Cedar Valley Church in Mission, B.C., often has a full parking lot, and not just on Sunday mornings. Each week, 500 to 1,000 people enter the doors of the church building to meet with various groups using space there. “We’ve opened our campus up as an ‘affordable, flexible, faith-based community centre’ to be a blessing to our neighbours,” reports Pastor Michael Turner in the church’s annual report.
Activities in the building include literacy development, cultural celebrations, fundraisers, preschool, fitness, youth programs, community events and international student programs.
“Every one of them an incredible life that Jesus longs to reach,” continues Turner. “It has been my pleasure to be present and engage with most of this campus life, and the heart of our vision is that we aren’t just friendly landlords but that we are building relationships and partnering with our guests.”
One of those ministries is Jesters Theatre: Youth Unlimited, a Jesus-centred outreach for teens and young adults. Last year, Cedar Valley opened its space to host the program, which sees up to 50 young people participate in theatre activities twice a week. In February, Jesters Theatre performed a student musical in the church auditorium.
United Way came alongside Cedar Valley’s community involvement several years ago to help the church identify and meet real needs in the immediate neighbourhood.
One such project has been the annual community Easter Egg Hunt. Another is the Community Cupboard located at the church, which contains a supply of essential items and food items for those in need. It receives 12-18 visits daily.
“Just before Christmas, we were able to give out over 20 hampers that were packed and prayed over at our October 5 Sunday service,” reports Turner. “Through our many campus groups we found more than enough connections to meet the needs of families and love being able to share the love of Jesus in this way. At the heart of all this, we want to be present and involved in the lives of those in our growing neighbourhood.
It is so encouraging that we’re quickly becoming known as the fun and supportive church next to Griner Park,” concludes Turner.
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