At CECC, our pastoral team is dedicated to shepherding our community with Christ-centered leadership, compassion, and wisdom. Each pastor brings a unique blend of gifts and experience, united in a common purpose: to proclaim the Gospel, nurture spiritual growth, and guide us in living out our faith.
Together, they lead us in worship, teaching, and service, helping us to grow in our love for God and one another. Whether through prayer, counseling, or ministry support, our pastors are committed to walking alongside each person in their faith journey.
We are blessed to have a team that models servant leadership and reflects the heart of Christ. Get to know our pastoral team and how they are here to serve you!
Rev. Andrew Bendicion
Senior Pastor
Andrew has the honour of serving at Christ Emmanuel Community Church since 2003. He is a graduate of Tyndale Seminary (M.Div. and Th.M.), Arrow Leadership and currently a Doctor of Ministry candidate at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. Andrew longs to know the love of Christ deeper and to glorify God in all things. Andrew is blessed to be married to Clarice and they have 2 daughters. In his free time, he loves to play basketball, enjoys good food and spending time in nature.
Pastor Ian Arienda-Jose
Associate Pastor
Ian Arienda-Jose was born in the Philippines and moved to Canada as a teenager. In the late 90s, he served at Yonge Street Mission (YSM) for eight years, with the last three years as the Children’s Director. It was during his time ministering to inner-city children in Regent Park that Ian felt the Lord’s call to full-time ministry. Following YSM, he became a youth pastor at St. John’s Chinese Anglican Church for two years before serving for 14 years at Toronto Christian Community Church. Since 2018, he has been an Associate Pastor at Christ Emmanuel Community Church.
With over 20 years of experience in youth ministry, Ian is passionate about inspiring and equipping students and adults to love God wholeheartedly and live out their faith. His heart for discipleship drives him to build and nurture believers for the kingdom of God.
Ian is joyfully married to Sandra, and together, they are raising six children, striving to bring them up in righteousness for God’s glory. In his spare time, he enjoys journaling, cooking, playing basketball, ultimate frisbee, and practicing kendama, a traditional Japanese wooden toy. A fun anecdote from his life involves a three-legged cat that Ian wanted to name “Tripod,” but his wife vetoed the idea with a firm “No.”
Pastor Joseph Liu 劉星 傳道
Associate Pastor
Pastor Liu Xing, born in China, accepted Jesus Christ as savior and was baptized in 1993, while studying at Peking University. He worked as a lawyer for many years after graduation, while serving part-time in a house church. In 2013, he came to Toronto to study at the Canadian Chinese School of Theology and obtained a Master of Divinity. In Easter 2018, he suffered a major car accident. A drunken and speeding driver drove a Lamborghini sports car head-on and crashed onto his car, causing serious injuries, and he was hospitalized for 5 weeks. Unfortunately, his wife also suffered a head injury in the car accident and was in a coma for more than a month before she woke up. Brother Liu and his wife has been suffering a lot from the consequence of the car accident, but thanks to the amazing grace and providence of God, they survived the accident. Pastor Liu has been serving at the Christ Emmanuel Community Church since 2019.
劉星 傳道，在中國出生，1993年在北京大學讀書期間信主，受洗，畢業後多年從事律師工作，同時兼職在家庭教會事奉。2013年來到多倫多，就讀加拿大華人神學院，獲得道學碩士學位。2018年復活節，劉弟兄遭遇重大車禍，被一輛醉酒超速駕駛的蘭博基尼跑車迎頭相撞，造成重傷，住院5週。妻子不幸也在車禍中頭部受傷，昏迷了一個多月才醒過來。車禍在劉弟兄和妻子身體上留下終身創傷，但感謝神奇妙的恩典和保守，從車禍中死裡逃生。劉傳道自2019年開始在加拿大中華基督教會國語堂擔任傳道至今。
Pastor Angela Lam
Pastor Emeritus
Pastor Angela was born and raised in Hong Kong. Her childhood dream was to serve God and be a pastor’s wife just like her godly maternal grandmother. God graciously granted her wish and called her into the ministry. For over four decades, she served the Lord with her husband in Singapore, Philippines, United States and Canada. God blessed them with two sons who are presently working in Asia. In 2001 Angela was invited to serve at CECC as an Associate Pastor. From 2001-2019, she enjoyed a very fulfilling period of her life, learning, growing and serving with the church congregation. Since retirement in 2019, she remains active in preaching and counselling. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and singing.