How Ottawa Leaders Built Trust that Changed a City

Ottawa has something many cities long for: Christian leaders who actually trust each other enough to pray together and serve together, even when they come from different traditions. Host Bill Fledderus sits down with Mark Peterkins from One Way Ministries to unpack how that kind of biblical unity gets built over decades, and why Jesus links our love for one another to how the world recognizes him (John 15 and John 17). We talk honestly about what it takes to move from a vision for “citywide collaboration” to real relationships that can carry weight when pressures hit. Mark shares practical stories that make unity tangible in public life, including the Ottawa Civic Prayer Breakfast, where first responders and elected officials are thanked, encouraged, and prayed for, often in a room filled with people who would not call themselves believers. We also dig into Love Ottawa, a trusted, neutral platform that acts like an incubator for outreach teams, plus concrete examples like Friends for Dinner that connects international students with Christian families during key holidays. If you’ve ever wondered how churches can partner without competing, these models offer a workable path. We also get into the big, visible moments, like the Big Give on the first Saturday in June, when dozens of churches offer free experiences across the city to show God’s generosity. From there, we zoom out to leadership networks, marketplace leaders, and a growing prayer movement that includes One Church One Day, aiming to cover every day of the month with prayer for the city’s key sectors. You’ll hear about obstacles like bandwidth and theological suspicion, and how clarity plus relationship helps leaders move forward. Subscribe, share this conversation with a leader in your city, and leave a review so more people can find these stories of Christian unity, city reaching, and prayer-driven outreach. What would it take for your community to try one next step? ⬇️ CONNECT WITH ONE WAY MINISTRIES ⬇️ 🔗 OUR TEAM → https://onewayministries.ca/about/our... 🔗 DONATE → https://thebiggive.ca/ 🔗 LOVE OTTAWA → https://onewayministries.ca/love-ottawa/ 🔗 PRAY OTTAWA → https://onewayministries.ca/pray-ottawa/ 🔗 WORKPLACE NETWORK → https://onewayministries.ca/workplace... 🔗 PASTORS NETWORK → https://onewayministries.ca/pastors-n... 🔗 MINISTRY WIVES → https://onewayministries.ca/ministry-... TWO BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Lead with Prayer: The Spiritual Habits of World-Changing Leaders by by Ryan Skoog, Peter Greer and Cameron Doolittle (FaithWords, 2025). https://amzn.to/4dESaYB The City-Wide Church: Unity That God Blesses by Richard Long (One Way Ministries, 2024). https://amzn.to/3PmtISt SHARE THE AUDIO PODCAST An audio version of this conversation is also available for sharing as episode 259 of the Faith Today Podcast on most podcast platforms plus https://www.faithtoday.ca/Audio-Video... #christianunity #podcast #unity #church