CNBC.ca - Canadian National Baptist Convention

Ontario church receives community service award

By Harold Campbell

NEPEAN, ON—From handing out coffee and hot chocolate at intersections to cleaning up after parades, Sequoia Community Church members have made service an integral part of their church’s life since Sequoia was born about nine years ago.

The city of Nepean and the greater Ottawa area have noticed—Sequoia was presented the Service Club/Non-Profit Organization of the Year award in October at the annual Greater Nepean Chamber of Commerce awards dinner.

“We’re a big-time serving church,” Rick Lamothe, Sequoia pastor, said. “It’s in our DNA.”

Lamothe said that Sequoia was the only church nominated for the award. In total, six organizations, including the Lions Club and a Muslim organization, were nominated.

“It was cool just to be nominated,” he said. “I mean just to be noticed in the community as a church serving the community and doing some really cool things.”

However, he said the really cool thing was that Sequoia received the award and he got to give an acceptance speech before about 300 Nepean community leaders.

“God is getting the glory and Sequoia was recognized for its great impact in the community,” he said.

Ever since its inception, serving has been part of Sequoia’s mission.

One of the first outreaches the church undertook was handing out hot coffee to motorists at busy intersections. It was a gesture which led Donna Boisvert, now the church’s care minister and serve team leader, to start attending Sequoia.

“We’ve always been a church which has been a light and the hands and feet of Jesus, not with words only, but we walk the talk,” she said.

In recent years, she has organized Sequoia’s effort to pick up garbage after Nepean’s annual Christmas parade.

Church members have been cleaning up after the parade for three years. This effort began after parade organizers would not let Sequoia hand out materials during the parade; although they are allowed to hand out candy canes.

Garbage collection hasn’t been Sequoia’s only service outreach, however.

Lamothe said Sequoia’s Fun Cruiser has become a common sight at events, and the church has also been involved in such activities as disaster recovery training, sponsoring a disaster relief trailer, helping at the Rogers Run and sponsoring five floats in the Christmas parade.

On top of that, the church hosted 200 World Changers youth who took part in a number of projects around Ottawa and members have also undertaken such projects as roof repair and a ministry of singing in homes for the elderly.

The church also plans to add a mobile carpenter’s workshop, and establish the Eastern Canada Missions Centre.

For all this, he thanked Sequoia members and First Baptist Church of Montgomery, Alabama, who have provided financial and volunteer assistance.

Lamothe hopes Sequoia can serve as an example for other Canadian National Baptist Convention (CNBC) churches to find ways to connect with their communities.

“We want all the other churches in the convention to win an award,” he said.

CNBC leaders complimented Sequoia’s work and said that many other churches are also reaching out to their communities.

Gerry Taillon, CNBC national ministry leader, said, “Receiving this award is one of the highest honours a church could ever get. It means they are involved in the community, and serving the community and, knowing Sequoia, it means they are sharing the love of God with their community. We thank God for churches like Sequoia; they are showing us how to impact our world for Christ.”

Paul Johnson, CNBC Share team leader, said it’s an unusual honour for a church to be given the community service award.

“Since its inception, Sequoia has shown a commitment to be involved in the community,” Johnson said.

Johnson added that a former Nehemiah Project (church planting) professor at the Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary, often said churches can be seen as parasites in Canada because they pay no taxes and some give little back to the community.

“Sequoia has shown a better model, enhancing Nepean with its Fun Cruiser and creative events,” Johnson said. He also said the church has not only helped locally, but members have also traveled to other locations to serve.

He said other CNBC churches are doing the same, referring to such examples as bringing a potted plant to businesses (The Potter’s House, Westbank, British Columbia); sponsoring a Family Fun Day (Église de Rocher Vivant Communauté Chrétienne, Saint-Félix-de-Valois, Quebec); and giving concerts on the beach (Abundant Life, Penticton, British Columbia).

“They find ways to add value to their community and give credibility to the good news,” Johnson said.

“One Quebec pastor, Francois Verschelden, states it this way, ‘Jesus came with good news and good works. We must too.’”