“There is apparently a lot of brokenness in the nation.”

Craig Macartney
Spur Ottawa Writer

Is the Church an essential service? For the past year, this question has sparked heated debates, and while those debates will likely continue for the foreseeable future, the question is settled for the work at Ellel Ministries.

“We were kind of surprised to be given full authority to continue to minister in this season,” says Kent Bandy, a centre director for Ellel Ministries. “The health department has embraced what we are doing and they allowed us to keep doing it.”

Ellel has offered a range of healing and ministry retreat programs at their Westport retreat centre for the past 14 years. The ministry guides people in bringing deep trauma, addictions, and other hurts to God, identifying the roots of the issue, and receiving God’s healing. They also work with leaders, helping them be refreshed by God as they carry the weight of ministry responsibilities. Even before COVID restrictions, their retreats consistently had waiting lists.

Ellel’s facility on Wolfe Lake near Westport. Screengrab from www.ellelcanadacourses.com

“There is apparently a lot of brokenness in the nation. We are really wealthy and really informed as a nation, but we are not very healthy. Typically, what we do [at Ellel] is deeper inner-healing stuff that people are not able to find breakthrough for on their own.”

Anxiety about COVID along with job losses and loneliness from the restrictions have caused a massive spike in mental health issues and the need for ministries like Ellel. As the restrictions wore on, Bandy says his team called their health authority to explain what they do.

“Because we are not a church, we sit under a different set of guidelines. We asked our local health authority what we need to do to be able to open. They were very willing to work with us.”

Closed during the initial lockdown, Ellel took the opportunity to do some needed renovations in their facility. They also started working on a project to enable them to help more people than before.

“In July we launched online courses and had six available by the end of the year. Two more are rolling out this month and another on Father’s Day,” Bandy explains. “People really like on-demand learning, so the online courses address the need and provide the convenience people want.”

“To be honest, we asked the question of whether online courses would be impactful.” Photo courtesy of Ellel Ministries.

In February they also launched RESET—a retreat for leaders—which merges their new online teaching with in-person ministry at the retreat centre.

“Ellel is an amazing ministry, especially during the pandemic and any challenging time in your life,” says Ravi, who received ministry from Ellel this past year. “They pour out the love of God into leaders, couples, and ministry workers. At Ellel, your life is enriched and you are never the same again.”

“To be honest, we asked the question of whether online courses would be impactful,” Bandy admits, “but people are responding. They are saying, ‘It is not the same, but it is powerful.’”

Mark Herman agrees. He and his wife were impacted by Ellel long before COVID, but he says the new online content “provides a rich resource to dive deeper into each session. We have been impressed with the exceptional quality and the depth of the teachings.”

A central focus in writing the new courses was making them accessible for people’s limited online attention spans, but also engaging participants with questions and activities that go beyond the teaching.

“If we communicate scripture in a way that is just informational, it is not going to change people’s lives. The courses and information have to be a lead up that helps the person welcome Jesus into a deeper place in their life.”

COVID, Bandy says, is a perfect time to increase their reach with these online courses.

“People are hungry for God. COVID has brought some things to the surface and is driving some deeper with the Lord.”