STARTING A CHURCH WITHOUT WALLS ...

Starting a Church Without Walls

In 1992, two sisters in the Lord, Pastor Rita Chang and Pastor Maureen Chung, had a burden to evangelize the blue-collar workers of Chinese ethnicity who had come to the Greater Toronto Area. Together with six believers, they prayed for the birthing of a new church. God soon provided three sponsors for the next three to five years. They made an application to the government for the registration of a church and in just six weeks, the approval came.

Therefore, in March 1993, the Metro Chinese Christian Mission (MCCM) met for the first worship service at 8 p.m. in a basement party room of a condominium building in Scarborough. The Association of North American Chinese Evangelical Free Churches (ANACEFC) and the Central District of EFCC joined hands to support MCCM and she became part of the EFCC family.

From 1993 to 1994, MCCM was a church without walls, following the strategy of “multiple time slots, multiple locations, multiple days, multiple ways.” Worship service, Bible study, sports, ESL classes, fellowship etc. were held in three different locations. We volunteered at a seniors’ nursing home on a regular basis.

From Scattered to Gathered – the Purchase of the First Property

In the fall of 1994, MCCM subleased a small industrial unit at a discount as home base. At this time, we started morning worship service with free breakfast provided. Soon, we ran out of space, and with the help of a generous donor/lender, we purchased our first property in Scarborough on March 31, 1996. God gave us a surprising break on the exceptionally low purchase price.

Vision Renewed – Back to a Church Without Walls

From fall of 1999 to fall of 2000, MCCM conducted a strategic planning process. A new mission statement and a new vision statement were crafted. Major issues and strategic actions were listed out. We decided on a facility expansion program.

In 2001, a lump sum offering was received. In 2002, Women Ministry of EFCC adopted MCCM as her project and raised another lump sum. Many “miracles” happened as God provided resources in many ways.

On January 31, 2003, MCCM sold her first property to create liquidity. Meanwhile we set our eyes on the Town of Markham, just north of Toronto. Meanwhile, we worshiped in the basement of the Hallelujah Chinese Evangelical Free Church. Other activities were held in different locations as MCCM again became a church without walls.

Outreach and evangelism took on a new look. We searched out the Chinese homeowners’ names at the Markham City Hall that fell within a few chosen cities blocks and made cold calls house by house, sharing the gospel and inviting people to come to neighbourhood Bible studies. God thus gathered groups of seekers and started a few Bible study groups this way.

The Purchase of the 2nd Property & the Home Going of Pastor/Founder Rita Chang

In 2003, as real estate prices soared, MCCM received another generous lump sum offering which had greatly contributed to the purchase of our current Church property in Markham March 2004, as such, the property was fully paid for. Jehovah Jireh! The building was dedicated in October 2004, with thanksgiving and praise to Father God.

In April 2004, Pastor/Founder Rita Chang was diagnosed with stomach cancer. On December 10, 2005, she was taken into glory. Her steadfast faith and obedience to the Lord was a beautiful testimony, strengthening many people to the glory of His holy name.

How do we continue to write our Book of Acts?

MCCM has been a witness to God’s grace since 1993. Christ’s work according to the Great Commission is not yet done. We still need to obey His Great Commandments of love. Our faith must be passed onto the next generation. We hope they will be global Christians who are willing to go to any place as Christ calls them to go, using their professions as a platform to witness for our great and mighty God. Our conviction is to continue in faithfulness to the Saviour who gave His all. Our prayer is to seek His pleasure and welcome on that final day. Praise the Lord!