Missions

At Work in the World

Mission Canada CALLED TO THE URBAN CORE

As a Mission Canada urban worker, I have the privilege of representing Jesus in the core of the city and making Him known to people who live or work in the urban hub. I love what I do! As I reflect, the 2023 spring season was filled with wonderful opportunities. They included building trusted relationships with families without connection to Christ or the local church, completing my degree in Ministry Leadership from Horizon College & Seminary, and participating in the Our City Conference ...

Mission Global FOR GOD SO LOVED TURKANA

While just a young teenager, Deborah Sirjoosingh distinctly heard God’s call to serve Him. She was kneeling in the prayer room during a Sunday evening at Bethel Pentecostal Church in Ottawa, Ont., when God spoke Isaiah 61:1 over her. A deeply special moment for her, she would recall that evening many times over, reminding her of God’s plan and purpose for her life. For the past 40 years, Deborah has devoted her life to bringing the holistic gospel to the remote Turkana people in nort...

ERDO BLINDSIDED BY WAR

Alina and her daughter, Kateryna, were watching TV when a special report was broadcast. Their country had been invaded. Soon, Alina’s son, Kateryna’s brother, went to serve in the armed forces. Kateryna’s husband, her sister’s husband, her sister’s son and her niece’s husband—all the men in the family—enlisted in the army before the week was out. Alina and Kateryna were left at home with no income. In a matter of days, parts of the country were b...

ERDO OUR THEORY OF CHANGE

When you give toward a country or a project near and dear to your heart, do you ever wonder what is going on in the background? Today, we at ERDO (Emergency Relief and Development Overseas) want to shine some light on everything you don’t usually see taking place at the ERDO HQ. Helping a family break free from generations of poverty does not happen overnight. When we partner with incredible global workers and the often-unseen churches around the world, it takes serious thought. It takes...

Mission Canada LIFELAUNCH

Over the last few decades, a problem has crystallized in the lives of young people across Canada, particularly in those who have grown up in the evangelical church. Time and time again we have seen the trend proven; a staggering number of students leave their Christian faith in the transition period from high school to post-secondary education. All too often, questions are being asked as to why this is happening. One of the most poignant answers is that students are ill-prepared for the challeng...

ERDO SPONSORSHIP MATTERS

Thirty years ago, ERDO (Emergency Relief and Development Overseas) and The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) launched the child sponsorship program, ChildCARE Plus (CCP). In the years since, thousands of children from all over the world have been educated, housed, clothed and fed through CCP. It is amazing to see how God has used ChildCARE Plus for over 30 years to reach families who otherwise would never hear the name of Jesus. ChildCARE Plus Has Been Changing Lives for Over 30 Years ...

Mission Global WORLDWIDE TESTIMONIES

The Bible begins with Spirit of God hovering over. Where there was darkness and void, He commanded light. This truth continues to be evident in our world today. There is light shining, testifying of God’s goodness. May you be encouraged and reminded of God’s nearness as you read the latest testimonies from the field. Each worker has been called by God and has seen the unique and beautiful manifestations of the Creator drawing His creation to Himself. —Victoria Ninaber, Associat...

Mission Canada HISTORY MADE

On July 24, 2022, Pope Francis arrived in Canada for what was described in his own words as a “penitential pilgrimage.” It was a six-day sojourn—longer than any single-country visit Pope Francis had made save for his first visit to Brazil for World Youth Day in July 2013. It is interesting to note that what Pope Francis said while in Canada was not notably different than what he said in Rome in April 2022 after spending several days in lengthy dialogue with Canada’s Indig...

Mission Canada A GREATER HARVEST

Sitting in the back row of our storefront church at the end of a long week, I asked God for a greater harvest of souls. I admit I was visualizing the families who attend our church and secretly counting the number of heads. “God, bring a greater harvest!” I cried out. I can’t remember if I opened my Bible to the story or if it was brought to my mind by Holy Spirit. Either way, the image of Jesus’ disciples whining about not catching enough fish after a full day of work fl...

Mission Global BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR MISSION GLOBAL

“To glorify God by making disciples across cultural and linguistic boundaries by proclaiming and practising the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.” —Mission Global’s Mission Statement “Right thinking” will guide “right behaviour” and “right action.” A biblical foundation must fuel both our character and our mission strategy as we work around the world. The Bible makes it clear that the starting point for mission mus...

ERDO SPARK JOY THIS CHRISTMAS

“My name is Mr. Mpofu. I speak on behalf of the parents whose children attend Skente Primary School. The challenges in Tsholotsho are many and times are difficult, especially now that whole communities are suffering from hunger. As adults we often go without food ourselves so that our children do not cry from hunger in the night.” So begins a letter written in a hut in Zimbabwe, pictured behind Mr. Mpofu in the photo we received. ERDO (Emergency Relief and Development Overseas) recei...

Mission Global PAOC INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS HAS CHANGED ITS NAME

On April 21, 2022, the PAOC General Conference voted, and we want to share the news that we are now Mission Global! You are a part of an extraordinary story of Canadian Pentecostals choosing to participate in God’s mission to all of humanity. For 100 years, partners like you in churches, colleges, and ministries across the country have mobilized this collective movement to make disciples. In that century of mission together, we have seen unprecedented changes. As a Fellowship, we have res...

Mission Canada SIX CULTURAL HEADWINDS

Brian Egert, PAOC’s Mission Canada director, sat down with Jeff Christopherson, the executive director of Church Planting Canada, to talk about the cultural headwinds affecting Canadian evangelicals. Brian Egert (BE): Jeff, thanks for connecting with us. We have enjoyed working collaboratively on the board of Church Planting Canada for several years. Let’s talk about your vantage point as we engage in the mission together. Jeff Christopherson (JC): Appreciate your leadership as the c...

ERDO SOWPEAP’S STORY

When children are sponsored, they not only receive an education but become part of a huge and loving community. Our global workers, who run sponsorship programs in 39 locations all over the world, know each sponsored child. They wrap their arms around families in need, making themselves available to pray and bring testimonies of God’s goodness wherever they go. In Cambodia, global worker Tiffanie Rowley leads 13 ChildCARE Plus (CCP) sponsorship communities in seven different provinces. T...

ERDO A MILLION CUPS OF WATER

“And whoever gives a cup of cold water to one of my disciples, I promise you, he will not go unrewarded” (Matthew 10:42, TPT). It may sound obvious, but a dry season is a time when rain simply does not fall. All over the world, dry seasons come once a year. People plan around their dry season, preparing their lives for a time when little rain will fall. Water reservoirs slowly empty as families focus on the day when rain will come again. In Honduras, the dry season can last from No...

Mission Canada IS CANADA WORTH IT?

“God began by making one person, and from him came all the different people who live everywhere in the world. God decided exactly when and where they must live. God wanted them to look for him and perhaps search all around for him and find him, though he is not far from any of us.” —Acts 17:26-27, NCV Have you ever been forced to leave your home in secret? Under duress? With only the slimmest hope of one day returning? Did you have to pay someone exorbitant fees to get out of...

International Missions A TRIBUTE TO A LIFE WELL LIVED IN SERVICE TO GOD

Our friend, colleague, and longtime global worker, Frank Michael Juelich, passed into the presence of Jesus on December 4, 2021. Frank was a dearly loved caregiver to thousands of Indian children and a mentor and leader to Bapu Desai, Yohan, and Jamuna Raut. Frank was born in Germany on November 21, 1935, the son of a roof maker. He lived through the Second World War, and at the age of 19, having completed a carpenter apprenticeship, he and his brother set out for India by bicycle looking for a...

International Missions PENTECOSTAL ENCOUNTERS, HEALING AND GENEROSITY

Serving in the Africa and the Middle East region, we have seen God move in incredible ways as we concentrate our efforts on unreached people groups. Our mandate is to strategize and pursue inroads for outreach opportunities. We have concentrated our efforts strategically around three seasons considered holy on the Islamic calendar as we note that people are open and receptive to having spiritual conversations at these times. These initiatives take considerable resources and are no small task, bu...

Mission Canada BECAUSE WE MUST

“God began by making one person, and from him came all the different people who live everywhere in the world. God decided exactly when and where they must live. God wanted them to look for him and perhaps search all around for him and find him, though he is not far from any of us.” (Acts 17:26-27, NCV) The tag line for Mission Canada, the PAOC’s national mission agency, was birthed in an informal stand-up meeting in an office doorway at the PAOC International Office over a deca...

ERDO WE NEED TO TALK

Several years ago, I received a voicemail from a concerned doctor. He lived and practised in Toronto, Ont., but his native homeland was Zimbabwe. Upon returning from a recent medical mission to Harare, he left me an ambiguous message: “We need to talk.” His concern was palpable, even over the phone. This expat was raising an alarm for Zimbabwe. When we sat down to chat, coffee in hand, he began a lengthy narrative of a country once commonly known as the breadbasket of Africa. Zimbab...