Global Engagement

New Canadians

New Canadians in our region including recent immigrants and refugees by supporting basic needs, community integration, and spiritual discipleship.

Vulnerable and Exploited Children

Vulnerable and exploited children in the least resourced nations by provided holistic community development and support including spiritual formation.

Unreached People Groups

Unreached people groups who have not yet had an opportunity to experience the good news of Jesus, by supporting the indigenous church in church planting and discipleship.

Our Vision and Strategy for Global Engagement

Near and Far

We live in a world where our attention is bombarded by worldwide challenges: wars, plagues, terrorism, injustice, millions of refugees, environmental destruction, and government corruption. Here at home, we are grappling with blatant materialism that co-exists in tension with the increasing spiritual and economic poverty of many. These countless needs can easily overwhelm us and may actually paralyze us into inaction, so that we are unable to become effective instruments of God’s transformation power.

So how do we make a difference in our stressed-out world? How do we as a church body advance His Kingdom in the nations?

Forward Church is determined to be focused and intentional with the resources that God has placed with us; whether people, money, or materials.

Our goal is to encourage our own church family to be more personally engaged with other nationalities. For some of us, it means staying here at home to teach New Canadians English; for others it means becoming better stewards of our own resources by supporting global ministries and the indigenous church; while for a few of us it will mean leaving home and serving abroad by assisting the national church or Christian-based organizations.

With a strong history behind us, Forward Church is advancing the Kingdom of Jesus around the world by responding to the spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional needs of the nationalities who are most in need.

Our Vision is Simple

“We see Jesus proclaimed by all nationalities; inside and outside of Canada.” We desire to see Jesus’ love bring hope, healing and transformation to people who are experiencing spiritual alienation and desperate living conditions in very poor countries in the world; while at the same time responding to the exploding needs of many nationalities fleeing to Canada to escape, war, persecution, and genocide in their own countries.

How Do We Do This?

We accomplish this by motivating, educating, mobilizing, and resourcing people from here or from afar to be well equipped in serving and discipling the nations. Our three point approach includes:

1- Developing connections with ministries supporting new Canadians and refugees within our region and abroad. Our current initiatives include:

Providing support to Ukrainian refugees.
Partnering with missionaries in Montreal to care for and reach new Canadians from Africa.
Financially supporting and volunteering at several Waterloo Region refugee agencies; and
Partnering with Cedar Home in Beirut, Lebanon which works with at-risk girls including refugees by providing education and living support.

2- Engaging in high impact partnerships with the indigenous church. Our current initiatives include:

The Center in Phnom Penh, Cambodia which provides education, life skills, and discipleship for vulnerable garment factory workers and their children;
Partnering with the Africa Inland Church of Tanzania to support the Amani School in Tanzania which provides a high quality education, vocational training, and regular meals for over 300 students.

3- Strategically supporting God-called people to undergird the indigenous church and work with like-minded partners. Our current initiatives include sending missionaries to support agencies involved in:

Vulnerable children and families in Cambodia, Nicaragua, and Tanzania;
Church planting and discipleship in Cambodia, Nicaragua, Russia, Ukraine, and Quebec;
Supporting global agencies involved in translation, health care, and supporting third culture children.

Be Part of This Solution

By giving at Forward Church, you are part of the solution. Many of our Discipleship Groups are serving their community and world.

If you would like to be more informed about Forward’s Global Engagement vision, contact Pastor Derik.

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