Reaching Out and Living Christ
KIKINO, AB
The Church, so much more than a building, is believers meeting together and growing together to love and serve God. It’s easy to take for granted going to church every Sunday. Your pastor is there to minister to you, there are programs and Bible studies, and there are people to encourage and be encouraged by. But have you ever taken time to ask how your church started and who the people were that God led to start your church? Church planting! It is a challenging ministry, but God leads and directs and gives patience along the way.
Kikino Métis Settlement is a community of around 1,000 people. In the 1960s, various young men came to Kikino to share the Gospel and then started Bible studies. Some of these men whom God led to Kikino were Frank Wilson, Albert Erion, Jack Gordon, Bill Jackson, Eugene Snyder, and Bev Botheras. They came at different times, but God used each one with different spiritual gifts to share the Lord, lead people to Christ and disciple believers through God’s Word.
After some time, they had a building and began meeting there for church services. In the beginning years, some of these men pastored the church. Bill & Shirley Jackson have been the main pastors over the years. In their beginning years, Shirley remembers going to church in the winter and warming up around the wood stove. Sometimes only one family would come, but they would have a service no matter how many came. They taught many basic teachings from the Bible, such as communion and the importance of why we take part in it as Christians. Slowly throughout the years the church grew in number, and in the Word, and believers used their spiritual gifts to help in the church.
Pastor Frank, learning from his First Nations elders, Pastor Ray Sparklingeyes and Bill Jackson from Goodfish (AB).
When the church became more established, Frank was asked to be the associate pastor in 2002. He ministered alongside Bill Jackson within the church and reached out to the community. When Frank and Lori married, they continued to help in the church and also at Key-Way-Tin Bible Institute. In 2015 Frank officially became the pastor.
We are thankful for all the hard work, prayer and obedience of those who went before us. Many families have learned the Gospel and the Bible through people at our church. These families have a Christian heritage; some have remembered what they were taught and have come to Christ many years later. We’ve had good opportunities to share in the community, such as teaching a Bible class in the school, sharing a message and singing at the community Christmas program, and speaking at funerals. Many people attend our summer family camp; it’s great to see people helping out in so many ways and working together as the body of Christ.
Frank and our elder, Wes Cardinal, getting things ready for family camp.
The Church isn’t just within the building—but reaching out and living Christ in all you do. Many communities are without churches and need to hear the Gospel and learn God’s Word. If you sense God leading you into church planting, He will give you the grace and wisdom for the journey! As it says in God’s Word, it is important to be a part of a church and meet regularly with other believers!
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV) •
The Kikino Church ladies cleanup crew at our family camp site.
