An Oasis in the Great White North

Following Fr. Bussman’s lead in calling out congregations that are an oasis, I have to share my own experience in finding a delightfully liturgical and confessional congregation where one might least expect it.

Last month, we were in Ottawa, Canada (where my wife was born and raised) for the first time in a decade, visiting family. Since we were there over a Sunday, we wanted to find a church. And as Canada is a very secular culture, and since Lutheranism is not exactly a dominant faith group in Canada, and since my family lives in a suburb of Ottawa, quite a ways out of town - the odds were not in our favor. But God was gracious and merciful, and we found an oasis in the suburb called Kanata.

Christ Risen Lutheran Church is a member of the Lutheran Church - Canada, and is in fellowship with the LCMS. That Sunday, we were delighted to find this liturgical congregation that sang the hymns right out of the hymnal. We found a faithful pastor (the Rev. Milton Lam) who conducted a proper, reverent liturgy and preached the Gospel! We stayed for a bit afterward and talked with Pastor Lam and members of the parish. They were friendly, and it is apparent that they love their pastor. There were several converts to confessional Lutheranism in the parish. It is also apparent that Pastor Lam (a graduate of our sister seminary in St. Catharines), is a faithful confessor and teacher. His story is interesting, having been born in Hong Kong, raised in Quebec, and now serving in Ontario. He is trilingual. I only wish we had more time to visit!

But what a joy to find an oasis, to be able to be comfortable in the liturgy and with the hymns of the church, to be absolved, to hear a faithful Lutheran sermon, to be able to receive the Holy Supper celebrated with reverence! There has been a quiet but steady move toward a more reverent practice in our churches, not only in the US, but also in our sister churches in the Great White North (even in the summer when there is no snow).

Thank you, Pastor Lam, and thank you saints at Christ Risen, Kanata! And we hope you all had a wonderful Canada Day!