ServeCanada Missionaries
Neil Bassingthwaighte
Neil BassingthwaighteServeCanada Director
As the ServeCanada Director (National Mission), Neil coordinates the mission efforts of the EFCC in evangelism, discipleship and church planting across Canada in cooperation with local EFCC churches and other kingdom-minded partner organizations. Neil also provides oversight to the National Mission Leadership Team as they implement new EFCC mission strategies and projects. Neil also functions, unofficially, as the office database of awful jokes.
Dan Byrne
Dan ByrneCareer Missionary | Ottawa
After serving a local church in Ottawa for over a decade, Dan stepped out as a local missionary to the city because the mission field is here. Dan is an ordained minister with the Evangelical Free Church of Canada (EFCC) and a Certified Mentor of the Antioch School of Church Planting and Leadership Training, an accredited church-based theological seminary. Dan is commissioned for this ministry through the EFCC and Power to Change, while also receiving coaching from the We Are Church Network, BILD international’s CityChurch Network, and the Luis Palau Association.
Chris Yu
Chris YuCareer Missionary | Toronto
Chris Yu is the Lead Pastor of Mercy City Church in Toronto, Ontario. The church is a gospel presence in the everyday lives of the people around them. The people of Mercy City connect in their neighborhood through after school programs, volunteering in local schools, working with youth, and becoming a community hub for the entire neighborhood seven days a week. Prayer is integral to Mercy City’s work, as they desire to join God in reaching out in mercy to the needs of their community.
Francois Bergeron
Francois BergeronCareer Missionary | Quebec
Enter the world of The Chalk Artist and let yourself be transported to the Sea of Galilee in a beautiful landscape from the ancient Roman era. In a unique style, let François Bergeron, chalk artist and storyteller, bring you this historic adventure. Discover through this panoramic canvas, the authentic Masterpiece: Yeshua, the one who can speak to the wind… The Masterpiece is a show for the whole family.
Jonathan & Ashleigh Declet
Jonathan & Ashleigh DecletCareer Missionaries | Montreal QC
Grâce à pandemie, both Ashleigh and Jonathan are implicated in several areas of ministry within the island of Montréal. Since their move in 2018 to the Plateau, they have been actively involved in their local church up the street at Église du Plateau. Jonathan has been helping with several initiatives led by Christian Direction, building connections between churches and their youth groups and Ashleigh, because of the pandemic, has had to shift some of her research-rich focus on the sex-work industry to simply raising awareness about the industry within Montréal.
Jay & Kathy
Jay & KathyCareer Missionaries | Montreal QC
Jay and Kathy are deeply involved in church planting efforts and training on a variety of levels. They are currently involved with the Montreal Partnership, a church planting project and to a lesser degree, evangelism undertaking with the EFCC and EFCA. This project furthers efforts to enlist and send missionaries to Quebec as well as build greater connection with both the EFCA and the Reach Global Montreal team. It facilitates a desire of both the EFCC and EFCA has to see both Jay and Kathy do the admin for the entire Montreal team.
National Mission Committee (NMC)
The National Mission Committee (NMC) is a crucial part of the ServeCanada team. As a committee of the EFCC Board of Directors, its primary responsibilities are to:
- give input into ServeCanada’s budgeting process
- monitor our mission work in Canada through the reports received from all personnel
- ensure that our projects and personnel are in compliance with our organisation’s established policies
- make policy recommendations to the EFCC Board of Directors.
MARION DUECK
MARION DUECKNMC Chair
Marion has been Director of Ministry to Women at Okotoks EFC for 15 years. She has served on the NMC for 7 years and is currently the NMC chairperson. Marion and her husband Harold love spending time with their children and six grandchildren. When not spending time with them, she can be found cycling, camping, reading or having coffee with a friend.
STEWART REIMER
STEWART REIMERNMC Member
Stewart Reimer is a dedicated disciple of Jesus, happy husband to Charisa, father of eight children and pastor of the McBride EFC since 2014. He also serves on the district board of the EFCC – CPD. Stewart loves being in the mountains hiking, skiing, climbing rock and ice, and is an active member of Robson Valley Search and Rescue.
Other NMC members: Steve Doerksen and Nicole Wiebe.
Church Plants
Church planting typically starts as a local church or district initiative. That is true of each of the church plants below. We simply list them in order to recognize and celebrate church planting efforts all across Canada.
DAN & SHARON WILLIAMS
Church Planter | Wayside Crossing, Osoyoos BC
History: In 2019, Dan and Sharon Williams sensed a call from the Spirit to mission outreach and church planting in Osoyoos, BC. This beautiful desert area of the Okanagan is spiritually thirsty. The closest Evangelical Free church is 137 km away in Vernon. As we prepared for our departure from Dan’s posting at Vancouver Chinese E Free, the timing seemed good. Then COVID hit, so Dan’s good-bye sermon on March 29 was preached to an empty sanctuary and a video camera. But the gospel knows no barriers, and the reception from the community, while limited by lockdowns, has been favourable.
DWIGHT MUNN
Church Planter | All The Nations, Wembley, AB
History: Wembley, Alberta a small town in northern Alberta with a population of 1500-2000 people and about the same number in the surrounding area. We have been in the community for about 2 years now and working on building connections, trust and understanding where God is at work and seeking to join Him. At this time one of the major emphases is to build a leadership team from within those attending and from within the community. We have been working hard in getting to know the community.
IRANIAN CHURCH OF NEWMARKET
IRANIAN CHURCH OF NEWMARKETChurch Plant | Newmarket ON
History: Newmarket is a town 20km north of Richmond Hill with a population over 88,000 and a growing Iranian community. The Iranian Church of Newmarket had moved their services online during the pandemic time but fortunately they were able to baptize 10 members, along with 37 members of Richmond Hill in August 2020. They are currently conducting a Bible Study course for new believers (a mix of both churches members), courses for those desiring to get baptized (10 new members joined during the pandemic), as well as weekly Bible Studies for the older members of ICNM. They will be moving to a new building to hold in-person Sunday services.
Military Chaplains
Some of our EFCC people have been called by God to ministry within the Canadian Armed Forces. These are people we value, pray for, and support.
Peter Han
Military Chaplain | Esquimalt QC
Peter married his wife, Anna, in 2002 and has three kids, Katherine (16), Amy (13), and Chris (10). Han was ordained in August 2004 at the Jesus Korea Sungkyul Church in Fort Langley, BC. Pete transferred his Ordination Credential to the Lower Pacific District of the EFCC in March 2015. Han has served churches since 1996: Worship Leader, Director of College Students, Youth and Children’s Ministry, and Short-term Missions for indigenous people. Peter has worked as a Youth Worker and Crisis Counsellor at the Langley Community Services Society to provide counselling services from children to adults (2017-2019). Han joined the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and posted to CFB Esquimalt in 2019. Peter has been working as a chaplain at the CFBE and is responsible for fostering the spiritual, religious, and pastoral care of CAF members and their families. He will be deployed this year with one of HMCS ships.
Shiya Janzen
Military Chaplain | Borden ON
Chris Willis
Military Chaplain | Esquimalt QC
In 2019 Chris and Irene and their girls settled in Sooke, BC where he was posted to CFB Esquimalt (Victoria, BC), joining the Canadian Pacific Fleet of the Royal Canadian Navy. He deployed with HMCS Winnipeg for OP NEON and OP PROJECTION in the South China Sea during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. He has spent 141 days at sea over the course of the last two years and is currently the senior ranking unit Chaplain in the Formation and spent much of 2021 leading the Chaplain team of the Canadian Pacific Fleet on a temporary basis. He gets to share the love of Jesus by praying with a crusty (and some not so crusty) sailor. Many of them have never had anyone pray with them before. It’s a great joy!
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