Who are we?
Our Mission
We are a group of passionate equippers for newcomer ministry from around the world ministering in Canada.
Share the Light has a national focus and platform, with a role in building a network of partners that join together for events and dialogue. We will consistently feature presenters of diverse backgrounds in our online conference to equip participants from all Christian churches in Canada.
How We Began
SHARE THE LIGHT (STL) began in 2021 as a national, inter-denominational and digital conference to encourage Christians to engage in reaching newcomers to Canada with the Gospel.
This conference featured seminar presenters who shared valuable insights and transferable principles from their vast and proven evangelistic and discipleship ministry experience in Canada.
Our Core Values
- We, the Church, love the triune God and join Him in His mission to all the peoples of the world (1 John 4:14; John 20:21).
- We engage in God’s commission with compassion and care (Matt 25:40).
- We respect and value each one’s dignity, ethnicity, and culture (Acts 17:2-28).
- We affirm that we are one new people in Christ (Eph 2:15).
- We recognize the diversity of the Spirit’s gifts among God’s people globally (Gal 3:28).
- We encourage the use of the Spirit’s gifts to equip believers to reach the people groups among us for God’s glory (1 Cor 12:7).
- We believe that the local church is central in God’s “glocal” mission (global + local; Rev 1:4; 1 Pet 5:9).
Our Areas of Focus
Executive Leadership Team
Sandi Howell
OMF International
Sandra (Sandi) Howell has been an active missionary member with her husband, Don, for 30 years with OMF International. Presently, she is Connections East Asia (CEA)’s Coordinator for ESOL, which uses English as a Second Language (ESL) to reach East Asians in Canada.
Rick Love
Love New Canadians
Rick and his wife Patti started Love New Canadians, a ministry that has worked with more than 400 churches and ministries in 8 provinces across Canada to help them develop pathways to Jesus for immigrants in their neighbourhood.
Allan Pole
Cooperative ESL Ministries
Allan has pastored in various churches since 1984. He taught and preached God’s Word in many parts of North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. His personal mission is to help others fulfill God’s call. In 2004, Allan and his wife Brenda planted New Beginnings Church International of Calgary (nbccalgary.com), where he continues to pastor. Allan has served as president of Cooperative ESL Ministries since 2017.
Brian Seim
SIM Canada
Brian Seim and his wife Sally have lived in Toronto for 40 years, facilitating mission to newcomers to Canada. They developed SIM’s field ministry across Canada, and encouraged their urban missionaries in 150 cities around the world. He is the editor of Canada’s New Harvest and Urban Mission Toolbox, for an Increasingly Urban World.
Among other activities, he is currently, Co-chair of Share the Light Executive Leadership Team and Planning Committee. He is completing a PhD in missiology at Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, entitled “Mixing Colours without Making Them Run”.
T. V. Thomas
Lausanne Global Diaspora Network
Originally from Malaysia, T.V. Thomas has studied, taught, mentored and networked in academic and trans-denominational settings around the world. He is the founder and director of Centre for Evangelism and World Mission in Regina. He serves as the Multicultural/ Intercultural Ministries Consultant for The Alliance Canada. Along with his Lausanne responsibilities, he serves on several committees and boards passionately facilitating evangelism and mission across Canada. T.V. and his wife, Mary, have three adult children.
Jennifer Tong
Southern Ontario Cooperative of ESL Ministries
Jennifer Tong has been the coordinator and a teacher of a small ESL program at Parkway Forest Community Church since 2004. She is a TESL Ontario certified teacher and has taught LINC at a private language school and a factory in the past. Her interests include Non-Western learning styles, reflective practice in ESL and mental health and immigrants. Jennifer is the current Coordinator for the Southern Ontario Cooperative of ESL Ministries (SOCEM). In that role, she is involved in event planning, networking, training and consulting. She also edits the quarterly SOCEM Newsletter.
2023 Conference Planning Team
Brian Seim and Rick Love along with
Darlene Penner
Darlene has worked/volunteered for various Christian nonprofits for more than 16 years. With a passion to work in a ministry that serves churches that welcome newcomers to Canada, she currently works as a Resources Coordinator and newsletter editor for CESLM. Currently, she resides in Calgary with her husband Brad. They have 3 adult boys.
