Our Story

IRECT began with a monthly Bible study led by Rev. Joshua Lie at the home of Mr. Monty Winardi, 56-3500 South Millway, Mississauga. At first, in October 2000, there were only three married couples. And the Lord continued to add to the number of participants in this Bible study, so that in less than a year, the group had grown to around thirty adults.

Seeing the deep longing of the participants to study and know the Word of God, Rev. Joshua Lie and several others began to pray over and seriously consider the possibility of finding a larger space for the Bible study. Yet as we sought to discern the will of God, we came to realize that, beyond the Bible study itself, Indonesian immigrants — especially those who had recently arrived — needed a church rooted in the Reformed/Presbyterian tradition and doctrine, where they could worship and grow together. This reality moved us to pray more earnestly and to consider the possibility of beginning an Indonesian-language Sunday worship service.

The Lord opened a way. Pastor Ian McWhinnie and a member of the Board of Elders of Glenbrook Presbyterian Church offered us the use of their sanctuary for a Sunday afternoon worship service. Therefore, on Sunday, September 9, 2001, IRECT’s first Sunday worship service was held in the sanctuary of Glenbrook Presbyterian Church, 3535 South Common Court, Mississauga, Ontario.

IRECT is the name registered as a charitable organization in Canada. Previously, we were better known as Mimbar Reformed Injili Indonesia, or MRII, Toronto. This was because of our affiliation with Gereja Reformed Injili Indonesia, or GRII, for several years. However, since October 14, 2007, IRECT officially ended its affiliation with GRII and became an independent church. Since then, we have used the name IRECT.

We give thanks to the Lord, to whom the Church belongs, who by His providence brought IRECT into being and made it a means of growing faith for His people in the Greater Toronto Area. We hope that the presence of our church will be a great blessing, especially to Indonesians living in the Greater Toronto Area, and more broadly to Canadian society.