Sunnyside Wesleyan Church supports the following missions on an ongoing basis:
LOCAL
As campus Director of the Navigators Emily helps the campus communities of Carleton University and the University of Ottawa to “Know Christ and make Him known.” We know Christ each week through Nav Night (weekly large group), bible studies, and one on one discipleship. Our Navs community makes Christ known by practicing our discipleship to Jesus and sharing Him with our relational networks.
The purpose of Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship of Canada is the transformation of youth, students, and graduates, in all their ethnic diversity, into fully committed followers of Jesus Christ. With a strong focus on leadership development, Inter-Varsity groups at the University of Ottawa, Carleton University, and Algonquin College run small group Bible studies and large group gatherings, which are designed to help people discover Jesus, be transformed by the gospel, and participate in creative outreach opportunities. Alaina supervises the ministry of InterVarsity in Eastern Ontario.
Located a leisurely drive from Ottawa, Silver Lake Wesleyan Camp is a place to gather for annual retreats, conferences, and camps. The summer is full of camps for children, teens, adults, and families. These camps are filled with age-appropriate activities, games, Bible teaching, worship, nature exploration, crafts, and lots of opportunity to build relationships with God, others, and self.
Address: 512 Wesleyan Camp Ln, Maberly, ON, K0H 2B0
Capital City Mission is a community in Ottawa’s Lowertown creating home through a daily drop-in, chaplaincy care, and a weekly Bible study. It also hosts Coldest Night of the Year to raise support for vulnerable people in our city. During COVID, CCM has faithfully connected with neighbours through its canteen window and, when possible, hosting people inside its space.
Guided by the Biblical principle of "loving our neighbours," Restoring Hope's mission is to provide physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental support to youth who are experiencing homelessness, are marginalized, and/or are exploited. During COVID, Sunnyside partnered with Restoring Hope through volunteering at the drop-in and giving Christmas gifts for teens.
Safe Families surrounds families in crisis with caring, compassionate community. By hosting children in safe families and offering support through volunteers, this ministry keeps children safe and families intact while they get back on their feet. In 2021, the Ottawa chapter hosted children 597 times and 100% of the children served have stayed with their families!
National
Navigators seek to guide people to experience a deep, ongoing connection with Jesus and to equip them to pass along their faith and become a guide to others. They endeavour to help people integrate their faith into everyday life and to be faithfully present in their relational networks. The Navigators are active in cities across Canada on college and university campuses, in local churches, in neighbourhoods and communities, in the marketplace, and in cross cultural settings in Canada and abroad. Chris currently serves as the National Director for The Navigators of Canada. Heather serves as a friend, mentor, and guide to many staff and volunteers within the Navigators.
Riverside Community Church introduces our community to Jesus, disciples believers, and promotes healthy church planting. Our desire is to remain outward focussed, obeying Jesus’ command to go bring the Gospel into the world. Our worship, Bible study, and fellowship aim to glorify God and equip believers to minister in their daily lives. We love and serve our neighbours; we have been blessed with a facility that lends itself well to activities such as running a much-needed community centre. Northeastern Ontario life is challenging. Churches are few and far between, and the social, economic, and demographic characteristics of ministry in these one-industry regions require a very “missionary-like” approach to church planting. Thank you for your continued support! We are somewhat isolated up here and couldn’t do this without a collective of churches across Ontario!
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (l’Alliance évangélique du Canada) is the national association of evangelical Christians in Canada. For 55 years, the EFC has provided a national forum for Evangelicals and a constructive voice for biblical principles in life and society. Five areas of focus direct all of the EFC’s involvement: church and mission, care for the vulnerable, sanctity of life, family and community, and religious freedom. The EFC’s goal is uniting Evangelicals to bless Canada in the name of Jesus.
Nick Pybus, pictured with his wife Kayla, is the Lead Pastor of Norwood Wesleyan Church. Their church seeks to meet the needs of its inner city Edmonton neighbourhood with love and compassion. During COVID, they persevered in responding to people's daily needs in very practical ways, such as a food hamper program.
Krista serves as the Director of Clergy Development and Care.
She works with a terrific team of people to develop women and men who are called into vocational ministry. She also works to build networks of support that enhance clergy wellbeing. Krista is married to Wade, and they have two children named Caleb and Karis.
Global
When Ryan was a student at Indiana Wesleyan University, he felt led of God to go and serve when he learned about ministering internationally. Sarah felt God’s call to commit her life to full-time missions work while on a mission trip to Haiti when she was a senior in high school. The Schmitzes are now a family of six living in Managua, Nicaragua. They’ve been long-term missionaries with Global Partners since 2009. Through partnership with churches, schools, feeding centres, and teams, they help individuals, families, and communities learn more about Christ and experience his redemptive power. They build relationships with Nicaraguans through economic development and reaching out to young students with the hope of Jesus.
Support from Sunnyside goes toward three main projects in Egypt. First, support flows to low-income pastors who work in low-income villages. Second, finances go toward covering the cost of prescription drugs for pastors who have medical concerns, like diabetes. This project is receiving aid from churches outside Egypt in the stages of building up a local, sustainable system. Third, Egyptian and North American Christians are collaborating to build a multipurpose church facility in the city of Badr on land granted by the government. The aim is to complete vital construction stages in two years. Pray for Rev. Atif as he helps with these unprecedented opportunities.
Sunnyside supports the Wesleyan Church in Ghana through the humanitarian Project Reach Out Canada (PROC), which raises funds to help impoverished Ghanaians. Rev. Joe Ocran and his wife, Jemima, founded PROC in 1990 as a way for North American Christians to show God’s love by meeting people’s physical needs, especially those of women and children. Sunnyside has also assisted with funds for a micro-credit ministry directed by World Hope Canada in connection with HOPELINE. It is a micro-credit group in Ghana that provides funding and training for people to start businesses that will provide regular income for their families and allow them to contribute to the church.
World Hope International is a Christian relief and development organization working with vulnerable and exploited communities to alleviate poverty, suffering, and injustice. Its vision is to provide those in need with opportunity, dignity, and hope so they can possess the tools for change in themselves, their family, and their community. "Sunnyside has partnered in past short-term missions to First Step Centre, a ministry to children who are poor and living on the streets of Odessa, Ukraine, and to Hope House, a safe community for at-risk female youth."
Pastor Matt is a ministerial student with the Wesleyan Church and was our former Youth Pastor at Sunnyside. We are now supporting him through his work in apologetics.
Truth Snack helps doubting Christians become adventurous truth-seekers so they can believe with confidence.
Most Christians will doubt their faith at some point in their lives. Check out Truth Snack’s YouTube channel and website for thoughtful, fun, and inclusive resources for people on a journey through crisis to confidence.