“One Hope Canada’s partnership with the AGC empowers the mission to help community missionaries reach the least opportunity areas of Canada through community-based ministries.”

Welcome. I’m so glad you’re here! We often use these words to greet guests or family members to our home. The words express a genuine joy at seeing family and friends. In the same way, I used these words to welcome each One Hope Canada church that recently joined the Associated Gospel Churches.

Strategic ministry partnerships are valuable to the AGC. Our partnership with One Hope Canada has been a blessing as we have welcomed four churches into the AGC family and anticipate eight more in the near future. The AGC’s vision is to be a movement of healthy, reproducing churches.

AGC sees reproduction in several ways—in new church plants, daughter works from existing churches, multi-site churches, or partnerships with like-minded ministries such as One Hope Canada. Each of these works interdependently to see many people come to Jesus and walk as disciples. So . . . Welcome. I’m so glad you’re here!

Steps to Affiliation with the AGC

1. One Hope Canada facilitates dialog between a One Hope Canada church and the Associated Gospel Church (AGC), encouraging affiliation with the AGC.

2. The One Hope Canada church votes to begin the process of applying for AGC affiliation.

3. The church formally applies to join the AGC.

4. The pastor applies to be credentialed (and ordained, in some cases) with the AGC.

5. One Hope Canada’s Ministry Resource Centre helps the church develop a constitution and bylaws that will meet the requirements for religious society and charitable status.

6. Applications for religious society and charitable status are submitted to the federal government and the long wait for a response begins, sometimes with amendments along the way.

7. AGC approves the One Hope Canada church for affiliation and the pastor for credentialing/ordination.

8. Religious society and charitable status are granted by Canada Revenue Agency.

9. One Hope Canada transfers land and building titles to the church. A celebration Sunday is held to welcome the church into the AGC family.

Church Transitions

Fairview Gospel Chapel (Dave and Vera Brisbin), Faith Gospel Fellowship, Ft. Vermillion (presently seeking a pastor), Penhold Church of Hope (Dave and Heather Trenholm), and Two Hills Fellowship Chapel (Warren and Ellen Charlton), have been formally accepted into the AGC and their pastors credentialed/ordained. Pastor Warren convenes a coffee fellowship of AGC pastors in his area of Alberta; Pastor Dave hopes to establish a similar fellowship in the Peace River area. Penhold is waiting for word on its application for charitable status.

Myrnam Community Church (Gary and Bonnie Dupuis), and Silver Valley Gospel Chapel (Mike Driedger), have been approved for AGC affiliation. Pastor Gary has been approved for AGC credentials and ordination; Myrnam is waiting for word on its charitable status; Silver Valley has its charitable status and Pastor Mike is waiting for his credentialing interview.

Bonanza Gospel Chapel (Brian and Debbie Smallwood), Little Smoky Country Chapel (Fred and Grace Sherwood), and Mannville Community Church (Dave and Leslie Kenney), have applied for AGC affiliation and are working on their documents. Pastor Fred and Pastor Dave have been approved for AGC credentialing and ordination.

Bethel Gospel Chapel, Wanham (Mike and Helen Hicks) and Red Earth Creek Community Church (Lyle and Anita Wahl) have voted to apply for AGC affiliation and are working on their documents. Pastor Mike has been approved, and Pastor Lyle is already credentialed and ordained by the AGC.

Longview Bible Fellowship (Gil and Andrea Kidd) is transitioning to the Canadian Baptists of Western Canada, with which Pastor Gil is already credentialed. There is already an AGC church  in geographical proximity, so this was a good alternative for Longview.

Community Ministry Initiatives (CMI)

Community Ministry Initiatives in Alberta (currently remaining with One Hope Canada)

Nordegg Community Ministry (Rich and Cindy Hall) serves the small hamlet of Nordegg, 90 kilometers west of Rocky Mountain House. Because Rich and Cindy have become an integral part of the fabric of Nordegg, Rich is known as the community pastor in a community with no other formal Gospel witness.

Joy Chapel (Corney and Evangeline Thiessen and Jonathan and Allison Lorentzen) serves over 150 special needs people in the Grande Prairie area through a midweek supper and church service. During the summer, the Thiessens and Lorentzens minister to the same community through three weeks of summer camp.

A Message from the National Director Team

One Hope Canada’s partnership with the Associated Gospel Churches allows pastors to connect with like-minded ministers through coffee fellowship meetings, attend regional and national training conferences, and have the option of ordination.

Our partnership also provides opportunity and training for AGC pastors from smaller churches to raise personal support through One Hope Canada, enabling them to minister full time in their communities. For example, four pastors of transitioning churches continue to receive some raised support through One Hope Canada (Little Smoky, Mannville, Penhold, and Red Earth Creek). Together, with eyes fixed on Jesus, we see God building and strengthening His church, for His glory.