Church and Community Profile 2018 · Gateway Community CRC Profile ... gymnasium and classrooms, a...
Transcript of Church and Community Profile 2018 · Gateway Community CRC Profile ... gymnasium and classrooms, a...
Church and Community Profile 2018
Gateway Community CRC Profile Our HISTORY
Gateway was founded in 1950 by Dutch immigrants who after many years of attending worship services
across the border in Sumas, Washington had the desire to establish their own church in the community
of Abbotsford. At its beginning Gateway was known as First Christian Reformed Church of Abbotsford.
The congregation consisted of 28 families and quickly grew to over 200 families within the first 10 years.
In 2002 the name was changed to Gateway Community CRC since our location at that time on McCallum
Rd was considered the southern “Gateway” into Abbotsford, and now at our current location we’ve
become the northern “Gateway”. Over the years Gateway daughtered three CRC churches in the com-
munity of Abbotsford.
VISION and MISSION
Gateway’s vision is:
“Gateway CRC is to be a healthy, growing, and diverse family of God expressing
the good news of God’s Kingdom that transforms lives
in our church, in our city, and in our world.“
Gateway’s mission is:
“Helping People to Love and Serve Jesus.”
Gateway is currently being guided by our 3 - 5 Year Strategic Plan (2013) which includes Core Beliefs
and Strategic Goals to guide us into the future. The complete report is attached.
WORSHIP
Gateway believes that
Spirit-directed and heartfelt
worship honours God and
draws us into His presence.
The worship services are
contemporary and have a
focus of biblical preaching that
challenge listeners to holy
living.
View of auditorium from the stage
Gateway CRC MEMBERSHIP
We have a good mix of all age groups and have ministries which reach out to all ages. Our current
membership is 740 people. Of which 402 people are confessing members, 224 members are under
the age of 18 and 38 are inactive or non-resident members. (Graph below includes adherents)
Our FACILITIES
In 2006 Gateway moved to the property where it is currently located: a former elementary school
campus on 12 acres just on the edge of the city. The campus consists of 85,000 sq ft and includes a
gymnasium and classrooms, a new sanctuary with seating capacity of 1120, office space, and an
unfinished basement. A portion of the campus is leased out to a preschool. In 2013, after many years
of fundraising and congregational support, we were able to begin worshipping in the new sanctuary.
Approximately 70% of Abbotsford is zoned agricultural with 16% zoned residential. The remainder is made of up Industrial/Institutional and Parkland
61+ years
41-60 years
25-40 years
19-24 years
13-18 years
9-12 years
3-8 years
0-2 years
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 Number in age category
FINANCES
Gateway is blessed with a history of generous giving. From its beginning in 1950 and the construction of
its first facility, to the resources needed for the establishment of three additional CRC churches in
Abbotsford, to the support for its missions work abroad, and most recently the money raised for the new
building. The yearly operational budget (2018) for Gateway is 1.231 million dollars.
In 2017, Gateway surpassed a budget of $1.28 million, of which 100% of denominational and classical
ministry shares were paid.
CURRENT STAFFING
Executive Pastor F/T (Commissioned)
Pastor of Preaching and Congregational Care F/T
(Vacant June 2017)
Youth/Children Pastor F/T (Vacant May 27, 2018)
Worship Director (1/2 time) (shared by 2 people)
Facilities Manager (1 F/T, 1 P/T)
Administrative Assistant (3/4 time, 1 P/T)
SAFE CHURCH
Gateway Community CRC desires to be a safe place for
all people and therefore requires that all staff,
leaders and teachers, and anyone volunteering in
ministries involving minors and/or vulnerable adults
take the training course offered at Gateway. This
training course takes place every quarter, and requires
our employees and volunteers to a criminal record and
vulnerable sector check for participation in any
ministries involving minors and/or vulnerable adults at
Gateway.
Gateway is further promoting safety of children by
having a secure electronic check-in system for Sunday
nursery and Kidz Church as well as our weekly chil-
dren’s ministries.
BY THE
NUMBERS
740 current membership
National/International Missionaries and scholarships to students in Mexico
23 Gateway
Campus is
85,000 square feet
Full time and
part time staff 9 224 People under the age
of 18
100% Percentage paid to Classical and
denominational ministry shares
1,120 Seats in
auditorium
40% of Gateway members in CARE GROUPS
3 daughter churches established since
1950
North Entrance to the Facilities
Gateway MINISTRIES
Care Group Ministry: Gateway places a strong
emphasis on the importance of being involved in
the care group ministry. It is one of the main ways
in which the spiritual care of the members is carried
out. Pastoral elders maintain close contact with care
group leaders to ensure their members are being
adequately cared for. Currently Gateway has
approximately 40% of confessing members involved
in care groups.
Nursery: Children ages 0-3 are welcome to come
to a safe and loving environment during the Sunday
morning service and Wednesday morning during
Women's Coffee Break ministry.
Kidz Church: A special children’s message is given
for children ages 3-8 during the worship service and
then the children are invited to Kidz Church for a
fun filled program of Bible stories and crafts.
Gems Girls Ministry: Girls grades 3-7.
Cadets Boys Ministry: Boys grades 3-7.
Youth: Junior high & Senior high. Grades 8-12
Coffee Break for Women: Women from our
community and our church fellowship gather to
study and socialize together every Wednesday
morning. Children ages 3-5 are welcome to enjoy
playtime and fun crafts, Bible stories, songs and a
snack. Nursery is provided.
Book Club: A group that meets monthly for
refreshment and discussion.
Vacation Bible School: A 4 day VBS offered to
community and Gateway families, typically
during the second week of July.
Men's Ministry: Men are invited to participate
Gateway’s Darts Club and weekly Drop In Basketball
evening.
Women's Bible Study: A group of ladies, 70+
years old, who gather together every 2nd and 4th
Wednesday morning of each month to study God's
word.
ABOVE: South Entrance to the Facilities
60+ Seniors’ Ministry: The senior’s group
meets every 3rd Thursday of the month. It's a time
of coffee, fellowship and entertainment for seniors.
Library: Books and resources are available for
checkout before and after Sunday worship services.
Friendship: This ministry is for adults with mental
disabilities. The group meets every Wednesday eve-
ning for a time of fellowship and praise to God.
Mexico Missions: For 2019, our youth will be part-
nering with Youth With A Mission to work in and
orphanage in Vincente Guerrero, Baja California,
Mexico. This is part of Gateway’s 3-tiered 6-year
strategic missional plan to develop a heart orienta-
tion for missions.
Prayer Ministry: A prayer team is available after
Sunday morning services for anyone who would like
to be supported in prayer for any reason. Prayer
meetings are held twice monthly at the church, and
an email based prayer chain is available.
Starfish Backpack Ministry: A team of volun-
teers packs and delivers backpacks weekly to sev-
eral public elementary schools, for children who
don’t have enough food on the weekends. This is
done in cooperation with the Rotary Club of Abbots-
ford who run the program.
Gateway Meals: Gateway volunteers provide
meals on a temporary basis to Gateway families in
situations of need, such as a birth of a baby or a
death in the family.
Extreme Weather Shelter: When the weather
get’s cold Gateway opens it’s gym for up to 30 indi-
viduals to have a warm, dry place to sleep.
Lobby
and c
off
ee b
ar
SNAPSHOT To be missional in identity describes the
heart orientation. Being missional
speaks to our identity as God’s people,
rather than referring to the outreach
activities of a few. Our God is a sending
God and, through Christ, He sends us.
As God’s people, we are called to prac-
tice God’s love in all areas of our lives.
Educate Congregation
Encourage Missional
Practices
Community Partnerships Prayer
To be missional in identity
To model variety and encourage open
expression in Worship: Worship is an
essential part of Christian living. Wor-
ship occurs corporately in Sunday ser-
vice and is lived out daily.
Expand patterns of worship
God pleasing worship Staff Planning
To include variety and encourage open expression in worship
Strong community promotes unity for
every member and attendee. Our desire
is to move forward unified under God’s
guidance. A strong community provides
opportunities for service and ministry
and to encourage spiritual growth. In
this community, we develop strong rela-
tionships and guests feel welcome.
Maintain and support mis-
sionaries
Develop and Formalize
ministries
Ministry Sharing
Community Events
Care Groups
Practice Hospitality Pre-worship Prayer
To Create a Strong Community
To be good stewards of our finances
and facility: There needs to be a sus-
tainable plan that allows us to continue
paying debt while supporting church
ministries, local ministries, and global
ministries. In addition, there needs to
be a clear understanding of the
missional purpose of the facility for all
who use it.
Debt reduction
Financial Responsibility
Facility Rental
Policies and procedures
Facility development
Staff Planning
To be good stewards of our finances and facility
To model and practice servant leader-
ship: We believe that servant leadership
begins with the following qualities: ef-
fective communication, accountability,
and an attitude of humility.
Increase effective
communication
Development and training
of new leaders
Mentorship ministry
Strategic Planning
Leadership Accountability Staff planning
To model and practice Servant leadership
Strategic Goal Definition Core Values
Abbotsford is a city located in the Lower
Mainland region of British Columbia, ad-
jacent to Greater Van-
couver. With an esti-
mated population of
141,497 people, it is the largest municipality of the Fraser Valley
Regional District, the fifth-largest municipality of British Columbia,
and the largest municipality outside Greater Vancouver. The Ab-
botsford–Mission metropolitan area approximately
170,191 inhabitants (as of the 2011 census) and is the 23rd larg-
est census metropolitan area in Canada. Abbotsford has the third
highest proportion of visible minorities among census metropoli-
tan areas in Canada, after the Greater Toronto Area and the
Greater Vancouver CMA. For 9 consecutive years Statistics Can-
ada names Abbotsford as Canada’s most generous city in terms
of charitable donations.
The community of 375.55 square kilometers (145.00 sq mi)
is the largest city by area in British Columbia. It is home
to the University of the Fraser Valley, Tradex and the
Abbotsford International Airport which
hosts the Ab-
botsford International Airshow.
The municipal- ity's southern boundary is the Canada–United
States border. Across the boarder is Sumas, Washington. In Canada, Abbotsford is
bordered by the Township of Langley to
the west, the Fraser River and the District
of Mission to the north, and the City
of Chilliwack to the east. Many inhabitants
of Abbotsford enjoy views of Mount
Baker (to the southeast, in Washington)
and the Coast Mountains (to the north).
HOUSING Benchmark Price:
ABBOTSFORD
Fraser Valley, Mt Baker
RENTAL apartment units EDUCATION
1 bedroom - $850-$1,050 per month 2 - bedroom - $1,250-$1,500 per month CHURCHES
Single Family Home $775,000-$875,000
With entry level $650,000-$700,00
Condominium $300,000-$400,000
Townhouse $450,000-$550,000
6 CRC
19 Mennonite
11 Baptist
5 Reformed
4 Anglican
Abbotsford Christian School K-12 Mennonite Educational Institute K-12 Cornerstone Christian K-8 St James and St John Brebeuf Catholic K-12 School District 34: Elementary, Middle and
High Schools Universities/Colleges: University of the Fraser Valley Trinity Western University Columbia Bible College Summit Pacific College Regent College
Mill Lake, Abbotsford, BC
55 other denominations (approximately)
2884 Gladys Ave Abbotsford, BC, V2S 3Y2 604-859-5908 Gatewaycrc.org