A searchable, downloadable PDF of the original article appears below. W.J. Fenton is a medical doctor in Saskatoon, and an elder in McKercher Drive Church.

McKercher Drive Presbyterian Church is the home of a young congregation on the east side of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The congregation had its beginnings in the summer of 1978 when the Rev. Frank VanderZwan arrived as an Ordained Missionary. Frank began with five vacant lots! His cheerful, persistent door knocking in the College Park area soon resulted in a small group gathered for worship in September, 1978, in the small gymnasium of St. Augustine School. From that point the congregation has steadily grown.

Blitzing the area with leaflets and Frank’s steady, exuberant exploration of the community continued to add people to the group. On April 8, 1979 thirty families met in worship to be officially constituted a congregation by the Presbytery of Northern Saskatchewan. As numbers continued to increase and the school facilities became increasingly inadequate for our needs, a building program ensued. On November 15, 1981 the first service was held in our own building. The dedication service followed on November 29, 1981. We are now finding these facilities too small for our needs. Our sanctuary is full and our Sunday School rooms are badly overcrowded. We have now grown to one hundred families and eighty children in the Sunday School program. Church groups include: adult Bible study, “Basic Christianity” course, ladies Bible study, ladies craft and devotion, men’s prayer breakfast, men’s fellowship breakfast, teen group, cadet club for boys, calvinettes for girls, junior choir and, at times, adult choir.

Frank VanderZwan left in August, 1982. From September, 1982 to May, 1983, the pulpit was vacant. During this time the pulpit ministry was carried on about half the time by invited guests and about half the time by the elders of the congregation. In May, 1983 the Rev. David Sherbino arrived to start his ministry among us.

Now that you have some idea of our history, let us consider the evidence that this congregation is alive in a spiritual sense.

The first evidence for spiritual vitality is our worship. Our worship services convey a sense of joy, of hope and of expectancy. More important, however, is the growth in understanding of and expression of worship. There is much personal blessing derived from our joining together to praise God.

From the very beginning the concept of joining together as a spiritual “family” has been encouraged. The concept has become a reality manifested by a strong sense of caring for one another and by the ability to have fun together. Spiritual and social needs are being met through interaction with one another. We meet within the church building and in one another’s homes. We meet together to study and pray, but also to enjoy each other’s company.

We have experienced growth in two equally important ways. Individual members are growing in their knowledge of and obedience to scripture. Those who are young in their walk with the Lord and those mature in the faith both grow in association with one another. We are also growing in numbers.

From the very beginning, there has been a desire to understand and to be obedient to scripture. This desire has been the prime motivation of our leadership throughout our brief history. It has been expressed in pulpit teaching and small group fellowship from the beginning. Both of these forms are important. The pulpit teaching reaches larger numbers and awakens the desire for greater understanding. The small groups result in learning where discussion, sharing, prayer and caring all improve understanding and personal application.

Our ministers have been important to our spiritual vitality. Frank VanderZwan with hard work and joyfulness attracted people to worship Jesus Christ. He began the biblically-based teaching ministry. He initiated a relaxed and joyful tone to our worship services – services that were joyful for adults and especially the children. In a unique way, he made the children feel welcome in church. He initiated the sense of family. David Sherbino is continuing this sense of family and expanding our teaching ministry and worship. God has used the different gifts of these men in great ways.

Another important ingredient of the situation is our church Session. Session can be characterized as strong and unified. Individuals with different but complementary gifts have in God’s providence come together, been willing to work hard and have, largely through prayer, developed a strong sense of unity. This has been true all along, but was most evident during our time without a minister. During this time Session members were able to continue the teaching and pulpit ministry and, to a lesser extent, the pastoral ministry. During this time we experienced some growth in our numbers, rather than loss. We are grateful for the Rev. Douglas Maxwell’s assistance in his role as interim moderator.

From the very beginning the concept of joining together as a spiritual “family” has been encouraged. The concept has become a reality…

We have experienced much joy and excitement during the brief time we have been a congregation. There is, however, much more to be done. We have much to learn of God’s grandeur and grace. Educational and fellowship opportunities need to be expanded so that all ages and all members are participating. We have much to learn in caring for one another. Though a “mission” charge, we support both general and specific mission endeavours and have done so from an early stage. Again there is more to be done. We have a lot to learn in the area of evangelism to our community.

At a retreat, Session developed the following statement of purpose, which has been adopted by the congregation.

The purpose of this church is threefold.

First, we glorify God in our worship of Him. Through our praise, adoration and thanksgiving, which is expressed in our daily lifestyle, we honour Him for who He is and we declare our dependency upon Him.

Second, this church is to be a nurturing centre, to build strong Christian lives based upon the Scriptures so that our lives will grow in relation to God and to each other. On the basis of this fellowship principle we are able to know, to love and to care for each other.

Third, this church is to proclaim the Gospel that Jesus Christ offers life to all. This proclamation is not only articulated by the faith we profess but also as we serve and minister to the hurting needs around us, we demonstrate the love of Christ as His people, the “company of the committed”.

We look to God for guidance and for strength as we work to implement these aims.