An emerging New Venture in Drayton, ON
Jeanette and Manuel Boehm are passionate about community, loving neighbours and partnering with Jesus as he reconciles all things here in Canada, and around the world. Their desire is to model how Jesus served through authentic and intentional relationships—listening and serving well in community, together. Now, in January 2023, the couple continued to follow Jesus’ lead by launching Love Drayton as a New Venture, in the Central Canadian District. They seek to find out where the wellbeing of people is not yet complete, and invite people to serve together.
In 2021, Jeanette began an apprenticeship with New Ventures. As part of this experience, she sought to develop a holistic approach to living on mission, while exploring reconciliation-based discipleship. Since she and Manuel reside in Drayton, Ontario, they purposed to learn what it meant to be reconciling neighbours in their local context—while also committing to the work of peace and reconciliation globally.
Since Manuel has been part of the Peace and Reconciliation Network (PRN) of the World Evangelical Alliance since its start, the couple continues to be part of a global team. PRN inspires and equips the global Church to be an agent for holistic transformation. This commission seeks to enable local communities through local followers of Jesus Christ, to be reconciled with their creator, their own story of pain, suffering, and to walk their journey of healing and restoration with those around them. This is what Love Drayton is all about:
“. . .listening, learning, serving and exploring ways to grow as loving neighbours, together.”
They believe that Love Drayton, as a New Venture in the Christian & Missionary Alliance, is an opportunity to grow together as a community through learning about and serving as neighbours for the wellbeing of all the people of Drayton, a small town in Ontario. Love Drayton is based off our call to be ambassadors of reconciliation in 2 Corinthians 5.
“We believe through living out reconciling relationships with God, self and others, people will be inspired to embody and embrace the ministry of reconciliation in their own lives.”
Communities, therefore, are transformed through residents who share with the people the ‘Good news of the kingdom of God’ and live out what it means to be Church (based on the Greek term for church: ecclesia – “called out to take responsibility for their communities”). This way, Love Drayton isn’t something Jeanette and Manuel do for people, but simply a way of living with people and experiencing peace together. “One we believe God calls us to model.”
Join them on mission
PRAY
You can join the team in praying…
For favour as they launch this New Venture.
To find people of peace to collaborate with for the wellbeing of the residents of Drayton.
GIVE
To offer financial support to the Love Drayton New Venture as a church or individual, optional e-transfer available.
As an alternative to Canada Helps (which takes 3%), you can send your e-transfer (free through most banks) to the following email ccddeposit@cmaccd.com. Please ensure to specify in the "message" section that the donation is for Love Drayton New Venture and that you include your contact information (address/email address) for tax receipt purposes.
GET IN TOUCH
Interested in learning more from the leaders at this New Venture?
Connect with Jeanette & Manuel Boehm: Jeanette.boehm@lovedrayton.ca & Manuel.boehm@lovedrayton.ca
About apprenticeships
After completing a New Venture apprenticeship, Jeanette shared some of the things she learned through this experience with us. She explains:
“As a New Venture Apprentice, you are given 3 questions as a guide: Who is God calling me to be? Where is God calling me to be? And to whom is God calling me? Throughout the past 2 years, I have been diving deep into these questions. Although the answers were right in front of me, it took me the 2 years to finally recognize and understand this through moving back to the community I was raised in, Drayton.
…As a response to the three questions, it is very clear who God is calling me to be, where and to whom.
…I have come to realize that God has called me to Drayton as a reconciling disciple. As I wrap up my apprenticeship and look ahead to the new things Jesus is inviting us into, I am thankful for the clarity of God's call in my life and what He is asking me to do: To live a life purposefully committed to the Shalom mission of God, who, by his Spirit, transforms communities. Together, in community, we explore what it means to live out reconciled lives and build reconciled communities, through a New Venture: Love Drayton.”
Read the full reflection HERE
If you or someone you know is discerning next steps, or considering joining Jesus at work in something new in Canada. . . a New Venture apprenticeship may be for you!