A day in the life of P2C community across Canada

University of Victoria, BC

Larissa is leading the prayer meeting on campus at the Interfaith Chapel. The students gather and listen as Gavin reads John 1:1-5. Each receives a card with a specific country or city to pray for. Larissa invites them to pair up and share their prayer requests and also pray for the information on the card. Today, Kate and Lawren pray for the people in Paris.

John Abbott College, QC

Michelle knows that Sarah becomes easily stressed out before her chem lab, so she asks to grab coffee with Sarah to talk about it. Michelle listens while Sarah describes her worry about her grades and how challenging the transition from high school to university has been. Michelle offers to pray with Sarah, and gives her tips on how to prepare for labs and tests.

Mount Royal University, AB

While heading to his Philosophy lecture Dave runs into Tyler. “Hey! How’s it going?” he asks. Dave and Tyler recently met in the cafeteria through a mutual acquaintance. Tyler’s mom has been diagnosed with cancer and he’s been struggling with the load of helping take care of his younger sister, managing his job and his studies. Dave prayed about how to best serve Tyler. Now every Friday, Dave has Tyler and his sister over for a dinner and movie night together with some other friends.

Dalhousie University, NS

Cam and Joe bring in another picnic table to accommodate the growing number of students. Dan is grilling burgers as Rachel offers drinks and greets people. The campus team invites more students over as a group congregates on the outskirts of the field to play ultimate frisbee. Justin meets international students from India, China, England, and Italy. Among them, a young man asks, “Does God really exist?”

University of Toronto, ON

Elisa and Jade meet to partner in sharing the gospel. Elisa loves connecting with students on campus by listening to their stories and bonding over common interests. Today, Elisa and Jade speak with a student named Esther, whose family recently sponsored another family to come to Canada. Jade shares how her family also emigrated from their home country due to violence, so she understands the hardship involved. Jade offers to host a food-drive, so that students can provide practical resources to help the family adjust to life in Canada.

University of Saskatchewan, SK

Tim and Karla’s small group visit their campus Starbucks, laptops, textbooks, and Bible studies in tow. Jess grabs a seat by the window and pulls out “Rooted,” a Bible study they’ve been working through together to learn what it means to be rooted in the gospel.

McMaster University, ON

Emma and Andre noted that many international students express feelings of loneliness and displacement while studying away from home. Emma connected with a local church, and together they decided to host an “International Student Dinner” each month. Today, Andre meets up with Robbie, an international student from China and they head to the dinner together. Mid-bite, Robbie asks, “Why are Christians so loving to people who don’t love them back? Why are they willing to help foreigners in their city?” Andre smiles and says, “We love because Jesus first loved us.”

On a windy Saturday in mid-March, close to 100 Christian young adults from as far away as Laval, Gatineau and Quebec City gathered in Montreal to talk about hospitality, the theme of the most recent Convergence conference.

A new ministry initiative within Quebec, Convergence began in the fall of 2018 in an effort to broaden Power to Change’s scope of ministry beyond university students. Collaborating with churches and other ministries, the goal is to help young adults across Quebec remain active in their faith, sharing the good news of Jesus with relevance, love and conviction. Given the growing cultural, religious and sexual diversity in Canadian society, people tend to stay within the boundaries of their tribes - with others who are like themselves. God, however, calls Christians to step out of their comfort zones and meet others. And this was the primary focus given to the day.

Several guest speakers spoke about hospitality from a number of different perspectives. Fiona Crossling, director of the community organization Share the Warmth, set the tone of the day by inviting participants to unburden themselves from the many misconceptions often held about hospitality.

One misconception she mentioned was perfectionism, which in the end, makes hospitality more about us than about our guests. Mikaël Theimer, cofounder of Portraits de Montréal, a Québécois version of the popular blog Humans of New York, spoke on the importance of listening to other people’s stories. Mikaël’s presence was particularly inspiring in that, though he is not a Christian, he felt very comfortable taking part in an explicitly Christian event. Attendees were also inspired by Marie-Paule Villeneuve (a resident) and Encarnación Eloina Martínez Boza (an assistant) at L’Arche Montréal, a home for the physically and mentally disabled.

Local pastors, Power to Change staff and leaders from other ministries across the city also participated, each contributing to the day being a richly diverse experience of learning and collaboration. A genuine sense of warmth was experienced among the participants as they sat around tables discussing ideas presented by the speakers.

And a shared meal of authentic Mexican food significantly contributed to the family atmosphere. Everyone left encouraged and inspired to put hospitality into practice in their respective communities and to take the initiative to reach the people around them with the love of Christ.

All too often, the faith development of young adults entering post-secondary institutions grinds to a halt as they encounter new freedoms and new influences, not to mention the pressures of life on campus. But studies have shown that young adults who are well connected to churches and Christian communities continue to grow in their faith.

The NEXT Initiative focuses on helping students transition from high school to college or university, and in particular, helping them to connect with a Christian community while on campus.

To do this, P2C-Students’ staff and volunteers reach out to Grade 12’s and youth influencers, sharing about the importance of maintaining connections with a Christian community. Meeting with students in their high schools, youth groups and at youth events, NEXT team members establish connections with them before they even step on campus.

The community offered through Power to Change – Students is one where relationships matter, lives are changed and students are involved in a cause bigger than themselves. It is a safe space where young adults can ask questions, discover Jesus and go deeper in their faith through small group Bible studies, one-on-one discipleship, mission trips and annual retreats and conferences.

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