“We’ll be better equipped to serve and love our pastoral community and to provide a platform for more missional teams under Love Ottawa.”

Craig Macartney
Spur Ottawa Writer

Love Ottawa is coming under new leadership. After nine years as director of Love Ottawa, Richard Long is handing the reigns of the ministry to Gabe McReynolds.

“Gabe is a missionary by nature,” Long states. “He served as a missionary and also worked with international students here, so he brings that missionary mindset to how we reach Ottawa. He has also worked with me and shown that he is a man with a lot of wisdom. I am very confident he’s going to take Love Ottawa to the next level.”

One Way Ministries announced the shift at a meeting with supporters, on November 17. Long, for his part, will still be working closely with the ministry.

“As One Way Ministries continues to serve our leadership community in Ottawa, we are making some role adjustments,” explains Mark Peterkins, One Way’s executive director. “Richard, who is a pastor, himself, is shifting to serve more of our pastoral community. He has been sensing the Holy Spirit leading him into this over the last few years.

“One thing has become really clear during the pandemic: The need to support pastors who are facing challenges they never expected.”

“I’m thrilled to have two excellent leaders in both of these initiatives. I believe we’ll be better equipped to serve and love our pastoral community and to provide a platform for more missional teams under Love Ottawa.”

Long will also be working closely with McReynolds, helping his team connect with and support pastors.

“One thing has become really clear during the pandemic: The need to support pastors who are facing challenges they never expected,” says Long. “This is just as true post-COVID.”

Looking back, Long says a highlight of his time has been the appetite for unity and collaboration among Ottawa’s Christians. Over the past nine years, he has worked with pastors and leaders across the city to support and launch a number of collaborative missional visions.

“We now have about 15 teams running. I never imagined there was going to be that much work to do with all these people. The CAPITALYZE conference we did in January 2019 was a high moment, because we were able to bring people from all those teams together, to show what we were doing and get inspired about what more was possible.”

“I’ve learned over the years that things move ahead when there are trusting relationships between ministry leaders.”

McReynolds began working with Long at Love Ottawa a year after CAPITALIZE. He says the number and variety of missional teams connected to Love Ottawa is a major accomplishment.

“There are great success stories, like Dig & Delve, The Big Give, Friends for Dinner, and Embrace. I love the vision of impacting the city. I’m a big believer in unity and collaboration. I’ve learned over the years that things move ahead when there are trusting relationships between ministry leaders. Collaborative ministry tends to follow those relationships.”

From his time on the mission field in north Africa, McReynolds says unity and partnership are essential. He looks forward to carrying on that legacy at Love Ottawa.

“Richard is a great networker, a great encourager, and he’s great at connecting people together. That will serve him well as he focuses more on pastors and ministry leaders.”

McReynolds also stresses Love Ottawa’s aim to keep expanding in missional work across the city.

“If you have a God-sized vision for the city, come let us know. We want to support that. Our desire is to be available to leaders who have a vision, and to help them make that vision a reality.”