Advancing in Faith

Annual Report 2021

As we reflect on all that happened at and through EMI Canada in 2021, the theme ‘Advancing in Faith’ rose to the surface. In a year of continued uncertainty, our advancing took the form of continuing to serve Christian ministries around the world; and taking steps toward growth and sustainability. Always before us were reminders of God’s faithful presence and provision; and this provided enough light for the next step forward.

As I reflect on our theme and the year past, I’m reminded of Paul’s admonition in Philippians 3:

“…I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” [Phil 3:12-14]

I resonate with Paul’s use of the term ‘press on’, and its connotation of continuing steadfastly even when the path forward is unclear or challenging. We might also use the word ‘advance’. Throughout 2021, we continued to navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; and we considered how we might move toward greater sustainability at EMI Canada. There were some things to celebrate, some things to leave behind, and some things to begin pursuing. Through it all, God’s faithfulness remained. As we recount His past faithfulness, we are spurred on to follow him with faith into the future.

Time and time again, I’ve seen these same dynamics play out as we journey alongside our ministry clients. They, too, are faced with a clear calling to pursue God’s redemptive work, along with numerous challenges. Part of their ‘advancing’ is engaging EMI Canada. As we work together, the next steps become clearer, and we see God making a way forward.

In this report, you’ll see EMI Canada ‘advancing in faith’. We continued to serve frontline ministries around the world, and continued to support design professionals in Canada and abroad. You’ll see how God was faithful in providing the resources we needed, despite restrictions on many of our revenue streams. And you’ll see how we advanced in new and exciting directions – most notably, in serving ministry clients on Canada soil.

Finally, a word of gratitude to you, our EMI community: Thank you for your faithfulness in giving, praying, volunteering, and advocating. What you invest, God multiplies. Your partnership is vital to our ministry, and we thank God for you.

Advancing in faith together,

Greg Young
Executive Director, EMI Canada

Our Projects

Our Staff

Our Finances

How Your Donation Turns Into Impact

An 'Advancing in Faith' Story

Story: Greater Things Coming for Families in BC

Story: EMI in Numbers 2021

Click here to download a PDF copy of this Annual Report, or keep scrolling to continue reading online.

EMI is a network of Christian design professionals who impact communities through developing people, designing structures, and constructing facilities. These facilities - hospitals, orphanages, schools, clean water projects, and more - serve communities and the church by meeting physical needs and communicating God’s love in a practical way.

Learn more about EMI Canada's Vision, Mission, and Core Values

Our Projects

The core of EMI Canada’s work is our design projects. In 2021, we began serving ministries in Canada for the first time, completing needs assessments for ministries in BC and Alberta. Overall, our office worked on nine (9) different projects in eight (8) different countries in the sectors of housing, healthcare, hospitality, education & training, and church ministry.

Our Staff

Mobilizing professionals around the world

EMI Canada mobilizes full-time, faith-supported staff with various professional design backgrounds to work from our office in Calgary, Alberta, as well as other EMI offices around the world. These staff members recruit and lead design professional volunteers and interns in short-term mission teams to countries where professional-level design is unavailable or inaccessible.

The map below indicates where full-time EMI Canada staff, as well as our engineering and architecture interns from Canadian universities, served in 2020.

Our Finances

EMI Canada's revenue and expenses

Nearly 80% of EMI Canada’s revenue comes from donations and grants. Our generous and faithful financial partners enable all that we do to design a world of hope. Keep scrolling to discover exactly how your donations turn into impact.

Detailed financial statements are available upon request. Please email finance.canada@emiworld.org for more information.

How Your Donation Turns Into Impact

EMI Canada delivers hope through design by mobilizing design professionals who serve partner ministries worldwide. When you donate to EMI Canada, you empower the many facets of our work, and, thereby, deliver hope to individuals and communities around the world. Here’s how:

An 'Advancing in Faith' Story

“Now we have a pretty good idea what we actually need. You know, we're not guessing. We're not just kind of saying, 'okay, let's, let's do another one of what we have and hope that it will work.' ”

That's what Dallas Derksen, Director of Prairie Aviation Training Centre, said as he described how working with EMI has helped advance an important capital project in Three Hills, Alberta.

Prairie Aviation Training Centre (PATC), managed by Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) Canada, exists to train Christian aviation professionals who will go on to serve the Kingdom of God through aviation. PATC has outgrown their current facilities and envisions an expanded campus that will serve a growing number of students pursuing aviation-related roles in the air (pilots) and on the ground (engineers).

In the fall of 2021, EMI Canada sent a small team to Three Hills to learn about PATC's program, assess current facilities, and capture PATC's vision for the future. EMI Canada delivered a needs assessment that provided several options for an expanded campus.

Watch the video below to learn about PATC's exciting program, their bold vision for the future, and how EMI has come alongside:

EMI is anticipating continuing to serve PATC and MAF as they advance this exciting project. And EMI Canada is looking forward to serving other ministry clients operating on Canadian soil. God is doing great things right here in Canada, and EMI Canada seeks to partner with organizations on their capital projects - projects that change lives and advance God's Kingdom.

Check out the “More to explore" section below for more about EMI Canada's first project on Canadian soil, as well as a global view of EMI in "EMI by the Numbers 2021".

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