About
To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
Jude 24-25
Our Beliefs
orthodoxy
We believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and we are committed to living
out the way of Jesus in the world. As a Christian community, we affirm the core beliefs
of the Apostles Creed as outlined below:
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1. We believe there is one God, eternally existent as a communion of three divine
persons united in love: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Matthew 28:19
2. We believe that all scripture is God-breathed and tells a unified story that points
to Jesus. God is trustworthy; therefore, we believe that scripture is trustworthy,
inerrant in all it teaches, and of authority in all matters of faith and practice. Luke 24:23-27, 2 Timothy 3:14-17, 2 Peter 1:19-21
3. We believe in the sovereignty and grace of the triune God in creation, revelation,
redemption, and judgment. As such, we believe that God is at work in the world
to redeem all of creation and to establish his kingdom. Genesis 1, John 1:1-14, Acts 10:39-43
4. We believe in Jesus Christ, fully God and fully human. We affirm his virgin birth,
sinless humanity, sacrificial death on the cross, bodily resurrection and ascension
into heaven. He continues his work as priest and mediator. Matthew 1:18-23, 1 Corinthians 15:3-5, 1 Timothy 2:5-7
5. We believe that although humanity is created in the image of God, this image
has been deeply distorted by sin. Consequently, human beings are alienated
from God and live in darkness. Genesis 1:26-27, Colossians 1:21-23
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6. We believe that reconciliation is made possible through the blood of Jesus shed
on the cross. We believe that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ provide
the only ground for the salvation for all who believe. It is received by faith and is
characterized by an ongoing conversion to the way of Jesus. Ephesians 2:1-10, Colossians 1:15-20
7. We believe in the visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ, our participation in the
resurrection, and the hope of eternal life. 1 Corinthians 15, Revelation 21:1-5
8. We believe in the gift of the Holy Spirit, who convicts the world of sin, enables
followers of Jesus to live holy lives, and empowers them to give witness to the
way of Jesus. John 14:15-31, 15:26-16:15, Acts 1:1-8
9. We believe in the Church, the Body of Christ, of which Jesus is the head.
Members consist of all those who, through faith in Jesus Christ and the power
of the Holy Spirit, practice the way of Jesus. Acts 11:19-30, Colossians 1:15-20, Revelation 2-3
10. We believe that baptism and communion are essential practices observed by the
gathered community. Baptism signifies new life and devotion to Jesus as Savior
and Lord (and commitment to the church) and communion serves as a primary,
ongoing expression of remembrance and thanksgiving for the atoning death and
resurrection life of Jesus. Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 2:38, 1 Corinthians 11:23-28
Our Values
orthopathy
Attentive to God and his invitation to participate with him in caring for people and the world around us.
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Authentic with each other, encouraging meaningful community and relationships developed over time.
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Actively Engaged with our neighbours and in our neighbourhoods (local and abroad), bearing witness to the possibilities of the good news.
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Across Generations. We encourage inter-generational relationships and opportunities and strive to create more spaces where these can thrive.​
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Adventurous. We are willing to step into the unknown, recognizing that there is often risk in the journey but Jesus is a trustworthy guide.
Our Practices
orthopraxy
1. Love God
We hold firmly to the tenets articulated in our statement of belief. However, wealso understand that we know in part. As followers of Jesus, we acknowledgethat loving God is an ongoing journey. We sometimes get it wrong; we remainopen to learning more; we walk humbly with what we know. Our measure forloving God is whether we are learning to think and act more like Jesus.
2. Love Neighbour
Loving others is an expression of our love for God. We understand neighbors to include those we know, those we do not know, and even those who stand against us. We recognize that love needs to shape our attitudes and our actions and is best expressed through acts of service. Loving our neighbour is a central expression of our faith.
3. Apprenticeship to Jesus
The Gospels tell us that “Jesus and his disciples went into the countryside, where he spent some time with them.” (Jn. 3:22). The word disciple essentially means being a student or an apprentice. As apprentices, we are committed to spending time with the Master, becoming more like him, and learning to do what he did. This is a life-long commitment.
4. Care of Self
The call is “to love your neighbour as yourself.” Assumed in this command is the practice of self-care. In a culture that is obsessed with self, this can easily be misunderstood. What is envisioned here is attending to our spiritual and mental health in ways that lead toward “life to the full [with Jesus].” (Jn. 10:10).
Our Staff
RINUS JANSON
Rinus joined Varsity Bible Church in 2013 after teaching for several years at Alberta Bible College. He also has experience in spiritual formation, youth ministry, peacebuilding (with Mennonite Central Committee in Indonesia) and selling vacuum cleaners. He loves to inspire people to think deeply about the Christian story and how it shapes how we live in the world. His interests include owning fewer things, biking, hiking, reading, and watching good movies.
Ministry Areas: Lead Pastor, Teaching, Preaching
CALEB THOMPSON
Caleb has been a part of the VBC community since 2014, and joined the pastoral team in 2022. He is passionate about walking closely with Jesus and helping others connect with Him in meaningful and ongoing ways. He loves music, reading, writing, coffee, playing (most) sports, being outdoors and spending time with his wife and kids.
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Ministry Areas: Formation, Preaching, Liturgical Year
MAT EAPEN
Mat joined the staff in 2001. 2 Timothy is one of his favorite books of the bible. He likes to create spaces for youth and young adults to find community and explore their faith in Jesus. Mat really enjoys bringing different generations together, to have fun, grow in their understanding of God and build lasting connections. Mat likes to develop leaders and has a desire to reach out to the community outside church. Mat loves playing sports or board games with friends. He is a lifelong Winnipeg Jets and Bomber fan and really likes bacon. He is married to a thoughtful and caring wife Tannis and has one teenager Isaiah.
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Ministry Areas: Youth, Outreach
NALANDA THOMPSON
Nalanda has attended Varsity for about 12 years, starting at the Varsity@Night Saturday service and then joining Sunday morning. A true church kid by upbringing, she worked at VBC as the communications coordinator for a time, met her husband Caleb there, and has now re-joined the staff team as the children’s coordinator. She currently enjoys spending her days with her husband, children Mae (4) and Ezra (1.5), and reading a good book.
Ministry Areas: Children’s Ministry
JENNY GOWING
Jenny has been working at VBC in various roles since 2018. She is passionate about pastoral care and ministering across generations (from babies to seniors). She loves facilitating connections within the VBC community and helping folks to become deeply connected into the Biblical story. In her spare time Jenny loves reading, music, snowboarding, disc golf, biking and big family adventures with her husband and kids.​
Ministry Areas: Pastoral Care, Small Groups, Church Community
Our Denomination
Varsity is a member of Vision Ministries Canada. Vision's mission is to plant and invigorate churches by nurturing, inspiring and collaborating with leaders and cultivating a partnering network of churches, primarily in Canada. For more information about our denomination please visit their home page at https://vision-ministries.org/