Vision Ministries Canada

For seven years he prayed for God to either take the longing away or to make a way possible for him and his family to be at University Chapel in Vancouver.
Last year, God made a way.
Michael and his family moved to Canada and he became the English congregation pastor at University Chapel.

Sometimes God’s stories take a while to unfold.
This one is no exception.
When Michael attended Regent College, he and his wife loved being a part of University Chapel and it was a hard decision to return to Singapore for family after seminary.
But this church in Vancouver stayed in their hearts.
Years later, when God finally opened all the doors, Michael joyfully stepped into the pastor role.

Michael describes University Chapel as essentially one big church family made up of three congregations.
Each congregation meets separately and worships in their own language but they all have their services at the same time in various parts of the building.
So they regularly see each other and are getting to know one another.
The children and youth from all the congregations meet together as one big group for Sunday worship.
They regularly and intentionally host joint events or have joint worship services with multi-language worship teams with a collection of songs that they can sing in all three languages.

It’s a unique leadership structure - the pastoral team is made up of four pastors and they’re figuring out what it means to work together as a team.
It’s been a bit of a reset so that each congregation has equal ownership and no one feels like a tenant.
Michael is grateful for the way they all care for their own congregation and the big church family.
Together as a leadership team, the pastoral team tries to make decisions that are good for everyone.
They trust each other and carry each other’s burdens.
They talk and pray for each other.

It’s a good story that God is writing.

University Chapel

It seems to take a whole life time for us to learn how to pray.
Thankfully, God graces us with mentors and experiences along the way that give us clues and guide us into richer and deeper prayer.

A weekend away to a missional prayer conference in New York City was one of those significant moments for Johnny Gordon (Forestview Church, Oakville, ON).
He and other VMC church leaders spent several days together in worship and prayer, along with a thousand other people who earnestly desired God to move in their cities.
Johnny was challenged, inspired, and prompted to continue to learn how to pray.

As a youth and young adults pastor, Johnny talks to lots of young people and he really believes that people are searching for a Saviour.
They’re looking at the world and wanting something else.
They’re rejecting the secular script, knowing that it is not the key to happiness.

With that in mind, Johnny was challenged to pray more - to contend with God.
More than just showing up or reciting a few familiar lines, this is the sort of prayer that intentionally brings people and situations to God.
It’s praying like the persistent widow in Luke 18 - regularly and somewhat insistently reminding God what God has promised to do.
It’s wrestling like Jacob in Genesis 32 - actively and vigorously participating in relationship with God.
It’s praying like Elijah in 1 Kings 18 - risking and believing that God will do great things.

Together with Johnny, let’s continue to learn how to pray as the VMC network of churches.

Forestview Church Without Walls

Photo credit: Ismael Paramo (Unsplash)

It started with a map in her mind.
During prayer at a Chinese Christian spiritual retreat, God put a map of Bradford, Ontario in Ester’s mind and on her heart.
Even though there are up to 4,000 Chinese people living in the Bradford area and is one of the fastest developing communities in Ontario, there are 17 churches but no Chinese churches.

So Ester and Ted prayed and began to dream of planting a Chinese church.
Church planting is a big career change for former research chemists but their desire for others to know Jesus moved them onward.

Ester and Ted started with a cell group gathering.
Then they held a Chinese New Year’s Celebration with dumpling making and traditional dance performances.
People wore traditional Chinese outfits and children carried baskets for candy and lucky prizes.

They looked for rental space and talked to many pastors.
The Lord led them to a friendly local pastor with a big Kingdom perspective.
The pastor said, “Our purpose is to make Jesus famous.”
He offered rental space to the Bradford Chinese Church at a very reasonable rate and supported them as they began the church plant.
Sometimes the two congregations come together for joint worship services as the bigger family of God.

VMC helped Bradford Chinese Church officially become a new registered church in December 2025.
Pray for Ted and Ester as they find creative ways to let people know about the church and as the church introduces people to Jesus for the first time.
Seeds are being planted and growth is evident!

Thinking Shrewdly 2026 at Church in Toronto! We so enjoyed a few days together as the VMC family of churches gathered to learn from Andrew Root and each other about "Gospel-ing."