Once upon a time…
…in 1983 the young Pastor Glen and Julie Povey, equipped with a big heart and 5000 loaves of bread, started a small Bible study group in their home. At that time only 15 people were in attendance, but by God’s mercy and faithfulness this group soon grew to be 30.
By 1984 the small fellowship grew big enough to have Mr. Povey present a question to his wife: “Honey, I think we need get a loan and buy a much bigger home to be able to host our group!” As a direct result of his idea Mr. Povey slept on the couch that night, so he can learn think twice before presenting such scenarios to his beloved. However, his night in exile and repentance came to fruition, as soon after a close to 100 years old church building became available for sale on Argyle Street. It needed much repair, but Mr. Povey armed with 300 rolls black tape and an irrational sense of optimism finally made the purchase. The building has been a great asset every since to train the church community in carpentry, roofing and plumbing on a weekly basis.
And so the small group became a church, and donned the name “Maranatha Native Christian Centre.” After 3 years however, (now) Pastor Povey realized that he just can’t roll the “R” in “Maranatha” and a new name was required that does not push his linguistic skills to the limit. In 1987 the church was renamed “Morning Star Ministries.”
In 1992 Morning Star took a vital part in the foundation of Love Lives Here Ministries, a.k.a “God’s heart on 6 wheels.” The ministry is still active today, focusing on reaching at-risk areas in the inner-city with the gospel, prayer and some much needed clothes and food.
Worry not, the team has improved their sense of fashion since and lost their flared jeans, scrunchies and overly bright colored sweaters.
In 1994 Morning Star Christian Academy was founded with the vision to bring quality Christian education to families who would normally have no access to it. While our school is small, there are big dreams in store for the future with the hopes of expenditure through a brand new school building. For now this dream is in the hand of God, waiting to be released. The school is still active today with close to 20 students, and we have also managed to remove that awkwardly placed book shelf from the middle of the classroom.
Today our congregation is numbered to be around 150 people, and growing. We are involved with many ministries and continue to be a significant presence in our city. With God’s help we will celebrate many milestones to come. We are excited to see what God has in store, and would love to see you among our ranks…if God leads you so. And if you don’t mind our sense of humor.
