Ministry in the oilsands
Spiritual life and mission in one of Canada’s most affluent communities
FORT MCMURRAY, AB—Many Canadians view the oil sands, an extremely large deposit of heavy crude oil located in northeastern Alberta under 141,000 square kilometers of boreal forest and peat bogs, with mixed feelings.
Development in this area has come under intense environmental criticism. Meanwhile, towns and cities in the area have experienced an influx of people—and money—as gas and oil development skyrockets.
Fort McMurray, Alberta sits about a 45-minute drive from the oil sands. Industrial equipment is far from view. The majestic Athabasca River flows through much of the city and is complemented by plenty of green space.
"It’s really quite beautiful here,” says Jonathan Andrews, General Manager of Kaos91.1, the local Christian radio station. “People are often surprised by the amount of trees we have here.”
While there are reports of crime, drug and alcohol abuse and broken families often associated with an industry that attracts workers from all over the world and pays extremely well, those working with churches and Christian organizations say the spiritual climate of the city doesn’t necessarily reflect that.
Doug Doyle, pastor of Fort McMurray Alliance Church, says Fort McMurray “is not as harsh a place as many would consider it. Family is super important to the community and it shows in all aspects [of life].”
The city itself looks and feels very young and modern with lots of new infrastructure directed at families including the MacDonald Island Park, which boasts itself as, “Canada's largest community recreational, leisure, and social centre.”
The average age of the residents is 31, trucks are the vehicles of choice, nearly everyone owns some form of a recreational vehicle, and there is a noticeable politeness in the people that stems from the culture influence of east coast immigration. Money is abundant but Doyle points out that the residents are very generous with their finances.
“Loneliness is the spiritual problem of Fort McMurray,” says Andrews. “Affluence and consumerism play a role but eventually they realize money cannot buy them time. Time is the real commodity.”
Time with family, friends, and even God is hard to come by. A popular Christian book sold in Fort McMurray is The Search for God in Guinness by Stephen Mansfield. Doyle speculates the reason may be because the book embraces both Fort McMurray’s prominent beer culture with a longing to find a deeper meaning.
“People think if they make more money they will finally be happy but money cannot buy a happy home life. Then they walk into church,” says Andrews.
A must-have on Doyle’s list for his church was a seasoned Children’s Ministry pastor. The church also opted to sculpt the Sunday morning services with lights, an active social media presence, modern style worship, and practical and engaging messages to reflect the interests of McMurray Mike, a fictional character they created to represent the needs of the community—someone who is young, married or in a relationship, with a family and a desire for a connection with God.
“When we started that [two years ago], only ‘McMurray Mikes’ came on Sunday mornings but soon after their families started to join them,” he says. Attendance on any given Sunday is approximately 200 people but due to shift work, frequent vacations, and travel for the congregants each week it may be an entirely different congregation. Doyle estimates there are about 600 people attending Fort McMurray Alliance Church now, which is more than double what it was just two years ago.
Both Andrews and Doyle would like to see greater reach into the work camps located 40 minutes outside of Fort McMurray, built specifically to handle the overflow of staff required in the oil sands. The infrastructure inside the city simply cannot build fast enough to accommodate.
For Andrews that will require permission from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to increase the station’s signal strength so its message and music can reach that audience on the FM dial.
For Doyle that means developing leaders in his young congregation to be strong men and women of God willing to share their faith boldly.
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