5 Things I Love About Queen Street Baptist Church

I have just completed my first three months as the pastor of Queen Street Baptist Church. As I have been reflecting on this experience, I have come to realize that my appreciation for this church is not based on my pastoral role. There are some things about this church that I would love, even if I was not the pastor.

For my weekly Good News post, I thought I would share five things that I love about Queen Street Baptist Church.

1. QSBC is an autism friendly church. Truly they are welcoming to all, but as an autism dad, this is something that stands out to me. I know that there are many churches that struggle with welcoming people with special needs. But QSBC has embraced special needs, not just tolerating the things that go along with autism, but embracing and welcoming into community.
2. QSBC is a multicultural church. There are quite a few cultures represented at QSBC and it is nice to see that not everyone looks the same. We have people from four of the five continents. So far we are still looking for someone from Antarctica. I love the variety of cultures within our church.
3. QSBC cares about those in need. Our church was the first church in St. Catharines to run the Out of the Cold program. But it is not just that there is something done one night of the week during the winter. There is a desire to help and care for those in need.
4. QSBC desires to grow spiritually. Not only are there house groups where individuals gather to learn and pray, but we also have an annual retreat. The pastor does not plan the retreat, it is something emerges from the congregation. I just experienced my first retreat and it was so good to just be there and learn from and with my congregation.
5. QSBC believes in prayer. Of course we pray during the service and we give opportunities for people to share prayer requests and praise reports. But there is more. After each service there is a prayer team available to pray with anyone in need. We also have a weekly intercessory prayer meeting.

During these three months, I have come to really appreciate Queen Street Baptist Church. I am confident that we are where we are supposed to be. I look forward to what God will be doing with and through all of us in the years to come.

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