Who we are
Who we are
Grace Baptist Church began on February 15, 1987 when Weldrick Road Baptist and Liberty Baptist merged to form a new fellowship. Weldrick Road had been established in the 1950’s but had dwindled in numbers and was struggling to carry on. Liberty was a three-year-old church plant under the leadership of Doug Sargeant with 65 people meeting in a school in Thornhill, Ontario. Together these congregations possessed vision, momentum and a building in a strategic part of a growing community.
Over the years, Grace has impacted the community in many ways. There’s been a food delivery service to the poor, a deaf ministry which grew into a deaf church, a pre-school which ministered to hundreds of families over its 15-year ministry, a soccer league hosted right on our property, as well as day camps, clothing relief and a host of ministries that continue today. More than anything Grace has been a place where the Gospel has been proclaimed and God’s Word has changed lives.
Staff and Leadership
Staff and Leadership
Paul Sadler
Lead Pastor
Paul is a graduate of Queen’s University and Heritage Theological Seminary. He spent 15 years planting a church among the researchers of Tsukuba “Science City” in Japan before returning to Grace as the lead pastor in 2015. He’s the author of The Unstuck Life and a weekly blogger at Out of Neutral. Together with his wife Jennifer, he has a daughter and two sons and enjoys soccer, sushi, and Mario Kart.
Sam Aragones
Associate Pastor
For the past decade, Sam has been dedicated to pastoring across the GTA, fostering a vibrant culture of worship and discipleship, particularly among the next generation. His love for Scripture inspires him to preach boldly and encourage the church to pursue a thirst for God’s Word. Sam is a graduate of Tyndale University and Seminary, and enjoys playing the drums and training Muay Thai.
He is married to Becca, a family and community medicine doctor working in addictions, geriatrics, and homeless health in Scarborough/Durham. Together, they are committed to serving their community and nurturing a life of faith.
Staff
Lynn
Church Administrator
Lynn has been a part of the Grace family since her boys first started attending Kinder Ring Preschool. She and her husband, Gord, have two adult sons, Kyle and Darren (Tammy). While she serves in the Church Administrator role now, she has been on staff for more than 20 years, first with the preschool and then as Ministries Coordinator.
In her previous role, leading the Grace Kids Sunday School (in particular, the Christmas musicals) and serving the seniors in the L.A.F.F. program gave her tremendous joy. She now enjoys the challenge of using her gifts in detail and organization for administration of the church.
Lynn is thankful for the wonderful and supportive environment that God has placed her in at Grace. In her spare time, she enjoys singing and hanging out with friends over a good cup of Tim’s coffee.
Elders
Our Mission
We exist to help people believe, connect, and share the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
Our Mission
We exist to help people believe, connect, and share the grace of God in Jesus Christ.
BELIEVE.
Believing and responding to the good news of the gospel is at the heart of God’s plan to set us free. Many people hear only part of Jesus’ message or respond in half-hearted ways. We long to see our community transformed as people lay hold of the fullness of gospel hope.
CONNECT.
Many people have a knowledge of the Bible but have never learned to fully connect that knowledge to their lives in ways that energize and empower them. We long to see people experience the relief and inspiration that come as they learn how to receive God’s strength.
SHARE.
God’s gifts are never just for us. It’s only as we share what He’s given us that we experience the meaning and purpose for which God created us. We long to see God’s people invested in others, sharing the gifts and the hope that He’s given.
What We Believe
The following statement of beliefs unite us in what we believe to be the basic truths about God and his works.
What We Believe
The following statement of beliefs unite us in what we believe to be the basic truths about God and his works.
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The Bible
We believe the Bible to be the complete Word of God; that the sixty-six books, as originally written, comprising the Old and New Testaments were verbally inspired by the Spirit of God and were entirely free from error; that the Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice and the true basis of Christian union.
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God
We believe in one God, creator of all, holy, sovereign, eternal, existing in three equal Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
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Jesus Christ
We believe in the absolute and essential deity of Jesus Christ, in His eternal existence with the Father in pre-incarnate glory, in His virgin birth, sinless life, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, triumphant ascension, mediatorial ministry and personal return.
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The Holy Spirit
We believe in the absolute and essential deity and personality of the Holy Spirit Who convinces of sin, of righteousness and of judgment; Who regenerates, sanctifies, illuminates and comforts those who believe in Jesus Christ.
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Satan
We believe that Satan exists as an evil personality, the originator of sin, the archenemy of God and man.
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Man
We believe that man (male and female – Genesis 1:27) was divinely created in the image of God; that he sinned, becoming guilty before God, resulting in total depravity, thereby incurring physical and spiritual death.
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Salvation
We believe that salvation is by the sovereign, electing grace of God; that by the appointment of the Father, Christ voluntarily suffered a vicarious, expiatory and propitiatory death; that justification is by faith alone in the all-sufficient sacrifice and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and that those whom God has effectually called shall be divinely preserved and finally perfected in the image of the Lord.
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Future Things
We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ; in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust; in the eternal blessedness of the redeemed and in the judgment and conscious, eternal punishment of the wicked.
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The Local Church
We believe that a church is a company of immersed believers, called out from the world, separated unto the Lord Jesus, voluntarily associated for the ministry of the Word, the mutual edification of its members, the propagation of the faith and the observance of the ordinances. We believe it is a sovereign, independent body, exercising its own divinely awarded gifts, precepts and privileges under the Lordship of Christ, the Great Head of the church. We further believe that the New Testament signifies two Biblical offices: Elders, leaders who provide spiritual oversight for the congregation; and Deacons, recognized servants of the church who assist the Elders in ensuring the needs of the congregation are met.
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Ordinances
We believe that there are only two ordinances for the church regularly observed in the New Testament: (1) Baptism, which is the immersion of the believer in water, whereby he obeys Christ’s command and sets forth his identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. (2) The Lord’s Supper, which is the memorial wherein the believer partakes of the two elements, bread and wine, which symbolize the Lord’s body and shed blood, proclaiming His death until He comes.
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The Church and State
We believe in the separation of church and state.
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Religious Liberty
We believe in religious liberty; that every person has the right to practice and propagate his or her beliefs.
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The Lord's Day
We believe that the first day of the week is the Lord’s day and that, in a special sense, it is set apart as a day for worship and spiritual exercise.
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Civil Government
We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interest and good order of society; that magistrates are to be prayed for, conscientiously honoured and obeyed, except only in the things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the only Lord of the conscience and Prince of the kings of the earth.
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Marriage
We believe the biblical definition of marriage, established by God when he created Eve and presented her to Adam, is one man married to one woman, and that this relationship is intended to last for as long as both are alive (Genesis 2:21-24).
Church Association
Church Association
Church Association
While we’re grateful for God’s grace to our congregation, we know that churches, like Christians, don’t grow well in isolation. We want to partner with like-minded organizations for support, accountability and effectiveness. Grace is a part of The Fellowship, a vibrant, nation-wide group of evangelical baptist churches. We also fall under the larger umbrella of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. To find out more about any of these organizations click on the logos below.
