Pastor Greg Bright and his wife Carolyn celebrated 25 years of ministry in Canora during a service at Gateway Community Church on November 3.
Their children Cherie and Ryan, who are in the midst of their own ministry work in Winnipeg and Regina respectively, made the trip to Canora to serve as music leaders for the special event.
Phil Gunther, director of Ministries for the Saskatchewan Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches, brought greetings from the conference and spoke of how rare it is for a pastor to serve at the same church for 25 years.
“It’s great to be with you and celebrate this wonderful milestone,” said Gunther. “A pastor is truly effective when others are moved to be more like Jesus Christ, and that is certainly the case with your ministry.”
Gunther and his wife Janine presented the Brights with a ceramic pitcher to symbolize spiritual outpouring.
“This is to symbolize how God has poured his blessings into you and then you have poured them back out on others,” he said.
Greg and Carolyn Bright first drove into Canora on November 1, 1994 with a U-Haul truck and their three children. Greg said he had been looking for a church in which to serve, and Gateway Community Church in Canora was in need of a pastor.
“The church was small and struggling, still dependent on the provincial conference for financial support,” he said. “We were not given a pretty picture of the church’s situation, but the more we learned, the more excited we became and the more we were drawn to the church and the community of Canora.”
On November 20 they were formally commissioned at Gateway Community Church.
“From that point, God gave us a love for the church and for the community of Canora over the past 25 years,” said Bright. “He has renewed our love and passion for the church and for the town.”
Bright said there have been numerous highlights in their work at Gateway over the past 25 years including: making new friends, baptisms at numerous locations ranging from the Canora Swimming Pool to a backyard hot tub on Mary Street, a new church building in 1997, concerts, dramas and supporting Ketchen Lake Bible Camp.
But they have also become deeply involved outside Gateway in serving the surrounding community.
“I have been honoured to officiate at a few weddings and at quite a number of funerals,” he said. “It is a privilege to help a family through grief of loss and point them to the One who can truly give them hope, Jesus Christ.”
Bright said other highlights of their work in the community include: serving on the Canora Ministerial Association, serving on the Child Action Plan Committee, helping to start Filling the Gap Food Bank in Canora, serving as the honourary padre for the Canora branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, being a residential support worker at the Canora Group Home with Mackenzie Society Ventures, coaching soccer when their children were younger and playing rec hockey in the early years.
Bright said the support and help of his wife Carolyn has been essential.
“We have worked together over the years in music, in teaching, in planning worship services and in our involvement in the community,” said Bright. “In our earlier years, Carolyn chose to stay home with the children when they were young. For a few years, Carolyn taught piano and, when our children were older, she began to work as a substitute teacher which she continues to do.”
Bright said when he and his family first arrived in Canora, there weren’t any thoughts about being here for 25 years
“Our plan was to stay at least until our children had graduated from high school,” he said. “When we arrived, our youngest was three months old. Cherie graduated in 2012, and we’re still here. We always planned on becoming part of a community, loving the people we serve as pastor, being and becoming one of the people. My desire has been that somehow people would see Jesus in me and be drawn to Him, because I have experienced His love for me and I want everyone to have that privilege and that joy. We find great encouragement as we see God at work in the people and in the churches of Canora.
“So, it’s not a surprise to us that we are still here after 25 years. it’s more like a dream come true. And now God is giving us a new dream, for even more fruitful years in Canora, as long as He wants us here,” Bright concluded.
