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This
is the story of how DOVE Christian Fellowship Canada (DCFC)
was birthed and has grown. It will be updated annually as,
by the grace of God, DCFC continues to grow. DCFC is a part
of an international movement of churches called DOVE
Christian Fellowship International (DCFI). Please check this
web sight or read the book House to House by Larry Kreider
for an understanding of the history of DCFI.
The first invitation for Dove International to come to
Canada came in the summer of 1996. Allen Remley from Guelph
Vineyard Christian Fellowship and Ken Hall from West Ottawa
Christian Center, both in Ontario, separately contacted DCFI
about coming to present a Helping You Build Training
Seminar. The Helping You Build Seminar consists of training
to help cell church workers and leaders become effective in
reaching the lost using the cell church vision.
The two seminars were scheduled and presented. Larry
Kreider, founder and International Director of DCFI, and
Nelson Martin presented the Guelph seminar on October 25,
26, 1996. Brian Sauder and Larry Daughtry presented the
Ottawa seminar also in October of 1996.
The elders from New Life Covenant Church in Kitchener
attended the Helping You Build seminar in Guelph. After
prayer and reading the DCFI handbook, on December 9, 1996,
the New Life elders wrote a letter to DCFI asking how their
church could become a part of DCFI. In their words, ” Our
elders have perused it (the handbook), and feel that it
really fits who we are and what we need. (We) all have a
copy of House to House and desire to continue pursuing a
partnership relationship with DCFI.” This desire was the
first time a church in Canada had initiated becoming a part
of the DOVE International family of churches. This was
DOVE’s invitation to Canada.
In April of 1997 Larry Kreider and Brian Sauder, both
members of DCFI’s Apostolic Council, traveled to Ottawa and
Toronto to “scout out the land”, that is…meet with people
who were expressing interest in working with DCFI.
As more people expressed questions about DOVE and interest
in working with DOVE, a gathering was scheduled for June
13-15 1997 at a rustic camp in Sydenham, Ontario, just north
of Kingston. Brian Sauder, David Johnston (a DCFI fivefold
prophet) and Larry Daughtry (a DCFI fivefold evangelist)
traveled to Canada to meet with those interested in starting
DOVE in Canada. There was a prophetic sense that this
meeting was “the consummation” of DCFI and Canada. As a
result of the ministry and communication that happened in
these days, it became clear that DOVE Canada was destined to
become a reality.
As the practicalities of DOVE developing a long term
presence in Canada were explored, it became clear that there
was a need to start a legal organization in Canada. So, on
Feb 28, 1998 an application was filed with Revenue Canada
for charitable status for a new organization called DOVE
Christian Fellowship Canada. On Jan 25, 1999 legal approval
was granted from Revenue Canada.
Two church plants, one in Russell, Ontario and one in
Sydenham, Ontario, and the New Life Church in Kitchener
became the first DOVE Canada churches. Sr. Elders meetings
were started and held twice a year. A host of conferences
and meetings were planned over the next three years to help
the DOVE Canada churches and for many other churches that
were interested in ministry and/or training.
The fall of 1998 included a Cell Ministry Conference in
Toronto featuring Larry Kreider and Ralph Neighbour, Jr., a
Church Planting Clinic in Ottawa, and a Prophetic Conference
in Kingston.
Brian Sauder was hired part time by DOVE Canada in 1999 for
the work of pioneering the new organization in Canada. A
logo for DCFC was selected and approved at a Sr. Elders
meeting from a number of proposals in October of 1999. Let
it be noted that the DCFC logo looks very nice on a coffee
cup.
DCFC ‘s first venture outside of Ontario came in August of
1999 with Brian Sauder and Peter Hartgerink presenting at a
Church Planting Clinic in Montreal, Quebec. In April 2000
DCFC broke new ground with trips to Alberta to visit
potential church planters in Calgary and Edmonton.
In the year 2000 four Cell Ministry Conferences were planned
and presented in Bracebridge, Kitchener, Kingston and Parry
Sound. Also, in November of 2000 DCFC sponsored a first of
its kind Apostolic/Prophetic Conference with Alan Vincent,
Harold Eberle, Larry and LaVerne Kreider and Brian Sauder.
This initial conference has developed into an annual
leadership conference that has been held each fall.
The backbone of DCFC is the churches and the relationships
located within them, not conferences, speakers and meetings.
We believe that DOVE Canada will fulfill it’s destiny as
more churches are planted and existing ones grow, prosper
and reproduce. New relationships are developing as the DOVE
Partner churches look to “partner together” to fulfill the
great commission. For example, DOVE Canada is partnering
with Tihomir Tenevi and DOVE Bulgaria and helping to
financially underwrite a new church planting movement in
Bulgaria.
October of 2004 marked the commissioning of the initial DOVE
Canada Apostolic Council. DCFC believes that there are
modern day apostles and that they will help to bring the
church to maturity and power to extend the kingdom of God in
Canada and to the ends of the earth. Up until this time,
DCFC was led by the legal board put in place when DCFC
became a legal charity in Canada.
It is with great anticipation that we look forward to what
God has in store for DCFC and the body of Christ in the
future. We see church history as something that is still
unfolding in front of us today. The Church’s finest hour
could very well be just around the corner.
In 2005
a DCFC cell ministry seminar was presented in St. John’s,
Newfoundland and in 2006 a group was sent from DOVE Gateway
in Edmonton to Victoria Island on the West Coast, stretching
the influence of DCFC from coast to coast. In the Fall of
2005 DCFC leaders and intercessors convened at the newly
formed National House of Prayer for a week of prayer for the
nation, joining many other Canadian Christians in praying
for a national move of God. This prayer movement has
continued to expand during 2006.
The
DOVE Canada Apostolic Council feels like 2007 is a year of
laying foundations for expansion of the Kingdom of God in a
relational manner. It is with great anticipation that we
look forward to what God has in store for Canada and the
body of Christ here. The Spirit of God is stirring over
Canada.
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