A Place to Call Home
by Joel BuckinghamRemember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me (Isaiah 46:9).
When we arrived to the North Shore of New Brunswick, Canada, in July 2017, we did not know how God would provide. We moved into a home in the town of Dalhousie. Dalhousie is New Brunswick’s northernmost town. It was in this home that we began our first Bible Study. After distributing invitation flyers for a Baptist Bible Study, we had one lady show up. I was so excited!
For a month we held weekly Bible Studies until the Lord provided a community center for us to begin holding Sunday services. This community center would become our temporary church home for the next seven years. In August 2018, North Shore Baptist Church was officially chartered with 10 charter members.Shortly after, we began to pray and save for our very own building. I would drive around looking for potential church buildings. We visited a few buildings on occasion asking God for wisdom. In February 2024, our church viewed a church building for sale about 30 minutes away from our current facility. I was not at peace with the distance, but we thought it was a great option because of the amount of land included. We tried on two different occasions to place an offer on the building, but both times our offer was rejected. We believed the Lord was telling us to try somewhere else.
There was one more option. It was a former church building that I had driven by many times and prayed about. It was not my first choice because of limited land. However, it was in the center of town and only three minutes from our home. There was also lots of work that would need to be done to it. Our church viewed the building, prayed, and decided to put a low offer on the building. That evening I received word that our offer had been accepted. I remember feeling joy but also some trepidation as we were going to have to trust God that this was the right choice. God provided all the funds to purchase the building mortgage free! On August 26, 2024, we received the keys and began to work on the building. On September 15, we held our first Sunday service in our new church home.
North Shore Baptist Church is the first Baptist church in the history of Dalhousie, New Brunswick. We have witnessed the blessing it is to have our own building. It has enabled us to begin a weekly kids’ program and hold special events. Many new visitors have come since our having a new building. We have had several people stop by just out of curiosity. Owning our own building has told our surrounding community that we are now a permanent fixture in the area. We pray that God will use this building for His glory as a Gospel lighthouse to the North Shore of New Brunswick for generations to come.
Editor’s Note: Acquiring permanent buildings for ministry has been one of the greatest challenges for many of our Far North missionaries who are conducting ministry in Canada. Zoning and use restrictions, along with parking requirements and very high-priced real estate, can prohibit a new church from ever owning their own building. In recent months God has given three of our Canadian church planters permanent facilities for their churches. We consider this a modern-day miracle! Please rejoice with us as we share the following stories of God’s provision for our Far North missionaries in Canada.
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