SERVICE TIME
Sundays 10:01am
A BIT ABOUT US
WORSHIP AT 10:01 SUNDAY MORNING | 705.728.0541
WHERE WE MEET
Westminster Church
170 Steel Street
Barrie, ON L4M 2G4
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I ARRIVE?
When you arrive, a greeter will say hi and give you a bulletin. They'll show you where to go and, if you need it, let you know where the Sunday School and nursery is.
WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?
We're relaxed-but-reverent. That means come comfortably but respectably dressed. Some wear golf-shirts, others wear ties. There's no dress code.
BRIEF HISTORY
Alive with the Holy Spirit, Westminster is a Christ-Centred, inter-generational Church and teaching centre which responds to and reaches an ever-changing and challenging world. We began in 1962–the same year as the Cuban Missile Crisis and the release of “Love Me Do” by the Beatles. We started out in the gym at Johnson Street Public School. In 1964 we marched across the field to turn the soil at our new location on Steel Street while singing “Onward Christian Soldiers.”
Westminster is a part of a denomination called The Presbyterian Church in Canada–an expression of the Christian faith which has about 1000 churches from coast to coast.
But, of course, a church isn’t a building. It’s the people of Christ, energized by the Holy Spirit. Through time Westminster has evolved. And we are so joyful that God is using us to love him and others for the healing of the world.
OUR VISION
Alive with the Holy Spirit, we are a Christ-centred, inter-generational church and teaching centre which responds to and reaches an ever-changing and challenging world. We seek to be a relaxed-but-reverent gathering who worships with a blended style, doesn’t shy away from God’s truth, diversifies the ways people can connect, and are hungry to learn about following Jesus in today’s world
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to be biblically rooted in the great command and commission of Jesus: to fully love God and our neighbours, and to go and make disciples of all nations.
Here’s what Jesus said about the most important commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength… [and] Love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31). So that’s what we want to do.
OUR FAITH
We believe in the risen Lord Jesus Christ and the Scriptures as the inspired word of God. We stand in active continuity with our Reformed Protestant heritage as expressed in documents such as the ‘Westminster Confession of Faith’.
OUR TEAM
MATTHEW RUTTAN
PASTOR
Matthew is the pastor (minister) at Westminster. He is passionate about teaching and inspiring people to live out their faith in a practical way today. He's been the pastor since 2008, has been married for 19 years, and has 3 kids. He loves blogging, writing a daily devotional called ``Up!`` (www.TheUpDevo.com), and hosting The Pulse Podcast about living abundantly wholeheartedly (see https://matthewruttan.com/thepulsepodcast/). He also likes campfires but detests mosquitoes. You can red more about Matthew by scrolling down. Oh, and these days he has a motto: ``Because a pulse doesn't mean you're alive.``
You can see a more complete profile of our pastor on the page called 'The Pastor' under the Home tab above.
NENA LAMARRE
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Nena is the Music Director at Westminster. She and her husband John have been members there for six years. Music has been Nena’s passion since she began accordion lessons at the age of six and she brings this passion (but not her accordion) to her work. She has been married for 43 years and has 3 children and 3 grandchildren, who bring her immense joy. She graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and also received both the Piano Performer and Piano Teacher’s ARCT diplomas from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Nena enjoys the challenge of finding the appropriate music for each service and collaborating with the choir and guitarists to minister to the congregation. She believes, with St. Augustine, that “The one who sings prays twice.”
KRISTIN STOUFFER
COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
Kristin is a Graphic Designer and Photographer, who has been working in and around the Barrie area for more than 15 years. She feels very called to have taken on this amazing role at Westminster and believes that the opportunity to serve God through her work is an important part of her faith journey. She is a Georgian grad with honours from the Graphic Design diploma program and has spent many years as a professional photographer as well. She is a wife and Mom to 2 boys, Brandon and Nathan, who attend church regularly with her. Through her love of art and design she hopes to share in our vision and achieve our goals of lifting up those in our church family, helping them grow in their walk with Jesus and spreading the good news throughout our community.
William Min
COORDINATOR OF YOUTH AND OUTREACH
For 5 years, William served as minister at First Church in Penetanguishene, and as youth pastor for 8 years prior. He is excited about starting his new role as Youth & Outreach Co-ordinator where he believes he will continue to grow in his love for the Lord and His Word. He is blissfully married to Tori and the proud father of Abel, Aiden, Ewan and Eben (who will often be with him wherever he goes). He loves the intersection of music, art and faith. He believes that Christ deserves to be the centre of every area of our lives, especially at home. When he is not doing ministry, being with his family, or taking much-needed afternoon naps, he pretends to be a DJ, beatmaker, graffiti artist, and a probably-too-old-for-it aggressive inline skater.
HOW IT WORKS
Oversight – Westminster’s mission and programs are overseen by nine elders who are elected from and by the congregation. They provide leadership along with the pastor. In June 2019 we adopted a new ‘oversight structure’ to help in this process. You can read about the Oversight Areas here: Who does What?
Care – There is a pastoral care team that tries to prayerfully care for the congregation in light of life’s challenges. They do this through prayer and visitation.
Finances – Along with Session, we have a dedicated Elder and Treasurer who oversee the financial well-being of the church. Click here for a resource about how money works in the church and financial biblical principles.
Building – A team oversees the well-being of the building and property to ensure we can carry out our location-specific ministries well.
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