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Ministry Coordinator Report
Spring, 2025
“Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.” - Martin Luther King Jr
Ebenezer Church Family,
As I reflect on the past year and look forward with hope, I am grateful once again for the ways God is working among us and for all the dedicated volunteers here at Ebenezer who strive to connect to God and to their neighbour. This connectedness is a common thread that I’ve noticed and is evident as I witness the many volunteers at Ebenezer working together to build the Kingdom of God here in Quinte West.
As Ministry Coordinator, I have had the privilege of seeing God work in our church family and connections being built. Here are some examples of God’s goodness from this past ministry year that I would like to share with you.
Some Highlights from the Past Year
Combined CRC Services - Ebenezer took the lead to reinitiate, coordinate and host the local Christian Reformed Church pastors exchange and combined worship service in September 2024. Over $24,000 was raised during this initiative for the Pregnancy and Family Care Centre of Quinte West (easily surpassing the goal of $16,000). The theme of the month-long event was “One Another in Christ” and focused on ways to promote unity within God’s church.
Mealbox - Ebenezer continues to be the only weekend meal program for individuals experiencing food insecurity in our local community. Our mealbox program assisted on nearly 2000 occasions in 2024 through the dedicated work of over 40 mealbox volunteers. The rising cost of food and housing has made for challenging economics. In 2024, over 25%, approximately 10 million people, including 2.5 million children, lived in households experiencing food insecurity. This is the third consecutive increase in the percentage of people living in food-insecure households and another record high level (Statistics Canada).
Worship Space - Since our dramatic sanctuary rejuvenation in 2023, our aesthetics team relentlessly continues to create meaningful decor throughout the worship space, most notably on our front stage. Through God’s providence and the work of many dedicated volunteers, our entire church facility remarkably provides the opportunity for our church family to focus on worshipping God and building connections. Thank you to everyone who gives of your time and abilities to maintain and appropriately decorate our church home.
Community Engagement - Ebenezer is beginning to be recognized in our community as a leader in caring for those on the margins. This is most notable in our partnership with the Trenton Warming Centre as it serves our unhoused neighbours in Trenton during the winter months. Through your donation of both goods and volunteer hours, individuals receive much needed items but also sense the love of God as we reach out. Currently there are approximately 25 homeless individuals living rough in Quinte West. The following data provides a snapshot of approximately how many utilized the warming centre each night this past winter in Hastings County.
The following data shows the increase in the homeless population in Hastings County from April 2024 to March 2025, currently peaking at over 250 in our County.
Solving homelessness in our region is a shared responsibility, requiring coordination across all levels of government, local agency partners, faith groups and various business sectors.
Some Key Highlights for the Coming Year
God truly provides when He calls his people to step out in faith. I also believe that God is soon going to do a new thing and am excited to see how He leads us. Isaiah 43:18-19 says “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”
I believe this verse speaks deeply to where we are as a church family. God is always in the business of doing something new, something beautiful, something transformative, and He invites His people to be part of it. We are now positioned to examine next steps as God leads. We have been through a lot since 2020. And we have overcome a lot, God helping us.
We have not done this in our own strength. Every time we’ve stepped out in faith, whether dealing with a pandemic, launching a new outreach initiative, or wrestling with denominational policy, God has provided. When we trust that where God leads, He also provides, we can move forward with boldness and love.
The following two initiatives are important to acknowledge for the upcoming year:
The Worship Committee is taking steps to include more individuals in our hour on Sunday including singers, musicians and scripture readers. It is important to Ebenezer that people use their gifts and that we create a “family room”, not a “theatre” on Sunday mornings. This means we are inclusive AND that sometimes we are messy - just like our family rooms at home!
The Connections Committee is taking steps to re-examine how we welcome guests and new members into our building and into our church family. As we embody the love, grace, and hospitality of Jesus Christ, we can create an atmosphere where every individual feels genuinely welcomed, valued, and enfolded, especially for guests seeking to connect with a new church family. Through the welcoming and enfolding of visitors and new members, churches stand to exponentially grow their reach and impact into their community, making disciples and furthering God’s kingdom through the church’s unique missional engagement.
That being said, the “new thing” God will do is never just about programs—it’s about people and the connections we build. It’s about us becoming a church where every person feels seen, valued, and loved. A church where worship overflows into action, where reaching up to God naturally leads to reaching out to others. A church that welcomes the brokenhearted, the curious, the weary, and the seeking—and walks with them in love. As you’ve likely heard before here at Ebenezer, it is important that you each know, and that everyone knows, that YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
In his book “Chasing the Scream”, Johann Hari writes that “the opposite of addiction is connection”. Hari suggests that addiction, particularly substance addiction, is not primarily driven by the pleasurable effects of substances but rather by a lack of healthy connection, social bonding, and a sense of belonging.
A lack of connection can be truly devastating. This can be seen all the way back in the first story in Scripture - immediately after humanity’s first sin, Adam and Eve became separated from God. The worst disconnection of all time - a disconnection from God.
But Ebenezer can be a part of promoting connection as God continues to redeem all things.
I will close with these questions:
First, are you continually striving to create connection? Or have you accepted a life of division?
Second, do YOU feel disconnected?
I want you to know that you are not alone, and that Ebenezer is taking steps towards better enfolding individuals into a deeper sense of community and deeper relationship with God.
Let us not miss what God is doing. Let us be people who perceive it, who participate in it, and who proclaim His goodness in all we do together.
In His service and with deep gratitude,
Gary Haveman
Ministry Coordinator
“People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.”
Allen Raine
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