Field of dreams

Ken Johnston

There is good news in the offing for a church congregation in Rainy River.
Recently ground was broken for the Good News Fellowship’s new church on Railroad Ave. in Rainy River.
The church organization itself is only nine years old and was founded by Reverend Darlene Smith. It has about 30 members that have been meeting every Sunday at the high school in Rainy River until a few weeks ago. Due to extensive renovations to the school they have moved to the Rainy River Activity Depot (old CNR station).
Smith said that the dream of a new church in Rainy River goes back some 20 years. “I was living in Elliott Lake and a lady I knew had a vision of me standing in a field but we did not know where it was.”
Then about nine years ago a member of the newly formed Good News Fellowship congregation had a similar dream about a field where a new church would be built. “We drove around town and found the field. We stopped the car and knew it was the field.” Smith said the girl had described the field to a tee.
When the lady from Elliott Lake visited after that, “Her jaw dropped when she saw it,” said Smith.
The congregation bought the property about five years ago and recently had the site cleared and gravel spread. A well was also dug last year.
Now plans are being designed by an architect and Smith is hopeful that construction will begin this summer and that they will have the shell up before winter. They are planning to build it in phases. The first one will be 50’X60’ and will be single story and handicapped accessible.
Estimates put the cost of phase one at $200,000 but the church is not actively fund raising. “We have a building fund and are believing in the Lord to make up the difference.”
They plan to use volunteer labour to construct the church. When the first stage is completed they will work on the next one as need arises. Eventually the church will have another 50’X60’ wing and a center building linking them together.
Smith is confident that their church will continue to grow. We have had three people move to town in the past six months that go to our church.
The congregation is comprised of Rainy River area and people from the U.S. They do a great deal of apostolic work which involves them sending teams to communities as far away as Kenora and Elliott Lake to do the Lord’s work. They have also travelled to remote areas in Manitoba and sent a missionary team to Grenada.
Smith hopes that the new church will help them facilitate a school of ministry which will help the “Average Joe” or “ordinary believer” how to become an effective Christian in helping others.
The first phase building will seat between 75-100 people and when that is full they will begin working on the next phase.
The church itself is a non-denominational church. Smith said they, “pray for our community, businesses and churches every Sunday. We believe God will bring prosperity to Rainy River.”
They also believe in supernatural healing and Smith says they practise it.
The church meets every Sunday at 11 a.m. at the Depot and hold’s bible study on Wednesday at Jean Heard’s 6th St. home at 7 p.m. “All are welcome,” said Smith.