Our hope is not based on anything we have done for God but on what Christ has done for us. Yet while Christ justifies us by faith alone, our faith is never lived out alone. This is why the apostle James says faith without works is dead (James 2:17). God’s gift of faith then not only irreversibly changes our destiny but also changes the way we live out each day by the Spirit.
On March 22nd join us for BY FAITH, a conference for young adults, that will help you put your faith into action and walk in Gospel truth. The conference is hosted by Heritage College & Seminary in partnership with the Gospel Coalition Canada. Come for fellowship, a shared meal together, dynamic preachers, and practical workshops to be encouraged in your faith and your walk with Jesus.
The event is for young adults up to thirty years of age.
Paul Vanden Brink
Paul has been serving in pastoral ministry since 2002. He currently serves as Lead Pastor of Grace Valley Church in Dundas, which he and he wife, Jessica, planted in 2016. Paul and Jessica have four adult children.
Paul is one of our plenary speakers alongside Dwayne and Kesavan. Paul will speak about The Anatomy of Faith from Genesis 15. See the Plenary Session tab below for more!
Kesavan Balasingham
Dwayne Cline
Dwayne Cline served as the Lead Pastor for James North Baptist Church, in downtown Hamilton, for 28 years. He is the part-time interim Executive Director for TGC Canada as well as the board chair for City to City Canada. Dwayne and Aimee have been blessed with four children. He is currently assisting organizations think through matters of governance, strategic planning, team building and fundraising.
Dwayne will give a plenary session called Great Faith from Matthew 15:21-28. Beyond being a plenary speaker, Dwayne and Kesavan will also co-lead a workshop called Discerning Your Call To Full Time Vocational Ministry. See the plenary sessions and workshop tabs below for more!
Wayne Baxter
Wayne Baxter is Professor of New Testament and Greek at Heritage College & Seminary in Cambridge, Ontario. He earned his Ph.D. in the Department of Religious Studies at McMaster University, specializing in the Gospel of Matthew, and his Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He is the author of six books including, Road to Renewal: Seven Prayers That Will Change You and Growing Up to Get Along: Conflict and Unity in Philippians. Wayne is ordained with the Christian & Missionary Alliance and has pastored churches in Windsor, Ottawa, and Toronto. He is the husband of Lucille, and they have three sons: Ethan, Micah, and Jared.
Wayne will give a workshop on Living Out Loud when You’re Outnumbered. See the workshops tab below for more!
Christian Clement-Schlimm
Christian is a PhD candidate at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto. His research is on eighteenth and nineteenth-century Evangelicalism and the intersection of eschatological development and missionary efforts. He has been a longtime member of Grace Baptist Church of Richmond Hill, where he previously served on the board of elders. He is also an adjunct professor at Heritage College and Seminary. In his free time, Christian enjoys cooking, gardening, and playing ping pong.
Christian will give a workshop called Your Story Matters! See the workshops tab below for more!
Steve West
For many years, Dr. Steve West has faithfully taught and mentored students at Heritage, teaching courses in theology, philosophy, ethics, and apologetics. In addition, West has had an international ministry, preaching, lecturing, and teaching courses in multiple countries on five continents around the world. West has also served his entire adult life as a pastor in the local church. Recently he has pastored at Crestwicke Baptist Church in Guelph, Ontario, and now is at Madoc Baptist Church.
Steve will give a workshop on Evangelicals and the Environment. See the workshops tab below for more!
Andrew Noble
Andrew Noble is a PhD student at the University of Nottingham, specializing in the intersection of theology and technology. He’s a husband, father, and active member of Grandview Church in Kitchener. Andrew writes at andrewnoble.net and co-hosts the podcast What Would Jesus Tech.
Andrew will give a workshop answering the question, Do You Have Faith in Technology? See the workshops tab below for more!
Frank VanderMeulen
Franklin & Eleanor served nineteen years with Ethnos Canada, two in Panama and then in administration and leadership in the Canadian office. In 2011 they ventured out by faith again and moved to Cambridge where Frank studied full time at Heritage Seminary. After graduating with a Master of Divinity in 2014, He was invited to join the faculty to teach missions and intercultural studies. In 2023 he graduated from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS, Chicago) with a Doctor of Ministry degree.
Frank will give a workshop on Justified, Honoured, Empowered: Living in Response to the Full Gospel. See the workshops tab below for more!
Karen Heska
Karen Heska currently lives in Hamilton, Ontario and is an active member at James North Baptist Church. She is a wife to David and mother to Rachel, Rebekah, Kaleb and Pushkar. Karen graduated from the nursing program at McMaster University and from the women in ministry program at Heritage Seminary. She has worked with Serving in Mission (SIM) in Niger and South Sudan and is passionate about discipleship, especially helping women to know and love His Word.
Karen will give a workshop called God’s Goodness in Manhood and Womanhood. See the workshops tab below for more!
Marianne Vanderboom
Marianne has been teaching at Heritage for 20 years. Her areas of teaching are in Christian education and discipleship. She lives in London and enjoys spending her spare time out of doors and in her garden or reading a good book.
Marianne will give a workshop called Putting Your Faith Into Action in the Ups and Downs of Life. See the workshops tab below for more!
8:30am
Registration
VIEWCome early. Sign in. Check out the bookstore. Claim your seat!
Registration
9:30am
The Anatomy of Faith | Gen 15
VIEW
Paul Vanden Brink
Paul Vanden Brink
The Anatomy of Faith | Gen 15
Paul has been serving in pastoral ministry since 2002. He currently serves as Lead Pastor of Grace Valley Church in Dundas, which he and he wife, Jessica, planted in 2016. Paul and Jessica have four adult children.
11:00am
Break
VIEWEnjoy a snack. Buy a book. Meet other young adults.
Break
11:30am
Workshop Set 1
VIEWWe offer eight exciting workshops to help you stand firm in your faith. Check out the Workshops tab below to learn more!
Workshop Set 1
12:30pm
Lunch
VIEWIncluded in ticket price. Enjoy a snack. Buy a book. Meet other young adults.
Lunch
1:30pm
Workshop Set 2
VIEWWe offer eight exciting workshops to help you stand firm in your faith. Check out the Workshops tab below to learn more!
Workshop Set 2
2:30pm
Break
VIEWEnjoy a snack. Buy a book. Meet other young adults.
Break
3:00pm
Radical Faith | Rom 9:1–5
VIEW
Kesavan Balasingham
Kesavan Balasingham
Radical Faith | Rom 9:1–5
Kesavan has been serving in pastoral ministry since 2011. In July 2014, he was commissioned to plant Fellowship Church Rouge Park in the East end of Toronto.
5:00pm
Dinner
VIEWIncluded in the ticket price. Enjoy a snack. Buy a book. Meet other young adults.
Dinner
6:00pm
Great Faith | Matt 15:21–28
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Dwayne Cline
Dwayne Cline
Great Faith | Matt 15:21–28
Dwayne Cline served as the Lead Pastor for James North Baptist Church, in downtown Hamilton, for 28 years. He is the part-time interim Executive Director for TGC Canada as well as the board chair for City to City Canada.
Evangelicals and the Environment
Steve West
Environmental ethics is one of the most important and contentious subjects in our contemporary world. Christians need to think theologically about the world as creation, and then learn how best to care for it with wise stewardship. No one should care more for the world than evangelicals, since we recognize that the world is made by God and sustained by God’s Son, our Lord and Savior. Proper care for creation is part of our mandate as the image bearers of God and as disciples of Christ. This workshop explores a biblical and theological framework for environmental ethics. It also outlines a strategy for moving from discussions about the environment to sharing the hope that is found in Jesus. Given a biblical understanding, there are clear connections between environmental ethics and evangelism, and with the attention that environmentalism receives today, these issues provide a great opportunity for sharing the gospel.
Do You Have Faith in Technology?
Andrew Noble
In ancient Israel, the idols of other nations were alluring. Some Israelites failed to keep themselves from idols, but not all. The surrounding nations mocked the faithful for trusting in the unseen, saying, “where is their God?” (see Psalm 115:2). In response, Israel critiqued idol worshippers: “those who make [idols] become like them, so do all who trust in them” (115:8). In our day, people are numbed and dumbed by the work of human hands. Technologies tempt us toward idolatry, changing who we are in the process. We must evaluate whether technology has become an idol leading to destruction. In this session, we’ll explore this question, discovering the good in technology while identifying its idolatrous allure.
Justified, Honoured, Empowered: Living in Response to the Full Gospel
Frank VanderMeulen
Living a dynamic life of faith in response to the gospel requires a solid foundation in the full gospel. Western culture has, historically, been established in the principles of justice: break the law; pay the price. We understand that on the cross Jesus paid the price for sin and made it possible for us to be declared righteous. Praise the Lord! But what about cultures that value honour, or power, rather than justice? Can the gospel be articulated in those terms—accurately, truthfully, biblically—without compromising the justice perspective? Understanding this full gospel expands our concept of the sufficiency and grace of God, compels us to live a full life in response, and leads us to recognize that the gospel of Jesus really is the sufficient message of hope for every person, and all peoples!
Living Out Loud when You’re Outnumbered
Wayne Baxter
Our world has become increasingly secular and openly hostile to Christianity. How can we learn to live out our faith in a hostile world? The apocalyptic book of Daniel offers us some vital lessons for how we can do this.
God’s Goodness in Manhood and Womanhood
Karen Heska
One of our many battles today is accepting God’s design for men and women even when our culture has taught and continues to teach us otherwise. What the Bible once said clearly about men and women is no longer clear to us. The plain meaning of texts no longer seems plain. We have seen Scripture used against what God has designed. Building on the foundation of Genesis 1-3, we will explore God’s goodness in creating men and women equal yet complementary. This workshop will address the roles and responsibilities that God has assigned men and women that transcends time and culture.
Putting Your Faith Into Action in the Ups and Downs of Life
Marianne Vanderboom
Sometimes we think that putting our faith into action means that we should always be strong, always be ok, always be cheerful, and always make the best of it even when things go wrong. We think that crying and complaining show weak faith. The Psalms teach us another story. They show us that sometimes we show our faith by being willing to be open and vulnerable with God and with each other in times when we are not okay at all. This workshop will explore how the Psalms help us to put our faith in action in every season of life, even in the ones we’d rather avoid.
Your Story Matters!
Christian Clement-Schlimm
Your testimony isn't just about what you have done. Primarily, your testimony is a story of what God has done and is doing in and through your life and faith. That means, whether you think so or not, your testimony is powerful, compelling, and can be used by God to accomplish great things when shared. In this workshop, we will examine the testimonies of two great evangelicals, Olaudah Equiano and John Marrant. We will see how, by sharing their stories of faith and God's work in their lives, they evangelized, encouraged, and prophetically spoke to their communities in profound ways. We will then have a practical discussion unpacking how understanding and sharing our testimonies can likewise be used by God to bless our families, churches, and communities today.
Discerning Your Call To Full Time Vocational Ministry
Dwayne Cline and Kesavan Balasingham
Discerning God’s will for any issue can be tough. Discerning God’s call into full-time vocational ministry can prove to be confusing and complicated. With a combined 45 years of Christian vocational ministry as well as having trained multiple interns, join Pastors Kesavan and Dwayne in this workshop as you prayerfully consider God’s call.
The Anatomy of Faith | Genesis 15
Paul Vanden Brink
Abram (later Abraham) is struggling with doubt because he has no children, yet God has promised to make him into a great nation. He has no land, yet God promised him the land of Canaan. In this peculiar passage so central to the biblical story, we see the anatomy of faith in a remarkable man who trusts in an extraordinary God.
Radical Faith | Romans 9:1–5
Kesavan Balasingham
A burdened Apostle Paul is moved with intense sorrow over the lostness of his people. He responds to this burden with radical faith that seeks to proclaim a remarkable grace for sinners. Many of us find ourselves struggling with the lostness around us. Paul has much to teach us about radical faith that will burden us with the lostness of the world and moves us to beckon sinners to Jesus.
Great Faith | Matthew 15:21-28
Dwayne Cline
A desperate mom approaches Jesus to free her daughter from the demonic. He is in Gentile territory, and she is a Canaanite…a Syrophoenician. She is outside of the covenant and the covenant people. The disciples want Jesus to send her away…they are on retreat. Yet she persists. She knows who Jesus is, calling Him Lord three times. Jesus declares she has great faith. Many of us long to live lives of Kingdom impact yet our plans, schedules and fears get in the way. This mother has much to teach us about living out great faith.
The conference will be held at Heritage College & Seminary. We will provide lunch and dinner.
Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith.
Habakkuk 2:4
For we walk by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7
Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.