help shape the future of their city through the
life-changing power of God’s love. They want
to be a church with city-wide influence, a “
missional cathedral” of acceptance, wholeness and
transformation where people find love, hope,
encouragement, forgiveness and healing.
Redwood Park church, Thunder bay, ont. by charlene de haan
A Grace-Filled Congregation
“God is crazy in love with you,” Doyle preaches
to his congregation and the community. The
congregation seeks to make this love evident
– and at the same time to make their city a better place to live – through sports, theatre and
hanging out with the neighbours.
Amazingly, others in the city are referring
seekers to Redwood Park. The grace-filled
congregation seeks to welcome everyone, including people whose lives currently exhibit
rough language, messy divorces or high alcohol
consumption. Groups such as Alpha and Celebrate Recovery speak to specific needs. Children bring parents and grandparents. Seniors
follow Jesus and are baptized.
In 2003 Redwood Park relocated to a renovated school and new worship auditorium.
Sixteen months later, their previous facility
was transformed into the Redwood Park Opportunities Centre serving those who are poor,
addicted, discouraged and hungry in Thunder
Bay. Some congregants serve 20 hours a week
delivering food, stocking shelves or working in
the centre. Doors of conversation open as each
family arrives. Many consent to a brief prayer.
Baptism – Thunder Bay style!
How does a congregation, 65 years in the making, shift focus to become more “missional”? For 17 years, pastor Doug Doyle of The Christian and Missionary Alliance has been assisting Redwood Park Church in
Thunder Bay, Ont., to recreate itself.
Life, Passion, Adventure
“Knowing and chasing after God and His ways is anything
but boring!” emphasizes Doyle. He sees the chase as an experience of “life, passion, and adventure” made possible by
God’s Spirit. Redwood Park is “a loving community of Christ-followers who together are stumbling forward in this God-led
missional journey.”
God is leading the congregation, members believe, to
Living Beyond Themselves Locally
An exciting boomerang impact returned when
community organizations began asking the church for help.
Partnerships formed with the Regional Food Distribution Association. The Catholic Teachers Association asked Redwood
Park to help distribute hundreds of winter coats.
And Confederation College requested a joint venture with
Redwood Park’s three-year pastoral apprenticeship program.
This program enables students to work alongside staff pastors
while taking online theology courses. One apprentice is now
invited to live at the college, seeking to make a positive difference in the student residence.
First Nations people account for eight per cent of the Thunder Bay population. Some worshippers house young people
from the reserves while they attend school. Redwood’s youth
ministry offers a coffee drop-in centre at a nearby high school
