Anthony Goodhoofd grew up in a Christian home. Based on experiencing his mom’s very real dependency on God’s provision during his teen years, he made a firm decision to follow Jesus and made a public profession of that faith commitment. In the years that followed, he and his spouse Rita attended the Christian Reformed Church during which time Anthony served in various leadership roles that included diaconal, elder, planning/ideation responsibilities. After moving to Cambridge in 2010 and attending Forward Church for a number of years, Anthony was baptized in 2014. Anthony and Rita previously led Forward’s various Frontlines’ teams, currently participate on the Senior’s Pastoral Care Team and serve at Forward whenever and wherever time and circumstance allow. Anthony is a retired creative after being self-employed his entire career having run a Toronto-based graphic design/communications company. He and Rita have four children, three grandchildren and live in Guelph.
André Shadrach accepted Jesus as his Lord and Saviour during his university days and has been a faithful follower since, making his daily devotions a priority. In 2010, André and his family began attending Forward Church and now call it home. In addition to having served as an elder for six years at Forward, André has served in many leadership roles including men’s ministry and discipleship groups as well as helping to start up and manage Forward Hockey. For many years, he and his wife Lori have welcomed discipleship groups and engaged & married couples into their home to journey along with them. Their two married daughters, sons-in-law and three grandchildren also attend Forward. In partnership with his wife, André operates a professional recruiting firm for the manufacturing and technology sectors. André’s spiritual gifts include encouragement and mentorship.
Joshua Dela Cruz has been attending and supporting various ministries at Forward Kitchener since 2018. On Sunday mornings you can find him playing violin with the worship team or praying and welcoming newcomers from the stage. He also leads a Discipleship Group with his wife, Melanie, and they both enjoy hosting guests at their home in Breslau. Josh works in the tech industry as a product designer and loves discovering new ways to use technology for God’s glory. To stay active, he likes to play volleyball and ping pong but is especially fond of rock climbing with his teenage daughter, Anjali.
Kevin Cawthra and his family (wife Helen, sons Marcus, Damion, Ben) have been attending Forward Church for close to 10 years now, and are Members of the church. Kevin and Helen have recently been involved in facilitating the Merge Marriage course at Forward, and volunteering at CNT (Cambridge Neighbourhood Table). Kevin has two decades of senior leadership experience in the not-for-profit and charity sector, he is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA), and is currently the CFO of Compassion Canada. Prior to that he held senior leadership roles in finance and business operations at Ambrose University (in Calgary) and at Gideons Canada (now ShareWord Global) and served for 5 years as the Board Chair of Cambridge Christian School.
Creating a friendly atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable sharing their needs is Darlene’s mission for her place as a staff member at Forward. Her prayer is that God will grant her His eyes to see, His ears to hear, and most importantly, His heart to love others as we are called to in His Word. It is her hope that in doing these things she would bring glory to Him. When at home, she can be found in her craft studio sharing her faith and teaching classes in cardmaking.
Hilary is passionate about administration and creating systems. She has always felt at home behind a desk, even as a young child playing pretend as a secretary. Hilary is always willing to use her gift of administration for God’s kingdom and is excited to expand that in her role at Forward. When Hilary is not in the office, she enjoys relaxing with a good colouring book or spending time with her husband and two children.
Bethany is currently getting her Bachelor of Religious Education in Youth Ministry at Heritage College and Seminary. She has been attending Forward for nine years now and has served as a youth leader for four years. Bethany’s spiritual giftings are faith, shepherding and evangelism. She has a deep desire to see youth come to know God and to live holistically in Him. Bethany also loves photography, digital art and the great outdoors!
Laura is passionate about the work that camp can have on both children and youth. She has worked in a variety of overnight camps, retreat centres, and day camps to teach others about Christ. Laura is in her final year at Heritage College and Seminary where she is taking a Bachelor of Theology. She loves deep conversations and loves to sit and listen to other people’s story.