Sand, Sun, Water and Transformed Lives
Neil Boron | Church on the Beach
When Church on the Beach was founded in 2011, the goal was simply to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to vacationers and beach goers who might not otherwise set foot inside the “brick and mortar” walls of a traditional church building.
By God’s grace, twelve summers later (minus two for COVID), the reality of what God has done is staggering. Thousands have come to worship, nearly 250 have given their lives to Christ, countless individuals have been prayed for and received encouragement; and another 75 have been baptized! Many who have been impacted by the teaching and worship at Church on the Beach are now involved in local churches and ministries where they are active in discipleship and evangelism. At least one, a former atheist, is now finishing up his undergraduate studies to pursue seminary training! He believes God has called him to full-time ministry. Only God can do that!
What began as a simple gathering of 33 people that very first Sunday in the summer of 2011, today benefits from the work of nearly 40 volunteers! Their help and sacrifice make it possible each week for the hundreds who come to Crystal Beach in Fort Erie, ON, Canada to hear and see the gospel of Jesus Christ in action!
Through their service we have seen many stories of God’s miraculous grace and intervention. Like the desperate woman who turned from an overwhelming desire to end her own life and found the hope she was looking for in the person of Jesus. Or the former drug dealer who climbed out of a boat parked offshore, waded through waist high water and gave his life to Christ! Or the precious teenage girl who -in 2015- begged God to let her terminally ill father live so he could one day walk her down the aisle on her wedding day. (God answered that prayer nearly 7 years to the day!) Or the countless prayers for prodigal children, struggling marriages and broken relationships where God was invited to intervene. And He did!
The world is filled with darkness and despair, but there is Good News! Inside and outside the walls of church buildings, God is still transforming human hearts! If you’d like to learn more about Church on the Beach, or maybe even get involved next year, please visit our website: www.churchonthebeach.ca.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
