GCF Peel
About Us
GCF Peel serves the community of the Peel region in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) specifically in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon area through worship, children and youth programs, and a network of growth groups meeting in local homes.
Whether you are young or old, from a different culture, a lifelong believer or just exploring the Christian faith, we warmly invite you to come visit us. If you are seeking to get closer to God, we'd love you to join us this Sunday, 10:30 AM ET at the Meadowvale Village Hall in Mississauga (6970 Second Line W, Mississauga, ON L5W 1A1).
Meanwhile, feel free to browse our website, and discover who we are and how you can fit in to our faith community.
You matter to God and us!
Our Story
GCF Peel was launched on March 23, 2008 at the Meadowvale Community Centre in Mississauga. The second satellite outside of the Philippines, this church was planted by GCF Toronto as part of its triple vision of reaching out to the community for Christ in the Greater Toronto Area. We currently meet at the Meadowvale Village Hall in Mississauga.
GCF Peel Launch (March 23, 2008)
What We Believe
Mission
For the Glory of God, we commit ourselves to Evangelize and Enlist people into our fellowship, to Edify and Equip them for spiritual maturity and service, and to Exalt God together in worship.
Vision
GCF is one church reaching influencers through satellites in strategic areas worldwide.
Our Core Values
The Bible
The Bible is the inspired Word of God written without error, so it is our only sure source of knowledge about God and His plans, and is our absolute guide for doctrinal teaching and godly living (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1: 20-21).
God
We worship and serve the only One True God who revealed Himself in the Bible as three persons sharing one indivisible essence in the mystery of the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19-20).
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the unique Son of God, being fully God and fully man. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life but suffered and died in the place of sinful man, was buried and resurrected ascended bodily into heaven, and is preparing to return bodily in glory to earth a second time (John 1:1-14; 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:3-6; Philippians 2:5-11).
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is God who is actively at work in the world. He dwells permanently in every Christian, helps us to pray, equips and empowers us to serve God, strengthens and molds us to be more like Christ, and protects us to guarantee our eternal life (Acts 5:3-4; Romans 8:14-16,26).
Angels
Angels are the innumerable and unseen creatures who serve the causes of God and His people. Satan and demons are fallen angels who promote wickedness and oppose God’s purposes, doomed and awaiting their final judgment (Isaiah 14:12-17; Hebrews 1:6-14).
Man
God created man, male and female, in His image. Man was originally sinless but through Adam, all mankind sinned, became condemned, separated from God, and rendered totally unable to gain God’s favor of forgiveness and eternal life (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 5:12-14).
Salvation
Salvation is God’s act of forgiving sins, reconciling people to Himself, and giving a new nature and eternal life to those who put their trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Salvation is not a reward for good works but a free gift of God received by grace through faith in Christ alone and secured eternally by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13-14; 2:1-10; 1 John 5:11-13).
The Church
The Church is the universal Body of Christ consisting of all born again Christians united by the indwelling Holy Spirit. A member of a local church must have undergone baptism by immersion, participate in Communion, and help fulfill the church mission to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; 12:13).
The End Times
Jesus Christ will come again to reign on earth and to reward God's people with life with Him forever in the new heaven and earth and to judge unbelievers with eternal separation from God and suffering in hell (Revelation 20:1-4; 21:6-8).
Civil Government and Society
We uphold the separation of the church and state and we affirm the Christian duty to honor and to pray for those in government authority, to pay taxes and to promote the general welfare of society. (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-2).
Marriage
God instituted marriage (Genesis 2:23-24; Matthew 19:4-6) and the family (Ephesians 6:1-2; Colossians 3:20-21) as the basis elements on which society is built. Marriage is the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of others (I Corinthians 7:10, 39; I Timothy 3:12a; Titus 1:6a) so that the husband and the wife can share love (Ephesians 5:22-29, 33) and intimacy for personal fulfillment (1 Corinthians 7:2-5) and for the establishment of families (Genesis 1:28; 1 Timothy 3:12b; Titus 1:6b).
Ethos
The GCF ethos is the characteristic spirit of the community of believers in GCF Peel, as manifested by its aspiration to know Christ and make Him known through excellence in life and service by God's enabling grace and for His glory.
For easy recall, the acronym G.R.E.E.N.H.I.L.L.S. is used to describe the 10 attributes of GCF church life in which satisfactory results are essential to ensure the health of GCF Peel. The focus is not on numerical growth, but on improving the health of the satellite, with the understanding that when a satellite is sufficiently healthy, numerical growth will follow.
The proposed 10 key attributes of the GCF Peel ethos are as follows:
- G = Gifts-based ministry
- R = Responsible stewardship
- E = Effective structures
- E = Empowering leadership
- N = Needs-oriented evangelism
- H = Holistic growth groups
- I = Inspiring worship
- L = Loving relationships
- L = Life-enriching preaching
- S = Sustainable spirituality
Affiliation
GCF Peel is a member of the Canadian Baptists of Ontario & Quebec (CBOQ).
Pastors
Jonathan Bernardo
Currently serving as the resident bi-vocational pastor at GCF Peel, Jonathan prepared himself in pastoral ministry by acquiring his Master's degree in Ministry in Pastoral Leadership at Andersonville Theological Seminary. His full-time work is in the public sector serving in the provincial government as a business process improvement specialist. In the area of ministry, his ultimate passion is in the biblical preaching and teaching of God's word, discipling others, coaching, and counselling. He is joyfully married with three children. As a family, they love to travel, play mystery games, watch movies and shows, and enjoy fellowship with others around food especially!
Narry Santos
Dr. Santos, who holds doctorates in New Testament and Philippine Studies, wrote several books, including Slave of All: The Paradox of Authority and Servanthood in the Gospel of Mark and Turning our Shame into Honor: Transformation of the Filipino ‘Hiya’ in Light of Mark’s Gospel. He serves as part-time Senior Pastor of Greenhills Christian Fellowship (GCF) Peel and GCF York, as church-based Church Planting Catalyst with the Canadian National Baptist Convention, and as Vice President of the Evangelical Missiological Society Canada. He recently planted Saddleback South Manila and was its pastor for three years. Before Saddleback Church, he ministered at GCF in different pastoral responsibilities for 20 years, including helping plant six churches in Canada and four in the Philippines.
James Caba
James has been a member of GCF Peel for most of his life and has been involved with different ministries through the years. He started preaching in 2019 and was elected as a deacon shortly after. By God’s providence, James was hired as a pastor, overseeing the youth and young adults’ ministry. He is currently pursuing his Master of Divinity at Wycliffe College with a specialization in Reformed Studies and Pastoral Ministry. His hope and prayer are to cultivate a God-glorifying, Christ-centred, Spirit-led, gospel-rich faith in the Church for all generations by teaching the whole counsel of God from the Bible. James is happily married to his best friend Brenda and they love to play board games and puzzles, watch movies, and go to the gym.