B.C. worship group links with churches in Montreal

Northview Community Church of Abbotsford sent a worship team under the leadership of Johnny Markin, Pastor of Worship and the Arts, to Montreal in June to train emerging worship leaders and encourage MB churches there.

Part of the Northview worship team on their trip to Quebec: (l–r) Coralie Carleton, Amy Klassen, John Welsh, Heather Welsh, Lyndon Toftager, Sam Lombardo, pastor Johnny Markin.

Markin says the goal of the mission trip was not social relief or for proclamation of the gospel, but of a third type, like Paul’s earliest mission trips, “to strengthen and encourage already established churches that are struggling.”

The Northview group participated in a multi-church bilingual youth event called “Heartquake,” organized by Youth for Christ, and in a day of worship training workshops in French and English. They sang at church services in several Montreal churches (both English and French). They also did teambuilding sessions that combined worship musicians and vocalists from several churches into a group that led a Unity Celebration on the second weekend. Markin met with key leaders, including Dan Loewen, a young Columbia Bible College grad, who is assisting in developing worship leaders, primarily in the French MB congregations. In the words of one pastor, “we are tired.” Church work in Quebec involves a long labour, often with little success and limited resources.

The exchange will be remembered as “a week of special blessing,” Patrice Nagant, director of church planting for the Quebec MB Conference, says, and the gathering of worship teams will continue.

The mission trip was made possible through proceeds of a live worship CD, “Hear from Heaven,” recorded by worship leaders at Northview Community Church in February. The CD, Northview’s fourth album and second live worship release, grows out of a movement in Abbotsford that has seen churches there taking off “denominational badges” and worshipping as one. From the project’s inception, say organizers, the desire has been to do “a truly unique, ‘Canadian’ worship project, one that crosses the linguistic and cultural divide, bringing songs of praise to our nation in both national languages.”

—from report by Johnny Markin