We recently had the opportunity to launch the “Our Story” display in the courtyard, an exciting display of where All Nations Church has come from and what we have done in our community. Psalm 78:3-4 says, “things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.” It tells us that we must ensure we are passing on the deeds of the Lord on to the next generation so that they know the goodness of God. Throughout Scripture the Lord invites his people to examine their history in order to see examples of his love and power, to encourage them to continue serving Him, and to warn them away from sin and idolatry.
That is why we chose to launch the “Our Story” display, to honour God for what He has done in our church and ensure it isn’t forgotten in future generations. All Nations Church has a rich history starting in 1952, when Gordon Magee hosted revivals in the area and a community of believers of formed. Magee moved on to another town and he invited his brother in law to become the pastor from Ireland. Through a miracle from God, in 1953 Jean and Kitchener Mahood moved to Sudbury with their son Jeremy even with Kitchener’s poor health. In 1956, the name “All Nations Church” was chosen to reflect the diversity of the congregation, with Jean Mahood recalling that bible verses were spoken in 13 languages at one point.
While All Nations Church had been using multiple buildings up until that point, the church needed a building to call its home. While there were many financial hurdles, the Lord provided once again, with land given for a $25 down payment and a loan to build the building of $25,000. The 25th Anniversary was celebrated in 1978, with joy at their survival as a Christian community, but with increasing concern about Kitchener’s health. Lo and behold, the Lord again provided, by calling Jeremy and Eileen back from New York to join Kitchener and Jean in ministry. By 1980 the Churchill property was crowded, and $100,000 was promised in one meeting to put a down payment on the Prete Street building.
As Kitchener’s health continued to deteriorate, the church was in need of a new pastor and thankfully, Jeremy Mahood moved back to Canada from the US and served as associate pastor until his father passed away in 1983 and he became the new lead pastor. Prete street also became too small for the growing church, and they began to have their services in Laurentian University’s Fraser auditorium in 1999. Even that was too small for them, and the new St Raphael location was opened in 2016 with its signature dome and pyramid building.
God’s faithfulness has not just been apparent in providing for the building needs of the church, but also in its need for a new pastor. In 2019, Jeremy Mahood passed away and after a careful search, Pastor Sean Morton moved from Edmonton, Alberta to Sudbury to pastor All Nations Church. Other leaders emerged to support the new pastor including Pastor Gerry Lougheed Jr. as Associate Pastor and Ian Davidson as Executive Director.
God’s faithfulness has allowed All Nations to provide for needs in our community as well. Our pastors have had the privilege of being the Greater Sudbury Police Service chaplain and the Sudbury Wolves chaplain, both have allowed our pastors to pour into the lives of those who might otherwise not be at All Nations Church. It also opened a non-profit housing complex called The Landmark to provide housing to low-income individuals. Thanks to the hard work of Pastor Al Linton, All Nations Church also opened the Breakthrough Center, a short-term residential facility for boys 16-24. And of course, you can’t forget about the Living Nativity, the free presentation of the Christmas Story that ANC has put on for decades. In present day, All Nations Church still has a variety of community service projects including our Elgin Street Mission BBQs, the Mountain of Mittens campaign and Cookies for Christ.
All Nations Church is proud of its long history, the many people who have had their lives changed and everything that it has done for the community. It is excited to continue its mission and build on its story. If you would like to watch the video yourself, you can watch it below.
