Toronto

Basic Demographic Information

Official Name: Toronto Chinese Seventh-day Adventist Church

Church Administrative Unit: Ontario Conference, Canadian Union

Date Officially Formed: 1973

Founding Minister: Cheung Chun Pong

Date on which Current Sanctuary was Dedicated: May 30, 1998

Church Website: http://torontochineseon.adventistchurch.org/

Current Address: 3988 Midland Ave, Scarborough, ON, Canada M1V 4S8

Current Membership: 161 as at 2013

Toronto is the largest city in Canada, with a high Chinese population. By 1973 there were quite a few Chinese Adventists. Dr. John Hsuen (宣尚忠), a former worker of Hong Kong Adventist Hospital in Tsuen Wan, and Jerry Liu (劉宗邦) encouraged them to start a Chinese Sabbath school. In 1982, Pastor Cheung Chun Pong (張振邦), Chan Wai Shun (陳維信), Michael Seto (司徒日洛), Jerry Liu, Stephen Wu (鄔郁興) and Li Ching (李清) decided to organize a Chinese church in Toronto. However, Pastor Cheung soon returned to Hong Kong.

The group first met in the balcony at the Adventist Willowdale Church, then to the music studio, and then to the cafeteria of the Crawford Adventist Academy on the same compound.

Accepting a call from the Ontario Conference, Pastor Onn Liang (梁雅安) arrived in Toronto in September 1989. His assignment was to consolidate and build on the Chinese work that had begun earlier. Under his leadership and with the help of the local church leaders, the group grew into a company with 37 members in May 1990, and as a church with 70 members in January 1992. To help the church grow, the church board decided to build its own church building. A plot of land of nearly an acre at 3988 Midland Avenue, Scarborough, Ontario N1V 4S8, was purchased. The new church building was open for use in March 1997. The Chan Shun Foundation donated half a million Canadian dollars and Lee Ka Shing (李嘉誠) of Hong Kong gave 800,000 Canadian dollars towards the construction cost. The church was dedicated on May 30, 1998. There were about 110 church members by 2002. Membership as of May 9, 2012 was 161. Its telephone is: (416) 321-0344.

Upon the transference of Pastor Liang to Loma Linda Chinese Church, California, in September 1999, Pastor John Lee Kam Hong (李錦洪) was assigned to take his position. When Pastor Lee was transferred to New York Chinese Church in April 2003, Pastor John Lu (呂俊明) was his successor. About two and a half years later, Pastor Cho Tak Sum (曹德森) took his place.