Church and Community Profile 2018 - Gateway Community CRC
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Church and Community Profile
2018
Gateway Community CRC Profile
Our HISTORY
Gateway was founded in 1950 by Dutch immigrants who after many years of attending worship services
across the border in Sumas, Washington had the desire to establish their own church in the community
of Abbotsford. At its beginning Gateway was known as First Christian Reformed Church of Abbotsford.
The congregation consisted of 28 families and quickly grew to over 200 families within the first 10 years.
In 2002 the name was changed to Gateway Community CRC since our location at that time on McCallum
Rd was considered the southern “Gateway” into Abbotsford, and now at our current location we’ve
become the northern “Gateway”. Over the years Gateway daughtered three CRC churches in the com-
munity of Abbotsford.
VISION and MISSION
Gateway’s vision is:
“Gateway CRC is to be a healthy, growing, and diverse family of God expressing
the good news of God’s Kingdom that transforms lives
in our church, in our city, and in our world.“
Gateway’s mission is:
“Helping People to Love and Serve Jesus.”
Gateway is currently being guided by our 3 - 5 Year Strategic Plan (2013) which includes Core Beliefs
and Strategic Goals to guide us into the future. The complete report is attached.
WORSHIP
Gateway believes that
Spirit-directed and heartfelt
worship honours God and
draws us into His presence.
The worship services are
contemporary and have a
focus of biblical preaching that
challenge listeners to holy
living.
View of auditorium from the stage
Gateway CRC MEMBERSHIP
We have a good mix of all age groups and have ministries which reach out to all ages. Our current
membership is 740 people. Of which 402 people are confessing members, 224 members are under
the age of 18 and 38 are inactive or non-resident members. (Graph below includes adherents)
61+ years
41-60 years
25-40 years
19-24 years
13-18 years
9-12 years
3-8 years
0-2 years
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200
Number in age category
Our FACILITIES
In 2006 Gateway moved to the property where it is currently located: a former elementary school
campus on 12 acres just on the edge of the city. The campus consists of 85,000 sq ft and includes a
gymnasium and classrooms, a new sanctuary with seating capacity of 1120, office space, and an
unfinished basement. A portion of the campus is leased out to a preschool. In 2013, after many years
of fundraising and congregational support, we were able to begin worshipping in the new sanctuary.
Approximately 70% of Abbotsford is zoned agricultural with 16% zoned residential.
The remainder is made of up Industrial/Institutional and Parkland
FINANCES
Gateway is blessed with a history of generous giving. From its beginning in 1950 and the construction of
its first facility, to the resources needed for the establishment of three additional CRC churches in
Abbotsford, to the support for its missions work abroad, and most recently the money raised for the new
building. The yearly operational budget (2018) for Gateway is 1.231 million dollars.
In 2017, Gateway surpassed a budget of $1.28 million, of which 100% of denominational and classical
ministry shares were paid.
BY THE
CURRENT STAFFING NUMBERS
Executive Pastor F/T (Commissioned)
740 1,120
Pastor of Preaching and Congregational Care F/T
(Vacant June 2017) Seats in
Youth/Children Pastor F/T (Vacant May 27, 2018) current membership auditorium
Worship Director (1/2 time) (shared by 2 people)
Facilities Manager (1 F/T, 1 P/T)
National/International
23
Administrative Assistant (3/4 time, 1 P/T)
Missionaries and
scholarships to
SAFE CHURCH students in Mexico
100%
Gateway Community CRC desires to be a safe place for Gateway
all people and therefore requires that all staff, Campus is
leaders and teachers, and anyone volunteering in 85,000 Percentage paid to Classical and
ministries involving minors and/or vulnerable adults square feet denominational ministry shares
take the training course offered at Gateway. This
training course takes place every quarter, and requires
our employees and volunteers to a criminal record and
vulnerable sector check for participation in any
Full time and
part time staff 9 224
3
daughter churches People under the age
ministries involving minors and/or vulnerable adults at established since
of 18
Gateway. 1950
of Gateway
40%
Gateway is further promoting safety of children by members in
having a secure electronic check-in system for Sunday CARE GROUPS
nursery and Kidz Church as well as our weekly chil-
dren’s ministries.
North Entrance to the Facilities
ABOVE: South Entrance to the Facilities
Gateway MINISTRIES Youth: Junior high & Senior high. Grades 8-12
Care Group Ministry: Gateway places a strong
Coffee Break for Women: Women from our
emphasis on the importance of being involved in
community and our church fellowship gather to
the care group ministry. It is one of the main ways
study and socialize together every Wednesday
in which the spiritual care of the members is carried
morning. Children ages 3-5 are welcome to enjoy
out. Pastoral elders maintain close contact with care
playtime and fun crafts, Bible stories, songs and a
group leaders to ensure their members are being
snack. Nursery is provided.
adequately cared for. Currently Gateway has
approximately 40% of confessing members involved
Book Club: A group that meets monthly for
in care groups.
refreshment and discussion.
Nursery: Children ages 0-3 are welcome to come
Vacation Bible School: A 4 day VBS offered to
to a safe and loving environment during the Sunday
community and Gateway families, typically
morning service and Wednesday morning during
during the second week of July.
Women's Coffee Break ministry.
Men's Ministry: Men are invited to participate
Kidz Church: A special children’s message is given
Gateway’s Darts Club and weekly Drop In Basketball
for children ages 3-8 during the worship service and
evening.
then the children are invited to Kidz Church for a
fun filled program of Bible stories and crafts.
Women's Bible Study: A group of ladies, 70+
years old, who gather together every 2nd and 4th
Gems Girls Ministry: Girls grades 3-7.
Wednesday morning of each month to study God's
word.
Cadets Boys Ministry: Boys grades 3-7.
60+ Seniors’ Ministry: The senior’s group Gateway Meals: Gateway volunteers provide
meets every 3rd Thursday of the month. It's a time meals on a temporary basis to Gateway families in
of coffee, fellowship and entertainment for seniors. situations of need, such as a birth of a baby or a
death in the family.
Library: Books and resources are available for
checkout before and after Sunday worship services. Extreme Weather Shelter: When the weather
get’s cold Gateway opens it’s gym for up to 30 indi-
Friendship: This ministry is for adults with mental viduals to have a warm, dry place to sleep.
disabilities. The group meets every Wednesday eve-
ning for a time of fellowship and praise to God.
Mexico Missions: For 2019, our youth will be part-
nering with Youth With A Mission to work in and
orphanage in Vincente Guerrero, Baja California,
Mexico. This is part of Gateway’s 3-tiered 6-year
strategic missional plan to develop a heart orienta-
tion for missions.
Prayer Ministry: A prayer team is available after
Sunday morning services for anyone who would like
to be supported in prayer for any reason. Prayer
meetings are held twice monthly at the church, and
an email based prayer chain is available.
Starfish Backpack Ministry: A team of volun-
teers packs and delivers backpacks weekly to sev-
Lobby and coffee bar
eral public elementary schools, for children who
don’t have enough food on the weekends. This is
done in cooperation with the Rotary Club of Abbots-
ford who run the program.
Strategic Goal Definition
SNAPSHOT Core Values
To be missional in To be missional in identity describes the Educate Congregation
identity heart orientation. Being missional Encourage Missional
speaks to our identity as God’s people, Practices
Community Partnerships
rather than referring to the outreach
Prayer
activities of a few. Our God is a sending
God and, through Christ, He sends us.
As God’s people, we are called to prac-
tice God’s love in all areas of our lives.
To Create a Strong Strong community promotes unity for Maintain and support mis-
Community every member and attendee. Our desire sionaries
is to move forward unified under God’s Develop and Formalize
ministries
guidance. A strong community provides
Ministry Sharing
opportunities for service and ministry
Community Events
and to encourage spiritual growth. In Care Groups
this community, we develop strong rela- Practice Hospitality
tionships and guests feel welcome. Pre-worship Prayer
To model and practice To model and practice servant leader- Increase effective
Servant leadership ship: We believe that servant leadership communication
begins with the following qualities: ef- Development and training
of new leaders
fective communication, accountability,
Mentorship ministry
and an attitude of humility.
Strategic Planning
Leadership Accountability
Staff planning
To include variety and To model variety and encourage open Expand patterns of worship
encourage open expression in Worship: Worship is an God pleasing worship
essential part of Christian living. Wor- Staff Planning
expression in worship
ship occurs corporately in Sunday ser-
vice and is lived out daily.
To be good stewards of To be good stewards of our finances Debt reduction
our finances and facility and facility: There needs to be a sus- Financial Responsibility
tainable plan that allows us to continue Facility Rental
Policies and procedures
paying debt while supporting church
Facility development
ministries, local ministries, and global
Staff Planning
ministries. In addition, there needs to
be a clear understanding of the
missional purpose of the facility for all
who use it.
Abbotsford is a city located in the Lower
Mainland region of British Columbia, ad-
jacent to Greater Van-
couver. With an esti-
mated population of
141,497 people, it is the largest municipality of the Fraser Valley
Regional District, the fifth-largest municipality of British Columbia,
and the largest municipality outside Greater Vancouver. The Ab-
botsford–Mission metropolitan area approximately
170,191 inhabitants (as of the 2011 census) and is the 23rd larg-
est census metropolitan area in Canada. Abbotsford has the third
highest proportion of visible minorities among census metropoli-
tan areas in Canada, after the Greater Toronto Area and the
Greater Vancouver CMA. For 9 consecutive years Statistics Can-
ada names Abbotsford as Canada’s most generous city in terms
of charitable donations.
The community of 375.55 square kilometers (145.00 sq mi)
is the largest city by area in British Columbia. It is home
to the University of the Fraser Valley, Tradex and the
Abbotsford International Airport which
hosts the Ab-
botsford International Airshow.
The municipal- ABBOTSFORD ity's southern boundary is the Canada–United
States border. Across the boarder is Sumas, Washington. In Canada, Abbotsford is
bordered by the Township of Langley to
the west, the Fraser River and the District
of Mission to the north, and the City
of Chilliwack to the east. Many inhabitants
of Abbotsford enjoy views of Mount
Baker (to the southeast, in Washington)
and the Coast Mountains (to the north).
HOUSING Benchmark Price:
Fraser Valley, Mt Baker
Single Family Home Townhouse Condominium
$775,000-$875,000 $450,000-$550,000 $300,000-$400,000
With entry level
$650,000-$700,00
RENTAL apartment units EDUCATION
1 bedroom - $850-$1,050 per month
2 - bedroom - $1,250-$1,500 per month Abbotsford Christian School K-12
Mennonite Educational Institute K-12
Cornerstone Christian K-8
CHURCHES St James and St John Brebeuf Catholic K-12
School District 34: Elementary, Middle and
High Schools
6 CRC
Universities/Colleges:
University of the Fraser Valley
19 Mennonite
Trinity Western University
11 Baptist Columbia Bible College
Summit Pacific College
5 Reformed Regent College
4 Anglican
55 other denominations (approximately)
Mill Lake, Abbotsford, BC
2884 Gladys Ave Abbotsford, BC, V2S 3Y2 604-859-5908 Gatewaycrc.org
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