We are Timothy & Joanna Elias, serving the Lord in Kenora, Ontario, with our family, Joshua (age 7), Jeremiah (age 5) and Gracelynn born on January 20, 2024. We moved to Kenora in October of 2022 and I began pastoring Victory Baptist Church in this northwestern Ontario city with a population of around 15,000, which doubles or triples in the summer time.

Victory Baptist Church was started in August of 1996 by church planter Greg Davis in answer to the prayers of a small group of believers, some of which are still faithful members today. On September 1, 2002, Greg Davis handed the church over to Pastor Jeff Friesen. God did a special work under the leadership of Pastor Friesen using him mightily in Kenora. During this time, the church grew averaging 50-60 people in attendance, and had many other outreach ministries. In April of 2010, God moved Pastor Friesen, and Pastor Keith Loveless became pastor on May 1, 2010. In April of 2017, Pastor Loveless resigned from the pastorate of Victory Baptist Church due to health issues. From 2017-2022 there were several different preachers, including myself, from Pembina Valley Baptist Church, who came up to preach until we were able to move here in 2022. There was a small core group of about 6 people who had remained faithful attenders at VBC. God has worked through VBC in saving souls, changing lives and people going into the ministry. Many have moved and are serving in other local churches across Canada. Since we have moved to Kenora, we have had some visitors attend regular and special services, and we have a few people who have started coming faithfully. We have done a lot of outreach with door hangers and door-to-door witnessing. Kenora is a very needy area, and there is much coldness and indifference toward the Gospel and church attendance. We have also sought to build relationships with those whom God has allowed us to cross paths, and are not very open to the Gospel at this time. We are praying that God would continue to soften hearts and that many people would come to know Christ as Saviour! There are many really nice people who have been really good to us as a family, but don’t know Christ personally.

We are currently meeting in a rented facility, and are praying that God would supply a meeting place where we could have Sunday school in His timing. We have two services on Sunday and a prayer meeting on Wednesday night. We have been privileged to have several missionaries through and support five on a regular basis. Church activities we have done throughout the year are a Missions Sunday, special meals, Canada Day celebration, men’s breakfasts, Cantata, and other special services along with weekly door-to-door witnessing. 

Please pray for wisdom as we seek to reach Kenora with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are also looking at doing a yearly evangelistic tent meeting in Kenora. Pray that God would supply the right location, time, resources, help, and most of all that people would attend and be drawn to Christ.

‍