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Ede, who now serves as a Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) volunteer at the church, vividly remembers that day back in 1991. She was looking for a church home, and decided to visit Gateway after receiving a pamphlet in her mailbox. Although her marriage had dissolved some years earlier, leaving her a single mother of one child, Deanna, now eight, she still felt a need for healing.
"[Pastor] Paul Francis preached about the woman caught in adultery," Ede recalls. "What impressed me was how Jesus had compassion on someone who had made a bad choice and was made sport of for evil purposes. She was despised and rejected, but Jesus offered forgiveness and restoration.
"That morning I received the hope of acceptance and healing. At the end of the service I stood up and said 'I know this is the church God wants me to attend.'"
She joined Gateway in 1992 and in 1994 joined the staff as office coordinator after Francis contacted MCC Maritimes director Brian Elliot about whether MCC would take Ede on as a volunteer. "I had a nice job with the provincial government, but I felt called to serve at the church," Ede says.
"Contacting MCC seemed a natural thing to do," says Francis, who arrived in Lower Sackville in 1991 with his wife, Kathy, to start the Gateway church. "Here at Gateway we want to be people of word and deed. That is the uniqueness of our Mennonite witness."
For Ede, satisfaction comes from knowing that her work behind the scenes makes it possible for Gateway members to reach out to the community. "The job suits me so well," she says. "I love doing administration and coordination, as well as being able to have a hands-on ministry with people in need."
Says Francis: "She really is the hub of the church. Her work has increased the amount of ministry we are able to do at Gateway."
Gateway is a busy church. Located in a former firehall, the congregation of over 150 people operates a teen drop-in centre, monthly adult coffee house, a community kitchen for families who are struggling financially and offers shelter to men who are trying to get off the streets and kick drug or alcohol addictions. A day care is also located in the facility.
The church also helps coordinate the local March for Jesus in Halifax and is currently participating in a campaign to promote the Jesus video.
Sometimes Ede's role isn't just background support; because of her own experience, she is able to assist other women who are experiencing marital breakdown or struggling as single parents. "Many women in those situations aren't able to receive counsel from men, especially if their situation involves violence or abuse," says Ede. "They simply can't trust men at all. That's where I can play a role by offering a sympathetic and, hopefully, understanding ear."
For Brian Elliot, who directs MCC activity in the Maritimes, Ede's ministry at Gateway is "a perfectly logical way for MCC to support a local congregation's efforts to reach out to help people in practical ways in their community. Through Debbie, we can help them to help others".
John Longhurst, MCC Canada Communications
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