Five months. That’s how long I have been back in Canada.
We moved our family half-way across the world from Vietnam to Edmonton to be a part of what was then known as The Public Church (now Beacon Strathcona).
I am from Edmonton — born and raised. But in coming back after 7 years away, everything feels new and yet strangely familiar to me. A common saying in Southeast Asia is “Same Same but Different” — this sums up how I’m feeling.
And this same sentiment is how I feel about what God is doing in our Strathcona location.
God is up to something. People are growing in their faith. Community is forming. Relationships are deepening. Faith steps are happening. People are leaning in. And little by little, we are seeing God grow our little church that meets in a brewery just off Whyte Ave.
I have been fortunate to serve God and work in churches all over the world. In doing so, I have experienced time and again this familiar presence of The Spirit of God when He is up to something special. But yet, it never quite looks or happens in the same way each time.
For what God is doing in Strathcona, it truly feels like “Same Same but Different”.
Isaiah 43:19 (NLT) says, “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”
As the story of Beacon Strathcona continues to unfold, there is no doubt in my mind that God up to something new and that He has something special in store for our location and for the community around us.
God is on the move. And I am excited that He has invited us to partner with him.
Continue to pray for Beacon Church Strathcona and for what God is doing here!
Kelly Schulz
Strathcona Location Pastor