The Gate Church is an Alliance Church in Niagara Falls, Ontario. I’m here with two of their staff. Lead pastor Mark Royall and executive pastor David Gagne. The Gate Church has the unique distinction of owning a former school building with 120,000 s.f., and has become a hub for several different organizations, businesses, residences and ministries to operate.

I’ve known Dave Gagne for 35 years or so and am not surprised that he and his wife Isabel would end up in a ministry like this. When I was a youth pastor in Exeter, Dave & Isabel had a storefront church called Belongers Church. They were ahead of their time with some of the ways that they pastored and conducted ministry. They came with a background in graphic arts. Isabel was a hometown girl in Exeter, just like my wife Marsha. Dave, you and I captured our brides away and took them off to engage in urban and community-based ministry.

This is my first time meeting Mark Royall, so welcome guys.