Back to the top | Connecting Streams | LeaderImpact | FamilyLife | WHEN | Athletes in Action | P2C-Students | DRIME | Christian Embassy | The JESUS Film | The Life Project |
| Connecting Streams | LeaderImpact | FamilyLife | WHEN | Athletes in Action | P2C-Students | DRIME | Christian Embassy | The JESUS Film | The Life Project | |
We’re on a mission to change the world
The following stories highlight ways that people have come to know Jesus, have deepened their faith and, as a result, have gone on to make Him known in Canada and around the world.
You’ll read of people reaching out to those in need, as well as simple, but powerful conversations. The experiences of dedicated staff and volunteers, who have committed their lives to proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, are also featured.
In 2016, 28,961 people made the decision to follow Jesus and the gospel was shared more than 1.6 million times, through Power to Change’s 10 ministries and one humanitarian partner.
Knowing Jesus changes us. We learn to love, to forgive and to give generously of ourselves in service to others. Sharing Him with others is changing the world.
In celebration,
Rod Bergen
President, Power to Change
Connecting Streams
Equipping and mobilizing the Church to help reach society's marginalized.
“Al immediately thought, he’s going to beat me up! But they sat down and the man poured out his heart.”
Ministry Impact
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“I am grateful for the donors, past and present, who invested fnancially. Collectively, their prayers, passion, perseverance and provision allow us to experience God’s unwavering promise of providing everything we need to accomplish His will— an abundantly fruitful harvest.” |
Testimonial
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Obeying the Prompting
of the Holy Spirit
On Sunday mornings, Al goes to the inner city to feed the homeless. Once, while he was there, a guy came up to him—got right in his face—and said, “We need to talk!”
Al immediately thought, he’s going to beat me up! But they sat down and the man poured out his heart. He lost his wife, he lost his daughter and now he was estranged from his sister.
"He thought, Really? Tell him you love him? That seemed so trite in light of his circumstances."
“If you had a gun, I would beg you to shoot me,” the man said. As he listened, Al silently prayed, God, this is way over my pay grade. The Lord impressed on his heart “You’re right, it is over your pay grade, but it’s not over mine. Tell him that I love him.”
He thought, Really? Tell him you love him? That seemed so trite in light of his circumstances. But Al listened and eventually said, “Jesus loves you.” Then he offered to pray for the man. They prayed. When they stopped praying, the man asked Al if he had a phone. He then called his sister and in that call, they reconciled.
“You know what? I did not understand the power of the gospel until I gave it away.”
Al commented, “You know what? I did not understand the power of the gospel until I gave it away.” In his everyday life, Al is a professional and in his spare time, he volunteers with Connecting Streams. After becoming a volunteer, he became a team leader.
LeaderImpact
Helping leaders explore the relevance of faith in God in their professional and personal lives.
“Most marketplace leaders, because they haven’t been presented with the gospel, do not see the relevance of faith in their lives. So they tend not to think about it.”
Ministry Impact
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“Our vision is that leaders everywhere would experience life to the full.” |
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Reaching People &
Building Relationships
After attending a few LeaderImpact meetings and forums, Terry Wills, president of Wills Transfer Ltd, decided he wanted to get involved. He was excited about their mission and about reaching more people with the gospel.
LeaderImpact welcomes their meeting and forum attendees to join groups that lead to spiritual conversations. Terry was challenged by LeaderImpact staff to start his own group. So, in the historic city of Smiths Falls, Ontario, not far from Ottawa, Terry personally invited people from different areas of his life to join a new group. A dozen showed up, of which only two were believers. Because of their respect for Terry, a couple of younger guys came just to be polite, but they ended up staying.
Groups are a non-threatening way for marketplace leaders to share their spiritual journey and talk about faith. It’s a peer-to-peer group, so there’s no pressure. God worked through Terry’s invitation and, as a result, half of the group are now following Jesus. The rest are still searching, but they’re interested and asking questions.
“Most marketplace leaders, because they haven’t been presented with the gospel, do not see the relevance of faith in their lives. So they tend not to think about it,”
God does amazing things when leaders step out in faith and share the gospel. “Most marketplace leaders, because they haven’t been presented with the gospel, do not see the relevance of faith in their lives. So they tend not to think about it,” said Garth Jestley, Executive Director of LeaderImpact. But through people like Terry, LeaderImpact is creating space for conversations about faith and showing the relevance it has to both personal and professional life.
FamilyLife
Providing help and hope to build strong marriages and families.
“This weekend was the single most beneficial thing we have ever done for our marriage.”
Ministry Impact
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“Power to Change across the board is fnding creative ways to speak to real Canadians, in today’s terms. We do our part and leave the results to God.” “Marriage and family is the widest open door to reach our country because we all have that in common. We all want strong marriages and families.” |
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Finding hope: Diane's Story
Diane and Jim Baxter attended a FamilyLife Weekend Getaway in Whistler, B.C. in November 2016.
“This weekend was the single most beneficial thing we have ever done for our marriage. Jim and I are weeks away from our 5th anniversary and it has been a struggle all along.
“This weekend was the single most beneficial thing we have ever done for our marriage."
Jim and I had been living together when I became a Christian. After about six months, I got heavily convicted about this and brought it to my mentor’s attention. He’s a retired pastor. Ten days later we were married and Jim accepted Christ at that time. We have been challenged in our spiritual lives ever since.
We talked all the way home from the Weekend Getaway, which gave me great hope as Jim really opened up. Jim struggles with his faith and misses his old life, but through these trials God has kept me strong and has drawn me close. I am very grateful for that. Thank you so much for your prayers. They are powerful. God Bless all of you for an amazing weekend. I truly feel God is at work.”
Women's Heart-Engaging Network
Connecting women to Jesus Christ and the local church through meaningful relationships, authentic dialogue and powerful teamwork.
“Helen continued to seek and grow in her spiritual life, but soon found that the demands of a young family and a flourishing career sometimes competed with her goal of pursuing faith.”
Ministry Impact
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“We plant, we water, but God causes the growth. We’ve seen growth in people coming to faith, growth in our volunteers becoming leaders, growth in our reach with new teams starting. It’s so obvious that it’s God’s grace that’s causing this to happen.” |
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Saying Yes to God's invitation
WHEN seeks to offer a safe space for women to engage in spiritual conversations. Christian women invite their non-Christian friends to a warm and fun event to hear a speaker and connect with other women.
Felicia Lee, a successful young entrepreneur, joined the Intercultural WHEN team in Vancouver four years ago. She invited her close friend Helen to attend one of the first events her team hosted.
Helen accepted the invitation and went on to attend four more events. As she participated in post-event Discovery and Growth Groups, Helen made the decision to become a follower of Jesus. She continued to seek and grow in her spiritual life, but soon found that the demands of a young family and a flourishing career sometimes competed with her goal of pursuing faith.
In April 2016, after attending her fifth WHEN event, Helen renewed her commitment to develop her relationship with Jesus. “God has a plan and an invitation for me and I say yes!” she said.
Helen started to attend a weekly Life Group that Felicia leads at her church. When Felicia invited her to join the Intercultural Event Planning team this past fall, again Helen said yes!
“God has a plan and an invitation for me and I say yes!”
Felicia says that the majority of the women who attend her Life Group first began to explore faith by attending a WHEN event, and then responded ‘yes’ to her invitation to attend church.
It is thrilling to see how the Lord uses WHEN to connect women to Jesus Christ and to the local church, and then calls some to take leadership in WHEN to help even more women come to know Him.
Athletes in Action
Reaching people with the message of Jesus through sport.
Being a chaplain at the Olympic Games is “like attending ten funerals and one wedding every day,”
Ministry Impact
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“With the help of generous donors, we were able to run 12 sports camps for kids who couldn’t afford it. In 2016, about 500 kids heard the gospel at these camps and received excellent coaching.”
– Trevor Froehlich,
National Director of Athletes in Action
Providing emotional & spiritual care for Olympic Athletes
Being a chaplain at the Olympic Games is “like attending ten funerals and one wedding every day,” according to Dr. Ashley Null, former chair of the Major Event Chaplaincy Commission. It’s a quote that Jarret Wall took to heart as he was blessed with the opportunity to serve as a chaplain in the Athlete’s Village during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.
“Almost everybody leaves devastated,” says Wall. “That’s where we have to be there for people, with the families and with the athletes themselves, to provide emotional and spiritual care.”
For Wall, the highlight of the Olympics was a thank you card from Helen Maroulis, an American wrestler who won the gold medal by upsetting one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Maroulis became a student leader with Athletes in Action while wrestling at Simon Fraser University, where Wall and his wife mentored her in her faith.
“Almost everybody leaves devastated,” says Wall. “That’s where we have to be there for people"
“We wanted to see her experience the fullness of relationship with God first of all,” he says, “and then afterwards there was an overflow of faith in her life that has become very evident.”
Athletes in Action is focused on fostering spiritual multiplication in athletes and Maroulis is a great example of that. The gold medal victory has given Maroulis a platform to share her faith and the principle that she learned at National Training Camp with Athletes in Action: “Christ is in me; I am enough."
Power to Change – Students
Helping students discover Jesus and equipping them for a lifetime of ministry.
“I went to classes, studied hard and tried to fit in, but I was still lonely, homesick and wondering if I’d made a huge mistake.”
Ministry Impact
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“We long for the day when no student graduates without being given opportunity to lean into a meaningful conversation about Jesus.” |
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Finding Jesus in a Montreal Student Residence
I moved to Montréal to attend McGill University. I didn’t know anyone on campus, but I planned on finding a church because I was looking for God. Growing up culturally Christian, I thought I was one, but I hadn’t prayed or sought God on my own.
I went to classes, studied hard and tried to fit in, but I was still lonely, homesick and wondering if I’d made a huge mistake.
A few weeks into the semester, I met Marie-Claude in my residence. I could see that there was something different about her. She seemed happy and real, and I wanted peace like she had.
Marie-Claude invited me to a small group Bible study hosted by Power to Change. As much as I was struggling, I thought I could still make it on my own. Without that invitation, I probably wouldn’t have kept going to church or seeking after God myself.
"But through the loving community of P2C groups and a spiritually challenging church environment, I grew tenfold in faith."
Through attending this small discipleship group, meeting new friends who exuded Christ’s love and attending the weekly P2C group meetings and prayer groups, I met Jesus. And this time for real.
I learned my part in responding to Christ’s salvation and His call on my life, and since then change has taken place in my life.
Before my involvement with P2C, I didn’t know where I stood with God and couldn’t even pray aloud, let alone talk to others about Jesus. But through the loving community of P2C groups and a spiritually challenging church environment, I grew tenfold in faith.
DRIME
Helping people encounter Jesus through drama and meaningful gospel-centred conversations.
“Ryan confessed he’d been hurt by the church and didn’t think Christianity was for him.”
Ministry Impact
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"Our understanding of God’s deep love for the world allows us to represent Christ week after week, in 15 diferent cities around the world. And so we press on." |
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Prayer Warrior
DRIME was doing ministry downtown Vancouver, on Robson when it started to downpour. The team decided to break, taking shelter under the Once they were done praying, a young man named Ryan approached the team and asked what they were doing. One team member explained who they were and what they do.
Then Jamie, DRIME Vancouver’s Chapter Leader, transitioned into talking with him about spiritual things. “I could see from the get-go that he was dejected, hopeless and swept up in the schedule of life. He didn’t seem too alive,” Jamie said. “But he was super comfortable opening up right away.”
Ryan confessed he’d been hurt by the church and didn’t think Christianity was for him. Jamie encouraged him to be open to giving Jesus and the church another try, and explained how the church can be a great place to engage in community and make connections. Ryan was unsure, but before he left they prayed with him.
A year later, while the team was setting up again on Robson for ministry, Ryan tapped Jamie on the shoulder. Ryan didn’t usually walk that way, but something that day made him want to. Right away Jamie knew something was different, there was life and hope in his eyes.
Right away Jamie knew something was different, there was life and hope in his eyes.
Ryan explained how he’d gone home after their initial meeting and couldn't get the conversation out of his head. He went to church, connected with people and after a moving sermon and the Holy Spirit’s leading, decided to follow Jesus. From that moment on, he wanted to learn more about God and know more of who God is.
“My life has been so changed,” Ryan said. “I feel God turning me into a prayer warrior. I can’t stop praying for people. People from my work and my school, they are always on my heart.”
That day God used a simple conversation to change Ryan’s life and to remind the DRIME Vancouver team that God is working through every conversation. “We never would have known the life change in Ryan unless he ran into us,” Jamie said. “It was really encouraging to be part of his story.”
Christian Embassy
Inspiring political and diplomatic leaders everywhere to live and lead wholeheartedly for Jesus.
“Peter became a mentor and opened doors for me to meet and walk alongside other men of influence in Canada and North America.”
Ministry Impact
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“Our role is to get truth out there. We are bolder than ever, even within changing times. We need to make truth accessible to people. I believe we are getting better at doing that.” |
TESTIMONIAL
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Leaders Inspiring Leaders
I was asked by the Christian Embassy to co-present a seminar on financial stewardship with Peter*, a leader with much experience on this topic. The Lord used this event in surprising ways. Over the course of several planning meetings, we formed a valuable and divine connection. Peter became a mentor and opened doors for me to meet and walk alongside other men of influence in Canada and North America.
Because of this mentoring relationship, I came to a deeper revelation of biblical stewardship. As I began to teach and apply the principles that I learned from Peter, many others were positively impacted. More than 25 people participated in a study on biblical stewardship and others attended a conference we hosted. The majority of the conference speakers were a result of the connections we made through the Christian Embassy seminar. I also made valuable friendships and I continue to walk with my mentor.
*Name has been changed
The JESUS Film Church Planting Strategy
Bringing the message of God’s love through the JESUS Film, discipling new believers, training leaders and planting churches.
“The JESUS Film helped me to know God. I was a Muslim before. Now I am a Christian.”
“We empower the local church so when people hear the gospel, they’re really hearing it from their own people in their own language.” |
“I made peace with the Lord by following the film that you projected in this village. I understood who the true Saviour is and then I decided to leave the path of the curse to become a child of God.” “I am happy that I was part of this life-changing training. Everything we learned was well taught and helped my spiritual growth.” “The JESUS Film helped me understand more about His life and His teaching. I watched as He was crucifed on the cross for my sins. I now understand how much Jesus loves me and I want to surrender my life to God.” |
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“We empower the local church so when people hear the gospel, they’re really hearing it from their own people in their own language.” |
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Building Communities & Creating Churches
The JESUS Film Church Planting Strategy brings the message of God’s love through the JESUS film showings, discipling new believers, training new leaders and planting churches. Through that, lives are changing.
In an African village, a new church plant pastor, Emmanuel* shared his conversion story with his church. “I came to Christ through the JESUS Film. It made me change my attitude from negative to positive. I went to fortune tellers and paid money. But the fortune teller never told me I was going to become a Christian at the JESUS Film.” The entire congregation roared with laughter.
In another village, Abraham came to know Jesus first because of his parents, then as a church leader. “I heard the JESUS Film and I rededicated my life to God. I am now the pastor of this church.” He is blind so he could only listen. As a church plant leader, he has someone read him the Bible so he can teach the Bible to others.
Sannah from Rochi village in Sierra Leone found a new direction in his life. “The JESUS Film helped me to know God. I was a Muslim before. Now I am a Christian,” he says. His passion for ministry work increased as he saw God work. He is now part of a church plant that has 30-50 people attending. “I want to plant more churches.”
JESUS Film Church Planting Strategy disciples new believers by helping them to discover Jesus for themselves and foster a community that is passionate about Christ.
*Name has been changed.
The Life Project
Helping people online to know Jesus.
“Fatima and I first met on Facebook. As a young Muslim woman in the Middle East, Fatima had been forced into a marriage with an older man at the age of 17.”
Ministry Impact
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“We reach everyone from the staunch atheist who is upset with God — which is funny because they don’t believe there is a God — to somebody who is wanting to know how they can be used by God more. The majority of people, though, are hurting. They are struggling with something in their life and are turning to Google for help. That’s where they fnd us.” |
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Losing Family and Finding Christ
Fatima and I* first met on Facebook. As a young Muslim woman in the Middle East, Fatima had been forced into a marriage with an older man at the age of 17.
Three years later, after giving birth to two daughters, her husband married a cousin who had become a naturalized citizen in Europe. According to his right as a Muslim man, he divorced Fatima and took their daughters with him to his new marriage in Europe. Depressed, betrayed, and abandoned, Fatima felt helpless and alone.
After living with her heartbreak for 10 years, she was startled to hear from a former Muslim that God loves
her and sent His Son to save her. This sounded wonderful, and yet confusing. Intrigued, Fatima looked on the Internet to find more answers about this God who loved her.
When I met her in our Arabic ministry chat room, I prayed with her, encouraged her and assured her that I would do my best to answer her questions about Christ. I, too, was once a Muslim woman seeking answers, and I understood her quest. We talked for many hours and I taught her from the Bible. Then one day Fatima gave her life to Christ.
I introduced her to other Arab women believers online where she began to participate in Bible Study, prayer and worship in our Arabic chat fellowship.
Fatima exudes vibrant life and faith as she continues to participate in The Life Project’s Arabic chat room fellowship. She speaks joyfully of her relationship with the Lord and shares her beautiful voice in worship with others throughout the Arab world.
*Najat, one of the leaders of The Life Project’s
Arabic Ministry