Our Upcoming Vision Meeting

March 30, 2025

Author

Jared Klassen
March 20, 2025

Ever since our family moved to Edmonton we have been surrounded by new home construction. This wasn’t a surprise to us, the neighbourhood we moved into is new and growing. Looking out the front windows of our house right now I can see more than ten houses in various stages of being built just on our street.

With all this construction comes noise, streets packed with work trucks, and now, as the snow melts, a lot of mud. While these things can be inconvenient, they also serve as a constant reminder of the great need in this rapidly growing city.

In 2024, the city of Edmonton’s population grew by over 5,000 people per month. The reality is that the vast majority of these people don’t know Jesus. In fact, it’s likely that the majority of them have never even really heard the gospel.

Over the past 10 months we’ve been able to visit many churches and talk to many ministry leaders around the city. We’ve heard encouraging stories of how God is at work in Edmonton, but we’ve also heard a common sentiment, the labourers are few. More people are needed who have the desire to labour for God’s kingdom to be proclaimed. The truth is that while God does not need us, He delights to use us in this work of spreading the good news of Jesus. More people are needed. More labourers are needed, because the harvest is plentiful.

As we work towards launching a Sunday gathering, we feel this need deeply. We look around us and see that the harvest really is plentiful and so we continue to pray that God will send more laborers into this harvest. We see in Matthew 9:35-38 that this is exactly what Jesus teaches us do do in these circumstances:

[35] And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. [36]When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. [37] Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; [38] therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Matthew 9:35-38 (ESV)

In this city, there are hundreds of thousands of people who are lost. Like sheep without a shepherd. It’s our desire to point them to the Good Shepherd, that they would know and love Him. That they would experience the forgiveness, healing, rest, peace and joy that is only found in Him.

We ask that you would join us in prayer, and that you would consider how God might be calling you to participate in this plentiful harvest.

On Sunday, March 30th at 3 PM we will be hosting an info meeting at West Edmonton Baptist Church (17821 98 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB). We’ll spend some time worshiping together in song and prayer and looking at what it means to be a gospel centered church. For those interested, we’ll also have some time to chat about what it might look like for you to join us in the launching of Grace Edmonton.

We would love for you to join us. We would love for you to invite others. (It would also be helpful if you let us know you’ll be coming at https://graceedmonton.com/information-meeting-march-30/)

Let’s labor together to love Jesus, love people, and help people love Jesus in Edmonton.

On behalf of our families,

Jared and Clay