Under a new president, the ministry aims to expand beyond Ottawa

Craig Macartney
Spur Ottawa Writer

The International Pastors and Leaders Forum (IPLF) has elected a new president. The organization, which brings together immigrant leaders of churches and ministries, broke with their tradition of hosting a conference for their annual general meeting. This past weekend, the group opted to simply gather as a community for some soul searching, to refocus on unity, and to collaboratively strategize how to be more effective.

“The meeting was significant because, for the first time, our annual general meeting was internal and not external. It was taking an internal review of ourselves, looking to the future, and casting the vision for the next couple of years,” explains Joseph Kiirya, pastor of River Jordan Ministries and the outgoing IPLF director of corporate affairs.

“The other thing that was significant was that we were electing a new president. Our previous president, Cornelius Babalola, has served for over six years.”

Kiirya says the new president, Isaac Gimba, is injecting new energy into the ministry.

Gimba served as vice president starting in 2018 and right away began seeking God about how He wanted to use the IPLF. After a time of prayer, he says he had a clear sense of some areas God wanted to work on and an expanded vision.

“[Isaac Gimba] brings in a lot of experience as a pastor and a man who understands the international landscape.” Photo courtesy of Isaac Gimba.

God also spoke to Gimba about restoring relationships and strengthening the group’s unity. The morning session of the November 2 meeting focused on exactly that, with the leaders addressing areas where they needed reconciliation and seeking to foster deeper unity.

“It was amazing. There was such an incredible presence of the Lord in that meeting,” Gimba states. “Almost everyone gathered was in tears. There was communication that brought clarity, there was reconciliation and forgiveness. It was very emotional. The love in the room—you could feel it, you could touch it. The unity, it was amazing.”

Gimba is a member of the executive committee of Love Ottawa and leads Meeting Point Ministries International, through which he meets with pastors to strengthen them in their faith and ministry.

“I am interested in his vision to make IPLF not just a black African ministry, but to make it what it stands for, a ministry for pastors who have come here from other nations.”

“He brings in a lot of experience as a pastor and a man who understands the international landscape,” says Kiirya. “He comes from Africa and served as a pastor in the United Kingdom before he came here. He has a vast experience as a leader.”

Kiirya also feels Gimba is well equipped to expand the IPLF beyond its current niche. He explains that the outgoing executive team was successful in gathering Ottawa’s community of African pastors, but Gimba has already been working to draw other international leaders into the group.

“I am interested in his vision to make IPLF not just a black African ministry, but to make it what it stands for, a ministry for pastors who have come here from other nations.”

“I’m very excited to be involved in this next phase of IPLF,” says Gimba. “I feel very strongly that God has brought the IPLF these past years to this moment to leap into what He wants to do in this country.”