Flow Without Bounds Ministries began with the heart of a pastor to reach out to the neighbourhood near to his church. Rev. Louis Leung began meeting people in the subsidized housing community of Kin Village and Trinity Square in Markham, Ontario. Pastor Lou developed friendships and relationships with the neighbours. He did neighbourly things with people: taking them to doctor’s appointments and helping them when in need. Over time, he invited people in his local church to join him. He formed a ministry team which eventually became the Board of Directors, incorporating in 2011 as a church and mission affiliated with the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec.
From 2011 to 2019, Flow Ministries grew in program and scope. The theme “@home, @work, @play” became central to the activities of Flow, including house church, youth mentoring, songwriting and poetry groups. New staff were hired to support the work. Several house church groups were operating both inside and outside of Kin Village. The Stream Mentoring program connected Christian mentors with neighbourhood youth, meeting on a weekly basis. However, in 2019, a difficult situation lead to the resignation of Pastor Lou. The Board of Directors worked carefully and diligently through this time.
Thankfully, God provided another Executive Director, on a part-time basis, in the person of Brian Yu. Pastor Brian began to serve months before the beginning of the pandemic near the end of 2019. It was a challenging time during which the activities of Flow Ministries became more centrally focused on Kin Village and Trinity Square. Even though there was uncertainty and decline in activity and donations, Flow Ministries developed a sharper focus on building genuine relationships with neighbours in order to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Near the end of 2022, Pastor Brian resigned to pursue other ministry opportunities. He and his wife Cynthia have remained as volunteers with Flow Ministries.
With much prayer and God’s guidance, the Board of Directors hired a new full-time Executive Director at the beginning of 2023. Rev. Peter Ma, a Presbyterian minister for the past 25 years, began serving and leading Flow. Pastor Peter is looking forward to this unique on the ground ministry. He sees it as a ministry of reconciliation, a ministry of presence, a ministry of evangelism, and a ministry of encouraging Christians in the community.
Flow Ministries is at work…
- to bring God’s love to the Kin Village and Trinity Square neighbourhood
- to build partnerships with neighbours, organizations, and churches
- to encourage Christian neighbours to worship together in community
- to mentor youth ages 8-16
- to provide practical help to people in need, with the compassion of Christ
- to learn how to engage a neighbourhood for Christ
We are thankful for all of the volunteers that we have partnered with over the years. We’re thankful for the all of the staff who have served and inspired us, including, Rev. Louis Leung, Pastor Simon Ng, Pastor Vivian Chu-Chen, Pastor Brian Yu and Dr. Jessica Wan-Wong. We’re thankful for all of the Board of Directors who have provided guidance and leadership at critical times. Honorary Board members include Brian Relph, Wilson Lau and Derek Leung.
The name “Flow Without Bounds Ministries” derives from Jesus’s encounter with the Samaritan woman in John 4. Jesus was offering this woman living water and told her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14). Echoing what Jesus said, Flow wants to flow without bounds to every nook and cranny with living water, reaching all people with the message of the Kingdom.