Grace Edmonton’s January 4 launch was fast approaching, and church planter Clay Bitner was getting nervous. 

They’d followed every lead, and yet, all doors seemed to close on a permanent meeting space for Sunday services. Then, mid-December, God provided the perfect Christmas gift: a building. A local community center opened its doors for them to not only meet on Sundays, but to meet on Sunday mornings. This gave Grace Edmonton’s core team just enough time to prepare and advertise the launch to their community.

Clay is no stranger to church planting, having helped launch two other Acts 29 churches in Canada—Grace Saskatoon and later Grace Warman. In many ways, the work in Edmonton continues what God has been doing through those churches for many years, and their commitment to be church-planting churches. 

While at Grace Warman, God also raised up Jared Klassen as a leader with a clear call to church planting. About a year and a half ago, both families moved to Edmonton, trusting that God would build his church. We felt called to Edmonton in 2021 when we realized that the 5th largest city in Canada was growing at a staggering rate, and yet was severely underserved by the gospel. Click To Tweet

Edmonton, a city in Alberta, Canada, is a rapidly growing city with a young population and significant spiritual need. As Clay explained, “Edmonton is North America’s northernmost city with more than 1 million people. If we want to reach the north for Jesus, it starts with Edmonton.”

In the months leading up to their launch, Grace Edmonton gathered a core team and held “beta” services, while on the hunt for a meeting space. Since launching, new visitors have been arriving weekly.

Post-launch, Clay is grateful for the ways God has already provided and eager to see what he’ll do next. The work at Grace Edmonton is a continued labor of love—an extension of a shared vision embraced by Acts 29 churches to multiply and bring the gospel to places lacking healthy, gospel-centered churches. Launch Sunday felt less like the start of something entirely new and more like a meaningful milestone in a story God has been faithfully writing in Canada for many years. 

Please continue to pray for Canada and the work at Grace Edmonton!