On January 5, 2025, Grace Tabernacle in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, held a landmark celebration: the 50th Anniversary of the founding of their church!
Pastor Rick Mootoo at the Anniversary Celebration
Grace Tabernacle’s 50th Anniversary Celebration
Pastors Rick and Wendy Mootoo have been eagerly anticipating the celebration, expecting a large turnout with many familiar faces, and they weren’t disappointed when Grace Tabernacle gathered at the Guild Inn Estate for this very special event.
The 50th Anniversary Celebration
The church, known for its vibrant music, held a special worship service during the celebration. The Mootoos highlighted the exceptional diversity of the band and congregation, which includes representatives from countries such as Guyana, Jamaica, Hungary, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Spain, and many others. In the past, Pastor Wendy particularly enjoyed the sight of the large church choir dressed in robes as they entered the service, and at this celebration, the church was able to assemble the choir and dress them in robes once again.
A few of the Choir Members in Their Robes
The event also featured a lunch and an ordination service, during which four members were ordained.
Ordination 1
Congratulations to Rev. Aaron Kerr, Rev. Roberto Vasquez Alas, Rev. Mario Hernandez Brijaldo, and Rev. Dearly Adriana Bolivar Suarez
Rev. Balazs Barna Farkas and Rev. June Rosamun Babb Farkas founded Grace Tabernacle fifty years ago in a storefront in Toronto. Rev. Balazs Farkas immigrated from Hungary, while Rev. June Farkas immigrated from Guyana. The Farkases’ experiences as immigrants shaped their hearts for the people of Toronto, longing to create a place where anyone from any place would feel welcome.
Rev. Balazs Barna Farkas
Rev. June Rosamun Babb Farkas
Grace Tabernacle’s storefront beginnings allowed for a coffee shop and a convenient place for bus drivers and passengers to stop in and hear about Jesus. After about ten years in that location, the Farkases relocated the church to an old Jewish library, where it remains to this day. Before Rev. June Farkas’ passing in 2013 and Rev. Balazs Farkas’ passing almost exactly one year later in 2014, they transferred responsibility for Grace Tabernacle to Pastors Rick and Wendy Mootoo.
Pastors Rick and Wendy Mootoo
Even though the Mootoos have served as lead pastors for nearly thirteen years, their connection to Grace Tabernacle began long before that. Pastor Wendy has been with Grace Tabernacle since its founding when she was just 12 years old. The founding pastors, the Farkases, are her parents. The Mootoos, who have been married for 33 years, met in the church. Pastor Rick is a transplant from Guyana who studied Business and Information Systems at a university in Canada; this led him to a career with Canada’s largest communications company. Pastor Wendy’s career was also in communications as a project manager with an IT company. Until recently, the Mootoos were both bivocational; in 1993, coinciding with the birth of their first child, Pastor Rick was asked to be the youth pastor at Grace Tabernacle. In 2003, he transitioned into the role of Associate Pastor, and in 2013, he was asked to take over as lead pastor. In 2020, Pastor Rick was elected as the Bishop of Canada for the Pentecostal Holiness Church of Canada (PHCC).
A church is fundamentally a refuge, a community space for discipleship and restoration work. For the people of Grace Tabernacle in Toronto, their church has been just those things for 50 years, and their recent anniversary celebration was a testament to all that God has done. The Mootoos, as the Farkases before them, believe this about the church: “It’s not about seating capacity; it’s all about sent capacity.” Presiding Bishop A. D. Beacham, Jr., who was able to attend the event, said: “When Wendy Mootoo’s parents planted this congregation in 1975, they had no idea of what the Lord would do! What impressed me about the history of this IPHC congregation in Canada was first, the ongoing commitment to evangelism, and second, the commitment to plant churches from the mother church of Grace Tabernacle. Praise the Lord for this thriving congregation that continues to impact Canada and the world for Christ!”
As Grace Tabernacle looks back on five decades of faithful ministry, their eyes remain firmly set on the future. Under the leadership of the Mootoos, they continue to build on the foundation laid by the Farkases, sending out new generations of disciples to share the love of Christ in Toronto and beyond.
