Paul's backstory

I remember reading a plaque in his office as I waited for my engineering professor. It was a quote of Jesus offering rest for the soul. At the time I thought, “I don’t know if there is a God, but if there is, I’ll bet He could give me peace.” A year later, I had found that rest and peace but not before wrestling through countless questions. I eventually became overwhelmed at the evidence that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to provide a pardon for sinners and to make possible a life of love for all who follow Him.

The one who introduced me to that evidence became my wife, and God has taken Jennifer and me on an adventure that I never would have imagined. After graduation I was intending to go to Japan and invest in my career. God had other plans. I was baptized in the Sea of Japan and ended up serving in a small Japanese church for close to a year. I returned home with a calling to one day return to Japan as a missionary and spent the next seven years in preparation. After finishing a master’s degree in theology, learning how to integrate my faith and my work in a business in downtown Toronto, and serving for two years on staff in leadership training and community outreach at Grace, Jennifer and I along with our two preschool children moved to Japan.

During fifteen years of ministry in Japan, God used us to establish a Japanese church among the researchers of Tsukuba Science City, He helped us establish a volunteer network that served tsunami survivors in coastal Miyagi prefecture, and He brought many to life and hope through the gospel. Along the way God gave us a third child, and many precious experiences and life lessons that have shaped us as individuals.

Since moving back to Canada in 2015, it’s been my great privilege to lead Grace Baptist Church and help people in and around Richmond Hill meet God through the Scriptures and find new life through faith in Jesus Christ. I’m passionate about God’s greatness, authentic community, faith that works, and connecting Jesus and the Good News to every aspect of life.