Statement of Faith
All Board Members must be committed Christian believers whose lives bear public witness to their faith and are faithful in attendance and in support of a local church. They must agree to the following statement of faith: Recognizing that the right and privilege of persons to church membership rest upon the fact of their being regenerate, we would require only such avowals of belief as are essential to Christian experience. We, therefore, deem belief in the following brief statements to be sufficient. We believe: In one God—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Old and New Testament Scriptures, given by plenary inspiration, contain all truth necessary to faith and Christian living. Human beings are born with a fallen nature, and are, therefore, inclined to evil, and that continually. The finally impenitent are hopelessly and eternally lost. The atonement through Jesus Christ is for the whole human race; and that whosoever repents and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ is justified and regenerated and saved from the dominion of sin. That believers are to be sanctified wholly, subsequent to regeneration, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit bears witness to the new birth, and also to the entire sanctification of believers. Our Lord will return, the dead will be raised, and the final judgment will take place.
BOARD MEMBERS
Rev. Rosemary Redshaw
President of the Board, Rosemary is an ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene and the Coordinator for the Freedom Centre. Rosemary, who is a strong advocate for the marginalized, spent 27 years working as a Chaplain in Provincial and Federal corrections. Her experience has given her exposure to the needs of people in crisis, from young offenders to adult men and women, and shaped her advocacy for the marginalized.
Jim Tolmie MWO
As our representative for the veterans, we have Jim, who spent 37 years as a medic and physician’s assistant in the Canadian Forces. Jim is also the South Western Ontario Field Operations Manager for VETS Canada and brings first-hand working experience with struggling veterans. Jim also has experience in family medicine and recently completed his Behavioral Addiction and Addiction Counselling Skills.
J. Leistra -
Board Advisor
J. Leistra worked for almost 30 years as a Biomedical Electronic Technologist at Cambridge Memorial Hospital. He retired from full-time work there in 2011. From 2001 till present, John has been servicing the patient care equipment used by the Region of Waterloo EMS Paramedic Service, Waterloo Region Police Services, and the Fire Departments in Cambridge and Kitchener. He has joined the Freedom Centre board because of his interest in helping create housing for struggling and homeless Canadian Military Veterans. John sits on the Board as a non-voting community member.
Tim Riley CPL - Board Advisor
Tim is an army veteran who has traveled the world and experienced many highs and experienced divorce, incarceration, and depression. At his bottom, he sought Jesus and established a strong personal relationship with Jesus. He is also active on the board of directors for New Life Prison Ministries and their aftercare programs and mentors others. He strives to be salt and light in his workplace, where he is a crew leader and chief union steward. He is passionate to be of help to make the Freedom Centre loving and impactful for the community and veterans in need.
Justin DaCosta
With a background in communications, Justin brings diverse experience in digital media production, sales, advertising and marketing. As a professional language instructor and blockchain educator, he sees value in bridging gaps to further strengthen positive growth potential for communities.
Julia Martin
Julia is the mother of three adult women. She has four grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. She sees herself as a lifelong learner and returned to school after 50 to get a degree in Midwifery. Her kids joke that she has taken the beginner course in everything. She states she is so excited to be a part of what God is doing in Preston and considers it a blessing to be used by Him in any way possible.
Tricia Williams
Tricia Williams is a retired Warehouse Supervisor for Colonial Cookies. Tricia was approached to be on the board due to her ability to see situations from a unique perspective and offer insights and questions that gives foresight to the direction of the Freedom Centre both short term and long term. Tricia believes the Freedom Centre is God’s work. Tricia is currently heading our Quilting program, which provides not only skills to the community, but Quilts of Valour for our veterans
Maher Khela
Maher Khela or (MK) is originally from Egypt and works in the area of Corrections. He has a passion for Canadian veterans because they deserve respect and honour. Maher joined the board because he saw the needs in many areas. He is eager to work on the building of the Freedom Centre. Maher is creative as well as practical in his ideas which aim to help others.