Queen Victoria and Major-General Charles George Gordon were two prominent historical figures during the British empire’s late-nineteenth century. Often, the two were considered heroic figures in the age of empires – a period coinciding with the New Imperialism.

The link with empire and the role both Queen Victoria and General Gordon played in the imagination and discourse playing the age of empires will be the focus of this year’s Andrew Fuller Centre for Baptist Studies Annual Lecture happening online Friday, October 29 starting at 7:30pm.

This year’s guest lecturer is Dr. Gordon L. Heath. Dr. Heath serves as Professor of Christian History at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario, and is also the Director of the Canadian Baptist Archives.

People are welcome to take part in this special livestream lecture event online and will be able to participate in a special question-and-answer period that will take place following Dr. Heath’s presentation. The lecture will also be free to attend online.

To register for this year’s Andrew Fuller Centre for Baptist Studies Lecture, please visit DiscoverHeritage.ca/AFC2021.

Approximately twenty years ago, the leadership of Heritage College & Seminary had the opportunity to purchase a piece of land beside its current campus in Cambridge, Ontario. The thought was that this land could be used in the future to serve what they hoped would be a growing number of students attending the school.

Today, Heritage Theological Seminary continues to grow as God sends more men and women to learn God’s Word and be equipped to serve His Church and Christ’s mission in the world. As a result, the time to expand the campus has come.

“Our Professor of Church History, Dr. Michael Haykin, often says that ‘We cannot not have Heritage Theological Seminary,’ because of how Heritage is uniquely positioned to serve the Church in Canada,” says Godfrey Thorogood, Director of Ministry Partners and Internships at Heritage College & Seminary. “Out of a heart to continue our mission and serve the mission of Christ and His Church more, Heritage now looks to expand and grow our ministry to train and equip more men and women for life and ministry.”

On Friday, October 1, during a special outdoor ceremony and livestream event, Heritage officially launched Heritage for Canada & the Nations – a capital campaign that will help Heritage train and support ministry leaders who send people out to share the gospel in Canada and throughout the nations.

During this special event, members of the leadership at Heritage shared information about how the school plans to enlarge its campus, extend training opportunities, and expand its impact from coast to coast to coast and around the world.

At the heart of this fundraising initiative is the construction of a new building that will serve as the home of Heritage Theological Seminary. Located next to the current campus grounds, this new building will serve to both provide the necessary space for teaching and equipping the growing number of seminary students while raising the profile of the seminary. The building will include connected classrooms that will be able to be used for in-person and live, online instruction. It will also provide students with inviting spaces to study or gather, an auditorium for conferences and banquets, and faculty offices.

The new building will also be home to a new initiative from Heritage called the Global Outreach Centre. Out of Heritage’s desire to spread the gospel throughout Canada and the nations, the Global Outreach Centre will strive to act as a catalyst to encourage students to participate in local and global missions while assisting local churches in raising their engagement in missions.

Funds raised from this campaign will also go toward extending the program offerings at Heritage Theological Seminary, provide more distance learning and online degree options, as well as increase scholarship opportunities to support current and future students.

Heritage will also be utilizing this project to extend the impact of the school to provide more resources for the church in Canada. Whether it be the development of a new ministry placement department or the launching of Heritage Seminary Press, the heart of Heritage is to serve the pastors, ministry leaders, and their churches as they strive to faithfully serve Christ in their context.

“We are asking the Lord to continue to use Heritage Theological Seminary to strengthen the Church in Canada and spread the gospel of Christ to the nations,” says Dr. Rick Reed, President of Heritage College & Seminary. “This new building will provide both a home for the seminary and a hub for ministry in Canada and beyond.”

This new campaign aspires to raise a total of $14,000,000 in funds that will go towards these and various projects that will aid in Heritage’s mission to prepare more men and women for to serve Canada and the nations.

For more information on Heritage for Canada & the Nations, please visit heritageforcanada.ca.

Click here to watch a video about Heritage for Canada & the Nations on Heritage's YouTube channel.

Stay up-to-date on the Heritage for Canada campaign and on the progress of the Heritage Theological Seminary building by filling out our contact form. Click here to find the form. 

Click here to register for this year's Heritage Preaching Lectures with Darrell Johnson. 

Each year, Heritage Theological Seminary invites pastors and ministry leaders to the Heritage Preaching Lectures to take part in the opportunity to learn from recognized, pastoral scholars and grow in their abilities to preach and teach God’s Word to their local congregations.

For this year’s event, Heritage is excited to announce that pastor and scholar Darrell Johnson will be joining us online from British Columbia to be the guest lecturer for the annual Heritage Preaching Lectures being held on Thursday, October 14^th.

Once again, the Heritage Preaching Lectures will be broadcasted in churches, homes, and offices across the country as the event will be live streamed online for participants.

Darrell Johnson has been preaching Jesus Christ and His Gospel for over 50 years. He has served a number of Presbyterian congregations in California, Union Church of Manila in the Philippines, and the historic First Baptist Church in the heart of Vancouver, Canada. He has taught preaching for Fuller Theological Seminary, Carey Theological College in Vancouver, and Regent College in Vancouver. He has authored eight books, including The Glory of Preaching and Discipleship on the Edge: An Expository Journey Through Revelation.

He is currently serving as Scholar-in-Residence for The Way Church and Canadian Church Leaders Network, and still serves Regent College part-time as Teaching Fellow.

Dr. Rick Reed, President of Heritage College & Seminary, says that he is looking forward to the opportunity to learn from Johnson at this year’s Heritage Preaching Lectures. He says that Dr. Johnson’s book The Glory of Preaching is one of the most helpful preaching texts he has ever read and, as a result, encourages preachers of God’s Word to join this special online event.

“Dr. Johnson combines practical sermon advice with a biblically-rich theology of preaching,” says Dr. Reed. “If you want to be stretched and strengthened as a preacher, carve out the time to join us for this year’s Heritage Preaching Lectures.”

Dr. Barry Howson, Dean of Seminary at Heritage, sees Johnson’s experience as a preacher, in particular serving as a pastor within a Canadian context, makes the chance to learn from him that much more important for pastors today.

“We need to hear from men like him so that we can grow in our preaching of the word which is so necessary for the well-being of the church,” says Dr. Howson. “He understands our cultural context, and therefore, how to preach the Word in it and to it.”

To learn more about this year’s Heritage Preaching Lectures and to register for this online event, please visit DiscoverHeritage.ca/HPL.

As I write this note, the Heritage campus is quiet.  Thankfully, that’s about to change.

On Labour Day, September 6^th, we will welcome the new and returning college students moving into our residence halls.  I’m looking forward to meeting these new students and their families as they arrive on campus.  I’m also anticipating the Service of Dedication we will hold outdoors on Monday afternoon; it will be a time to commit ourselves to the Lord for the new school year.

I understand this new school year comes with many COVID complications.  I also realize Christians differ on how to best respond to the regulations issued by our government and public health officials.

At Heritage College and Seminary, our desire is to lead with love and act with integrity.  We are seeking to obey the biblical command to “be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people” (Titus 3:1-2).  At the same time, we are seeking to respect the different viewpoints and convictions held by Christians (Romans 14:1-23).  It’s our desire to treat one another “in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:2-3).

Our deep desire is to make this year about Christ rather than COVID.  We want to elevate the unity we have in Christ Jesus above the secondary matters that can divide us. We want our campus to be a safe and healthy place, both physically and spiritually.

To this end, Heritage will follow the new regulations issued this week for all post-secondary schools.  While vaccine passports are not required to attend Heritage, students who are not vaccinated or who choose not to disclose this information, will need to take rapid antigen tests provided on campus.  We will endeavour to make the process as easy and private as possible.  If you have concerns, please know that our team will listen to them and respond in a way that speaks the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).

I would ask you to join our faculty, staff, and student leaders in praying for a year of great spiritual growth and ministry preparation.  More than ever, we need to raise up godly spiritual leaders for Christ, His Church and His global mission.

Warmly,

Dr. Rick Reed

As you may have heard by now, Dr. Stan Fowler suffered a stroke while on he and his wife, Donna, were vacationing in Virginia. He was rushed to the ICU unit of the University of Virginia Health Centre. The Fowler’s four children traveled to be with their parents to provide support and care.

The stroke was severe and complicated by bleeding that occurred after the stroke. Stan has been receiving excellent care but remains in serious condition.

Stan and Donna are deeply loved and respected by all of us at Heritage.  Our hearts are heavy for them at this difficult time. Stan has been such a vital part of the seminary for decades. I love the phrase Stan uses to describe the faculty at Heritage: “Scholars in service of the Church.” It’s a phrase that fits him perfectly. For decades, Stan has faithfully and effectively served the Church as a pastor and as a professor of theology. I regularly hear from his former students who express gratitude for his shaping influence on their lives.

We would invite you to join all of us in praying for Stan, Donna, and their family. We remain hopeful and confident that the Lord is overseeing all that Stan is going through.

If you would like the most current information on Dr. Fowler’s condition, please visit their family’s Facebook page. We will also post occasional updates on the Heritage Facebook page.

Warmly,

Rick Reed

President, Heritage College & Seminary