Hi, My name is Gerda and I want to tell you about our church.

My husband, Pastor Johan and I, attended Bible School together and are Ordained Ministers with the Province of Ontario. We are native South Africans, and after completing Bible School we went into full-time ministry in Belgium where we led a church and started a Bible School, which today reaches around the globe. After almost nine years in Belgium we came to Canada in 1999 and now are proud Canadian citizens. Allow me to introduce you to our church here in Newmarket.

We are classified by the church world as “WORD OF FAITH", in a broader sense we are Evangelical. We are a church with a LIFE-GIVING message, we believe that Christianity is a LIFESTYLE and we experience that our faith in the Word helps us in our everyday lives. Our people know what it is to come to church on a Sunday morning and LEAVE EDIFIED AND BUILT-UP. The messages are Bible-based, positive and easy to listen to.

Yes, we do believe you have to be born again according to Romans 10:8 and 9 and have to be baptized in water: – that is, fully immersed in water as a believer. We also believe in the Baptism with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking with other tongues according to Acts 2:4. I know that there are a lot of people who say that speaking with other tongues is not for today, but when you study the Bible you will see that it is still valid as God never takes back what He gives to us.There are amazing truths in the Bible (see article: Why We Believe) and the Bible is still the number one best-seller book in the world.

We have a special room for mothers with babies with a window on the sanctuary, equipped with sound and dimmed lights, where they can tend to the needs of their babies without missing out on anything that happens in the service. We have different activities for the children, ages 2 - 12 and our youth meet every Friday evening for fun activities. Every other Sunday they meet during the morning service where they discuss topics of interest to them. You will find more information on different programs further down on this page. 

You can expect the following on a Sunday morning at church:

Living Water has a friendly, casual atmosphere and our aim is for everybody to feel at home. You do not have to have a church background; we like to see ourselves as church-not-as-usual. You will be greeted at the door with a handshake and a friendly face. The church service starts at 10:00 a.m. As you enter, an usher will hand you the Living Water News Flash with information on current and future events. At 10:00 we watch a music clip while everybody settles down. Someone will welcome the crowd and we'll sing mostly contemporary Christian worship songs led by a live band. The words of the songs are projected on a screen so everybody can join in. You may see people raising their hands in praise to God as they sing along, others may just watch quietly. After about 20 minutes of singing, Pastor Johan will then make some announcements and sometimes share briefly on one of our many places of outreach in the world. After that a church member will bring a short message about our giving before we bring our offerings.

The children are dismissed to have a fun time of singing and dancing, followed by a short Bible lesson. Hand crafts and games illustrate the lesson. Meanwhile, pastor Johan will bring a Bible-based message to challenge and encourage you right where you are in your walk with the Lord. His style of teaching is very practical and easy to listen to. First-time visitors to the service will receive a complimentary information package. After the message the band usually closes the service with a song before dismissal. People with needs stay behind for individual prayer.

Everybody is invited to enjoy a cup of coffee and conversation after the service. Pastor Johan and I love to chat with those present and meet new people.

Come see for yourself, I’ll be glad to meet with you, Gerda