King Bible Church welcomes community to join in 50th celebration

September 24, 2013 · 0 Comments

By Mark Pavilons

There’s a lot of excitement emanating from King Bible Church.
And Pastor Mark Nowell and his enthusiastic congregation are inviting the community to share in a major milestone – the church’s 50th anniversary.
The church is holding a Community Fun Fair Saturday, Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and it will be an inclusive, community celebration.
Pastor Nowell said the congregation wanted to celebrate with their neighbours and invite everyone in the area to spend some fun time together. The event also shows King Bible Church is evolving and changing with the times. It’s “exciting” going to their services, and Nowell ensures he caters to the parishioners, made up largely of young families. Their slogan for their 50th is “For Such a Time as This.”
The fun fair will be a chance to renew past ties and bring everyone together.
The special Sunday (Sept. 29) service will feature Pastor Paul Carter, music by Master’s Four and a reception. Slated to attend are King Mayor Steve Pellegrini, members of council and MP Paul Calandra.
The congregation is thankful for its history and past, and yet it’s moving foward to embrace the future.
Since he came to the church in 2009, Nowell has vowed to expand the church’s involvement in the community and create partnerships. Church attendance has grown noticeably in the past few years and it continues to rise.
“We’re definitely seeing movement,” he said, adding parishioners have commented there’s a renewed feeling of hope in the air.
While his regular Sunday services are far from quiet, Nowell simply loves the “pile of kids” in attendance.
There’s something for everyone and the church has a strong youth program.
The first meeting of founding members was held in 1963 and some of the original members are still in the community. Of the original members, Tom Cober, Bev Miller, June Peck and Vivian Penner are all still active with the church.
It began as an evangelical church (they’re part of the Associated Gospel Churches) and what sets them apart is the fact they’re very Bible-centred and community oriented.
They began in the old United Church in King City (now the location of the Montessori school). The current church on King Road near Dufferin, was built in 1988 and the congregation had a permanent home. A major fire took place in June 1997 and that led to a renovation and expansion.
The congregation is resilient in the face of challenges.
The fun fair promises a full date for all ages. On tap is an 18-foot Screamer Slide, a 60-foot obstacle course, carnival games, bouncy castle, farm animals and pony rides, clowns and a magician, music by Anthem for Today, face-painting, balloon animals, a BBQ, treats and much more. The event is supported by the King City Lions, Township of King and Camp Widjiitiwin/MBC.
The growth in King City has led to more visitors to King Bible Church. Nowell said he senses people today are consumed with work, over-committed and simply not satisfied. More people are realizing there is much more than just “stuff.”
The answer, he said, is not religion per se, but a personal relationship with God. Put simply, it’s back to basics in every respect.
Sept. 28 is a chance to feel the excitement and spend some family time together.
For more, call 905-833-5104 or visit kingbiblechurch.com.