Urban fortress apartments are the next frontier in mission

Many city people know about urban fortresses. Canvassers can’t knock on doors, election campaigners can’t leave a brochure. Churches can’t be neighbourly. And church planters are definitely locked out. It’s a reality of city life: you rent a suite in a tall building, and once inside, nobody can get to you. For someone bent on starting a church, it’s a tough assignment.

Lucas Aubé Photo: Barrie McMaster

That’s why Lucas Aubé of Montreal moved into a 24th floor flat in Vancouver’s densely populated West End – his chosen mission field. 300 people live in his building, but when he swipes his security card, the elevator only gives him access to his own floor. That’s how it is in the whole neighbourhood. Crammed with high-rises, one might say the West End is a neighbourhood of non-neighbours.

“The only way to reach people in a high-rise is to move in,” Aubé says flatly. That’s been his experience since coming to Vancouver a year and a half ago as a church planting pastor. “In a year and a half I haven’t yet met a Christian,” he says. It’s a long way from the community of Stanstead, Quebec, where he grew up.

But Aubé is creative. As soon as he moved in, he put up a sign in an elevator inviting residents to watch the TV show “24” together on Monday night. The sign violated building rules and was pulled down within six hours. But a few people did come that first night. And bit-by-bit, the circle grew. The show season ended, and the group looked for another show to follow so they could continue together. By now, the TV is off. They still meet for food and talk.

They call themselves the “Monday Night Family Dinner” group. It does feel like family. It’s also a “little United Nations,” with an age range from twenty-something up into the fifties. Aubé is a pastor from Quebec. Another is from France, two are Persians, one is a New Zealander, another from China. There’s a “Tex-Mex” fellow and an Australian.

Aubé has travelled extensively since his early teens, “but I came to realize in Bible College (Briercrest) that our own country is a mission field,” he says. “I feel that God is blessing me because the whole world is coming here.” He’s often frustrated by the thought that ordinary Christians who live in the West End don’t see themselves as missionaries.

After doing his Master’s degree at McGill and living in Montreal for four years, he’d expected things to move much faster, but now understands it will take a long time – at least five years. It’s slow and easy to get discouraged. But God has given one sign of fruit. Last November, one of the “family” accepted Christ and now attends Westside Church, an MB church plant in Vancouver’s Kitsilano area.

In the meantime, Westside has taken Aubé on staff, leading mid-week prayer, small group leadership, some pastoral visitation, and Bible training for new believers.

And Aubé is in an historic partnership. He became serious about his faith in a Southern Baptist church plant in Montreal. So he came to Vancouver under that denomination’s covering.

Now, B.C. Mennonite Brethren are excited about what he’s doing, so the B.C. MBs and Southern Baptists have agreed to make this a jointly funded church plant. It is the second such MB partnership venture in Canada (the other being with Salvation Army in downtown Toronto).

Aubé thanks God for the association with Westside Church. “It’s really exciting – lots of energy.” He went there initially to be fed himself, and now he is feeding others and loves the work. But his eye is on the big picture, and he looks forward to the day when a West End Vancouver church will be planted, rooted, thriving, and fruitful.