A life of mission, service and friendship among First Nations people
Episode 4
With Byron Grant
In this episode, Byron Grant shares about his 40+ years of living and ministering among his first nations brothers and sisters in Vancouver, Canada. With joy and compassion, Byron unpacks why first nations people experience such difficulty in reconciling their culture and history to Christianity and the Church, much of it owing to the trauma experienced in Canada’s residential school system. He encourages us to take the time to listen more to the rich stories that First Nations people love to tell, to get to know their sense of humor and fun, and to enjoy them with all of the God-given gifts, skills and potential they possess.
Byron Grant is the Lead Pastor at New Beginnings Baptist Church in East Vancouver where he has pastored for many years alongside his wife Diane. Byron was commissioned as a missionary by North America Indigenous Ministries (NAIM) in 1979, and has lived and served among first nations people ever since.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…
- How God called Byron to Vancouver to minister to First Nations people [2:55]
- The moment Byron knew he was called to be a missionary [6:30]
- The history of First Nations people in Canada and the USA [9:22]
- The impact of Canada’s residential schools on First Nations People [12:15]
- The vision of NAIM to raise up indigenous leaders and churches [16:55]
- The Tillicum Centre: a bridge between the native community and Jesus [20:38]
- Loving First Nations people through listening [25:14]
- Some First Nations theology [29:51]
- Why First Nation people are underrepresented in Canadian churches [36:33]
- Challenging the stereotyping of First Nations people [40:12]
- Friendship with First Nations people [41:18]
Resources & People Mentioned
- Email your Simply Missional questions to info@globaldisciples.ca
- North American Indigenous Ministries
- New Beginnings Baptist Church
- Introduction to First Nations Ministry by Cheryl Bear
Connect with Byron Grant
Connect With Global Disciples Canada
- https://www.globaldisciples.ca/
- GDC on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globaldisciplescanada
- GDC on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globaldisciplescanada/
- GDC on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs8QB3nhzqujZi3PDVjp5qA
Follow Simply Missional on
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts
Recent Posts
Hungry for God’s Word
A Rwandan Pastor's testimony of reaching a community with little representation of the Gospel and how a new church was started in that area with 90 people accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Seeing Lives Changed
Discover the transformative power of God through inspiring stories of radical change and renewed sense of purpose in the lives of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Get Moving: How Small Business Can Support Sustainable Ministry
Discover how small businesses can be a key to sustainable ministry and reaching people with the Gospel especially those in the least reached areas of the world.
Impact your inbox
"*" indicates required fields
Give monthly, reach the world.
Join our community of monthly donors bringing the hope of Jesus to least-reached people groups around the world.