STEVE – PASTOR

A shared passion for ministry led to a strategic partnership between Scarborough Baptist Church (SBC) and UrbanPromise Toronto (UPT) when the facility used by UPT for ministry in Warden Woods (Camp Hope) was being shut down for renovations.
        Several years earlier, Pastor Steve Hamburger caught the vision for ministry in this community as he heard about what UPT was doing just down the road from his church. Located near Warden Ave. and Kingston Rd. in south Scarborough, SBC is a short bus ride away from the Warden Woods community, where UPT serves through its programs for children, youth and mothers.
        Pastor of SBC for 11 years now, he began reaching out by welcoming the kids and staff of Camp Hope into his church with hopes of engaging his congregation into reaching marginalized communities. Of this change, he says, “I’d rather [have] a noisy church than a dead, silent church … and that’s where we’re at now. The church has moved from isolation to penetration into the community.”
        At this time UPT programs in Warden Woods were being held right in a church within the community, but when news hit that their doors would have to close so the building could be renovated, Pastor Steve quickly suggested SBC could be the new home for Camp Hope. Growing pains aside, Pastor Steve says the congregation has become more concerned about opening the doors of their hearts and welcoming the desolate and needy than shutting them out. “We’re dealing with kids who are at the brunt of negative things in society … I think we need to rub shoulders with poverty, violence and brokenness altogether.”
        So what started with just day camps, moved to inviting children for Sunday mornings and now they bring the two separate demographics of church youth and Warden Wood’s youth together for Friday night youth programs. As Pastor Steve and the UPT team blend the two families together, they make sure love and unity are at the core of everything they do. This has proved to be successful for Kelly Stouffer, Supervisor of YMAD (Youth Making a Difference) programs in Warden Woods, who says, “there is no ‘our way’ or ‘their way’ … it’s God’s way together!” Pastor Steve agrees, “what we can really promise is that we would be a family to their kids and families and I can see it’s occurred … more and more, UrbanPromise has become part of our DNA!” Both agree that it has deeply impacted the lives of the children, youth and families because it shows how diverse and loving the Kingdom of God is.
        When asked about how he made the decision to be a part of what UrbanPromise Toronto was doing, Pastor Steve he emphasized his passion for helping people know how relevant Christianity really is. “Every church is one generation away from extinction and if we don’t intentionally reach out to the community, we become irrelevant to the community.” He also sees the uniqueness of UPT, that through our Streetleader program, kids are inspired by “cool” teenagers who display the attributes of Christianity.
        We are privileged to have longstanding relationships with many churches across Toronto, who like the congregation at SBC, embrace the opportunity to bring God’s love into the most broken places. “Every day and every opportunity is significant as God brings us together in the eternal kingdom story, and we just can’t waste our time! We’ve got to take those opportunities He brings our way.”