Based upon the Great Commission, and based upon the knowledge that God loves all people, we desire to reach out and spread the love of God to as many people as we can - not only in our neighborhood, but throughout our city, province, country, and even to the ends of the earth. In James 1:27, we are reminded that Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. Recognizing the Biblical imperative to show practical love and care for those who are in need, both in our own communities and in poverty-stricken communities around the world, ECBC's English Congregation desires to reach out and show the love of God to as many people as we can - here in Edmonton's inner city, but also in other areas of Canada and the world.

The 2006 summer missions team.

To pursue these two objectives - to share the love of God through our actions and our words to people in Edmonton and around the world - we take part in various outreach and missions initiatives at home and abroad.

As a church, we support the Mustard Seed Street Church - an inner-city Edmonton church which ministers to the need of Edmonton's poorest citizens. Twice a year we buy, cook, and serve supper to members of the inner-city communities who come to eat at the Mustard Seed.

Our small groups and fellowships pursue opportunities to show the love of God in a practical way to neighbors who are sick or in need.

Each fall we host a Community Block Party, an outreach to the neighbourhood where we serve a free lunch, have games and gifts for children, and seek to build relationships with our neighbors.

Our fellowships and small groups have been involved in various service and outreach projects - serving hot chocolate on the streets in our neighbourhood during the winter; raking leaves for community residents; visiting the elderly in the neighbourhood; partnering with Habitat For Humanity. We continue to seek after additional ways that we can practically show people in our community that we love them, and that we love them because God loves them.

In addition to outreach, we are also intimately involved in missions work - bringing the love of God beyond the boundaries of Edmonton. We desire to be "on mission with God", sharing His love and His salvation across Canada, and around the world.

In July 2004, we sent a missions team of 7 (3 guys, 4 girls) to inner-city Vancouver for a 10-day missions project with YWAM (Youth With a Mission). The missions team ministered to the needy, were challenged to catch God's vision and mission for the poor, and also stepped up into ministry roles.

In August 2005, we sent a team of 11 on a 10-day missions project to Tijuana, Mexico (again with YWAM). After 3 days of training in Los Angeles, the missions team spent 5 days in Tijuana serving the needs of the community and its churches. The purpose of such missions trips is dual - to provide for the physical needs of the people of Tijuana; and to share the love of God with those who have never heard the Good News that Jesus Christ came to save them!

In the summer of 2006, ECBC began a long-term partnership with Tlicho Christian Fellowship, a Southern Baptist Church in Rae-Edzo (Behchoko), NWT. A team of 14, diverse in age, language, and cultural background, went up to serve the church and the community. We led VBS with dozens of kids, ran sports ministries, did practical service (like digging holes and chopping wood) and just generally shared God's love with the Dogrib (Tlicho) natives of Rae. You can read some of the sharing from the missions trip here ... you can also see pictures, and a video, from the missions trip here. You can also read about how God planted the vision for partnering with the church in Rae here.

In August 2007, we sent a team of 9 youth & young adults from the English congregation back up to Behchoko (Rae), NWT. Our focus was upon the exuberant and spiritually-seeking children and youth of the community, demonstrating God's love to them through our words and our works. We had daily kids' camps (VBS), sports outreach, arts & crafts tutorials, and late-night movies & discussions. You can view pictures from our missions trip here, or you can read reports from some of our summer missionaries here.

For more information, contact our Outreach & Mission servant leader Melissa Duong at mduong@ualberta.ca.