A story that expresses the glory of God in Woodbridge
"Commitment to God Implies Sacrifice"
"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart"
Psalm 27:4
To God be the glory, for his generosity and mercy and for calling us to work for his kingdom...
It has been a joy and at the same time a commitment to God, working as a labourer in his vineyard. The plan is to present Christ as the most complete resource that a human being needs to live a peaceful life and obtain eternal life. May God be blessed and glorified in our daily lives, and may our work shine like mid-day sunlight.
Those at Emanuel Church are aware of the need to take God's message to the north end of the City of Toronto in Vaughan, especially in Woodbridge. God allowed our family to move into the City of Woodbridge in August 2003 and in March 2005 we began a Bible study and prayer group at a location provided by the New Life Italian Church at 8111 Weston Road every Tuesday.
October 8, 2006, marked the formal start of worship services each Sunday. This event was the faithful expression of the glory of God, where a small community of people hungered to hear the Word of the Lord.
We thank God for the blessing of a group of people who moved into the area and who were members of our mother church, and other families who came from Toronto to support us; and for those other families who had just moved into the area and needed a congregation to worship God and others who came for different personal and family needs and who were converted to Christ in this place.
Before beginning the services on Sundays we felt the need to plant the seed of the gospel and make it sprout in the lives of the hungry and needy. As I prayed and fasted, I felt both sorrow and a commitment to God to minister in the Woodbridge community. It was in God’s timing to birth this church.
In the same way, every Tuesday a group of people would gather to invoke the name of God and seek his Word and even celebrate our birthdays. The Woodbridge Church has two very remarkable characteristics: the love they show one another and the joy of celebrating the Word together. It is a church in which we can enjoy a lot of fellowship and where affiliations of mercy with the needy are implemented.
We have a "women's intercession" group that every Friday at 5:30 in the morning rise to glorify the name of God. Through a conference call we pray for the different needs of the community. In addition, there is a "men's intercession" group that prays every Saturday at 6:00 in the morning through a conference call. Men seeking direction in their personal lives and in the different roles that God has given each one.
In the year 2007 we had the first baptism. It was the first harvest of these new believers. The teachings of the Holy Scripture has been a wonderful experience. Then, in the years 2008 and 2009, new believers came to affirm their faith and their decision for Christ.
In June 2008, we were advised that we had to move out of the New Life location. This was a test that helped us to work together in the new unit where we are and saw the commitment of people who dedicated themselves to transforming this unit into a church. There is a faithful remnant that has remained, no matter the circumstances that are presented to us. We still continue to pray for our dream, and that is to have a suitable place to glorify the name of God.
For my ministerial life 2008 was a confirmation of my call, when the Church of the Nazarene ordained me on June 11 as a minister/pastor of the gospel of Christ. It has been one of the most special events in my life. The ministers who were present at the church prayed for me and dedicated me for the service of the work of Christ. This, after having been examined year after year by the Credentials Committee and having finished the four years of studies at the Centre for Ministerial Studies, from which God allowed me to graduate in October 2008.
God has been very good to me. He has given me a family that supports the call and have also been involved in the ministry. My gratitude to Pedro Julio, for being a husband, a partner, a true example of a fellow servant for Christ. To my three children, who support me in the ministry and too many servants of God who have traveled with me in this new path in the planting of the Woodbridge Hispanic Church.
To God be the glory forever.
