“There are so many opportunities to work together to reach various people groups.”

Craig Macartney
Spur Ottawa Writer

One Way Ministries is celebrating their 20th anniversary. While many people may not know the name “One Way”, the ministry’s influence and support reaches most Evangelicals in Ottawa. To celebrate the milestone, One Way is hosting a special celebration evening at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

The evening will have a ministry fair environment, showcasing the many brands operating under One Way, including the Big Give, Love Ottawa, and even Spur Ottawa.

“We are hoping it will help people see the breadth of the ministry,” explains Mark Peterkins, One Way’s executive director. “We have at least 10 different teams that operate under One Way Ministries, as a brand. We are allowing them to highlight the good things they are doing. It’s also a place where people can come with their own ideas and engage our team.”

The event starts at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 16, 2017. There is no cost, but it is a fundraiser to help the ministry carry on the work for years to come.

“We help leaders develop friendships and build trust with one another.”

“One Way Ministries has played a mostly invisible, but crucial behind-the-scenes role for city-wide unity,” explains Richard Long, Director of Love Ottawa. “God has used One Way to link up ministries and congregations so they can collaborate to achieve much greater aims.”

Long says the ministry’s founders, Larry and Leslie Brune, made fostering relationships a key piece of its DNA.

“What One Way does is come alongside [local Christian] leaders,” Peterkins adds. “We help leaders develop friendships and build trust with one another. As they do that, they recognize that Christ is evident in other leaders’ lives and that there is value in that. We can learn from one another, even though we may not agree on all doctrinal issues.”

Another part of the celebration event is to look at how the Church in Ottawa can grow and work together more effectively for the Kingdom.

“We want to look at how the Church can work cooperatively with one another in the future and what might happen if we can do that to a greater degree.”

“There are so many opportunities to work together to reach various people groups,” Long shares. “We feel we have just begun.”

Peterkins says the evening is a good chance to network with like-minded people and to share with others what God has placed on your heart.

“[Those conversations] often guide what we get engaged in. The vision is to look at how we can identify the needs of the city and strategically address them, as the Church of this city. We want to look at how the Church can work cooperatively with one another in the future and what might happen if we can do that to a greater degree. That’s what I get really excited about.

“So this event is open to anybody who is interested in how the Church can work together to reach the city,” Peterkins says. “If that’s part of your heart, I think this would be a great place to be.”

You can RSVP by email to janice@onewayministries.ca.