“Doors open when the marginalized receive the love and hope found in Jesus.”

Elizabeth Mabie
Spur Ottawa Correspondent

Despite its brief history, Connecting Streams Ottawa (CSO) has developed a positive reputation for reaching out to the marginalized. The ministry fills a gap in most church’s discipleship programs: training believers in relational evangelism and providing opportunities to put it into practice.

“We align ourselves with and train up the people and teach them how to have spiritual conversations,” explains Theresa Quann, team lead for CSO. “We help with the equipping, the discipleship, and the training. Then we put volunteers together in teams so when they go out they’re not going out alone.”

Connecting Streams is part of Power to Change Ministries (formerly Campus Crusade). They primarily seek to reach out to isolated people and those facing discrimination. The Ottawa chapter began in 2016, after Quann heard about the ministry and met with its founder, Donna Mitchell.

“I thought, ‘This is it! This is where I want to be,’” says Quann.

“They have changed the way they relate to others.”

Quann began leading a small team working in two groups. One team goes every second Saturday to Saint-Vincent Hospital, where they lead a praise and worship session. The second ministry connects with senior citizens in low-income housing. Among the seniors, Quann says they focus on building self-worth and developing relationships and trust.

“It’s more about teaching them Biblical principles in a secular context,” explains Quann. “The last couple of times we’ve been talking about forgiveness and the impact they have on each other’s lives in the building. We’re starting to see the fruits of our labour.”

“[Before meeting the seniors], volunteer teams learned to reach out to people who were initially not open to spiritual discussions,” says Deborah Lantier, who trains CSO’s volunteers. “[The volunteers] built healthy friendships and mirrored the love of God first.”

Lantier adds that the teams instilled among the seniors a strong sense of “the immense value God places in them and how they need to understand that others have this same value. They have changed the way they relate to others, speaking more respectfully and demonstrating forgiveness. They are learning the joy of healthy relationships through our team members.”

“It’s an opportunity to gain an outlook on what you can do in this area.”

Now, to further expand their outreach across the city, the CSO team is hoping to connect with more believers who share their vision to serve those in need and share God’s love. The team is organizing a free event, sharing stories and desserts, at Peace Tower Church, on June 7, to give people a taste of what CSO is all about.

Peace Tower Church is Quann’s home church. The two ministries have worked closely together. It was Peace Tower’s lead pastor, Jonathan Hutchinson, who connected Quann with the opportunity at Saint-Vincent.

“I have witnessed how Theresa faithfully equipped those in Connecting Streams to reach others with the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” says Hutchinson. “I have also seen how doors have opened when those marginalized in society receive the love and hope found in Jesus.”

Volunteer Jerry Gray says the event they are planning could be “an eye-opener for some people since we’re fairly new in Ottawa. It’s an opportunity for others to expand and gain an outlook on what they can do in this area.”

Quann is also looking forward to connecting with people at the event and she is fired up about the potential to reach those in need.

“There’s been an excitement in my spirit,” she says, “that we have the power and ability to actually change lives.”

You can register for the event on Connecting Stream’s website.