“A church in the heart of the community with the community in our heart.”
Our Mission
Our Pastors
Nathan Schultz
Lead Pastor
I get to serve this wonderful community as the lead pastor, but I don’t do it alone. My wonderful wife, Alli, is always working alongside me as we serve together. We are a family on mission within the larger family of UTMC. Our four kids, Casey (6), Andrew (4), Stephanie (2), and Maya (4 months) are our partners in ministry.
I’ve been on the journey of following King Jesus ever since I can remember. In high school God got ahold of my life and I knew that I was on a path to work with people and help them, though I didn’t know that would involve pastoring for many years still.
I got connected with a great group of Jesus followers and through their influence I went off to college to study music for two years and then finish a four year degree in Humanities with an emphasis in English Literature. During my schooling I completed a summer-long internship at UTMC, and soon after graduating I was hired as Associate Pastor.
That’s just a snapshot of my story. I love serving God and serving His people and the community in Mitchell.
I’ve served as the Lead Pastor of UTMC since the departure of founding pastor Rev. Ralph Van Oostveen in 2020. He remains a dear friend and mentor.
I was born and raised in Stratford, ON. I attended Northwestern Secondary School and then Briercrest College in Caronport, SK. I’m currently working toward a Master of Theological Studies with Wycliffe College, an evangelical Anglican College which is part of Toronto School of Theology at U of T.
Brian Smith
Associate Pastor
Laugh, Learn and Grow are the three words that I use to describe my approach to ministry. I believe we can find joy in Christ, we should seek to learn about Christ and to serve as Christ served and we should grow together in our knowledge and be on mission to see people come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior.
I get the honour and privilege to serve this church as the Associate Pastor, along with my wonderful wife Paula and my three kids Ezra (7) Emery (5) Evangeline (2)
I felt the call to serve here at Upper Thames in November of 2021, I have a passion to serve youth and children and am excited to serve in this way at UTMC.
I also have a passion for music and love to see people experience Christ through music and through the leading of the Holy Spirit in musical worship.
I have been in church my whole life and come from an amazing family where I was taught to seek the Lord in every aspect of life. I met my wife Paula at Emmanuel Bible College and we were married in 2015. Since then I have served as a Worship Leader, and Youth Pastor and love my role as Associate Pastor here at Upper Thames.
I am currently finishing my bachelor degree in arts and biblical studies at Emmanuel Bible College.
Our Staff, Board of Directors,
Council of Deacons
Lisa Britton
Administrator
Our family has called UTMC our home for over 9 years. I was home with my children for 10 years before I started as Admin Assistant in March 2020 (the Friday before the world changed). I have a BA in Communications and have worked for non-profit organizations/ministries in the past. It is a joy and honour to serve in the UTMC office! I get to keep the office organized, the church family up to date, as well as support Pastor Nate, Pastor Brian and the Board of Directors in all aspects of their ministries.
My husband Jesse & I have been married for 21 years. We have 4 children Joel (18), Calla (16) Asher (Heaven), and Milo (7). Jesse is the Satellite Director for YFC Mitchell where we currently live after 12 years on his family farm outside of town.
As a family we have a passion for loving & serving those God has put around us as we seek to live as Disciples of Jesus. We have walked through the devastating experience of losing a child. While we are refined by fire, we continually declare God’s goodness and faithfulness. Our experiences have taught us to not shy away from the messy and hard things in life, but to show up and do the hard things with the strength and love that only comes from Christ.
David Rose
Custodian
David started caring for our building in 2021. He has great attention to detail and makes sure everything is working and running smoothly. Looking after big and small jobs, we appreciate his resourcefulness. Many people know him as our “coffee man” as he faithfully prepares and serves coffee each Sunday morning! David truly has a servant’s heart and he is so appreciated.
Marian Hutchinson
Bookkeeper
Marian began as bookkeeper for UTMC late in 2021. She brings with her a great deal of experience and understanding. Marian works closely with our Treasurer, Bruce Michael keeping everything organized and up to date. We appreciate her attention to detail and kind heart.
Board of Directors
Left to Right - Back Row: Matt Feeney, Jesse Pol, Henry Verhoog, Roger Wilkins Front Row: Bruce Michael (Treasurer), Nicole Docking, Dean Smith (Vice Chair), Fred Kuepfer, Caitlyn Bergsma, David Baker (Board Chair) Email the Board
Council of Deacons
Jesse Britton, Alison Smith, Bruce Michael, Absent: Fred Kuepfer
Putting faith in practice.
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Our Family
We are part of the family of churches across Canada known as the Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada (EMCC). This denomination has roots in Anabaptist revivals in Pennsylvania and Virginia, eventually spreading into Canada well over 200 years ago as well as western Canada.
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Our Belief
Our faith is pledged to Jesus alone. In the EMCC, we function with unity in diversity. We are a diverse group of Canadian followers of Jesus, who live with grace and appreciation for "unity in essentials, liberty in non-essentials, and love in all things".
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Our Practices
We’re updating our family practices document to focus more on what we’re for and what we do rather than focusing on the “boundaries” of our practices. While the boundaries haven’t changed, the goal of this document is to draw us into Christ-like practices, not merely highlight how far we can stray.