Missions Work

The Ottawa RPC has fourteen of its members (five adults, nine children) involved in long-term mission work. This is comprised of a mission in Southern Sudan and in West Africa. These missions are summarized below. Various members as well have been involved in short-term missions, including a group mission trip in February 2010 to Costa Rica.

Cush4Christ

Vince Ward grew up in Québec, and later in Ottawa, in a loving Christian home. Growing up under his parent’s teaching of the Word and their prayer for his salvation, he was preserved from being utterly lost in the pursuits of his ambitions.

In University, while studying physiotherapy, he came to know Jesus with joy as his Redeemer and Master. Soon after, he was led to the Ottawa Reformed Presbyterian Church, where he grew under the ministry of the Word and in fellowship with godly men and women. He began his studies at the Ottawa Theological Hall (OTH) in 2001 after being encouraged by his elders to train to be a missionary-pastor. This was presented to Vince when he revealed his burden for the Sudan. Soon after, the Lord led Vince to propose to his good friend from University, Julie, to join him in ministry as his wife. They were married in the summer of 2002 followed by their honeymoon in Kenya and Sudan.

After a year of work and studies, Vince and Julie returned to Africa to deepen relationships with the Sudanese, specifically with the Dinka from the Aweil area in Southern Sudan. Sadly, it was revealed to them that the Dinka pastor with whom they were working was preaching the gospel for his own personal gain. He was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Vince and Julie returned to Canada to receive counsel from the Foreign Mission Board (now RP Global Missions) of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America. With the recommendation of the Board, Vince and Julie, and their son Samuel, did an internship with the Toronto RP Church work. Vince recalls this to be a formative time in which he gained a more biblical philosophy of missions and refined the vision for the work in Aweil.

In 2005, the Ward family was pleased to receive a new recruit to the mission: Heather Huizing from the L.A. RPC. After a short internship in Uganda with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church Mission, the Ward family and Heather visited Wanyjok (Aweil East County) to continue the work of building relationships as well as working on Dinka language learning.

In January 2006, Vince was ordained by the St.Lawrence Presbytery as a missionary-pastor. The Wards and Heather then settled as missionaries of the RPCNA to the Dinka of the Aweil area.

In January 2007, the Stringer family joined the team in Sudan and built their home in Parot, where the team resides. Pastor Andrew Stringer, a long-time mentor to Vince, became team leader and mission director. Andrew’s focus is on the training of church planters. Vince’s focus is on church planting.

The following year, the team welcomed the Faris family. After building their house, Daniel Faris worked on building the Cross-roads Training Center and the Redemption FM radio station. Both of these opened in the fall of 2009. Daniel will be focusing his work on deaconal ministries such as agriculture and business enterprises for the church.

The Cush4Christ mission under the Holy Spirit's direction is bearing fruit in the proclamation of the Word of God on the radio, the planting of Christ-centered churches, and the extension of the gospel for the transformation of many lives and communities in Aweil and beyond.

As of February 2010, forty-two new converts have recently been baptized and several new indigenous elders have been ordained.

Glory be to God, because it is “all for Jesus.”

We invite you to visit Cush4Christ on Facebook and view our photos and videos there.

West Africa

Jan B entered missionary service while she was a member of the Ottawa Reformed Presbyterian Church. She has been helping further Christ's Kingdom in West Africa for almost 20 years in full-time Christian missionary service. Many men and women have come to faith through her ministry, and she has been an integral part of several church plants in West Africa. Jan is a master of Bible story telling, and has seen much fruit from her work. She has also trained indigenous people in this incredibly useful tool. We are both grateful and thankful for her servant's heart and for her caring ministry.