Interview with Hobbe
The Cross Cultural Missions Team (CCMT) will be featuring one of our mission partners each month on a rotating basis. We want to foster stronger relationships with our mission partners. We invite you to learn, pray and give to the important work they are doing to advance the Great Commission both locally and globally.
This past month, I sat down with Hobbe Smit, former member of New City, to get an update on his many years of good and faithful ministry in Hamilton. In this interview, Hobbe Smit shared about the variety of ministry roles in campus ministry, inner city outreach, and on staff at Sojourn Community Church.
Q: Can you tell us about your ministry?
I work for Power to Change (P2C) Ministries, whose mission is to help people know Jesus and experience his power to change the world. Within this ministry, I work for 20 hours a week with P2C Students at McMaster University, which I have been doing since 2010. My role includes discipling leaders, modelling evangelism, and providing accountability to leaders to stay focused on our mission and vision - helping students take their next step toward Jesus.
I also work for Connecting Streams, another ministry of P2C, for 15 hours a week. Within this ministry, I engage in inner city work with Helping Hands Street Mission. I also am involved in a long-term care home and currently run a weekly Bible study at the Dundurn Place Care Center, which is only three blocks from New City.
In my remaining time, I serve on staff part-time at Sojourn Community Church as Outreach Coordinator, Men's Ministry Coordinator and also as occasional preacher.
Q: How did you first get involved with Dundurn Place Care Center?
My role at Dundurn Place first started through a M.Div. placement I had at New City Church while studying at McMaster Divinity College. New City already had an existing relationship with a paraplegic man who lives there, so I took over and befriended him. We studied the Bible a bit, prayed together and I focused on getting to know him and helping him process his life. I’ve been meeting with him for several years now, since before the pandemic. Thanks to this man’s encouragement, I began a Bible study on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m, starting in Fall 2024. It would be great if some members of New City could come out to help volunteer with this!
When I was attending a different church, they had a monthly time where on a Sunday afternoon we would go and visit a local long-term care home and have a mini message in the chapel. Afterwards, the youth group would go around the home in different common spaces and sing hymns. I think it would be great if New City could start something like this on a weekend.
More recently, I also took over a Bible study at Amica, a retirement home in Stoney Creek. The transition has been exciting, with ministry happening on a monthly basis.
Q: What is something that has encouraged you recently?
Taking over the long-term care ministry at Amica from another church has been encouraging. It has been great to see how, right from the start, God provided volunteers from Sojourn.
At McMaster, I am encouraged by the over 200 students who engaged with Jesus through the Alpha program this past year. It has also been encouraging to see how the ministry at P2C is growing, not only in size, but in depth, with small groups becoming more tightly knit, Christians keeping each other accountable to pray and read their Bible everyday and share the good news with their friends. I am also grateful for new leaders taking on the baton from past leaders and for their commitment to pray weekly this summer into a new school year of being on mission together with Jesus.
Q: What are some challenges you’ve been facing, and how can New City pray for and support you?
Power to Change at McMaster operated this past year without official club status, due to a missed administration deadline. While we were able to promote our events through collaborating with other Christian clubs to run Alpha, we were limited on budget and needed to rent spaces off-campus, instead of being able to have a space for free. We have submitted an application for club status and had to file an appeal and are now waiting to hear back. Please pray for us to receive club status.
Another challenge is that I currently have a deficit in my ministry account. Please pray that God would provide the funds to cover my deficit. I really appreciate all the support New City gives through prayer, special offerings and ongoing financial support.
Please also pray for long-term care residents both at Dundurn Place and Amica (Stoney Creek). Thank God for the peace with God and each other that our Bible study attendees have felt at Dundurn Place - including some that didn’t grow up “religious.”
Thank you so much for caring and for reading this update. If you would like to get in contact with Hobbe or subscribe to his regular ministry updates, please email missions@newcityhamilton.com. Please also mark your calendars for August 24th, where we will take up a Special Offering for his ministry with Power to Change.