Global Workers
Our mission at North Pointe is to fulfill the Great Commission Jesus gave his disciples in Matthew 28:19 - 20:
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
We support global workers all throughout the world.
We see that the call to make disciples starts in Edmonton, extends through Alberta into Canada, and finally around the world.
These amazing people, couples, and teams, are truly making a difference in the world.
Each year our Missions Committee sets a budget for the year, and all of the money received for “Missions” is given to these workers according to the budget that has been set. Any excess funds over the budget will be dispersed at the Missions Committee’s discretion.
Global Reach
Brian and Valerie Rutten
Ethiopia, Africa
Brian and Valerie Rutten are based in Ethiopia and lead the work of PAOC from Ethiopia into the region of North Africa and the Middle East.
The primary focus of their work, in partnership with strong and mature Ethiopian Church leaders, is leadership training and development of Christian communities, as well as relief and development in the region.
There are many opportunities to bring the love and peace of Christ into this troubled area of the world. Ethiopia is the perfect base to accomplish this from as it is the Capital of Africa, hosting the Africa Union and is a bridge between the Middle East and Africa.
It is also culturally and geographically close to the nations of North Africa and the Middle East. It is politically stable and promotes religious freedom. Both the challenges and opportunities are great.
Elmer and Sherry Komant
Burundi, Africa
Elmer and Sherry Komant are passionate about church planting in Africa. The most recent effort meant the official opening of Christian Life Ministries located in the Odeon Palace Theatre downtown Bujumbura in June of 2013.
Missionaries, totally supported by their sending churches, from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and one from the UK partnered in committed teamwork. The transition of all but one of these African missionaries back to their sending churches means that we have made great progress towards the nationalization of this Assembly.
Life has been different since the unrest and attempted coup of 2015, but Christian Life Ministries has bounced back in a wonderful way. Around 850 people meet at the Bujumbura campus while the new branch church planted at Gitega is now a year old and growing in numbers and level of discipleship. The Wezesha "micro finance" project is flourishing with ministry to over 750 vulnerable but enterprising women and their families.
Campus Vibe and Sunday Night Live and the English Club keep drawing large numbers of young people to Christ. Discipleship classes are jammed. The Komants continue to serve with full diligence, always seeking to empower the next generation.
Village of Hope
Zimbabwe, Africa
Birthed in 2008; out of a desire to reach to children in need in Africa, the Village of Hope Zimbabwe (VOH Zimbabwe) is one of 10 locations offering holistic ministry to children.
The VOH Zimbabwe is driven by a passion for being a child-friendly centre, a place where children in need can find hope for their future.
In Zimbabwe, the VOH has turned out to be an ‘oasis’, a hub of hope for children in need in Harare. Through the various programs that include education primary health care, community outreach, nutrition program and discipleship, the VOH Zimbabwe is impacting approximately 1200 children from the community.
Steve and Patti Hertzog
Eurasia
Steve & Patti Hertzog have a long history at North Pointe. They served on the pastoral staff here in the early 1990's and have since been involved as elders, home group leaders, missions committee members, & WM leaders, while working at Vanguard College, our bible College for 22 years.
Currently based in Bratislava, Slovakia, Steve & Patti serve as Regional Directors for PAOC International Missions in Eurasia. They oversee and empower 45 amazing PAOC Global Workers engaged in “extending the Kingdom and serving the peoples” in 18 nations from Siberia to Spain, England to Israel.
Steve is passionate about building a healthy and effective team of leaders, churches & colleges to impact Eurasia with the gospel. Patti focuses on fighting for social justice in the region, organizing humanitarian aid, and caring for women in ministry.
Ilya and Janet Bantseev
Siberia, Russia
The Bantseevs are pastoring MyChurch, a dynamic, growing congregation in Novokuznetsk, a city of 600,000 people in Central Siberia.
Started in 1993 with three people, the church has grown to over 1000... & has planted 21 more churches in the surrounding region. Their congregation ministers in prisons, orphanages, and to people with life controlling problems or addictions through the 15 Teen Challenge (alcohol & drug rehab program) centres they operate across Siberia.
They also organize various ministry and missionary teams to plant churches throughout Siberia and share the gospel with professional groups such as doctors, athletes, government officials and police.
Ilya and Jessica Batrakov
Siberia, Russia
Ilya and Jessica Batrakov’s vision is to reach this generation of young Russian-speaking people, to see them saved and inspired to fulfill God’s call on their lives. One of the greatest needs in the eastern part of the world is that thousands of young people have never heard the phrase “God loves you.”
Ilya and Jessica’s desire is to reach young people and help them receive salvation & discover who they are in God’s eyes, build healthy friendships that will lead into strong marriages, and restore their relationship with their parents
Ilya and Jessica served as Global Workers in Novokuznetsk, Siberia under the leadership of Jessica's parents, Ilya and Janet Bantseev. Ilya and Jessica met at kids camp when they were 12 years old. At a young age, they both sensed the call into full time ministry. Ilya served as the youth leader in My Church downtown campus, organizing weekly youth services, regional youth camps, and conferences; while Jessica served as the media coordinator for both the church and youth ministry, as well as the youth worship leader for the downtown campus.
Prayer Requests:
• That God would end the war between Russia and Ukraine and bring peace and healing between the countries
• That He would direct our steps as we reach this generation of Russian-speaking youth, no matter where they are from in the world
• That He would provide the resources and finances to accomplish His vision
Miro and Marta Toth
Slovakia, Europe
Miro & Marta Toth are founding pastors of Kristus mestu, a multi campus church in southwest Slovakia. Since after the fall of communism Slovakia only had a handful of Pentecostal churches, Miro felt a heavy burden for church planting. After graduating from Northpoint Bible College (1994) Miro started planting in environments totally untouched by evangelical Christianity. Joined by Marta after their wedding (1997) they established the first community in the town of Nove Zamky. After a decade of ministry and a substantial influence in the community they relocated to the city of Nitra where they planted another location. From Nitra the ministry spread to two more missional campuses and one daughter church. In 2013 Miro pioneered Gateway College - the first Spirit-filled ministry training institution in Slovakia. Marta has gained an influential voice in the country leading a women's ministry and hosting an annual women's conference Fiesta. They also host a men's conference (Transformers) and a revivalist conference Turbulencia. They lead a relational pastors and leaders network called CityLdr, lead the western district of the Slovak Pentecostal denomination (ACS) and mentor leaders extensively through a few projects (such as LeadLab). In 2019 they started planting in the city of Budapest where a church called Equippers is being launched this year. Miro has a PhD. in the field of Urban Mission from the Evangelical Seminary in Mathias Bell University (SK). He has ministered in over 20 nations on a number of platforms. They have three sons. Toby is married with Kika and they minister with Miro & Marta in Budapest. Adam is in university and Natan in early teens. They live in Nitra (SK) and Budapest (HU).
Wayne & Ann Hilsden
Israel
Wayne and Ann Hilsden have served in Israel since 1983. Together with Jim and Kathy Cantelon, the Hilsdens pioneered King of Kings Community in Jerusalem, today the largest evangelical church in Israel. King of Kings Ministries has become a hub for over thirty distinct ministry initiatives, including twelve congregations throughout Israel.
Under the leadership of the Hilsdens, King of Kings Ministries purchased Jerusalem’s largest movie theater and transformed it into the PAVILION, a worship and conference centre. On the 21st floor of the same office and shopping complex, they also established the the SUMMIT Prayer Centre.
In 2014 Wayne and Ann initiated FIRM: Fellowship of Israel Related Ministries. FIRM consists of 67 organizations engaged in ministry among the people of Israel.
Ann, an accomplished musician, has is produced many music projects and continues to mentor Israeli songwriters and musicians.
Apart from serving as a pastor at King of Kings and as president of FIRM, Wayne gives direction to the Jerusalem Academy of Ministry to train up the next generation of ministry leaders in Israel.
Wayne and Ann Hilsden have four sons and several grandchildren.
Ian and Tiffanie Rowley
Cambodia
The Rowley’s have been serving in Cambodia since 2012 with their two elementary aged girls. They run the Global Student Centre and Dorm.
The vision of the ministry is to create a place of Christian community where students experience God and each other through love and fellowship. Students are discipled and sent out in various ministry capacities around the nation. Inside the centre they run language & music classes, Alpha and various discipleship programs, Bible studies, small groups, and church on Sunday. The key is genuine fellowship coupled with solid biblical teaching.
Tiffanie runs ChildCARE Plus for the country. It’s the sponsorship arm of ERDO & PAOC. We focus in on education, nutrition, health care, clean water and the transforming power of a simple gospel. Since 2012 we have seen the program grow from 60 children to over 650 children.
Darren and Patty McCrea
Bogota, Columbia
For some 3 decades, Darren & Patty McCrea have been serving in Bogota, Colombia.
Darren, from London, ON, is passionate about discipling communities, mass evangelism in schools and other large events and in building the church, literally!
Each year the McCrea Family is part of helping financially challenged congregations build or expand their churches so that they can better reach their communities.
Both Patty (she is Colombian) and Darren come from difficult backgrounds, so it is their joy to come alongside several children’s homes that reach kids at the most difficult times in their lives. That assistance is expressed in everything from home renovations to just taking them out for some good, high quality, junk food!
On top of all that Patty is a highly specialized teacher. Having worked with street kids for many years, she now partners with several after school programs, both one on one with the most academically challenged children and in training the many volunteers on how to advance these precious children.
Darren & Patty have two boys, James and Darien. James is studying to be a commercial pilot and Darien is soon to study Arts & Business. To get to know more about their far-reaching ministry, please visit www.ourlovingfather.com
ERDO
Emergency Relief and Development Overseas
From the biblical call to do good, Emergency Relief Development Overseas, or ERDO, was born.
From a handful of countries, ERDO has grown today to provide aid to 34 countries. We have grown because the world is experiencing more and more humanitarian crises, and because an increasing number of Canadians are responding with Christian compassion.
Natural disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes and cyclones seem to be in our news each day. People are experiencing tragedy with increasing frequency - the tragedy of losing loved ones, their homes and their livelihoods.
ERDO is focused on four key areas that span from immediate aid to longterm programs, crisis response, food assistance, child sponsorship and community development. Long-term development brings communities to a point where they are self sustaining, and stable.
Centre Chretien L'Heritage
Prevost, Quebec
Christian Heritage Centre Church is a ministry that we have been partnering with since the fall of 2019.
Quebec is one of the most under evangelized areas in the world, and we want to change that!
Pastor Laurent Fabreques has helped the congregation grow in size and reach to the point where they have had to relocate from their building to a local theatre where they will be able to continue to impact lives north of the city of Montreal.
We look forward to having exchanges back and forth with this congregation in the future.
Neighbors & Newcomers Network
Edmonton
Presently, there are some 140,000 newcomers from the Middle East and Horn of Africa in Edmonton and this number will continue to rapidly grow in the next 12 years.
In the Bible, God commanded His people to love the alien and newcomer in their midst (Deut. 10: 19; Lev. 19:34), and God still commands us to do the same.
Many of these newcomers have been through the trauma of war, and what better way to demonstrate what it means to follow Christ than to love and care for the new neighbours around us?
This is exactly what we are doing, through English programs, personal visits, outings, and provision of practical items (i.e. furniture, clothes, etc.). These new neighbours and friends are finding reconciliation with God in Christ, through the demonstration and proclamation of the good news that is being shared with them.
Birch Bay Ranch
Sherwood Park, AB
Birch Bay Ranch provides year round retreat facility, adventure activities and a summer camp for children and teens.
Located on South Cooking Lake, this dynamic ministry has provided campers with outdoor activities for over 50 years.
In the summer over 800 kids and teens get the opportunity to hear and respond to the Good News of Jesus over 9 weeks of camps.
Schools love BBR as a destination because of the climbing walls, ziplines, horses and acres of beautiful forest lands.