Mission targets Toronto
TORONTO, ON—Operation Mobilization (OM), a mission agency that strives to equip people for world evangelism, is reaching out to the world by reaching out to Toronto.
For the three week period from July 16 to August 7, local OM volunteers joined workers from across Canada and overseas for Challenge Toronto '05; a short-term training and outreach mission that aims to befriend Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and others in Canada's largest city.
"When you think of all the immigrants who are coming here, this is the right place to do it," says OM representative Stephen Hawkins. Citing the fact that the word "Toronto" means "meeting place," he says the city "is a good place to meet people from all walks of life and to have a good time of sharing the gospel."
Almost four dozen volunteers were expected to participate in the three week effort. They were joined by an anticipated 200 additional volunteers from local Filipino and Sri Lankan congregations for special weekend evangelistic events including a free screening of The Passion of The Christ.
Churchill Heights Baptist Church in Scarborough is partnering with OM for the outreach. The church's pastor responsible for outreach, Don Webster, says the number of Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Buddhist believers in his church's area is "just about equivalent" to the number of people from a Christian cultural background.
"Although our primary target is to reach people from other religions, of course we are ready to reach each and every person as we go door-to-door," says Webster.
This is the second year the church has participated in the event. During a shorter, two-week stint last year, participants had 231 opportunities to share the gospel and 28 first time decisions for Christ were recorded. Of those, four people still have an on-going relationship with the church.
But Hawkins says the purpose of the mission goes beyond mere numbers.
"We hope to make Christians aware of the international neighbours that they are living by, give them opportunities to share the gospel with those who've probably never heard of the gospel of Jesus Christ and that some people will acknowledge their need of a Saviour."
Each morning was devoted to teaching the volunteers about other faith groups, with the aim of preparing the missionaries to engage in "culturally appropriate" conversations with people they meet. Participants were able to visit holy places of other faiths. Afternoons and early evenings were spent going door-to-door, chatting with people, praying with people and inviting them to church.
Reflecting on his experiences with Toronto Challenge last year, Webster says people are "very hospitable" and a surprising number—he estimates 20 per cent—actually invite the volunteers in.
When asked why his church decided to participate in the outreach, Webster says, "we want Christ to be a topic of discussion throughout our area.
"How else can we establish some kind of contact with these folks? And who knows the end product? We're not out to make arguments, we're trying to radiate the glory of the Lord out to them."
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