Ministry Partners

Inter and Para-Church Ministries in partnership with Avenue Road Baptist Church

Avenue Road Baptist Church is proud to partner with both the inner ministries of Avenue Road, and those of our community.  These unique relationships enable Avenue Road to extend outreach and service beyond our walls to the community.  These inter-dependent relationships with our neighbours enables all groups to maximize their efficiency and reach by avoiding the duplication of resources, and expands our spheres of service.  Below are a few of our partners, and a description of their ministry and function:

• Welcome House
• Camp Hermosa
• Camp Kwasind
• Fiddlesticks Neighbourhood Association
• Cambridge Kiwanis Boys Choir
• Epicenter
• Guelph Association
• Canadian Baptist Ministries
• The Canadian Council of Churches
• The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada

Welcome House

A ministry to refugees.

At our fall business meeting, the congregation approved the proposal of our Refugee Task Force to create “Welcome House,” a ministry to refugees in our church house.
In a nutshell, we will use the house to welcome refugees who have come through the ministry of Matthew House in Toronto or Fort Erie for up to one year each as they settle into life in Canada. We will provide volunteer support to help them achieve independence, orienting them to our community and how to accomplish day-to-day tasks here. $5000 is already committed by the Mission Circle and the Friendship Circle for the start-up costs of this ministry, and a strong volunteer team is in place.  If you would like to volunteer to help with rides from time to time, or any other service you could provide to new residents, please contact Linda Rothery, chair of our Welcome House team.   Thank you, especially to everyone who has worked so tirelessly to get the house ready for these new friends. We believe God has truly equipped us to accomplish the work he has given us. The hundreds of hours of labour you have given are greatly appreciated.    - Top

Camp Hermosa

Christian Camp Ministry.

Camp Hermosa is a Christian camp ministry of the Guelph, Middlesex-Lambton-Huron, and Owen Sound Associations of the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec. For more than 75 years, Camp Hermosa has sought to extend the life of the local church in the middle of nature's beauty.

Located a few km north of Goderich, Ontario on the shore of Lake Huron, Camp Hermosa offers a variety of weekend and week-long camp sessions, to enhance the Christian experience of children, youth, families, and adults.

Here you'll find everything to do with camp: Summer programming and registration, retreat weekends, leadership and leadership-in-training opportunities, employment opportunities, site-rental info and more. 

Camp Hermosa is a place where campers of all ages can be enriched and invigorated by beautiful surroundings, daily worship and Bible study, sports, swimming, crafts, and the fellowship of dozens of new friends.

Year after year, campers come to Hermosa to reconnect with old friends, and to make new ones. Children are introduced to the Bible; commitments are strengthened; and decisions are made for Christ on a daily basis. For those returning to us, check out your favourite memories in our movie and photo sections, and check out our apparel store for all those goodies you missed picking up last season.

For more information please email info@camphermosa.org.     - Top

Camp Kwasind

Christian Camp Ministry.

Camp Kwasind is located north of Bracebridge, Ontario at Beautiful Skeleton Lake.  Their vision is:  To develop and nurture Christian faith and relationships through effective programs in a safe, exciting and natural environment.  Camp Kwasind is proudly affiliated with the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec and is a fully accredited member of Christian Camping International and the Ontario Camping Association.

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Fiddlesticks Neighbourhood Association

Fiddlesticks Community Center of Cambridge, Ontario.

Fiddlesticks Community Centre is a recreation based community organization serving the neighbourhood bordered by Franklin Boulevard, Townline Road, Pinebush Road and Clyde Road.
Our offices are located at the Ferguson Homestead on Cowan Boulevard, though we run programs out of the local neighbourhood schools, Avenue Road Baptist Church and our second site, "The Hub" on Anglerock Drive.
We invite you to browse our website to get a better idea of the programs, special events and services we offer. We would be happy to answer any questions you might have about our organization or what we have to offer you and your family. Please call our office at (519) 621-4040, or email us at fiddlesticks@on.aibn.com.     - Top

Cambridge Kiwanis Boys Choir

Community Boys Choir for Cambridge, Ontario.  (ckboyschoir.ca)  -- (more photos here)

Epicenter

Partnering with Cambridge Churches, and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

A Broader Vision

When members of the BGEA of Canada first approached the clergy in Halifax and St. John's about bringing an evangelistic youth out-reach to their cities, they were not sold on the idea until they saw the training and discipleship that were part of the wider epicentre program.

"The concept really appealed to us because it matched our [Avalon Youth Ministries] vision and mission of bringing youth together, training them to do outreach in their schools and providing events they can bring their friends to," said Pastor Dion Collins, chairman of the local St. John's committee and youth pastor at Elim Pentecostal Tabernacle.

The phases of epicentre involve mentoring and training Christian youth to be leaders; city-wide prayer initiatives; worship events to promote unity and generate excitement about ignition; evangelism training courses; a multi-media event with dynamic music and a clear proclamation of the Gospel; follow-up discipleship training; and a short-term missions trip.

"I saw a process take place—taking kids from being too timid to share Christ with their friends to actually bringing their friends to the Lord," Collins said.

Matt Carol, 18, went through the counselor training for ignition and gained confidence in sharing his faith. The night of the event he was nervous, but God directed him to another 18-year-old man who came forward at the invitation.

"I [wasn't] prepared for how amazing it was to lead someone to Christ," Carol said. Less than a year ago, Carol didn't believe in God. He'd grown up going to church, but he didn't have a spiritual connection.

"I was forced to go," Carol says. "I never believed in God. I had no idea who God was." Then a few months ago, a friend from school invited him to her youth group. At first he said he felt anxious and uneasy in the Christian setting.

"One night I just didn't feel uncomfortable, and then the next thing I remember is kneeling down at the altar with tears coming down my face. I hadn't cried in years." He surrendered his life to the Lord that night and never looked back. "I've had kind of a rough road spiritually, but when I became a Christian my life improved 200 percent!"

There is an urgency to reach youth, said Pastor Mike Miller, chairman of the local Halifax committee and missions pastor at Rock Church. Statistics show that most people come to Christ between ages 14-18 and that it becomes more difficult to reach 19- to 25-year-olds. Miller was encouraged that epicentre targeted junior high, high school and university students.

"The most valuable resource in the Maritimes is youth," Miller said. "It's not oil or fish or forestry." Both Miller and Collins view ignition as a beginning—the start of something in their cities.     - Top
 

Guelph Association

. . . of Baptist Churches.

CBOQ churches meet together in 17 Associations across our region for fellowship, resourcing and mission. Each Association has an Association Ministry Committee to strengthen the work of our Pastors and other ministry leaders. Many of the Associations are involved in organizing camps as part of their ministry work.

New churches join the CBOQ by first becoming members of their local Association. Our Associations are involved in evaluating and supporting ministry grant applicants.

Some of our language specific congregations have organized in support networks for mutual assistance and encouragement. Affinity groups also develop as congregations with similar needs seek to support one another.

The Moderators of Associations meet annually with the CBOQ to fellowship and consult.

This Association is an affiliated body of the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec www.baptist.ca, and so affiliated with Canadian Baptist ministries and the Baptist World Alliance. 

The Quebec Association of Baptist Churches, known then as the Eastern Association, was established in 1887, coincident with broader organizational changes which culminated in establishment of the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec in 1889, by Act of Parliament. The associations, of which there are now 17, are an integral part of the overall structure of the Convention: - churches ® associations ® Convention.
The associations are regional networks of churches that work together for ministry, fellowship and mission, attending to programs and issues that are specific to their particular region.
An Association Boundaries Committee, established in 1963, proposed that churches located in Quebec , which at the time were members of the Ottawa Association (the Brownsburg, Grenville and West Chatham field, and the Thurso, Avoca and Rivington field) be added to the membership of the Eastern Association. 
In 1965-66 the association was renamed the Quebec Association of Baptist Churches.
The Brownsburg Church was received into membership in 1974, and Avoca-Rivington in 1978.
In 1989 The Baptist Church Extension Board of the Province of Quebec, Inc. was made a standing committee of the Quebec Association, with its Board of Directors being comprised of the officers of the Association. Its purpose is to act on behalf of, and in support of, the Baptists in this Province with a view to extending the Baptist cause in Quebec . It was incorporated in 1930 and acts as trustee for the handling of funds and property necessary to carry out its purpose. 
At the present time there are 18 member churches in the Quebec Association, both rural and city, serving varying ethnic communities, including English, Spanish, Chinese, Ukrainian and Portuguese.     - Top

Canadian Baptist Ministries

Canadian Baptist Ministries is a movement of churches who call themselves Canadian Baptists. We are the link between churches across Canada and around the world. As part of the larger family of Baptist churches around the globe, we represent one of the largest networks of faith in the Protestant world. We are one of the most multi-cultural denominations in Canada, worshiping in 32 different languages on any given Sunday in almost as many diverse worship styles.

Our approach to ministry affirms the desire to see people form themselves in faith communities based on commitment to Christ and service in the world. CBM is a “grassroots” movement which believes that mission and ministry emerge from the local church into the neighbourhood and beyond, seeking a ministry that is both spiritual and social in its dynamic.

We believe that the local church is the centre of mission. We exist to serve local churches in their mission efforts - to be a resource in planning and implementation, a sounding board, and a partner in learning.    - Top

 

The Canadian Council of Churches

The Canadian Council of Churches . . .