Welcome to The Place!

We meet IN PERSON on Sunday Mornings at 10:00 at Grace Lutheran Church on Fort Street.

You can join us ONLINE as well : )

Anchor 1

AN AFFIRMING CHRISTIAN
COMMUNITY

Our Story

Who We Are

Birthed in the mid 90’s at Lambrick Park Church, The Place Community has been a unique congregation, celebrating Christian tradition and faith through newer expressions of art, music, deep thinking, and cultural engagement. The Place seeks to foster a community of grace (loving kindness), authenticity (being real) hospitality (nonjudgemental acceptance).

Since 2016, after moving to our new location, we continue to be that refuge for believers who love God but are embarrassed by much of Christian history and behaviour. We are a refuge for atheists who need to keep talking it out, for thinkers, dreamers and artists who lose their religion each morning only to find a more beautiful one each day. And, we are a family church with lots of small children too.

Some useful big words: we are evangelical in style but non-fundamentalist, we are progressive and yet orthodox, we are non-denominational (for now) but submit to the traditional creeds of the Christian tradition. And like Jesus, we are inclusive of all.

Pamela

Pamela is thrilled to be working with and for The Place folks. She grew up in Victoria, and has attended church with her family for her entire life, which is a fair amount of church going. Over the years she been part of the communities at Lambrick Park Church, Emmanuel Baptist and Friendship Community Church before she saw the light and came to The Place.

She and her husband Paul have been married for 37 years and have 4 equally charming grown children. She has her BEd from UVic, spent some years teaching at Pacific Christian School and then teaching her own 4 kids at home. The family spent a fruitful, challenging year working at Ministry of Mercy Orphanage in Nigeria and still actively supports the work there. At age 50 she received her Master’s in the Arts of Spiritual Formation from Carey Theological School.

She’s been working at The Place for 10 years now and it only gets better. The community deeply values inclusivity, the welcoming of everyone as equally loved by God. She loves getting to know people on as deep a level as they desire and would love to get to know if you would desire it.

PAMELA@THEPLACE.CA

Paul

Paul comes to us after serving on the preaching roster at both St. Barnabas Anglican Church and Saanich Community Church (where he was also the interim teaching pastor for a year). He has taught at Pacific Christian Secondary School for over 30 years, specializing in Calculus, Philosophy, and Biblical Studies.

After the first 10 years at PCS, he headed off to UVic and earned an MA and a PhD in philosophy, with an emphasis on the relationship between Christian theology and modern science. As a result, he was a guest lecturer at Regent College (a graduate school of theology in Vancouver) for nearly 20 years, including a stint on faculty for a program helping church leaders think more theologically about science—in a positive way!

Paul and his wife Heidi have been married for 33 years and have 3 wonderful, creative adult daughters—one of whom urged Paul to apply for the co-pastor position at The Place. Paul brings his love of teaching to the pulpit, while continuing to teach part time at PCS.

PAUL@THEPLACE.CA

Andrea

Andrea is our trusted children’s and music ministry coordinator. She has attended The Place since 2019 and has been in the coordinator role since 2021.

Andrea has a rich background in youth programming and mentorship, both within and outside the church setting. You will often find Andrea singing up front if she’s not otherwise leading Place Kids on Sunday morning.

Her vision for Place Kids is for each child to know they are a valued member of The Place community. Andrea structures the kids program to provide opportunities for the children to connect with each other and with the larger community of Place Members.

This connection provides a safe place for each child to explore their spirituality and connection to God by asking questions without being given answers but rather room to explore.

ANDREA@THEPLACE.CA