History
In The Beginning
The Mustard Seed Street Ministry grew out of First Baptist Church's Burning Bush Coffeehouse ministry, a drop-in center for young street people. This outreach was initially started by a group of young people from First Baptist who called themselves "One Way." During the summer of 1972, this group ministered to children in the Victoria Park area, shared God's love with people on the Eighth Avenue mall, and held coffeehouses. During the fall in 1972, the church's old dining room was renovated, and on January 6, 1973, the "Burning Bush" opened its doors under the leadership of Reverend Bob Ball.
The Burning Bush, operated by small groups of young adults, provided an opportunity for Calgary youth to get together, to talk and to listen to Christian music groups. The coffeehouse was open on Friday and Saturday nights. Friday night was informal conversation and Bible study. On Saturday night, a Christian band or singer would minister through song and sharing. Many of those who would drop in were street people with little understanding of the church or its message of hope. In this informal setting, the Holy Spirit led many to know Christ.
Throughout the 70's and 80's, those who gave night after night of their lives to the operation of the Burning Bush were compelled by a deep compassion to move further into the growing street community of the inner city. It became increasingly obvious that the growing needs required a full-time effort. In the summer of 1983, the Victoria Mustard Seed Street Church was invited to participate with the Burning Bush in a week of ministry on the streets of Calgary. Around this event, discussions quickly turned to action and First Baptist was called upon to take the step from the Burning Bush to Calgary Mustard Seed, a full-time work that would lead us all beyond our comfort zone. On March 11, 1984, the first Mustard Seed Street Church service was held in the Burning Bush.
Part 2
Street Church Becomes A Ministry of The Church
The Burning Bush Coffeehouse facility, in First Baptist Church, served as a great start for gatherings of street people but, within months after the first service, it was evident that if we were to grow, we had to move to a larger facility.
I urged that we look for a facility closer to the city core. This option proved to be discouraging as the financial output would have been too great for this young ministry. First Baptist offered the use of the Koinonia House (521 13 Ave SW). Finally, with the encouragement of people like Rev. Doug Moffat, Rev. Norman Archer, Roy Henderson, Alec Kerfoot, Brian Dunkerley and Walter Babowal, we agreed that Koinonia House would be our best bet. We realized the potential for this house, and we began the renovation project that led us to the dedication of the Mustard Seed Street Church on November 25, 1984.
The Seed was a Street Church. The concept was to be a church of street people, for street people and run by ex-street people. And this was the case. Up to 100 people would gather for Sunday services, of whom the majority were recently removed from street culture or still involved in it. The same people took part in the care of the facility, the operation of the coffeehouse activities, discipleship classes, and crisis work.
But somewhere along the way, we veered off the original track. We became no different than many churches in the community. As the congregation changed, so did the ministry style. Two negatives became apparent: 1) The street people felt uncomfortable in an increasingly structured church atmosphere, and 2) our presence as a church gave a false impression to the greater Church community, suggesting that there was little need for them to participate in street ministry since we were already being a church to that community.
In 1989, we changed our name to The Mustard Seed Street Ministry (The Seed) and proclaimed ourselves a "ministry of the church" to the street people of Calgary. We began educating the church as to their obligation to care for the underprivileged. This change in our philosophy of street ministry was the turning point that allowed us to realize our present growth, a growth that would not have happened unless the members of the street church were willing to give up what had become familiar to them.
Part 3
A New House of God
In 1989, we were on the threshold of one of our greatest goals. We wanted the church community to take on responsibility for Calgary's disadvantaged. The Seed began to grow rapidly as individuals and groups from the city and country offered their compassionate service to the ministry. In the next few years, the house at 521 - 13 Avenue SW, and the ministry within it, were stretched beyond its limits as 150 to 200 street people a night would crowd through our doors. For those who could not fit inside, the porch and yard area became their resting place. In that time, we began to see the faces of homelessness and poverty much more clearly, and we also saw our efforts as not much more than a band-aid over a wound that needed major surgery. Although our services in the community were a necessity, we could only go all the way with a few of them. We needed to seek a new location that would make it possible to remove the band-aids and deal with the wounds.
Throughout 1991, we looked for a new home. At the same time, we began to expand the governing bodies we would be responsible to by including the North American Baptist Conference (NABC) as partners with the Baptist Union of Western Canada (BUWC). Their responsibility was, and is, to assure the stability of The Seed by offering experience, counsel, and hands-on help. The people who participated on our Board played an important role in the process of seeking and purchasing a new home.
It was in November 1991 that we finally found a new home. The location was perfect at 102 - 11 Avenue SE. The new building offered 27,000 square feet, with four stories plus a basement - lots of room for development. The building needed a major renovation. The cost to purchase the facility was $375,000. Through the work of the BUWC and NABC we managed to arrange for the mortgage, but this left us little to begin the renovations needed to get us in the door. Fortunately, God saw our needs and was working on them well before we even knew they were needs.
I received a phone call just before the purchase agreement was to be signed requesting an appointment to discuss the new facility. During the meeting, I was asked how much the facility would cost before renovations. The donor offered to make all the arrangements to pay the full cost of the building, in our name, over a five-year period.
This gift was to the underprivileged of our community. It was not given by a major corporation and it was not a small percentage of a fortune. This gift was from God through a willing servant. Through the gift, The Seed was filled with increased faith, which is all the donor desired.
As this mountain passed, we were faced with another. This time it was the design and renovation of a facility that would help us to realize our dreams.
Part 4
Off The Street
The Seed became the owners of 102-11 Avenue SE on February 19, 1992.
Through the help of students, the University of Calgfary Faculty of Environmental Design, and the Pendergast Group, our architects and our staff were guided through a conceptual planning session. A dozen people huddled in a small room on the third floor, each of us shivering in the sub-zero temperature; there was no heat in the building. We focused on the five big white rectangles of paper on the wall, each representing a floor. On these papers, we would attempt to draw the dreams that were engraved in our hearts. To some, they were rooms of different sizes and shapes. To us, they were and are, vessels which would reveal the practical Gospel to those who would use them. Feeding the hungry, housing the stranger, healing the sick, freeing the captive, warming the cold, directing the lost, encouraging the hopeless, and loving the unloved were illustrated through every stroke of the felt marker.
The vision that filled the pages came easily. Our dreams for the people that we are committed to were years in the making. By February 22, we realized that this vision would become reality only through hard work. The interior would have to be stripped back to the concrete. All partitions, ceiling, outdated mechanical equipment and windows needed to be removed. The demolition was accomplished by hundreds of volunteers over many months of giving up weekends and evenings. Only by tearing down the old and constructing the new could we reach our objective - a Christian street ministry that would make a difference in the lives of the underprivileged of the inner city.
In December 1992, we received a precious Christmas gift - the privilege of moving into our new home. The main floor was filled with our guests immediately. The counselling offices on the second floor were completed, as well as a section of the basement. In total 10,000 square feet were ready for occupancy. An average of 350 guests of The Seed were soon making use of the facility on a daily basis.
Construction slowed while we awaited the funds that were necessary to build the Step-Up Housing, and Transitional Housing areas.
Part 5
The Seed Is A Gift
A perfect gift at Christmas is one that doesn't lose its sparkle.
Seldom do we find a Christmas gift that we appreciate every day for years to come. But, in December 1992, when The Seed was given the gift of its new building, we were given a lasting gift. What's wonderfully lasting about it is all that it allows us to do, and to keep on doing.
Through it, we have been able to show the community that Jesus cares. This was our mandate: to mobilize the body of Christ in reaching out to the underprivileged of our inner city. The gift of the facility has allowed us to do this in more tangible ways. One of the most obvious is revealed in our Food Services Department. Thirty churches and a few businesses purchased, prepared and served full meals for up to 350 people a night in 1992.
Afterword
Since the writing of these articles, The Mustard Seed has continued to grow as we meet the needs of the underprivileged. We are now able to provide supported housing for guests at our Centre Street location through our Step-Up and Transitional Housing programs. We have grown in our ability to equip and empower the less fortunate through progressive education, employment and arts & recreation programs. Our health and wellness centre cares for the physical needs of our guests who otherwise may not have access to health care. Our trained staff continue to walk alongside guests as they work hard to rebuild their lives and ultimately regain their independence.
In April 2006, The Mustard Seed purchased Mountain Aire Lodge to create productive life change opportunities for the homeless. Our Mountain Aire Lodge ministry near Sundre, AB, provides men and women with the opportunity to reclaim their lives in a safe haven of supportive community. These formerly homeless men and women operate the lodge's various businesses, including a restaurant, motel, gas station, convenience store and the maintenance of six provincial campgrounds in the Foothills region. The lodge provides respite from the negative environment of the inner city, which often keeps our homeless locked in the cycle of poverty and addiction.
In November 2007, The Mustard Seed began operating The Mustard Seed Shelter in Calgary’s Foothills Industrial Park. The opening of this Shelter allows us to care for hundreds of guests – far more than we ever could have helped at our downtown location. The Mustard Seed Shelter is a compassionate and loving community where guests can become active participants in their journey towards healing and hope. Here, we offers meals, accommodation, clothing, showers, chaplaincy services, employment opportunities and personal mentoring to help guests leave the emergency shelter system to find a healthy life off the street. Our trained staff help guests find a renewed sense of self-worth and dignity, and the confidence to move forward.
We recently partnered with The Mustard Seed Edmonton to expand our reach to the less fortunate. The Mustard Seed Edmonton is a Christian humanitarian organization that seeks to address poverty through partnering with the wider community. This ministry serves the needs of the less fortunate through recreational programs, small groups, community education, meals and access to food hampers and personal items, correctional chaplaincy and spiritual support.
