As Victoria Avenue SDA Church women, we are deeply involved in our church’s mission, often hosting potlucks to foster fellowship and anchor hope in Christ. But with the Manitoba-Saskatchewan Conference’s focus on friendship evangelism, we felt a call to do more—to step outside our walls and into the community.
On our Women’s Ministry Day, we planned to visit a women’s shelter to share our faith not by preaching but through simple friendship. However, a significant concern arose during our planning: What would we be allowed to say as a faith group? This fear, this uncertainty, was our challenge.
But we chose to exercise faith, even if it was as small as a mustard seed. Through discussions with our pastor, Carvil Richards, we connected with Krista-Dawn at The Mustard Seed in Saskatoon. Pastor Richards supported us every step of the way, providing a letter of introduction and even attending our morning program to show his support for our initiative. With this connection made, our ladies sprang into action, contributing toiletries, snacks, juices, and clothes for our visit.
Though it was raining on June 21, 2025, the twelve of us were motivated and in high spirits. When we arrived at The Mustard Seed, the reality of the situation was sobering. We saw unsheltered guests outside the building and others inside sleeping on mattresses on the floor. Many of us are immigrants in Canada, and this sight made us sincerely appreciate the goodness of the Lord in our own lives, thankful for a place to call home and a bed to sleep in.
Krista-Dawn, the Community Engagement staff member, gave us an orientation, and then we began what we came to do: connect. We sat and chatted with the women over snacks and drinks, while some of our ladies sang softly in the background. The shelter’s women were welcoming and willing to converse with us. Many shared that they had attended church with their parents as children, and our visit reminded them of that experience. They spoke of their struggles with addiction and the pain of rejection from society and even family, things that were moving them away from the church they once knew.
In those one-on-one discussions, something beautiful happened. We brought hope and joy to them, not with a sermon, but with friendship. Observing how forthcoming they were, many of our groups prayed with the ladies. Their willingness to pray with us was incredibly moving.
It felt like a true success. One lady even told us she would like to visit our church and asked for one of our women’s ministry T-shirts. We realized people outside our doors are hungry for God’s work.
Leaving the shelter that day, I believe we sowed powerful seeds. We sowed a seed of community evangelism among ourselves, and a seed among the women at The Mustard Seed to revisit their faith. For the women of Victoria Avenue, our relationships with each other and God were strengthened, and we left with a more profound sense of our calling. We unanimously agreed that we must do this again, perhaps even once a quarter. We saw the power of God firsthand when we surrendered our fears and allowed Him to use us to bring love and hope to fellow women in our community.
By Vivian Puplampu, Coordinator, Women’s Ministry and Pastor Carvil Richards, District Pastor, Victoria Avenue and Rosthern Seventh-day Adventist Church District