Local Church
YU North York comes alongside local churches to engage with the youth in their community. By reaching out in compassionate service, churches can become the heartbeat of their community, connecting young people to a greater sense of hope and purpose.
We have staff working as part of the outreach of the local church, programs run in partnership with churches and other mutually supportive relationships with churches. These include:
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Emmanuel Church of the Nazarene Bill Sunberg is the pastor of Emmanuel Church of the Nazarene (ECN), which is partnered with YU through Stephen Atkinson, a community outreach worker. This partnership allows for several community-wide programs to be held at the church throughout the year. Read more about this partnership. |
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Immanuel Baptist Church Curt Erb is the Pastor of Leadership Development at Immanuel Baptist Church (IBC) in the Don Mills/ Finch area. IBC has had a partnership with YU through the Don Mills/Finch Community Youth Outreach Worker. We are currently looking for someone to fill this position. See the job posting here. Read more about this partnership. |
| Lisle Memorial Baptist Church Audley Goulbourne has been the pastor of Lisle Memorial Baptist Church (located in the Jane-Finch neighbourhood) since 1987. Lisle runs several ministries in partnership with one of YU’s community outreach workers, Benjamin Osei. Read more about this partnership. |
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Spring Garden Church Spring Garden provides an office space for Scott Moore, North York Area Director, enabling YU North York to have a central hub where staff can meet and access necessary resources. A partnership is also being developed for Willowdale Outreach. |
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Jane-Finch Church Coalition YU is a supporting agency to the JFCC, an organization consisting of 11 churches working together to transform their community. The coalition has seen various programs administered with volunteers from different churches. Visit their website at janefinchchurchcoalition.com |
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WAVE @ Agape Ministries Winners with an Active Voice for Excellence is an after-school boys and girls program that runs weekly. Our mission is to empower youth in the Jane and Finch community through the promotion of academic excellence, mentorship and the development of essential life skills. Each meeting begins with a hot meal followed by a devotion and Biblical teaching. Singing, crafts, trips and drama make WAVE a fun and engaging club where youth are encouaged to set and achieve their goals. |
IN-DEPTH PARTNERSHIP PROFILES
EMMANUEL CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE // PASTOR BILL SUNBERG & YU WORKER STEPHEN ATKINSON
Since 2005, Bill has been the pastor of Emmanuel Church of the Nazarene (ECN) located in the Jane-Sheppard area. Part of the church’s vision is to serve the community by showing God’s love to their neighbours in tangible and powerful ways.
Benefits of partnering with YU:
According to Bill, the vision of YU and ECN are closely aligned which has made partnering with YU “seamless”. “YU is a valuable resource and is very easy to work with,” he says. “It has been a positive experience.”
Since the church could not afford to hire a community outreach worker on a full-time basis, ECN partnered with YU and was able to hire Stephen Atkinson who leads a variety of programs as part of the overall ministries of the church. YU also provides various training and support.
Programs/Ministries:
Stephen leads a winter “Upward” basketball league, a summer “Upward” soccer league, a weekly basketball drop-in and other youth-group events. His role in these programs is very community-oriented which allows him to connect and build deeper relationships with the kids as well as their parents. This in turn provides a gateway to the church.
In 2009, 120 kids of varied faith and ethnic background enrolled in the “Upward” basketball program. Through this program, ECN was able to teach things like character development and life skills that were rooted in the biblical stories. This, along with follow-up, enabled participants to discover God and grow in their faith. Many participants and their families have become connected into the church community through this program.
ECN’s programs have grown so much that the church has taken steps to make it a community centre in a more comprehensive and holistic way. According to Bill, the church’s relationship with YU has made this possible.
IMMANUEL BAPTIST CHURCH // PASTOR CURT ERB & YU WORKER JEFF ABRAHAM
Curt has been involved with IBC for close to 22 years. He was involved primarily with the youth and worship ministry and is now the pastor of leadership development, but still provides overall leadership and encouragement to the youth ministry team at IBC.
Immanuel has a long history of ministry to children and youth in the community. It is a very diverse congregation with a heart for mission and outreach in their community. Their vision is “gathering nations to reach the nations.”
Benefits of partnering with YU:
For Curt, connecting with YU through the Community Youth Outreach Worker role at IBC is a “wonderful partnership”, and is one that makes a lot of sense from both sides. It benefits IBC because this worker can bring new energy, spiritual maturity with a vision and passion to show young people God’s love through Jesus, and plays a significant role in IBC’s youth ministry. The previous Outreach Worker initiated a new program called “Skillstream” which is beneficial to the church and its youth ministry.
The benefit for YU is that the Outreach Worker is working with an established ministry, which creates a context to move into existing programs—making it faster and easier to connect with youth and the community. Over time the Outreach Worker will be able to expand these relationships to contact new people in the community.
Curt says that it is a good idea for a church to have a YU worker, as it a symbiotic relationship and a “win-win” situation.
LISLE MEMORIAL BAPTIST CHURCH // PASTOR AUDLEY GOULBOURNE & YU WORKER BENJAMIN OSEI
Pastor Audley was born in Jamaica, and later moved to Canada where he began ministry as a youth pastor and a staff person of YU. In 1987, he was appointed as pastor for Lisle and has been leading the congregation ever since.
Part of Lisle’s mission is to be closely connected with the Jane-Finch community. One way they do this is by working directly with local schools. Through their partnership with YU programs, Lisle has been able to support the schools and encourage young people to attend school and participate in a positive way.
Benefits of partnering with YU:
For Pastor Audley, partnering with YU has widened the church’s area of influence because they work closely with Benjamin Osei, a community worker with YU who is also a member of the church. Lisle has been able to make connections through Benjamin’s ministries, allowing the church to have a positive influence on these children and youth.
Programs/Ministries:
Lisle has been the base for many programs run by YU staff. They have hosted the “Seeds of Hope Summer Day Camp” for the past 4 years, and currently host the “Hoop 2 Hope” basketball program, the “Sketch&Believe” Program and also provide a rental space for the Jane-Finch YU team and YU summer staff.
