Pickering, ON
The Sanctuary - Pickering - Dan Collison (dcollison@thesanctuarypickering.ca)
Our mission is to become an indispensable channel of hope and help for the families of Pickering, Durham Region and beyond.
Web Site: http://www.thesanctuarypickering.ca
About Dan: Married in 1990, Dan and Denise are on a joint mission to see God's Kingdom come to earth. Since 1985 Dan has served as a Youth Pastor, Assistant Pastor, Associate Pastor, Church Planter and Senior Pastor, all in an attempt to help Christians be obedient to and available for the amazing things God wants to do through them. He has served on denominational church planting and leadership training teams, as well as being a "healthy church" consultant. While his "career path" seems a bit like "climbing the corporate ladder", Dan has simply been seeking opportunities to live out his calling: Preach the Good News, call people to prayer, seek real unity and cooperation among churches, and plant new churches.
Denise has been a huge part of the ministry effort, often working extra hours outside the home in order to compensate for Dan's "full-time" ministry on a "part-time" salary. Additionally, she has always been actively involved in church life. Proud parents of four rapidly growing boys, Dan and Denise have sometimes struggled but remain focused on their priorities: God first, family second, church third. Having both grown up in church, Denise expresses what they both have come to realize: "Church is not working; we need something new." Jesus remains true, the power of God is real, but the packaging of "church" we have wrapped around the Gospel is often repulsive to most people.
More than anything else, Dan and Denise bring to The Sanctuary Pickering a desire to see their community and the lives of families changed by the awesome love and power of Jesus Christ. Dan says, "The institutional church is perceived by many as cold and distant --- often with good reason! It's time we got back to doing what Jesus did: demonstrating God's desire to be in relationship with people by serving them. It is because of Jesus' example that we are working to be an indispensable channel of hope and help for the families of Pickering, Durham Region and beyond!"
