Who are we?
We are an intercultural community of Jesus followers seeking to join what God is already doing in the Vanier neighbourhood of Ottawa. We hope to be instruments of God's peace, healing and hope in this part of the nation's capital. We are moms, dads, singles, kids, students, refugees, civil servants, immigrants, advocates, diplomats; all ordinary people with one thing in common, our desire to, in community, become more like Jesus and share his love and grace with others. We don't have all the answers and we want to be a place where people feel free to ask the hard questions. We want to help work towards reducing poverty, violence and injustice in the world, and yet we also want to resist the temptation to become too wealthy and comfortable ourselves. We believe that living simply isn't just good for the planet, but is also good for our souls. While English is our primary language, we incorporate French and Spanish into our worship service and hope to celebrate the diversity of any and all cultures as people join us in community. We have a casual and contemporary worship style within the context of a beautiful, old Anglican church (St. Margaret's) at 206 Montreal Road near the Vanier Parkway. While we meet for worship on Sunday afternoons from 2:00-3:00 and have Bible study on Wednesday evenings from 7:00-8:00 (both at St. Margaret's), we all try to live out our faith throughout the week at our schools and places of work, and as we volunteer and serve in our neighbourhood. Ultimately, we hope to be a safe, fun, friendly and welcoming group of people where passion for Jesus and justice meet. Come and join us on the journey. Shalom
Who is our pastor?
Honestly, our real pastor is Jesus Christ, and it is through him
that Pastor Stefan Cherry provides leadership for the emerging and
diverse community that is The Village. Stefan, his wife Pascale, and
their little boy, Elijah, moved to Ottawa in June, 2008 with a vision
to start a new, intercultural faith community in Vanier. Since
moving to Ottawa, Stefan and Pascale have welcomed a second child, Malaika
Grace in July 2010. Stefan has spent over 10 years doing grass roots
sustainable agriculture development and theological training in 4
countries in Africa. He has served as an associate pastor in a church
north of Waterloo and completed his theological training at Tyndale
Seminary in Toronto in May of 2008. Since moving to Ottawa, Stefan and
Pascale have helped organize several community events in their Vanier
neighbourhood and helped start a Neighbourhood Watch program.
Stefan helped establish the Vanier Community Garden and volunteers in
other local initiatives. Stefan has worked with the Mennonite Central
Committee Ottawa office as a policy analyst and Pascale works full time
as a stay at home mom.
