On December 10, 2002, Immanuel Christian Reformed Church will be 43 years
old. At its inception it became the third CRC in Hamilton, wedged between First
Church downtown and Mount Hamilton on the mountain.
Place of Worship:
61 Mohawk Road West, Hamilton
History
Pastors:
On December 10, 2002, Immanuel Christian Reformed Church will be 43 years
old. At its inception it became the third CRC in Hamilton, wedged between First
Church downtown and Mount Hamilton on the mountain.
Immanuel Church was started in 1959 by approximately a dozen families who came from the Canadian Reformed Church. They joined our denomination and brought along a church building. It was an unfinished building that needed everything but walls, roof, doors and a furnace. A handyman’s dream come true! However, Immanuel grew rapidly. It always was a congregation with many children of all ages.
Immanuel church members were also strong Christian school supporters. Since both the Christian grade school and high school were close to the church, in fact bordering on our parking lot, many people moved to the area and joined our congregation. "No need for a school bus," was a drawing card.
Proximity of schools also required hospitality. When more space was needed in the school our church was always called on for the use of some rooms. Somehow Christian education has always been a central core aspect in Immanuel. Many church members are and were volunteers on boards and committees. Several teachers have always been among the membership.
Over the ensuing years other churches were started in the surrounding areas and a number of members left in 1976 to help start the Ancaster church and later, in 1989, the Fellowship church. This meant making adjustments to new challenges which were always met. One of the challenges when a sister congregation starts is that you lose helpers and teachers in the Sunday School, clubs, committees, and church council. But this dilemma was solved each time and other members stepped in. Because we always had so many young families there were clubs in abundance and members of sister churches made use of this opportunity when their church demographics changed temporarily.
In the mid ‘90s Immanuel developed a Concept of Ministry statement. That direction-setting policy had a far-reaching ripple effect. Outreach in the community was the driving force for clubs, coffee break programs and bible studies. Soon more space was needed and over the years two major renovations took place. The first was the addition of four rooms on the east side, which required buying the neighbour’s house so that part of the lot could be separated in order to gain space. The second addition was to the south side including renovations to the sanctuary and the basement. That addition included air conditioning in the meeting rooms as the icing on the cake.
It is easy to understand why Immanuel is called the church with the many road signs. The front lawn sports four signs. One is the Immanuel church sign, then the Korean church sign, the Asian church sign, and also the coffee break sign. The Korean church is independent from the Christian Reformed denomination, but the Asian congregation is an outreach project effort of Classis Hamilton. A third group of believers that uses the church, but that does not have a sign, is the Rwandan congregation. It is easy to see why being a custodian in Immanuel becomes an involved affair of skill and know-how. Especially Tuesday and Wednesday evenings the building hums with all types of activities and is often called Grand Central Station.
Every summer there is a fifth road sign—always an eye-catching one—of the Daily Vacation Bible School. There is a different theme each year and in 2002 it was the Amazon Jungle which was shown on the road sign and throughout the building with decorations. Attendance was 240 children with 110 volunteer helpers to run the week-long program. Several of the students have shown an interest in joining one of the church clubs. Over the past ten years or so many volunteers from Fellowship joined the Immanuel team since they do not have their own building. Once that changes, adjustments will have to be made again.
In the past few years Immanuel has grown to full capacity again, and good teamwork is needed. That has been happening between the pastor, the office manager, and the custodian. For eight years the church also hired a candidate from Calvin Seminary as intern pastor, and since August 2002, there is a half-time youth pastor. The church sees many visitors, some of them inquirers. Several people are drawn to the Lord. There is a high degree of motivation to help neighbours.
Activities abound. This year many of the two young people groups went on mission trips to either Woodstock Ontario, Red Deer Alberta, Mississippi, Mexico, India, Nigeria, and The Philippines to do mission outreach and building projects. They have become very aware that they are part of a privileged group of believers living in Canada. They have become more thankful for the blessings they have and are able to form an idea of how to witness and reach out on behalf of Christ.
Where to go from here? Immanuel has become a city church and needs to stay alert to the needs around and among it. The twenty elders and ten deacons are very much aware of the fact that we are a church of the Lord and on a pilgrimage. We regularly encourage each other to be alert, watchful and dedicated.
May He continue to guide us.
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 The church with many signs |
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