Our History

The year was 1978. The place, Driftwood Community Centre. The event, the organization of the first Church of God Sunday School in that community. Five students were enrolled and a record offering of $6.50 was collected. That was an achievement! Can one imagine the joy, the excitement, the thrill, the pride? And yes, there were a few tears as well.

This auspicious and momentous occasion was witnessed by twenty members of the West Toronto Church of God, situated then at 29 Halton Street under the leadership of the late Reverend C. McDonald. Obeying the command of our Lord Jesus Christ as stated in the great commission (Matthew 28:19-20), the Reverend McDonald commissioned a group of his brethren, with the late Reverend Wolsey Frazer as leader, to evangelize in the Jane/Finch community.

With the continued effort of the brethren, referrals, and the unwavering support of Reverend McDonald, the Sunday School grew and in no time established itself as a visible contributor to the community. In time, the group was rewarded for their hard work when two persons, Bro. & Sis. Shirley, gave their hearts to the Lord.

Reverend Frazer’s vision was to establish a church and so in the following year, December 9,1979, the Driftwood Church of God was officially organized with eleven chartered members from the West Toronto Church of God.

Despite the struggles, the Church grew both spiritually and numerically and soon after moved to larger facilities at Strong Court Catholic School. The next move was to acquire a sanctuary and so for the next nine years Pastor Frazer and the brethren worked to accomplish this goal. However, the Lord had other plans and in July of 1988 He promoted Pastor Frazer to a higher duty in heaven.

There followed a period of concern and uncertainty. The Reverend Daniel Vassel, then State Christian and Education Director, assumed interim leadership for six months. As always God was true to His word. God said He would never leave us nor forsake us and staying true to His promise, He personally hand picked the Reverend Clifton Hall as the successor for this task.

In January of 1989, the Reverend Clifton Hall and family assumed the pastorate of the Church. It was not an easy task, but a midst the criticisms, the misunderstandings, the disappointments, and the discouragements, he never wavered from his dream or lost his vision. He tenaciously focused on the task that was before him, took the bull by the horn, and picked up the mantle and carried on. From his inauguration as Pastor of Driftwood, he shared the same vision, goal, and exhibited the same zeal as Pastor Frazer. That is one of the reasons why it was easier for Reverend Hall to pick up the mantle and carry on.

Relentlessly, Pastor Hall pursued every avenue to acquire a Church building, especially since we were experiencing difficulties with the school officials. In 1993, four years later, Pastor Hall moved his congregation to 2400 Finch Ave. The Lord blessed us tremendously with a beautiful sanctuary for worship.

Six years later, the building was completely paid for. What a feat! What an achievement! What a blessing! Somebody rightly said, “Look what the Lord has done”. The Lord blessed us in every way and He keeps on blessing and blessing. As our congregation continued to grow, we again changed locations and are now located at 30 Penn Drive as Covenant of Promise Ministries. It was necessary for the building to be renovated and while much has been done in this area, we are currently in an on-going renovation.

Pastor Hall is to be commended for his sound business sense. He is hardworking, tireless, reserved, down to earth, quiet, honest, not fussy, focused, dedicated, a people person, team oriented, God fearing, loves the church, humble, yes very humble, not self-seeking. These are just a few of the attributes of the man of God, Pastor Hall. We need to pray for him and with him and his family as he continues to fulfill the mandate that was entrusted to him by the Lord.

All glory and praise be to our MOST HIGH GOD AND KING. We honour Him and pledge Him our allegiance. Praise Him all ye people. Praise Him for His mighty acts. God is truly amazing!