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Visiting a church in Brampton

Grace Canadian Reformed Church is glad to have visitors, whatever church you grew up in or none. Here is what a first Sunday looks like.

Grace Canadian Reformed Church, a stone-fronted church with a large cross on its gable and its sign before it, seen across the intersection of Creditview Road and Fairhill Avenue
Photo: Grace Canadian Reformed Church on Google Maps

Grace Canadian Reformed Church

Grace Canadian Reformed Church holds to Scripture alone as the rule of faith and summarizes its doctrine in the Three Forms of Unity: the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession and the Canons of Dort. With believers throughout the world it confesses the Apostles', Nicene and Athanasian creeds, and it describes its members as ordinary people, saved by extraordinary grace.

Grace Canadian Reformed Church was instituted on 15 January 1956 and belongs to Classis Northern Ontario, the classis that also takes in the Canadian Reformed congregations at Orangeville, Grand Valley, Guelph, Fergus, Elora, Arthur and Owen Sound. The congregation says it was established by immigrants from the Netherlands who had fled the devastation of the Second World War, and that its members now come from many ethnic backgrounds.

For more than half a century it worshipped in the old Mount Pleasant Presbyterian church at what is now Salvation Road and Bovaird Drive, a brick church of 1904 that it bought in 1958, when the hamlet of Mount Pleasant still stood among farmland; the city designated that building a heritage property in 2014. As the neighbourhood grew up around it, the congregation sold the old church and built a new one at Creditview Road and Fairhill Avenue, where it began worshipping on 14 December 2014. The church is about a ten-minute walk from the Mount Pleasant GO station.

Two services are held every Sunday, at 10:00 in the morning and 2:00 in the afternoon, and the morning service is translated live into Hindi and Punjabi. The Canadian Reformed Churches were formed by Dutch immigrants who came to Canada after the Second World War and hold to the Three Forms of Unity.

What to expect

  1. Arriving

    Come ten minutes early. Someone at the door will say hello and can point you to a seat; there is no sign-in and nobody will single you out.

  2. Seating

    Sit anywhere. Families sit together, and children of all ages stay in the service. A nursery or cry room is usually available if you need it.

  3. The service

    A call to worship, singing (mostly Psalms, with hymns), the reading of Scripture, prayer and a sermon of about thirty minutes, then a closing song and blessing. A printed or projected order makes it easy to follow.

  4. How long

    Roughly seventy-five to ninety minutes. Most congregations meet twice on Sunday; the afternoon sermon usually works through the Heidelberg Catechism.

  5. Dress

    Come as you are. You will see suits and dresses and you will see sweaters and jeans.

  6. Afterwards

    People linger to talk. If you would like to meet the pastor or an elder, just ask the person who greeted you.

What Reformed churches believe

Reformed churches confess the historic Christian faith of the Apostles', Nicene and Athanasian Creeds, summarized in three confessions from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries: the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism and the Canons of Dort. The short version is that God saves sinners by grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Christ alone, as the Bible alone teaches, and that his promises are for believers and their children.

Read the fuller description of the Canadian Reformed churches, or the guide to the Reformed churches of Ontario.

Coming from another church?

What you might find familiar, and what might feel different.

Coming from a Mennonite church?

Mennonites and Reformed Christians have been neighbours in this part of Ontario for two centuries, and their stories go back to the same Reformation. The emphasis on discipleship and on community will feel familiar.

  • Discipleship Reformed churches expect faith to show in life; the whole third part of the Heidelberg Catechism is about gratitude lived out.
  • Community Membership is real: elders visit every home, deacons look after needs, and Sunday is a whole day spent together.
  • Where we differ Reformed churches baptize infants and hold that Christians may serve in government and the military. Both are explained without heat.
Coming from a Baptist church?

Reformed and Baptist churches agree on a great deal: the authority of Scripture, salvation by grace through faith, a serious view of membership. The visible difference is baptism, and it comes from a shared idea taken in two directions.

  • Covenant and family Reformed churches baptize the children of believers because they understand God's promise to be for believers and their children (Acts 2:39). a Reformed church would be glad to explain that, not to argue it.
  • Preaching and prayer Expect a substantial sermon, long congregational prayer, and singing that is mostly Psalms.
  • Membership matters Like Baptist churches, Reformed churches take membership, elders and pastoral care seriously; every household is visited.
Coming from a Catholic or Orthodox parish?

You may find more that is familiar at a Reformed church than you expect: a set liturgy, the creeds said together, the Lord's Prayer, and a reverence that takes worship seriously.

  • Liturgy and creeds The service follows a fixed order, and the congregation confesses the Apostles' or Nicene Creed together every week.
  • The sacraments Two rather than seven, and taken seriously: infants are baptized, and the Lord's Supper is celebrated with real preparation.
  • Where we differ Reformed churches hold that Scripture alone is the final authority and that we are justified by faith alone. That is a conversation worth having in person rather than in a slogan.
Coming from an Anglican, United, Presbyterian or Lutheran church?

Reformed churches grew from the same Reformation soil. If you value the creeds, a set order of service and a church that has held its confession steady since the 1500s, a Reformed church will feel familiar.

  • Shared roots Presbyterian, Lutheran and Reformed churches share the Reformation's teaching on grace and Scripture; the Heidelberg Catechism of 1563 is preached alongside the creeds.
  • Confessional stability The Belgic Confession, Heidelberg Catechism and Canons of Dort have not been revised to follow the times. What the church confessed then, it confesses now.
  • Familiar forms A set order of service, the Lord's Prayer, the creed, infant baptism, and a sermon at the centre.
Used to a non-denominational or community church?

Reformed churches share your conviction that the Bible has to be at the centre. What they add is a written confession that says exactly what the church believes, and a structure that keeps its leaders accountable.

  • Expository preaching Sermons work through books of the Bible and through the Heidelberg Catechism, so over time you hear the whole of Scripture.
  • A confession you can read The Belgic Confession and Heidelberg Catechism put the church's beliefs in writing; nothing rests on one pastor's personality.
  • Simpler than it sounds No robes and no incense: a plain building, a lot of singing, a long sermon, and coffee afterwards.
Exploring what Christians have always believed?

If you are looking into the faith of the historic creeds, the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, salvation by grace, a Reformed church is a place where any question is welcome.

  • The creeds Reformed churches confess the Apostles', Nicene and Athanasian Creeds, the same statements the church has used since its early centuries.
  • Questions welcome The pastor and elders expect questions and enjoy them. No one will be surprised by yours.
  • Take your time Visit as often as you like without committing to anything.
Coming from a Pentecostal or charismatic church?

Reformed Christians believe the Holy Spirit is at work in every part of the Christian life. They expect to meet him first of all through the Word preached and the sacraments, and they pray for him to act.

  • Word and Spirit together The Spirit who inspired the Bible works through it, so the sermon is preached expecting God to do something.
  • Heartfelt, not hushed The singing is loud and congregational, mostly Psalms with organ or piano, and the prayers are long and specific.
  • Where we differ Reformed churches hold that the sign gifts belonged to the age of the apostles. That is a real difference, and one worth talking through in person.
Already Reformed?

If you come from a Christian Reformed, United Reformed or Free Reformed congregation, you will recognize nearly everything at a Reformed church: the same confessions, the same Psalms, much the same church order.

  • The same confessions The Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism and the Canons of Dort.
  • Sister churches The Canadian Reformed churches have formal relations with the United Reformed and Free Reformed churches. A letter from your consistory is welcome, but you do not need one to visit.
  • The differences Mostly matters of history and practice, set out honestly in our guide to the Reformed church names.

Read before you visit

Visiting a Reformed church: what to expect

A practical walk-through of a Reformed Sunday: arriving, seating, order of service, length, children, dress, collection, the Lord's Supper and coffee after.

, 4 min read

What do Reformed Christians believe?

Plain-language summary of Reformed belief: grace, the Bible, covenant, the Three Forms of Unity, sacraments, church life and common misunderstandings.

, 6 min read

How to choose a church: questions worth asking

Balanced questions for choosing a church, whatever your background: Bible, preaching, sacraments, community, children, distance, doctrine and membership.

, 4 min read

Come this Sunday

No need to let anyone know in advance. If you would rather ask a question first, send us a note.

Grace Canadian Reformed Church: times and directions