RPCNA | St. Lawrence Presbytery | Kitchener (Ontario, Canada)
Organized: October 2010
Elders: Pastor Scott Wilkinson, Rob Somers
Deacons: Tom Gillelan, Sam Sutherland
Members: 40 Communicant, 18 Baptized
Where We Started
New Creation Reformed Presbyterian Church in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, is a church plant that was started back in early 2001. Pastor Scott Wilkinson graduated from the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (RPTS) in 1995 and started his ministry in Walton, New York. Every summer, Scott and his wife Elineke would travel from Walton into Canada, through the Kitchener-Waterloo area, to spend their vacation with Elineke’s family.
In 2001, Kitchener was a growing city that had no Reformed churches. Scott approached the St. Lawrence Presbytery with his desire to start a church there. Thw ministry in Kitchener began with a Bible Study, a lecture series at a local Chapters Book Store, and then a radio show.
Milestones to Remember
In 2003, the congregation began worshipping together at a community center. Ben and Karina Farenhorst and their family moved to the area to be a part of the congregation. Other key families, including the Somers, Sutherlands and Gillelans, have supported the church for many years through their involvement in putting on children’s programs, soccer camps, fellowship meals, Long-Term Care ministries, as well as Bible studies and Catechism classes.
In 2005, the New Creation RPC was able to rent a gym from a private school which allowed them to move to holding two services every Lord’s Day. Between 2005 and 2010, there were many families who came but didn’t stay.
In 2010, Scott started working with Gillespie Academy as a professor. Gillespie Academy was started by a group of Reformed pastors with hopes of providing a theological program for students in the area. Scott became involved there to help the local Reformed community become more familiar with him, New Creation, and the Reformed Presbyterian denomination. 2010 was also the year in which New Creation became an official congregation of the RPCNA.
Another turning point came in 2017 as the Langlade family joined the congregation. The Langlades, who had no experience with Reformed denominations, came in search of a Bible-based church. Through their family’s involvement and service, several others began attending the worship services.
In January 2018, the congregation was able to start renting from Christ the King United Church. Just having a church building provided a feeling of solidarity for the congregation, also providing more space, allowing for continued growth.
Growing and Bearing Fruit
In 2019, the New Creation was blessed by a short term mission opportunity where Jordan King came to serve with Pastor Scott. Together, Scott and Jordan were able to hand out many business cards to the homes in the surrounding area. This bore fruit: many new people came to visit and settle in the New Creation congregation. The congregation has become quite a diverse group of people from different ethnic, theological, vocational, and educational backgrounds.
Since the Covid-19 Pandemic started, New Creation has been limited in their ability to meet in person. It has been a great blessing during the summer and fall of 2021 to be able to meet again in person. They’ve enjoyed a church picnic, Bible studies, youth activities and baptisms. What a blessing it is to worship our Lord in person together, to study His Word and to meet for times of regular fellowship!
How to Pray for Us
As the congregation grows, their prayers are for more men willing to serve as elders and deacons, a building of their own, and for continued spiritual maturity in the members. Scott and the congregation are looking forward to the formation of the RP Church of Canada as it will provide the church with the ability to testify, proclaim their faith, and speak to the issues of the nation of Canada.
May the Lord continue to guide and direct New Creation RP Church for the glory of Christ!
Laura Smid, her husband John, and their four daughters moved back to Ontario, Canada four years ago after being in the United States for over a decade. They were members of the Covenant RP Church in Meadville, Pennsylvania for ten years. Laura is currently working with John at a small manufacturing company but hopes to return to teaching in an elementary school soon.
To learn more about New Creation RPC, check out their website, YouTube channel, and Facebook page. Be sure to listen to a few of their Psalm recordings while you’re at it!
