Over a year ago a friend from Toronto, who is originally from Dyersburg, contacted me about the possibility of coming up to the far north and conducting a gospel meeting over the weekend for their congregation. I readily agreed, not knowing if the logistics would ever work out, but ready if they did. Well, long story short they did and a week and a half ago we made the long, slow, agonizing drive 17 hours up through Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, and then into Canada where we spent the weekend with the Bayview Church of Christ.
The interesting thing about our trip up to Toronto, though, is that I went to teach but I ended up learning. Knowing that most people may never have the opportunity to experience the church in different cultures I thought I’d take a minute today and chronicle a few things I learned from preaching in Canada.
- The church may be small in Canada but it seems very strong. There are not large congregations scattered throughout Toronto (other than one numbering around 200 members) but there are several small congregations that give easy access to most people around Toronto who might be seeking truth. But the strength in the church anywhere has never been in its numbers. The strength of the church is in its members and every indication is that the church is alive and well in Canada. Christians there are not only active in local efforts to build up the presence of New Testament Christianity there, but they are also active in mission efforts around the world. I was particularly interested to hear of the cooperative efforts of several congregations in Toronto and their work in Haiti to spread the gospel and they’re even currently building an orphans’ home.
- American Christians don’t have a monopoly on Bible knowledge. Honestly I’ve never believed that American Christians did, but this fact was further confirmed to me while we were there. In addition to preaching four different times about matters like grace, mercy, obedience, and judgment I also had the opportunity to conduct a Q/A session on Saturday afternoon. I admit I didn’t really know what to expect question wise but the questions they asked were very well reasoned and thought out. However, even more so those questions led to further discussion later. I think of one conversation I had with a fellow regarding one of the questions I answered. He looked at a passage I dealt with from a little different perspective and he shared it with me. It was obvious this man knew his Bible and he could very well be right on the matter. Yes, this is a testament to the simple nature of the gospel but it is also a testament to the time and effort those folks have put into their Bible study.
- The same petty problems that plague the church here exist around the world. While I was impressed with our brethren across the border I gathered from conversations with the members that they face issues just like we do. And in many cases some of those issues are exactly what we are facing. Some are petty. Some are of a more pressing nature. But in any case the devil is hard at work on Christians everywhere. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to me, though. God’s people are imperfect anywhere they exist. It’s true in Dyersburg and it’s true in Toronto. We just have to continue working together to bridge those differences according to truth and they are working on it just as hard as we are.
There are other things I learned. Like the fact that even though they claimed it was me and not them, Canadians speak with an accent. They eat some foods that would be considered strange in west Tennessee. They’re always in a hurry but the way they travel it’s a wonder they get anywhere alive. And most importantly, I am not built to function in a city of 2.6 million people.
All in all we had a great experience with the church in Toronto and maybe one day we’ll be able to be with them again. But for now after 2,100.8 miles, seven days away from home, and the uncertainty of passing through customs four different times it is nice to be back in Tennessee, where the tea is sweet and the accents are sweeter.
-Andy Brewer