God at Work
by Dwayne Cline, James North Baptist Church
“Pastor Dwayne,” Patrick called out to me. “You’ve got to see what the Lord showed me this week.” Patrick, who struggles with various diagnosed mental health issues, pulled out his pad of paper to tell me about his recent trip to Israel and how the alignment of the birds and rainbows are in a pattern revealing Christ’s return. Patrick lived between an occasional night on someone’s couch, the street, and shelters. He walked the streets of Hamilton barefoot. We purchased him many pairs of shoes but still Patrick walked the streets barefoot and had never been to Israel. Patrick had worshiped with us for a number of years and I was often at a loss how to best care for him.
James North Baptist Church has existed in the North End of Hamilton since 1887. I’ve had the privilege of being the lead pastor since January 1995. When I came to the church, the community was the third poorest in all of Canada. Having grown up in an average middle-class home, I didn’t understand the complexities of the city, the crippling effects of poverty, the complications of mental health issues, the best way to care for refugees who escaped from torture and massacre, and how God would build His Church in this diverse community.
Like Buffalo, at one time the people of Hamilton were predominately employed by steel mills that now employ only a fraction of the people today. Our biggest employers are the hospitals, the city of Hamilton, and the university. Entry level jobs for those dropping out of high school or with only a high school education have nearly vanished.
In reaching out to a marginalized community, we offer drop ins for youth and children, a food bank, a mental health wellness group, and a community care group, among other ministries. We provide Christmas hampers to more than 300 individuals and families each year, and offer a soccer summer league where 300 children participate each summer. We boldly and unashamedly declare the hope we have in Jesus at all of our programs and ministries. We have a ministry to the Portuguese as more than 7,000 households in Hamilton speak Portuguese at home. We also have a ministry to the Karen people of Burma, who were being exterminated by their own government. Many of them had lived in refugee camps for more than 20 years.
As our community is surrounded by waterfront on two sides, gentrification has begun to occur. Our church community watched as those we love and care about, who are poor and marginalized, were being displaced from our neighborhood. We advocated, which helped to some extent, but we knew we had to do more.
We outgrew our present facility in 2010 which held 140 people, and we’ve been using rented facilities since then. The Lord provided a property for us in our neighborhood, where we could build a new facility. Four years ago, we halted plans on the new facility in order to design one that would include a church, ministry center, and provide 45 affordable and supportive apartments for those struggling with housing. It is also one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in all of North America. The average tenant will only spend $30 a year on heat (that’s right – a year).
The Lord is at work. I’m still not exactly sure how to best walk alongside of men and women like Patrick but the Lord has faithfully continued to direct us to healthier and more fruitful ministries. Housing some of our friends in the same space where we gather to celebrate our God, grow in our faith, and share the gospel is a good next step.
James North Baptist Church is situated in an urban neighborhood in Hamilton, Ontario, where we unapologetically share the gospel with over 400 individuals and families each week though practical ministries that care for the poor and marginalized while discipling those that come to faith in Christ.
