From our first Canadian church – Grace Community Church – came the Village, our second successful church plant in the Greater Toronto Area. Rob Stanley, originally from rural New Brunswick, and Mat Fugere hailing from Québec, both followed God’s call to Ontario where they interned at Grace Community Church. After a few years of mentorship, the leadership team at Grace gave Rob and Mat their blessing to begin a new church in the GTA. Joined by Philip and Beth Bryant, the pair first launched Real Life Church in Mississauga, but in 2006, the fledgling church found its home in nearby Milton, Ontario where it was relaunched as the Village Community Church.

The Village is a healthy church family with an average Sunday attendance of 130 people, a bustling children’s ministry and growing house churches. The Village has made its name known in the local community through advertising and outreach events such as the Milton Egg Drop which drew a crowd of 5,000 on Good Friday of 2009.

Rob Stanley serves as lead pastor joined by pastors Mat Fugere – who provides specific insight into the house church structure and leads the Village‘s worship music – and another Grace alumni, Gerald Tarcisius.