One of the offices with which members of the church are clad is the prophetic. It means that they are expected to be both knowledgeable in the Word, as well as witnesses to others about Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word. This witness is a matter of both conversation and conduct.
In order to stimulate the members in their prophetic calling, many of our churches have an evangelism or home mission committee. Such a committee is not meant to do the work for the members but to help them become active and effective in this area.
A sample of activities being promoted by certain committees includes: radio messages, literature distribution, Bible courses, Vacation Bible school, Sunday school, child and women programs, prison outreach, neighbourhood Bible study groups, etc.
An organization called the Reformed Evangelism Taskforce is busy developing and providing materials used by the various committees. It publishes a quarterly evangelistic magazine call Evangel, a number of Bible courses including A Gift From Heaven, and various brochures. It also sponsors seminars and training sessions.
A missionary is working among the Chinese community in the Vancouver area of British Columbia. A home mission project called Streetlight Ministries is underway in Hamilton, with a full time home mission worker and a home missionary.
A number of years ago, the church at Smithers, BC began a program of outreach among the native people living in the Bulkley Valley region of northern British Columbia. Local outreach to First Nations people by members of the Smithers congregation continues through the work of the local outreach committee, through Sunday schools, teen activities, and Bible camps.
Smithers Home Mission has sent a missionary to work in Prince George, B.C., the largest urban centre in Northern British Columbia. Many other churches in our federation support this work with their prayers and offerings.
All of the churches are also involved, either directly or indirectly, in the work of foreign mission. The Cornerstone Church of Hamilton, Ontario, currently has a missionary working in northern Brazil. The church of Aldergrove, British Columbia, has two missionaries working in northern Brazil, under their Mission Board. The Bethel Church of Toronto has two missionaries in Papua New Guinea. The church of Smithville, Ontario, has a missionary in West Timor, Indonesia.
The Providence Church of Hamilton has a small-scale mission effort, Theological Assistance to the Philippines (TAP). In cooperation with the Free Reformed Church of Baldivis, Western Australia, TAP is committed to sending qualified personnel to offer seminary-level theological training in the Philippines twice every year.
The missionaries are often assisted by others called mission aid workers. Such workers are currently active in Brazil and in Indonesia. Their tasks include medical assistance, poverty relief, and other forms of help. This work is often coordinated by mission aid boards, such as Mission Aid Brazil.
When it comes to contributing to the work of Christian charity on a world-wide scale, many local churches support the efforts of the Canadian Reformed World Relief Fund. It supports various relief efforts on a continuous basis and also solicits special contributions from the churches whenever disasters strike in different parts of the world. The monies collected are channeled through international agencies known for their reliability and effectiveness. You can visit their website for more information.
Many churches also support the radio program called The Voice of the Church. It broadcasts fifteen minute messages that can be heard in different parts of Canada.
There are two summer Bible camps which serve both as a form of outreach as well as serving the members of the federation. These include Campfire Summer Bible Camp, located in Markdale, Ontario and Stepping Stones Summer Bible Camp, located in Deroche, British Columbia.