reach out to the non-Chinese.

Cultural differences

Canada is a multicultural country with different ethnic and cultural groups coexisting side by side. Many believers live within their own cultural communities, and often have limited interaction with wider society. Thus, it is sometimes difficult for these members to relate to the Canadian lifestyle and find common ground with the general public. In order to preach to non-Chinese-speaking truth-seekers, the churches hold hymnal evangelistic services and outreach activities. Communication and mutual understanding are vital in a church that is increasingly diverse. Cultural clashes are inevitable, but the local churches are striving to encourage integration and maintain harmony, while teaching the correct biblical doctrines to preserve the faith. It is the responsibility of the church in the present time to integrate everyone into the faith, without favoring one culture over another, or compromising with the trends and practices of society.

Educating the younger generation

Inter-generational gaps occur when the younger generations become proficient in English and French, and lose their ability to communicate in their mother tongues. First-generation immigrant parents may find it difficult to speak to their children, let alone pass down their faith. The generations of youths who grew up in Canada have been educated with certain principles, concepts and values in school, which are inconsistent with the values they are taught at home and in church. Our children are the future of the church, and the greatest challenge in raising them is this conflict between the truth and worldly views. The church should encourage parents to raise their children in Christ, so that they will not deviate when they grow older. All parents, whether they are immigrants or not, face these issues in the education of their children. One must first hold on to the complete faith, to be an example to the children, teaching them to adjust to changing environments while remaining in the truth. The church is tasked with strengthening and building up the faith of each family.

Obstacles in professional life

Canada does not accept professional qualifications from most foreign countries, and many immigrant professionals need to retake examinations before their credentials are recognized by the government. It is also difficult to find employment in one’s chosen field, because most jobs require Canadian work experience. Thus, many members are not employed in their field of expertise. However, they are able to use their skills to serve as volunteers in church, and to help various individuals and fellowship groups. If we build our faith on the Rock, facing obstacles can further our knowledge of God’s grace and love, and tribulations can become blessings in disguise. The church should instill this faithful attitude in members, so that they can overcome such challenging circumstances of life.

Psychological pressure

The church can provide new immigrants with counselling, to help them to adjust and integrate into Canadian society. When dealing with members under great stress, the church needs to provide the word of God, in addition to caring and encouraging actions. Members need to learn to leave their comfort zone, lift up their eyes and look upon the Lord Jesus. In this way, they will be released from the bondage of stress, and live a life of heavenly joy and freedom in Jesus Christ. This is the goal that the church strives to reach, so that the name of Christ Jesus will be glorified and praised.

Complacency

As life is very comfortable in Canada, members may become complacent when their lives are blessed with material abundance. Members need to be alert to seemingly insignificant changes and influences in their environment, so that they are not led astray; they must respond by cultivating their spirituality instead. Without cultivation, they may lose their initial love and fervency for God, and lack the sense of mission to work for a greater purpose. One of the biggest threats that the church faces today is feeling contented with where we are now, without having the urgency to expand and grow. Canada, after all, is the second largest country in the world by landmass, so there is still much terrain to be conquered. In order to do this, the church in Canada needs to train up more workers and spread the gospel more rapidly.

Christian values versus worldly values

Canada is a liberal country which proudly embraces the tolerance and acceptance of all cultures. Its nation-founding policies also emphasize human rights and the freedom of people. True Jesus Church members growing up in Canada, with no exception, are being inculcated with these values from a young age in school. However, some of the values and practices that have become acceptable in Canadian society, such as same-sex marriage, among others, are straying further and further away from the teachings and principles of the Bible. The church is the watchperson and the voice of the end time, and she must stand on guard for God’s people, to help them fight the tides of this world.

BLESSINGS

As we recount the blessings of the True Jesus Church in Canada, we can only see God’s wonderful guidance and plan. We are thankful for the effort and hard work of our predecessors in various regions across the country, and look forward to a bright future. We pray that the Lord will continue to abide with all the brothers, sisters and church workers, so that we can stand firm in our faith and practice love. May the Holy Spirit guide the church to reach out and preach to all people in every corner of Canada, so that Jesus’ name may be glorified. Amen.