Church rebrands to focus on healing
HOPE Community Church on Fitch Street is going through a rebranding, hoping to draw attention to the power of healing people through prayer.
Members voted to change its name from Knox-Presbyterian Church earlier this year through an 81 per cent majority. Pastor Bernie McGale says the place of worship will remain part of its longtime denomination in Canada but wants to “remove barriers” and welcome people from across the city to learn about Jesus.
“Over the years, we’ve internally been slowly restructuring ourselves,” he says.
A church committee structure designed on making decisions related to the Welland church’s efforts was getting in the way, he says.
“We want people to be free listening in prayer to what we should be doing — instead of through a voting system.”
Leading the church since 1998, the transition started in 2008 — a 10-year process that has been completed.
Out in the community praying with local residents through events like Hope for Welland, many people were deterred from taking an interest in the church because of the Knox-Presbyterian title being attached to its name.
“We found we kept tripping over that and it wasn’t helpful,” McGale says, elaborating that intentional prayer for healing through the Holy Spirit is some-
thing that remains strong today.
“We want people to have a relationship with Him, but it’s not about becoming Presbyterian.
“We want people to live through the gospel,” he adds, also saying that the Knox-Presbyterian faith is more about a church government and theology.
Standing for House of Prayer for Everyone — HOPE Community Church remains registered with Knox-Presbyterian Church of Canada, as it has since the building was built in 1948.
“We still answer to somebody, but it’s not the first thing we want people to know about,”.”
The next major event HOPE Community Church will host is a Christmas bazaar on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.