Phil & Donna
Phil and Donna Edwards are the lead pastor couple here at Seine River Church in Lorette. Phil and Donna are both first generation Canadians with Jamaican heritage. They have two lovely boys Isaiah 15 and Micah 12.
Phil came to Christ in his late teens and Donna, when
she was in her early teens.
As Phil began to grow in his faith, he sensed God’s
calling to pastoral ministry. But he did not
immediately follow that call. He pursued 2 degrees in
the hopes of becoming a physician; A Bachelor of
Arts degree in Mathematics for Commerce, and an
Honours Bachelor of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
God guided Donna into her nursing career through
her Nursing degree from Lakehead University in
Thunder Bay Ontario.
But on September 11th, 2001 Phil knew he had to pursue God’s call to ministry. On that fateful day,
The Lord laid it upon his heart to minister to 300 of his colleagues while working in Toronto, Ontario.
With that ministry before me, I didn’t know what to say. I turned to the Lord and he gave me the
Matthew 24: 6 scripture…
“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed…but the end is not yet.”
With that scripture as foundation, the Lord ministered through Phil to all his colleagues across all three
shifts. Without a shadow of a doubt, Phil knew he must pursue his call to ministry. So in 2007, Phil received his Master’s of Divinity degree from Heritage College and Seminary.
Phil and Donna bring the following core beliefs to pastoral ministry:
- Worship as Priority: Worshiping the triune God brings God’s life and rule to ministry.
- God’s word as authority: God’s word is our final authority and source for growing in Christ likeness.
- God’s love brings wholeness: When we consistently encounter God’s love in Christ, we grow in living hope and unity. Even our health improves and we exercise common sense holiness.
- The triune nature of God: God exits as one God in 3 distinct persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
- The Lordship of Jesus Christ: Jesus Christ is Lord of the church, the individual believer, and all the living and the dead.
- The deity of the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is God who indwells, empowers, guides, teaches and convinces the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.
- Ministry to the Family: The biblically modelled family is foundational to society. It is to be nourished, served and persevered.
- Constant prayer unto fruitfulness: Steadfast prayer and faithful intercession allows us to partner with God in all his will.
- Wise exercise of spiritual gifts: A wise exercise of Spiritual gifts brings helps us trust that God is with us.
- Committed to Sound Doctrine: Sound doctrine protects believer’s faith.