Emmaus Road Anglican Church began in 2016 with a small group of people passionate about exploring the good news of the Gospel in their lives and extending it to those in our city. The church was planted as Via Langley under the care of Fr. Chad Block, and the covering of a movement called Via Apostolica out of Lethbridge that consisted of a small group of churches that God was leading into the Anglican Way. Via Apostolica was welcomed into the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA) as a missionary district of churches and in September of 2021 after 5 years of church planting work, we celebrated our official launch at a commissioning service.
Shortly before our comissioning service, Via Apostolica's Bishop was placed on a leave of absence by the leadership of the ACNA, triggering a complex, multi-year process that brought us into a season that felt very delicate for us as a church. We leaned into prayer together, turning to Jesus, trusting for His guidance, provision, and protection for us as a church. When it became clear that our Bishop wouldn't be returning and that the missionary district of Via Apostolica would be dissolved as a result, we began to earnestly pray for God's direction and care as we discerned our way forward as a church that was now in search of a new home.
This was a difficult season for us, but it was also one where God faithfully spoke a clear identity and calling over as a church. God answered our prayers for direction and care, and provided a new home for us, graciously leading us to confidently come under the covering of the Anglican Diocese of Canada - a diocese in the ACNA.
We talk a lot about "story" and "journey" at Emmaus Road; about how God is writing a beautiful story in our lives, one step at a time. Like Abraham's journey from his father's house toward the promised land, our story has been marked by many unexpected twists and turns, but at every moment, in the most amazing ways, God has taught us over and over that "He who promised is faithful!" Hebrews 10.23