A slow-moving dream

Sandi and Adam Wiggins left the 1998 Willow Creek Leadership Summit with a firm conviction of God’s calling on their lives – the urge to plant a new church in Vancouver.

The following spring, Adam resigned from his position as pastor of Eastview Community Church, Winnipeg, and packed up with his wife and three elementary-aged children, Annelise, Joshua, and me (Katrina), to ride west to Vancouver.

We didn’t make it there. A detour took us to Maple Ridge, William’s Lake, and then to Chilliwack, B.C., where Adam served as pastor in several established churches. The dream lived on, but opportunities for church planting had dried up.

Beginning in Dunbar

In spring 2005, however, our comfortable lives were disturbed once more when the chance to church plant in Vancouver resurfaced. In June, I graduated from high school and we put our house on the market.

Fast-forward to September. The house hadn’t sold. Sandi hadn’t found a job in Vancouver. We hadn’t found a place to live, so the younger kids had no school.

I was renting a one-bedroom, 700 square-foot apartment on the University of B.C. campus. Adam and the kids moved in too, and we set up beds in the living room. Sandi drove from Chilliwack each weekend to visit and look for a job.

Amidst the chaos, our church planting efforts continued. We determined to target a community called Dunbar, just outside the University of B.C. endowment lands, hoping to eventually build a campus ministry at UBC. Adam created a website and drafted a letter of introduction to the community.

Response came quickly. Hate mail and calls to the city ensued. People accused us of soliciting funds (although financial support was not mentioned in the letter), being American fundamentalists, and having subnormal intelligence. Undaunted (mostly), we planned an inaugural church service for December. Only four people showed up.

We felt overwhelmed. Should we give up? Had God left us to freefall off the edge of a precipice? We struggled in the darkness, looking for God’s leading, angry that he had let us down.

Relocation

Then, in spring 2006, God gave us a glimpse of his plan. Before Christmas, Sandi had finally found a job in Yaletown, the trendy waterfront section of Vancouver’s downtown core. Adam and Sandi made a startling discovery. In Yaletown, when you mention Jesus, God, or even church, people don’t recoil. They’re polite. They express interest and they don’t run for cover.

We decided to change our church plant location from Dunbar to Yaletown. Suddenly, people began searching our internet site. We received phone calls inquiring when and where we hold church services. Our core group doubled. We’re now trying to reach the young, wealthy professionals of Yaletown who are often overlooked by churches because of their very wealth and success. We have great hope for the future of Pacific Church.

Obstacles

We also have a number of seemingly impossible obstacles to overcome. Housing is one of them. Houses don’t exist in Yaletown. There are only lofts, townhouses, and condos. And the problem is not only the cost, but the size. There are five people in our family, plus the cat. The only condos that would fit us cost almost $1 million. As well, rental space for worship services is difficult to find. We’re still looking, and asking for prayer to keep Satan at bay and allow us to give this church a chance.

Looking back, we know that the only way we could have been budged from Dunbar was for such a catastrophe as we experienced to occur. Well God, I guess you knew what you were doing after all!

Katrina Wiggins is going into her second year at UBC, and works as a research coordinator and editor.

Note: In July, the Wiggins family found a home to rent in Kitsilano, a community across the bridge from Yaletown. They are planning to launch public worship services at Pacific Church in the fall. For more information, or to get involved, see their website.