Scott Couper Is A Bridge

The population of street-affiliated people in Peterborough, Ontario has sky-rocketed. Many are homeless, unemployed and without hope. As a Mission Canada worker, Scott has responded to God’s call to go. With 30 years of pastoral ministry in PAOC churches, Scott has stepped into a new season and calling as a “Street Level Advocate” in Peterborough’s city core, where a population of over 80,000 reports more than 300 homeless individuals (Peterborough Social Services, July 2021). Unemployment, food insecurity and inadequate housing are all serious issues which are often compounded by mental health challenges, addictive behaviours, loneliness, and lack of purpose in life.

Scott is intentionally present among individuals who need to see God’s love demonstrated toward them. He knows that it is through kindness expressed in non-judgmental ways, that hope can be realized (Romans 2:4) and the love of Christ experienced. Utilizing his many connections with church leaders, social services and local police, Scott builds relationships and connects individuals to helpful services and resources. His deepest desire, however, is to be a human bridge, seeing people restored to right relationship with a Heavenly Father who loves them and has a good plan for their lives.

As followers of Christ, God calls us to care for those who find themselves in the gaps of society. As a “Street Level Advocate”, Scott’s mission is to:

CONNECT people to their Heavenly Father as kindness, respect, hospitality, and patient listening is lived out. As trust and friendship is built, hearts can become open to the message of hope found in the person of Jesus Christ.

BE A BRIDGE between the local church and those in the urban core so that the Church can partner to reach out and advocate for an individuals’ physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.

NETWORK street-affiliated people with resources that already exist for their help and benefit. Many are unaware of services available to them or how to access their assistance.

BRIDGE THE GAP of communication between the local police service and those on the streets of the city. Through his role as volunteer police chaplain, Scott is well positioned for meaningful conversations and connections.

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
Proverbs 31:8-9 (NIV)

Links:

https://paoc.org/canada/workers/scottcouper

Pandemic And Poverty - Timothy Meisenheimer (part 2)

Part 2 of my conversation with Timothy Meisenheimer from Ottawa. In this episode we discuss some of the challenges for the poor brought on by pandemic restrictions.

Also, the spiritual formation that can take place when people experience grief and loss.

Links:

Ottawa’s Heart with Ears - Timothy Meisenheimer interview (part 1)

https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/ottawas-heart-with-ears-timothy-meisenheimer-interview-part-1

Capital City Mission

http://capitalcitymission.com/

Ottawa Mission

https://ottawamission.com/

Ottawa's Heart with Ears - Timothy Meisenheimer Interview (part 1)

Timothy Meisenheimer is a lover of Jesus in each person he meets on the street. For more than twenty-two years God’s grace and mercy has given him wisdom as an Urban Missionary.

As the founding director of Capital City Mission in Ottawa and more recently as the Senior Manager of Chaplaincy Services at Ottawa Mission, Tim is a heart with ears walking in the path of Jesus.

In this interview segment we talk about some of the heart-wrenching realities in the lives of street affiliated people.

Links:

Capital City Mission

http://capitalcitymission.com/

Ottawa Mission

https://ottawamission.com/

Finding The Lost Daughter - Cathy Tollefson

Cathy Tollefson is the executive director of Global Family Canada, an organization with chapters in eight countries. Today we are again looking at human trafficking in Canada with a goal of educating and inspiring our listeners to get involved in strategies that make a difference.

When we think about the hidden magnitude of human trafficking, it can be overwhelming. But if we start to look at the ones being freed from slavery, we have a better story to tell.

I’ve entitled this episode ‘Finding The Lost Daughter’ because that is at the heart of the gospel, finding lost sons and daughters and bringing them home.

Links:

Global Family Canada

https://www.globalfamily.care/

Daughter Project Canada

www.daughterproject.ca

https://www.facebook.com/daughterproject.ca

More on Human Trafficking in the Kelly Franklin interview

Part 1: https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/sex-trafficking-and-the-courage-for-freedom-kelly-franklin-part-1

Part 2: https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/sex-trafficking-amp-the-courage-for-freedom-kelly-franklin-part-2

A Conversation with Toque Evans

Kevin Rogers sits down with his longtime friend, 2fish band mate and co-pastor Kevin Saunders. On October 1st their 2 urban congregations in Windsor Ontario merged together to become more effective through multiple locations of ministry.

Hear their collective experiences and gained wisdom from being in urban ministry for the long haul.

Toque Evans?

Two Kevins’.

Music Links:

www.2fish.org

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5Uoh9JfmI5gml9R6RGjjX8?si=O6j4WbGKTkaa2hdgoy0AIQ&dl_branch=1

https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/2fish/1398542019

Pastor, Police, PTSD - Cory Kostyra

Cory Kostyra is the pastor of Bradford Community Church and is making great inroads into his small city. Bradford is a bedroom community north of Toronto that is described as the primary country urban area of Bradford, West Gwillimbury, Ontario. This small city overlooks a farming community known as The Holland Marsh, located on the Holland River that flows into Lake Simcoe.

We have never featured a country urban area on the podcast, but apparently that is a thing.

In his other occupation he is part of the Ontario Provincial Police Traffic Support Unit that cleans up after highway accidents. Both highways 400 and 404 are major, multi-lane arteries flowing in and out of the Greater Toronto Area and often dealing with injuries and fatalities along their routes.

Unfortunately, Cory suffers from PTSD and has a story that will help us understand what many in police, EMS and healthcare are facing. So, we want to talk about that, but we also want to hear about some of the open doors in community since Cory entered pastoral ministry.

Links:

Bradford Community Church

https://www.bradfordcommunitychurch.com/

Living with PTSD

https://veterinarian.news/service-dog-refused-entry-into-bradford-restaurant-incident-leads-to-education-around-legislation/

Tim Schindel - Providing Spiritual Care for Politicians

We are 5 days away from a federal election in Canada. I don’t know how political you are, but the Bible does have some things to say about kings, governors and those who hold positions of authority in nations that we live.

Throughout Scripture we see God’s people living under political systems from the elders at the gate of your city, to kings and queens of nations and as conquered people living under slavery. There are examples of God-fearing politicians and of oppressive despots.

Paul was writing his letters to the churches while the Roman government was in power. The same government that would crush, torture, and execute good people like Jesus, the disciples and many in the early church. And yet, we hear a message of another government called the Kingdom of God. It’s a system that grows in seed form globally through all time and it does not go to war against its enemies. It is a government that does not originate in the world as we know it.

In Paul’s pastoral letter to Timothy, he said:

1 Timothy 2:

First, I want you to pray for all people. Ask God to help and bless them. Give thanks for them. 2 Pray for kings. Pray for everyone who is in authority. Pray that we can live peaceful and quiet lives. And pray that we will be godly and holy. 3 This is good, and it pleases God our Savior.

Have you prayed for the politicians of your nation asking God to help and bless them? Have you given thanks for them today?

My guest today has something to say about praying for leadership. I’m talking to Tim Schindel from Victoria, British Columbia. I met Tim several years ago as his vision for chaplaincy was in its early stages. The last time we were together in 2018, we had lunch and a tour of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia along with Jason Goertzen, the chaplain there.

Seeing the need and an opportunity to serve, Tim founded Leading Influence in 2006 to fulfill the vision of providing excellence in pastoral care to politicians across Canada.  Under his leadership, Leading Influence has grown to a national ministry with a chaplain team that reaches from Victoria, BC to Quebec City.  Tim serves as the National Director for Leading Influence and serves as the Ottawa chaplain.[1]

Links:

[1] https://leadinginfluence.com/chaplains/

The Great Reset Of Mission In The City

Earlier this summer I hosted a webinar with Steve Pike entitled ‘The Great Reset of Mission in the City’. Canadian urban leaders attended as we talked about 21st century realities of making disciples in our urban context.

Steve Pike has been at the forefront of church planting for thirty years. He served as founding director of Church Multiplication Network (CMN) for the Assemblies of God (USA) denomination.

Seeing a need for more church plants in cities, he founded Urban Islands Project, which exists to “increase the presence of the Church in the Urban O.”

He’s released a book entitled ‘Next Wave: Discovering the 21st Century Church’.

Links:

Previous interview with Steve Pike:

Season 2, Episode 9:

https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/21st-century-urban-churches-with-steve-pike

Steve Pike B: Next Wave website

https://nextwave.community/

Next Wave Book: Discovering the 21st Century Church

https://www.amazon.ca/Next-Wave-Discovering-Century-Church/dp/1736042815/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=next+wave+steve+pike&qid=1619868111&sr=8-1

Urban Islands Project

https://urbanislandsproject.org/

Sex Trafficking and Courage For Freedom (Kelly Franklin part 2)

This is part 2 of my interview with Kelly Tallon Franklin.

As a young Torontonian living in an upscale neighbourhood, Kelly lived with the secrecy of sexual abuse. Fuelled by her insecurities she took to the street with a vengeance. Her associations would eventually lead to her being trafficked.

Today Kelly Franklin leads Courage For Freedom, an organization committed to ending trafficking in Canada and helping its victims find a new life of healing and recovery.

Learn more at www.courageforfreedom.org

Kelly is available to speak and can be reached through office@courageforfreedom.org

Sex Trafficking and Courage For Freedom (Kelly Franklin part 1)

As a young Torontonian living in an upscale neighbourhood, Kelly lived with the secrecy of sexual abuse. Fuelled by her insecurities she took to the street with a vengeance. Her associations would eventually lead to her being trafficked.

Today Kelly Franklin leads Courage For Freedom, an organization committed to ending trafficking in Canada and helping its victims find a new life of healing and recovery.

Learn more at www.courageforfreedom.org

Kelly is available to speak and can be reached through office@courageforfreedom.org

Meet The Transformers - QUEST Conversation (part 2)

Robert D. Lupton wrote a book entitled ‘Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help’. In the book he has this intriguing quote:

“Giving to those in need what they could be gaining from their own initiative may well be the kindest way to destroy people. We mean well, our motives are good, but we have neglected to conduct care-full due diligence to determine emotional, economic, and cultural outcomes on the receiving end of our charity. Why do we miss this crucial aspect in evaluating our charitable work? Because, as compassionate people, we have been evaluating our charity by the rewards we receive through service, rather than the benefits received by the served. We have failed to adequately calculate the effects of our service on the lives of those reduced to objects of our pity and patronage.”

So, what do you think? How do we move from creating dependency on services to supporting initiative in the people you are helping? And how do we promote the vision of the organization in ways that dignify the people that we are committed to serve?

Kevin Coghill is a pastor and staff member at Royal City Mission in downtown Guelph. Their tagline is to ‘Make the Invisible Visible’.

When I was a youth pastor in Exeter, I would bring some of my youth and our musicians to help at Ark Aid Street Mission in downtown London. That was a place that had a great influence on my later decision to move to Windsor and start New Song Church. Ark Aid Mission outgrow the little storefront and moved into larger quarters in later years. One of its directors was the recently retired Doug Whitelaw and the one replacing him was Sarah Campbell.

After I moved to Windsor to begin New Song Church, I became acquainted with Mike Morency. He would leave his youth pastorate in Kitchener and move back to his hometown of Windsor and join as part of the pastoral team in our first few years as a new church.

Eventually he would return to University of Windsor and get his degree in social work. After working in the field, he returned to a faith-based organization named Matthew House, a residence that assists refugee claimants as they integrate into Canadian society. Mike then led them from a three-bedroom bungalow to a complex that can house many more.

Our very first podcast in season 1 was with Rodger Fordham, director of Feeding Windsor. What started with a handful of people at a downtown Presbyterian church then migrated over to New Song Church where I pastor, once the starting church closed for good. Together we have witnessed the growth of Feeding Windsor.

Links:

Part 1 of this interview:

https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/meet-the-transformers-quest-conversation-part-1

Rodger Fordham - Feeding Windsor interview

https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/windsors-little-church-with-a-big-kitchen

Royal City Mission, Guelph ON

https://www.royalcitymission.ca/

Ark Aid Mission, London ON

https://arkaidmission.com/

Matthew House, Windsor ON

http://matthewhousewindsor.org/

Feeding Windsor

http://www.feedingwindsor.ca/

Meet The Transformers - QUEST Conversation (part 1)

We have been examining model of ministry in Canadian cities using the acronym QUEST. There are five models from our urban guiding group survey that start to give definition to God at work in our communities.

Q – Qualitative Neighbouring. These are people who choose a front porch instead of a pulpit and view being a neighbour as a primary vocation.

U – Urban Churches. These houses of worship seek to be an expression of God’s goodness in their city context. A love for God and city keeps them located where needed, and not necessarily where it will be easy.

E – Energizers. Who are the communicators, artists and influencers that bring God’s Spirit to the surrounding culture?

S – Street Ministry Workers. With a backpack and a cell phone, these are the mobile pastors and evangelists that will follow the scent to people in trouble and on the margins of society. Like St. Bernard dogs, they will go the distance to save someone that has fallen.

T – Transformers. Who are the people that organize relief and development for the most vulnerable citizens? As they feed, clothe, shelter, and bring hope to their city, community transformation inevitably happens.  

Today we are going to meet the transformers. No, not Optimus Prime and company, but men and women that are just as heroic in their own real -world context.

Kevin Coghill is a pastor and staff member at Royal City Mission in downtown Guelph.

When I was a youth pastor in Exeter, I would bring some of my youth and our musicians to help at Ark Aid Street Mission in downtown London. That was a place that had a great influence on my later decision to move to Windsor and start New Song Church. Ark Aid Mission outgrow the little storefront and moved into larger quarters in later years. One of its directors was the recently retired Doug Whitelaw and the one replacing him was Sarah Campbell.

After I moved to Windsor to begin New Song Church, I became acquainted with Mike Morency. He would leave his youth pastorate in Kitchener and move back to his hometown of Windsor and join as part of the pastoral team in our first few years as a new church.

Eventually he would return to University of Windsor and get his degree in social work. After working in the field, he returned to a faith-based organization named Matthew House, a residence that assists refugee claimants as they integrate into Canadian society. Mike then led them from a three-bedroom bungalow to a complex that can house many more.

Our very first podcast in season 1 was with Rodger Fordham, director of Feeding Windsor. What started with a handful of people at a downtown Presbyterian church then migrated over to New Song Church where I pastor, once the starting church closed for good. Together we have witnessed the growth of Feeding Windsor.

Links:

Royal City Mission, Guelph ON

https://www.royalcitymission.ca/

Ark Aid Mission, London ON

https://arkaidmission.com/

Matthew House, Windsor ON

http://matthewhousewindsor.org/

Feeding Windsor

http://www.feedingwindsor.ca/

Sidewalk Pastors - QUEST Conversation (part 2)

In the second part of the Sidewalk Pastors interview, we talk about the stereotypes around poverty and the spiritual formation that is grossly neglected in the field of social work. We will hear more amazing stories about real life people and their courageous struggles.

Our guests are great examples of Street Ministry Workers (letter “S” in our QUEST acronym).

If you have not listened, to part 1 please go back and listen to that first to get a proper introduction to our guests Bob Gal, Anna Morgante and Ejay Tupe.

Links:

Mission Canada

https://paoc.org/canada

Bob Gal

https://paoc.org/canada/workers/bobgal

Anna Morgante

https://paoc.org/canada/workers/annamorgante

Ejay Tupe

https://paoc.org/canada/workers/ejaytupe

Urban Churches in Canada - QUEST Conversations part 1

Tim Keller writes, “Cities, quite literally, have more of the image of God per square inch than any other place on earth. How can we not be drawn to such masses of humanity if we care about the same things that God cares about?” [1] Timothy Keller, Center Church p.143

So what do we mean by the term ‘urban church’? Our working definition of urban includes High Density (population), High Diversity (culture) and High Disparity (socio-economic).

Each of our guests today are pastors in urban churches from coast to coast. Each urban centre is so different from the other, but we are finding lots of common ground in what it means to be an urban congregation.

 Simon Gau is at Broadway Church in Vancouver, BC. He serves as the community pastor and Executive Director of Cityreach.

Debbie Kunst is the pastor of Edmonton’s Father’s House.

Bruce Martin is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Winnipeg, another historic Pentecostal congregation that has remained in the downtown core.

Across the Prairies, let’s land at YYZ. Pearson International Airport in Toronto. We’re renting a car and driving 20 kms NE to the Jane-Finch corridor. Olu Jegede is the senior pastor of Christian Centre Church.

Let’s get back on our private jet and fly to Montreal. Kyvenz Amedee is the pastor of Eglise Gospelvie, a multicultural church located in the heart of Montreal’s South-Central district.

And finally our Maritime urban pastor Chad Nickerson. He is at Calvary Temple in St. John, NB.

Links:

Broadway Church, Vancouver BC

https://www.broadwaychurch.com/

Cityreach

https://www.cityreach.org/

Simon Gau

Broadway Church, Vancouver

Edmonton Father’s House

http://edmontonfathershouse.org/index.html

Debbie Kunst interview from Season 1:

https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/spiritual-mother-in-the-fathers-house-debbie-kunst-interview

Video version:

https://youtu.be/FK5ghUOu-EQ

Debbie Kunst

Calvary Temple, Winnipeg

https://www.ctwinnipeg.com/

Bruce Martin

Christian Centre Church, Toronto

https://ccctoronto.com/

Inner City Outreach, Toronto

https://innercityoutreach.ca/

Olu Jegede from Season 1:

https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/gangland-preacher-olu-jegede

Olu Jegede

Inner City Outreach

Eglise Gospelvie

https://www.gospelvie.com/

Kyvenz Amadee

Calvary Temple, St. John NB

https://www.calvarytemplesj.com/

Chad Nickerson from Season 1:

https://www.sidewalkskylinepodcast.com/sidewalkskylinepodcast/saint-chad-in-saint-john-chad-nickerson-interview

Video version:

https://youtu.be/i365tAy9duU