With news that Winnipeg's metropolitan area has exceed 800,000 people, we reached out to a local church to find out what that means for the church in Winnipeg.

Winnipeg is now the seventh largest metro area in Canada, jumping past Quebec City in Statistic Canada's latest numbers. Growth doesn't just affect businesses, it also affects the local church.

"It's exciting for the church," said Justin Bradbury at New Horizons International Church. "It's an amazing opportunity for new friendships, new partnerships, and new leadership in the future."

Recent research has shown that half the immigrants coming to Canada are Christian, according to 2012 numbers by Reg Bibby. Because of that, Bradbury says that some of these immigrants are already missionaries when they arrive in Canada. "Nigeria and South Korea [are] the two largest missionary sending countries of the world now." Bradbury says missions happen from everywhere to everywhere. While some are doing it full-time, Bradbury reminded us that some of these people are missionaries in the way they speak or share the gospel with others, regardless of their full-time job.

"We need to revisit what all of scripture has to say about welcoming the strangers within our gates," Bradbury said about what needs to change in the local church. "It refers to foreigners and aliens who come among the people of Israel and what was God's expectation."

The challenge for us is figuring out how to live this out practically. Whether it's with newcomers to Canada or with new Christians who were born and raised in Canada, Bradbury says it's important for us to learn who these people are. "When was the last time you had a Muslim couple from Iran in your home for dinner," Bradbury asked. "Nothing more than to get to know them, love them as Jesus would, and become their friends and help them integrate into Canadian life."

"I think that's where the question becomes important."

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