Lakeside Church

7654 Conservation Road, Guelph,ON  519-836-8141
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About Us

 

1989 – Lakeside Church begins through the sacrificial efforts of 40 families who desired a church community that was distinctly different. They wanted to be a church community where the key focus area was sharing the life-giving message with those who were not part of any church community. They wanted the presentation of the life-giving message to be creative, relevant and practical for everyone who attended. They raised the funds and built the first facility on 95 acres of land just north of the city. The first service was held in that brand new facility on Sunday October 24th, 1989.

1996 – The church continued to grow, many people’s lives were impacted, multiple services were added, but people and facility resources were taxed to the max. Growth was being constrained because of the facility, so once again people sacrificed and money was raised and a large facility expansion was added doubling the size of the main auditorium and adding significant space for a growing children’s ministry. As happened previously, people’s lives were impacted and additional services were added to accommodate this growth.

1998 – David Booker, the founder and senior pastor stepped down from that role and a team was established to search for a new Lead Pastor.

1999 – David Ralph began his ministry at Lakeside and God brought about growth again. Lives were impacted, new ministries were established and multiple services were again introduced. First there were two services and then three. Each time a service was added the auditorium continued to fill up which eventually put a strain on children’s ministry space.

2001 – A small addition was made to the children’s ministry area which included a small auditorium and additional classroom space. The square footage of the entire facility was approximately 25,000.

2007 – Facility space began again to restrain growth in weekend services, children’s ministry and the various ministries throughout the week. People once again sacrificed, the funds were raised, a mortgage was arranged and an additional 35,000 square feet was added. This included a 1,000 seat auditorium and the necessary space for a “multi-venue” approach to ministry which included a café, a warehouse type meeting room and a chapel.

2012 – We now have approximately 2,300 people who call Lakeside their church home with an average weekend attendance of between 1,300 and 1,400 people. Throughout the history of the church we have seen hundreds of people find a personal relationship with Jesus and more than 500 of them have been baptized.

  • We have many of the people who attend finding genuine community in a small group.
  • We have strong recovery ministries that help men and women with hurts, habits and hang-ups, through the pain of divorce and we will soon be launching a ministry that will support those grieving a significant loss in their lives.
  • We have hundreds of children who are well cared for and ministered to in age appropriate ways while their parents attend one of our venues each weekend.
  • We have a large and growing student ministry helping both Junior High and High School students maneuver the maze of student life.
  • We have a growing young adult ministry that is for any young adult who wants to experience an authentic and genuine relationship with Jesus.

 

As we continue to grow it is our hope that we don’t just add more numbers or square footage but that we help people be impacted and find life change through the message of Jesus.