A pastor at a Winnipeg church says it's time for believers to get back to the basics of what Jesus taught.

"Almost 27 years ago my home congregation of North Kildonan Mennonite Brethren Church called me into full-time pastoral ministry," says Pastor Bob Marsch.

Marsch was in the youth pastor position there for nine years before he moved on to a new youth pastor position with The Meeting Place. He's been with The Meeting Place (TMP) church in downtown Winnipeg since 2004. 

"In 2007, the leadership of our church asked me to step into a new role as an Executive Pastor. My task is to align the resources of this church and invest them into the activities of this church."

When the pandemic hit, TMP leadership we're hoping to prepare the congregation for the longevity of things to come. This included using language like 'it's a marathon, not a sprint,' and 'we're in it for the long haul.'

"At one point I said to my staff, 'I feel like a thoroughbred racehorse but I've not been given the opportunity to run the track as I used to. In some ways, I feel like I'm stuck in my box stall. I also ended up saying on stage, and it's true, I've never felt more a part of a global village than I do now."

Marsch shares that it was and is important to him that the congregation know, the feelings people were experiencing weren't unique. People almost across the globe have felt stuck, frustrated, as well as newly connected at the same time during the pandemic. 

"The growing conviction that was made clear to me is that we are all in desperate need of Jesus. I wouldn't get out of bed in the morning if it weren't for His presence and sustaining power."

In the extra time since restrictions shut down services and house calls, Marsch says it's allowed him to grow in his spiritual practices including praying more often and with intention.

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"I'm really excited. I think as a result of pandemic realities, the language we're using is a little bit of a reboot. A chance to look at what church has been, what it will be in the future. While that may be a little unclear we absolutely know that there is a new opportunity."

In May 2021, TMP celebrated its 30th anniversary as a church. While listening to health orders constantly being announced by the province, Marsch found something that the church could use as an example for the congregation.

"One of the things that struck me was the language being used over and over again was 'Back to the basics. Return to the fundamentals.' It triggered something in my mind, thinking, what if that's the language we used in our church. What does it look like for us to go back to the basics? We decided to go with, What are the five functions of our church."

Moving forward as a church, TMP is focusing on five orders that Jesus gave the church. 

"In Matthew 22 Jesus says that we are to love Him and to love our neighbours. In Matthew 28, the Great Commission. Here at TMP we say we follow Jesus and share His story. We gather in our place and yours, serve where needed, and worship Him in all we do."

Initially, after the pandemic started, the church's verbiage was that people shouldn't come to church. According to Marsch, as the pandemic comes to an end there needs to be a new invitation for people to come back again. He says that people have gained the habit of not being in church so it will take some time, but he's hopeful. 

"We're not just feeling the weight and the 'can't dos,' we're beginning to imagine the possibilities for the future. That is a very exciting thing and I would describe that as a victory. With Jesus, there is always hope."

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