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Our Story
THE NEIGHBOURHOOD CHURCH
Over 30 years, we've been in, for, and with the neighbourhood as it's gone through significant growth and change.
1993
Thirty years ago, Southside Community Church was planted in the Edmonds Neighbourhood of Burnaby.
Upon our arrival, Edmonds was a poor and broken neighbourhood where prostitutes offered themselves for $5, and the homeless slept on the steps or in the stairwells of the church building.
Many in this working-class neighbourhood were asking life's questions, both physically and spiritually. We did all we knew to help them find answers, and a sense of community spirit began to emerge in the midst of tough times.
The church has had a positive impact on many as it has enjoyed the favour of the people who live there. In the early days, The mayor invited us to be on a council to dream of the future of Burnaby City Centres.
Decisions made at that time continue to have an impact on the neighbourhood today.
1995
Several initiatives brought hope to the neighbourhood.
For 28 years, the Food Bank has met on our site. The Society to End Homelessness has partnered with us and hosted the Outreach Centre, which serves up to 150 homeless people weekly. We provide meals and shelter from the cold. Health clinics and tax advisors have cared for those in need. We've also hosted Sports and Arts Camps and created a Music School.
By partnering with existing groups, we've added value to the neighbourhood where we believe God had sent us.
1996
We believed God had an even bigger miracle in store.
Shortly after we planted the church, an adjacent property went on the market. It was listed at $950,000, and we offered $900,000. However, the seller countered with $2.5 million, leading us to deduce that they were not interested in selling to the church. Despite facing many setbacks over the next 22 years, we firmly believed that God had a plan for our church that involved that property.
We knew that in order to bring about positive change in the neighbourhood, we would need the space.
2000
The church grew and expanded to four other neighbourhoods.
Churches in the city and across the country wanted to do what we were doing.
So, we started Forge Canada to share our story and impact other churches and neighbourhoods.
Our initiatives have helped many church denominations along the way. However, that is all a different story.
2019
The time had come for us to purchase the adjacent property.
After praying for a year, a real estate agent for the property's owner showed up on our doorstep - the owner wanted to sell to us. The time had come.
With no funds on hand, we negotiated, reached an agreement, and began to dream. We purchased the adjacent property in 2022. The mayor, who had long been a supporter of our efforts, literally said, “Why not buy the other two adjacent properties also? That would be an even more amazing project.”
Our dream of being in, with, and for the neighbourhood began to take shape.
2023
Over 30 years, we've been in, for, and with the neighbourhood as it's gone through significant growth and change.
Today, we are called "The Neighbourhood Church" to reflect this identity we are living into.
We have no desire to build a church building. Church is so much more to us than a building where people gather for 90 minutes on a Sunday. We have much bigger dreams for what we believe God wants us to do.
We believe that He called us into the Edmonds Neighbourhood all those years ago for such a time as this.