Canada: The Living Stone Assembly, Living Water Assembly, Living Water Rue Assembly, Pentecostal Living Water North Assembly, including activities and beliefs; procedures for baptism, certificate of baptism, including content and appearance, requirements and procedures for issuance, and samples; presence in Ontario, including individual congregations (2021–September 2023)
1. Living Stone Assembly
In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Senior Pastor of the Living Stone Assembly stated that he established the Living Stone Assembly in 1984, located at 3501 Kennedy Road, Scarborough, Ontario (Senior Pastor 2023-09-03). In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, the Senior Pastor indicated that the Living Stone Assembly does not have any additional Chinese congregations (2023-09-11).
According to the Senior Pastor, the church offers a two-month summer camp and weekly Bible school for children, in addition to hosting summer retreats for studying the Bible that are open to both children and adults (2023-09-11). The website of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) includes the Living Stone Assembly in its interactive church locator map (n.d.).
1.1 Beliefs
The Living Stone Assembly's website provides the following statement of faith:
- We believe that the Bible is the inspired, infallible, and authoritative written word of God.
- We believe there is only one God, eternally existent in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, in his virgin birth, his sinless life, his miracles, his vicarious and atoning death, his bodily resurrection, his ascension to the right hand of the Father, and his personal return in power and glory.
- We believe that regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential for the salvation of sinful man.
- We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
- We believe in the resurrection of the saved and the unsaved - those who are saved unto the resurrection of life, and those who are unsaved unto the resurrection of damnation.
- We believe that the Church is the body of Christ, that all who are united by faith to Christ are members of the same, and that, having thus become members one of another, it is our solemn and covenant duty to fellowship with one another in peace and to love one another with the pure love that comes from God. (Living Stone Assembly n.d.a)
1.2 Activities
The information in the following paragraphs was taken from the website of the Living Stone Assembly:
The church offers online programs after school and on Saturdays which provide academic support. The programs, run by "professional and passionate teaching staff," aim to "develo[p] students' growth mindset" with a "holistic approach." The programs include assessment of learning needs, tutoring, and activities for improving English proficiency. The church also offers extracurricular activities such as Bible story sharing, public speaking practice, drama, science experiments, math, and literary games (Living Stone Assembly n.d.b).
The website of the Living Stone Assembly indicates that the church offers Sunday services in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin (n.d.c).
2. Living Water Assembly
The Senior Pastor of the Living Stone Assembly stated that he founded the Living Water Assembly in 1980, and the church is located at 778 Ossington Avenue, Toronto, Ontario (2023-09-03). According to the website of the Living Water Assembly, the church provides prayer meetings, healing meetings, Bible study, and Sunday worship (n.d.). The Senior Pastor noted that the Living Water Assembly has three individual Chinese congregations in Ontario (2023-09-03). The PAOC's website includes the Living Water Assembly in its interactive church locator map (n.d.).
3. Living Water Rue Assembly
The Senior Pastor noted that in 2010, he established the Living Water Rue Assembly, located at 330 Conservation Drive, Waterloo, Ontario (Senior Pastor 2023-09-03). The website of the Living Water Rue Assembly indicates that Sunday worship happens online and at 350 Margaret Avenue, Kitchener, Ontario (2022-06-02). According to the website of the Living Water Rue Assembly, this church focuses on serving local Chinese immigrants (n.d.a).
4. Pentecostal Living Water North Assembly
The Senior Pastor stated that in 1990, he founded the Living Water Assembly North which was renamed Pentecostal Living Water North Assembly in January 2022, located at 5000 Steeles Avenue East, Markham, Ontario (2023-09-03). The PAOC's website includes the Pentecostal Living Water North Assembly in its interactive church locator map (n.d.).
5. Churches Activities
The Senior Pastor noted that activities at all the churches include "Sunday worship services, the distribution of pamphlets, Christmas Ev[e] party, retirement gathering, evangelical meetings, Bible study classes, and Prayer meetings" (2023-09-03). The same source stated that there are a total of 400 members "across all the churches" (Senior Pastor 2023-09-11). The Senior Pastor added that the churches use the Chinese Bible that includes both the "New and Old Testament" and that all new members receive "a free Chinese bible" when they join (2023-09-11).
6. Baptism
The Senior Pastor stated that individuals who wish to get baptized will be asked to attend church regularly and complete a baptism class (2023-09-03). The same source stated individuals can also be asked to "get involved" in the church by "joining training sessions, distributing flyers in communities, and attending public events" such as a parade (Senior Pastor 2023-09-11). According to the website of the Living Water Rue Assembly, for the baptism ceremony, the church provides a "white baptism robe" (n.d.b). The same source notes that before the person is baptized, the Pastor explains the meaning of Baptism and the individuals have to share why they are being baptized and how they came to know Jesus as their "personal savior" (n.d.b). The website of the Living Water Rue Assembly notes that the individuals will then be "instructed when to go [into] the baptism tank" (n.d.b). The Senior Pastor stated that after individuals complete a baptism course, the churches baptize them as a "symbol of their faith" (2023-09-03). The same source noted that after being baptised, the churches still encourage members to join their training sessions for "as long as possible," but "most" people stop attending after five or six sessions (Senior Pastor 2023-09-11).
6.1 Baptism Certificate
The information in the following paragraph was provided by the Senior Pastor in correspondence and in a telephone interview with the Research Directorate:
The churches can provide a certificate of baptism "in three months" (2023-09-11). The contents of the baptism certificate include the name and date of birth of the baptized person, date of baptism, name of the church, the Senior Pastor's signature, the church seal, and the issue date (2023-09-03). The Senior Pastor is the "only one who can officially sign baptism certificates for all churches" and "all certificates require his signature;" there is "sometimes another pastor's signature beside his, but in most cases, it's just signed by him" (2023-09-11). A sample of a baptism certificate, which was sent to the Research Directorate by the Senior Pastor, is attached to this Response.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Living Stone Assembly. N.d.a. "Our Beliefs." [Accessed 2023-08-29]
Living Stone Assembly. N.d.b. "Learning Centre." [Accessed 2023-08-29]
Living Stone Assembly. N.d.c. "Home." [Accessed 2023-09-07]
Living Water Assembly. N.d. "有关我们." [Accessed 2023-09-05]
Living Water Rue Assembly. 2022-06-02. "活水路教会." [Accessed 2023-09-06]
Living Water Rue Assembly. N.d.a. "About Our Church." [Accessed 2023-09-06]
Living Water Rue Assembly. N.d.b. How to prepare for Water Baptism. [Accessed 2023-09-06]
Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC). N.d. "Church Locator." [Accessed 2023-09-25]
Senior Pastor. 2023-09-11. Telephone interview with the Research Directorate.
Senior Pastor. 2023-09-03. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral sources: The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada
Attachment
Living Stone Assembly. 2022. Certificate of Baptism. Sent to the Research Directorate by the Senior Pastor, 2023-09-03.