Despite various attempts by the Brethren Missionary Society dating back as far as 1916, Grace Brethren churches did not exist in Canada until recent years. During the early 1990s, interest intensified for planting the first Grace Brethren church in Canada. Responsibility for Canada shifted to Grace Brethren North American Missions. GBNAM leaders prayed fervently for God to bring workers for Canada and funding began to accumulate.
Kurt Miller drove from Winona Lake, Indiana to Ontario, Canada for many exploratory visits. He developed alliances with existing like-minded Canadian ministries. In 1996, GBNAM assembled and commissioned a team composed of Nathan Bryant, Philip and Beth Bryant, and Bartley and Sarah Sawatsky, with Ted and Elise Adomanis joining soon after.
The team was sent to the Toronto area in May 1997, and in September of the following year, Grace Community Church was launched in Mississauga, Ontario. The Grace Community Church quickly established itself as a healthy regional church, reproducing several daughter churches: Village Community Church in nearby Milton, Ontario in 2003, and Community of Hope Church in Surrey, British Columbia in 2007 (part of metro Vancouver). Grace Community Church developed a leadership team with Community of Hope and launched the new Grasslands Church in Medicine Hat, Alberta in fall 2011.
These healthy suburban church communities are highly multicultural with Asian, African, Middle Eastern, Hispanic, First Nations, and European attendance. They have seen steady growth as people find a sense of belonging in a Grace Fellowship church community that is uniquely Canadian.
Kurt Miller drove from Winona Lake, Indiana to Ontario, Canada for many exploratory visits. He developed alliances with existing like-minded Canadian ministries. In 1996, GBNAM assembled and commissioned a team composed of Nathan Bryant, Philip and Beth Bryant, and Bartley and Sarah Sawatsky, with Ted and Elise Adomanis joining soon after.
The team was sent to the Toronto area in May 1997, and in September of the following year, Grace Community Church was launched in Mississauga, Ontario. The Grace Community Church quickly established itself as a healthy regional church, reproducing several daughter churches: Village Community Church in nearby Milton, Ontario in 2003, and Community of Hope Church in Surrey, British Columbia in 2007 (part of metro Vancouver). Grace Community Church developed a leadership team with Community of Hope and launched the new Grasslands Church in Medicine Hat, Alberta in fall 2011.
These healthy suburban church communities are highly multicultural with Asian, African, Middle Eastern, Hispanic, First Nations, and European attendance. They have seen steady growth as people find a sense of belonging in a Grace Fellowship church community that is uniquely Canadian.
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