West End Christian Community grows through multiplying
WINNIPEG, MB—Multiplication isn't only for mathematics … it's an important part of church growth for West End Christian Community (WECC).
WECC, situated several blocks west of Polo Park Shopping Centre, consists of two, intimately connected congregations: LivingStones Church and FireLight Church. It began in 1994 as a weekly Bible study at the home of Rob—a high school teacher—and Karen Baron. The home Bible group, originally consisting of Rob's former students, soon grew in number and began to look more like a worship community.
Baron felt God was calling him to do more. He sought the advice of his pastor at Gateway Christian Community, Ron MacLean, who recommended Baron take ministry training at Gateway's King's Commission.
By reducing his teaching contract to part-time, Baron was able to devote more attention to his fledgling congregation. In 2000, he left teaching all together to become a full-time church leader.
George Hill of Living Bible Explorers provided space for the group to worship in their Burnell Street facility, and in 1997, they purchased the former First Nations Community Church building on Erin Street. The congregation continued to grow in number and leadership.
In 2003, the vision of dividing the community into two closely-knit yet separate congregations began to take shape, giving birth to FireLight Church and LivingStones Church. The acquisition, in 2007, of a former Salvation Army church at the current address provided more room for twin-congregational activities and a targeted ministry in this St. James community.
Baron, 50, was given a prophetic word in 1999 about "growth through multiplication" with regards to the church. This phrase holds a special meaning for him. For Baron, multiplication goes beyond numeric addition. It involves proliferation of disciples, leaders, ministries and even congregations in the body of Christ.
Referring to WECC's two congregations, Baron says, "1 Corinthians 12 describes the body of Christ as having many members and each performs a distinct function, enriching the whole."
LivingStones Church, pastored by George Balaktsis, worships at 10:30 a.m. following a potluck breakfast, while FireLight Church, led by Baron, worships at 6:30 p.m. preceded by a potluck supper. Doing church this way aims at building deeper relationships among members. The two congregations get together regularly for further inter-congregational bonding.
"It dawned on me why the Lord wants us to do church this way at WECC. He wants us to work closely with each other as one body in separate congregations," says Baron.
"It's like a Kingdom experiment on a 'petri dish,' showing us how His body, through different parts, can work together intimately as encouraged in Ephesians 4:16: 'From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.' My desire is to see the body of Christ in Winnipeg connected and healthy."
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