Location: Kitchener, Ont.

Presbytery: St. Lawrence

Organization: 2010

Membership: 40 communicant; 15 baptized

Pastors: Scott Wilkinson

Website: newcreationrpc.org

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17).

It’s easy enough to take a car in for repair, to have a room renovated, or to have a painting restored. To renew something means to bring it back to an original condition of freshness and vigor. With things, this seems logically possible. However, to walk up to some passerby on the street and to say, “Excuse me, sir, can I take you in for repair?” or to tap your neighbor on the shoulder and say, “Hello, can I just work on renovating you?” seems a bit absurd. Yet renewal is needed—and not just for others, but also for ourselves.

New Creation RP Church in Kitchener, Ont., was instituted as a church in 2010. Pastor Scott Wilkinson graduated from the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 1995. His first pastorate was in Walton, N.Y., from 1995 to 2001. He served there with much gladness, but God drew his soul to church planting. He had, and has, an innate desire to share the gospel with people whose hearts may never have heard of the wonders and grace of God. Pastor Scott’s assurance in boldly proclaiming the Word of God comes from the firm belief that only God is able to accomplish a saving work. Conversion is brought about solely by His grace, His Holy Spirit, His Word—and no gimmicks, stunts, or man-made contrivances are ever able to produce true faith. In 2003 Pastor Scott was commissioned by the St. Lawrence Presbytery to begin a work in Kitchener.

Kitchener has a population of 233,222. The large and expanding city contains industrial parks, is home to Conestoga College, and both the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University are close by—all components that serve to advance opportunities for evangelism.

Pastor Scott often visited a local coffee house, became a friendly face in a booth as he worked on sermon notes, and began to be recognized by the locals. Conversations ensued, some of which resulted in Bible studies. He also was a regular on a Kitchener radio show for a season, as well as a speaker at a Muslim forum. There were also debates at Wilfrid Laurier University. God used these efforts to build His kingdom.

During the summer, one evening a week is spent in downtown Kitchener in street evangelism. A table is set up with booklets, fliers, bottled water, and cookies. Several members of the church come out along with the pastor and engage passersby in conversation. Often lively discussions develop.

God in His mercy has seen fit to grow New Creation from the initial Wilkinson family attendance to some 20 families. During that first decade, although there were a few committed families on the membership roll, you could count the initial households that worshiped each Sabbath on the fingers of one hand. Job changes initiated moves, other churches beckoned, and occasionally people left without giving a reason. This might have been a discouraging downside if something that Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said had not been primary: the supreme effort of evangelism is not to save souls but to glorify God.

Pastor Scott married Elineke Farenhorst in 1996. They have six children ranging in age from 14 to 22. Their joyful and contented homelife expands to open doors for both folks in the neighborhood and in the congregation.

Pastor Scott also teaches Old Testament survey and apologetics at Gillespie Academy. While being fruitful for students, this work also establishes contact with other churches in the area, as a number of them had never heard of the RP Church.

New Creation is, on the whole, a solid, happy church and filled with good fellowship. Spurgeon once said, “I do not think the church rejoices enough. We all grumble enough and groan enough: but very few of us rejoice enough.”

May New Creation’s pews, and all pews for that matter, be filled with saved sinners! Let us rejoice over that.