A little bit about who we are.
“Empowering People to be Hands of Healing and Voices of Hope”
“A Great Commitment to God’s Commandment and Commission Develops a Prevailing Church!”
About our Church
We are a church family made up various age groups, education, and vocations. Our congregation is composed of university students, youth, singles, married, young, older, and families with lots of children. We offer a great Sunday school ministry, nursery and many activities throughout the week, including Bible studies, prayer groups, and various fellowships.
Our History
RCEMC was constituted 24 Jan 1993, making it 18 years old this year. It began as a home church in Oct 1991 and held its first church meeting in Oct 1992. The two most recent pastors served from 1994 – 2004, and 2005 – 2008, with an interim pastor assisting during the transition. Pastor Dennis Anderson joined us in 2009 and serves as our Lead Pastor. Kevin Coghill serves as Associate Pastor and Director of the Life Centre. Jon Warner serves as our Youth Pastor
Our Core Values
Celebrating God’s presence in worship,
Communicating God’s Word,
Recognizing God’s family through relationships,
Educating God’s people through spiritual development, and
Demonstrating God’s love in ministry.
Many voices....One Message!
Our Purpose
In response to God’s incredible salvation, we are committed to making, encouraging and strengthening disciples to fulfill the great commandment (Matt 22:37-40) and the great commission (Matt 28:19-20) of Jesus Christ.
Our Vision
We dream of being a spiritual family where each person recognizes their God given ministry and mission and goes for it.
Our Banner Statement
“Equipping people to be hands of healing and voices of hope”
Our Congregation
Average weekly attendance is 125 people and we currently have 92 members. Our church family is made up of a wide spectrum of people, from the transient to the firmly established Guelphite, from the single person to the large family and from the infant to the elderly. We are also represented by a variety of social-economic situations, from the homeless to the retired executive and from the first year student to the seasoned blue collar worker.
Our City: Guelph
Guelph is located north of Hwy 401, one hour west of Toronto and near the tri-city area of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo. The University of Guelph is Guelph’s largest employer and students comprise 17% of the city’s population. Guelph has a strong manufacturing and business base and is also a bedroom community for commuters working outside the city. The population of Guelph is approximately 126,000. Visit the City of Guelph web site for further information.
Our Church Building
RCEMC is located at 50 Quebec Street, Guelph, in the downtown core, just a few steps from the city centre. The bus stops at our front door. With God’s provision, we were able to purchase the beautiful old stone building in 2005. It was formerly Chalmers United Church. The sanctuary seats 700, including the balcony. There are several rooms in the basement and the main floor that accommodate a variety of ministries. The building is wheel chair accessible and is used mornings, afternoons and evenings throughout the week. We welcome our church members and downtown friends to experience Christian family and a sense of belonging within its walls.
Church Ministries and Programs
- The 'Alpha' course.
- First Things First: a women’s ministry with child care provided.
- Prayer ministries: email prayer chain.
- Small groups: several meet within the building and others at various homes.
- Sunday morning children’s programs and nursery.
- Youth programs: Junior and Senior.
- Mission programs: local outreach, national and international sponsorships.
- Worship teams: five music teams in rotation.
Royal City Christian Life Centre
- Agape Cafe drop in: 7-9:30 Monday – Thursday (hot meals) and Friday 10-1 p.m. (light lunch).
- Saturday night supper where 30 plus churches collaborate to serve a wonderful hot meal to those in need of community.
- Saturday night church service, following the supper.
- Celebrate recovery: Christ centered recovery program for addictive, compulsive and dysfunctional behaviours.
- Pastoral and lay counseling and prayer.
- Women’s Bible study group on Tuesday evenings.
Our Church Governance and Structure
The congregation empowers the Board, consisting of Elders and Deacons, to oversee the governance of the church and delegate as appropriate to various lay leaders and committees. The pastor reports to the Board.
Doctrinal Statement
We are a part of the Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada. See Denominational Articles of Faith and Practice