Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church
Thornhill ON

L3T 3V2

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Who we are

Welcome! Herzlich willkommen!

We are a bilingual German-English congregation in the North of the Greater Toronto Area.

​Our local mission partners are Yellow Brick House and Evergreen Hospice. We also support the work of CLWR. ​ Our vision:

Growing in faith... Connecting people to Jesus Christ and to each other.

Our congregation is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), and we are specifically in the Central Toronto Area of the Eastern Synod. We are also members of the German Evangelical Lutheran Conference in North America. Our church partners with the other Toronto German Lutheran churches, as well as with other local churches in the Thornhill Ministerial.

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Location of worship

Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church
149 Bay Thorn Dr
Thornhill, ON L3T 3V2
Canada
Phone: (905) 889-0873
Fax: (905) 881-9154
Download Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church vCard with Service Times
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Church Pastor

Rev Peter Lisinski
Rev Peter Lisinski
Pastor
149 Bay Thorn Dr
Thornhill, ON L3T 3V2
Canada
Phone: (905) 889-0873
Fax: (905) 881-9154
Download Pastor Rev Peter Lisinski vCard
Click here to contact Rev Peter Lisinski   Edit



Denomination

Evangelical Lutheran



Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada logo
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Affiliations

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada   Edit

Church Website


Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church on Social Media


Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church YouTube Video



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Leadership

Leader Name:
Rev Peter Lisinski   Edit
Leader Position:
Pastor   Edit
Formal Title:
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Leader Address:
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Phone:
Fax:
(905) 881-9154   Edit
Leader Email:
Click here to contact Rev Peter Lisinski   Edit
Leader Bio:
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Other Church Leaders:
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Administration

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Phone:
Fax:
(905) 881-9154   Edit
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Mailing Address

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Driving Directions to Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church

A From:
B To:
149 Bay Thorn Dr, Thornhill, ON
Mode of Travel:




Travel/Direction Tips

From the North

- Follow Yonge Street south (towards the City of Toronto).
- After passing Highways 7 and 407 take the left lane. You will pass Holy Cross Roman-Catholic Cemetery on your left.
- Turn left at the second traffic light into Royal Orchard Boulevard
- Crossing Inverlochy Boulevard, continue to the next street crossing (Bay Thorn Drive). You will see our sign on the corner in front of you to your left.
- Turn left into Bay Thorn Drive and enter the Parking Lot on your immediate right.

From the South

- Follow Yonge Street north (leaving the City of Toronto, going towards Richmond Hill).- Continue north past Steeles Avenue.
- After passing Clark Avenue take the right lane.
- Having passed a ravine, watch out for Royal Orchard Blvd and at the lights, turn right (east).
- Crossing Inverlochy Boulevard, continue to the next street crossing (Bay Thorn Drive). You will see our sign on the corner in front of you to your left.
- Turn left into Bay Thorn Drive and enter the Parking Lot on your immediate right.

From the East or West (via Hwy 7 or 407)

- Exit Highway 407 or Highway 7 from the east or west at Yonge Street and continue south (towards the city, NOT into Richmond Hill).
- Take the left lane after passing Holy Cross Roman-Catholic Cemetery on your left.
- Turn left at the second traffic light into Royal Orchard Boulevard
- Crossing Inverlochy Boulevard, continue to the next street crossing (Bay Thorn Drive). You will see our sign on the corner in front of you to your left.
- Turn left into Bay Thorn Drive and enter the Parking Lot on your immediate right.

Public Transit

From the South

-Ride the Yonge subway line to Finch Station (last stop) and continue by YRT bus (all busses go north on Yonge Street).
-Exit at Royal Orchard Boulevard. Walk 750 meters to the corner of Bay Thorn Drive.
-Please note that the TTC is on their night schedule until 8 a.m. on Sundays, with bus 320 replacing the Yonge subway line.

From the North

-Ride Viva Blue or YRT Bus 99 going South on Yonge towards Finch Station.
-Exit at Royal Orchard Boulevard. Walk 750 meters to the corner of Bay Thorn Drive.   Edit


Parking

34 spaces are available in our parking lot, with street parking (no time limit) for overflow.   Edit


Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church Service Times

Sunday Services

Join us in worship, whether in person or online!
We have six different worship services: in German, in English, Joint Bilingual (about 80% English), Joint Family (with Children's message and simplified Sunday School), Messy Church and Engage!

UPDATE re COVID-19 pandemic:

Services will be via audiostream only (see below). Pastor Peter will hold services every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. in English. On the last Sunday of the month the service will be in German.

Every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. our pastor and our organist will provide the readings, some music and a sermon online.

You can listen online here: https://www.thornhill-lutheran.org/web-stream.html

It's been more than 3 years since the last service times update. Please make sure to contact the church to confirm service times.

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Worship Languages

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Sunday School / Children and Youth Activities

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Local outreach & community activities

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Prayers and Hymns

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Other information

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Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church History

The History of Christ the King -Dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church

In January 1989 the idea to merge the congregation of "Christ the King" with the one of "Dietrich Bonhoeffer" became reality, thanks to the initiative of a few members of both congregations. Having been blessed with the amalgamation in the years thereafter we can celebrate this decision, and be grateful to all who worked tirelessly for this effort.

In 1988 both of these Lutheran Congregations north of Toronto were pondering their future. "Christ the King" was in a period of declining membership and in need of a pastor who could help them to reverse that trend. "Dietrich Bonhoeffer" was too small a congregation to fulfill their hope to move from their rented premises to a church of their own.

"Christ the King" had been founded in 1966 as a Community Church, attracting English speaking Lutherans in the neighbourhood. The congregation owned a parsonage and in 1968 laid the cornerstone for a church building. It also established a day care centre for local children that became an important contribution to the community at large.

"Dietrich Bonhoeffer" was founded in November 1979 with the desire to provide services to German immigrants in their native tongue north of Toronto. However, services were also held in English, primarily for the children of these immigrants as well as for people of other ethnic backgrounds. Like in other German congregations in Toronto, it soon became apparent that English services were poorly attended. With the generous support of the Evangelical -Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) and the foreign office of Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany (EKD), German language services could be maintained. The EKD provided pastors from Germany. During their time in Toronto, these pastors worked within the ELCIC, and established good relationships with neighbouring churches.

In the spirit of out-reach, Soenke Schmidt-Lange, Pastor of "Dietrich Bonhoeffer" at the time, helped out at "Christ the King" as frequent guest preacher. This led to the efforts of Günther Thase of "Christ the King" to engage the two congregations in dialogue for the possibility of a merger. A special committee with the following members: Volker Kirstein, Rollin Matsui, Ed Stahlberg, Sigismund Sturm, Günther Thase and Nancy Kehrli was formed. This committee was to make sure that the concerns of the two congregations would be duly considered in merger negotiations, and that it would support the two respective church councils in their decision making and their understanding of the need for bilingual Ministers. Based on the experiences with and the support from the ELCIC and the EKD-Germany we were confident that a merger could be achieved.

An example of the good will and positive spirit is the letter that Pastor Dietrich Buettner, who was chosen to replace Pastor Soenke Schmidt-Lange, wrote to the then chairman of the council of "Christ the King", Rollin Matsui.

Muenster, July 6th, 1988 Dear sisters and brothers in Christ dear Mr. Matsui! A few weeks ago Mr. Kirstein informed me of the coming amalgamation between Bonhoeffer Church and your congregation. I suppose that it will be a very difficult decision, especially for the members of your parish, because you must cope with a German minister, who is not even fluent in your mother tongue! When I heard of your plans I felt encouraged to take over this challenging task. I am looking forward to the chance of a bilingual Christian community, although it will probably take a couple of months until my problems with the English language will be solved. I never lived in an English speaking country, but I learned English in school for nine years and practiced English during several visits in the United States and Great Britain. My wife spent one year as an exchange student in California and graduated from an American high school. Our whole family is looking forward to moving to Toronto. We'll attempt to integrate into the Canadian society as far as possible. But perhaps our German background and our different experiences will open a new way of intercultural respective learning and understanding between our congregations. The spirit of our Lord will be with you when you come together for that fundamental decision. God bless you. Yours (signed) Dietrich Buettner

Following Pastor Buettner (1988-1993) after his return to Germany we had two more pastors from Germany to serve the Christ the King-Dietrich Bonhoeffer congregation. These were Pastor S. Panitz (1993-1997) and Pastor M. Giebel (1997-2009). The sensitivity and dedication to our cause, the linguistic skills and spiritual guidance of these three ministers, supported by their wives, were essential to the amalgamation of the two congregations into the one of Christ the King - Dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church.

This amalgamation, however, could not have happened without the dedication to this cause of so many members of the church. Their enthusiasm resulted in the immediate renovation of the church followed by the construction of a building extension to house a community hall in which regular social events take place. These get-togethers strengthen the bonds between churchgoers.

When Pastor Giebel decided to become a citizen of Canada and subsequently followed a call to ministry of another congregation, the ELCIC arranged for Pastor J. R. Bestvater to be interim pastor during our search to fill the vacancy. Pastor Bestvater will be fondly remembered by the congregation for his spiritual support and his care for individual members.

By God's Grace we count ourselves blessed that pastor Sebastian Meadows-Helmer has now, since Sept. 2010, become our new pastor. Supported by his wife and through his youthful energy he gives us much hope for the future of Christ the King-Dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church.

Sigismund Sturm Toronto, January, 2011

Here is a list of the pastors that served or are serving at Christ-the-King, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the amalgamated church:

Pastors at Christ the King Arnold Weigel (1965-1975) Mark Innes (1975-1979) Ray Elberson (1979-1985) Stephen Gross (1986-1988)

Pastors at Dietrich Bonhoeffer Vicar Reinhard Keding (1975-1976) Vicar Michael Lange (1976-1977) Vicar Hans Ulrich Kruse (1977-1978) Hartmut Barsnick (1979-1981) Soenke Schmidt-Lange (1982-1987)

Pastors at Christ the King - Dietrich Bonhoeffer Dietrich Buettner (1988-1993) Sunny Panitz (1993-1997) Martin Giebel (1997-2009) J.R. Bestvater, Interim (2009-2010) Sebastian Meadows-Helmer (2010-present)

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Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church FAQs

Question: Where is Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church located?
Answer: Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church is located at 149 Bay Thorn Dr, Thornhill, Ontario.

Question: Who is Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church's pastor?
Answer: Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church's pastor is Rev Peter Lisinski.

Question: What time is service at Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church?
Answer: Sunday Services Join us in worship, whether in person or online! We have six different worship services: in German, in English, Joint Bilingual (about 80% English), Joint Family (with Children's message and simplified Sunday School), Messy Church and Engage! UPDATE re COVID-19 pandemic: Services will be via audiostream only (see below). Pastor Peter will hold services every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. in English. On the last Sunday of the month the service will be in German. Every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. our pastor and our organist will provide the readings, some music and a sermon online. ​ You can listen online here: https://www.thornhill-lutheran.org/web-stream.html

Question: How can I get to Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church?
Answer: From the North - Follow Yonge Street south (towards the City of Toronto). - After passing Highways 7 and 407 take the left lane. You will pass Holy Cross Roman-Catholic Cemetery on your left. - Turn left at the second traffic light into Royal Orchard Boulevard - Crossing Inverlochy Boulevard, continue to the next street crossing (Bay Thorn Drive). You will see our sign on the corner in front of you to your left. - Turn left into Bay Thorn Drive and enter the Parking Lot on your immediate right. From the South - Follow Yonge Street north (leaving the City of Toronto, going towards Richmond Hill).- Continue north past Steeles Avenue. - After passing Clark Avenue take the right lane. - Having passed a ravine, watch out for Royal Orchard Blvd and at the lights, turn right (east). - Crossing Inverlochy Boulevard, continue to the next street crossing (Bay Thorn Drive). You will see our sign on the corner in front of you to your left. - Turn left into Bay Thorn Drive and enter the Parking Lot on your immediate right. From the East or West (via Hwy 7 or 407) - Exit Highway 407 or Highway 7 from the east or west at Yonge Street and continue south (towards the city, NOT into Richmond Hill). - Take the left lane after passing Holy Cross Roman-Catholic Cemetery on your left. - Turn left at the second traffic light into Royal Orchard Boulevard - Crossing Inverlochy Boulevard, continue to the next street crossing (Bay Thorn Drive). You will see our sign on the corner in front of you to your left. - Turn left into Bay Thorn Drive and enter the Parking Lot on your immediate right. Public Transit From the South -Ride the Yonge subway line to Finch Station (last stop) and continue by YRT bus (all busses go north on Yonge Street). -Exit at Royal Orchard Boulevard. Walk 750 meters to the corner of Bay Thorn Drive. -Please note that the TTC is on their night schedule until 8 a.m. on Sundays, with bus 320 replacing the Yonge subway line. From the North -Ride Viva Blue or YRT Bus 99 going South on Yonge towards Finch Station. -Exit at Royal Orchard Boulevard. Walk 750 meters to the corner of Bay Thorn Drive.

Question: What is Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church's Facebook page?
Answer: https://www.facebook.com/ThornhillLutheran/

Question: What is Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church's live streaming page?
Answer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZkud2JUNxg

Question: Where do I park at Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church?
Answer: 34 spaces are available in our parking lot, with street parking (no time limit) for overflow.

Question: What is Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church's website?
Answer: https://www.thornhill-lutheran.org/

Question: What denominaiton is Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church?
Answer: Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church belongs to Evangelical Lutheran denomination and is affiliated with Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.

The power of Christian prayer "Prayer is my chief work, and it is by means of it that I carry on the rest."
Thomas Hooker
Christ The King-dietrich Bonhoeffer Lutheran Church listing was last updated on the 10th of January, 2021
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