Contact Chris Throness
Apply for the Alpha Canada Student Leadership Collective on September 19
Transcript:
Rev. Darren Herbold:
Hi, Alliance Canada. A few updates for you and then a story. General Assembly will be June 8 to 12 in Calgary. Pastors and leaders, as you are preparing your 2026 budgets, please plan to join us for Assembly 2026. It’s going to be a powerful time of listening to God together, celebrating stories of where God is at work, transforming lives and communities, and discerning together how he is leading us. To mark it down, you won’t want to miss this. Part of our strategy for the growth driver of prayer is creating regular, intentional space to join together across the globe to pray, seek God’s face, and listen for his voice. Our next Canada wide gathering is on September 18th at 1 p.m eastern. You can sign up on the website and my ask is, would you invite your church members to participate?
These are also not just one time events. We’re committed to a culture of corporate prayer. And we will continue to host online prayer times, with our next one after the September meeting already scheduled for November 27. There’s a growing sense of anticipation in my spirit as I write this update. God is stirring something fresh among us. Something bold, something beautiful. And so let’s take a moment to watch this next inspiring story.
Prarthana Ka Ghar New Ventures Video
Prarthana Ka Ghar is an amazing gift God has given us. If you look at Matthew chapter 21, when Jesus is clearing the temple, He says, my house will be called a house of prayer. And this is where we get our name, Prathana Ka Ghar.
Six years ago, God called my family to move to Canada to share the gospel with the people. And I asked the Lord, “Lord, what do I do? I don’t see any people around.” The Lord answered, go and find the people. Go and find the people and share with them the good news of Jesus Christ. The original partner that Stephen was working with hit a speed bump, and they couldn’t continue on in that partnership. By that time, I knew Stephen a little bit better, for sure. And not only did I see that God had uniquely equipped him for ministry to South Asians—I mean, he knew the culture from the inside, and he spoke several of the key languages. But what was more important than that was the heart that I saw in Stephen and his wife. I mean, they were prepared to trust God.
In 2019, we had to rent a space. And now every Sunday around 3:00, when we meet together for a Sunday service, 40 people gather together regularly. On special occasions, we have seen more than 100 people join and hear about Jesus Christ. After a season of discerning, Stephen decided that it indeed would be a good fit and a God fit for his work to transform into a new venture under the leadership of the district. The role our church was going to play was to be local church, lead partner.
Now, church planting at the best of times is challenging work. I mean, it’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon. And it stretches those that are involved. Stephen and his wife have been stretched, and so has our church family. But that stretching has been good for us.
Prathana Ka Ghar for us is like a chest, where we store all our beautiful memories, where we store all our precious things. This chest reminds us of many things of the past, the familiar places. It tells us of the stories that we have left behind. And it is incredible. It gives us incredible pride to call on the name of Jesus in languages and in expressions that we are familiar with. So, it’s a wonderful experience and an expression of what God is doing in our world.
Earlier I would attend an English church. I could not understand the sermon due to my poor English. When I came to know about Prarthana Ka Ghar, I started attending this fellowship. Now I can understand the message, since it is shared in the language I speak. Now I am growing in the Lord. We also have ladies meetings, where we pray for one another.
My prayer is that Prarthana Ka Ghar will continue to grow. Presently we are having our services between a switch of languages of Hindi, English, Urdu and Punjabi. And it gives us an immense achievement for us to reach out to many people who speak these languages. And we are thankful. He has kept us in this place to reach to more than 2 million people who live in Canada, who speak these languages and who call Canada as their home. The Lord has started this work, and we are thankful that he continues. And in the days to come, we want to see what he’s going to do with this ministry. Thank you.
Rev. Darren Herbold:
I so enjoy hearing and sharing stories like these, because they fill me with hope and remind me of the incredible ways God is moving.
Stephen Roy was sharing about how God was calling him to plant a church in Canada, and they didn’t have all the details figured out, no clear roadmap, but he just kept saying yes to every invitation Jesus laid before him. That kind of faith stirs something deep in me. It’s the kind of life I believe God calls all of his followers toward. To an ever deepening, abiding in Jesus that leads us to unwavering, courageous obedience—even when the path isn’t fully clear. It’s simple, it’s bold, and it’s faith requiring. And it’s exactly the kind of trust that opens the door for God to do something new among us.
As I travel and meet with pastors and leaders both across Canada, and around the globe, I’m increasingly convinced. God is not only inviting The Alliance Canada to join him in what he’s already doing, which is something profound, something exciting. His Spirit is moving in unmistakable ways, and we’re seeing it especially among the next generation.
With that in mind, and our faith goal of identifying equipping 3,000 new pastors over the next ten years, I am so thrilled that Chris Throness officially started this past week as our Director of Leader Formation, specifically focusing on the pre-licensing of the next generation and next era of leaders.
As a side note, if you’re looking for a great communicator and someone to champion the next generation and next era future leaders, I encourage you to reach out to Chris, say hello, welcome him. We’re going to have a link to his email below this video on our website.
Secondly, with us, another way you can jump start leaders in your church is that Alpha Canada is launching the 2026 Student Leadership Collective on September 19. They have around 300 spots available. And this is an amazing opportunity to invest in youth in your church, and join God in what he is doing across Canada. This is a resource to develop specifically two grade 10 students in your church, and a youth leader with them. Alpha is going to fly them to a National Alpha gathering. They’ll be mentored by Alpha Canada leaders as a cohort.
And a side note, I spoke with Shaila and they have spots for up to 100 Alliance youth to be part of this. Which is incredible. So I’m sharing it now so that you’ll be able to plan now, as this is going to fill up really quickly. So check the website. Set a reminder. Talk to youth pastors, volunteers at your church you want to connect, and find two grade 10 leaders that you could ask to apply.
During a conversation, a friend reminded me of a passage that I hadn’t thought about for a while. Specifically Joshua 3, and the Israelites crossing of the Jordan River. If you recall, this crossing moment was different than when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. Yes, once again they stood before a body of water, a threshold, if you will.
But this time there was no army breathing down their backs, no imminent danger. Instead, it was the promised land filled with giants and the seemingly impenetrable fortress of Jericho. It stood before them, and this time there was no miraculous parting of the waters first.
No, this time God asked them to step into the water, not knowing what would happen next. In many ways, I sense that the “C”hurch, and us, The Alliance Canada, are at a threshold. There is a sense of newness and anticipation that we are poised to enter a season of fresh encounter with God’s Spirit, a season of fresh movement and fresh growth. And yet standing at a threshold where you know God is calling you into something new. It is also a place of surrender, isn’t it? It’s where trust is refined, character is forged, and clarity is born not through information, but through intimacy with the living God.
And so as we lean in together, abiding in Jesus like never before. And yes, I say it again, allowing him to prune us as we respond to him with simple obedience and courageous faith.
I am asking, “Lord, could this threshold that we sense be a fresh revival for your glory and fame and the transformation of a nation? Lord, let it be so.”
I’m with you, praying for you, and feel so privileged to be called by Christ to serve together for such a time as this. I trust you’re feeling encouraged today, and know his strength and filling for you as you continue to live and serve for the sake of his name and fame.