For over a decade, we’ve seen God do incredible things

from living rooms to a vibrant & growing Faith Family, every step has been marked by God's incredible provision and the sacrificial investment of countless people who have given, served, and walked in faith.


As we look to the future, we sense God calling us to something lasting: a permanent home that reflects His faithfulness, supports our growing ministry, and invites our community in.

Scroll down to explore our story, learn more about the vision for a new ministry centre, and discover how you can be part of what’s next.

OUR STORY

We invite you to read through the timeline below and celebrate milestones and ways that God has been good to us since the beginning 

2011: GOD INITIATES A CALL
Through multiple divine appointments, circumstances, and confirmation from the Word Pastor Ashley and his wife April hear a call from God regarding Vancouver Island while serving at First Baptist Biloxi in Mississippi
2012-2013: RESPONDING TO THE CALL
In March of 2012, Pastor Ashley took a trip to Vancouver Island to pray and see what God was doing on Vancouver Island. He was met by significant divine appointments in Victoria and Nanaimo.

One month later, Ashley brought April to Vancouver Island to see if she had the same sense of call that he had.

In May, Ashley and April gave God their YES!
They were leaving a great church, extended family and friends, and everything they knew as they started the process of transitioning 2982 miles to Victoria, BC.

The Austin Family moved to Victoria, BC in March of 2013. They set out to spend their first year learning a new ministry context, building relationships, praying for the community, serving the city, and putting a team together.

Their heart was to join God in what He was calling them to do on Vancouver Island, namely to introduce people to the greatest Treasure in all of life, Jesus Christ and starting life-giving, Jesus-focused, relationship-building, family-oriented, community-serving, faith-filled, prayer-fueled, and Spirit-led
churches across Vancouver Island.
2013: CANVAS CAMPS BEGIN
Canvas Camps is at the heart of the beginning!
The very first camps were 4 one-day soccer camps in Victoria, Saanich, Colwood, and Langford.

Later in July there was a week-long soccer camp
in Colwood and a week-long flag football camp in Langford.
2013-2014 : CANVAS CHURCH BEGINS
September 2013: Canvas Church started in the Austin’s living room in September with nine adults and six kids present.

December 2013: Canvas hosted a Christmas Eve Candle Light Gathering at the Bear’s Den Coffee Shop on Bear Mountain with approximately 45 friends and guests.

On January 12, 2014 Canvas hosted their very first public worship gathering in the Ballroom at the Westin Bear Mountain. Canvas held monthly worship gatherings in the Ballroom at the Westin Bear Mountain January through August.

September 2014: Canvas hosted four weeks of Kids Wellness Camps in partnership with Ecoasis and the Westin Bear Mountain during the BC Teacher’s Strike. These camps proved to be a God-sized catalyst at a time when Canvas was already set to start meeting weekly.
In September of 2014 Canvas began hosting weekly worship gatherings in the Ballroom at the Westin Bear Mountain.
2015: FIRST BAPTISMS
On May 15, 2015, Canvas hosted their first Baptism with 12 people publicly declaring their faith in Jesus.
2017: CANVAS OAK BAY BEGINS
In ___ a team from Canvas began a monthly Bible Study in Oak Bay at ___

In ____ Mike and Sarah Blackaby responded to God’s call on their life and left their life in Georgia to move to Oak Bay and formally plant Canvas Church Oak Bay.

In ___ Oak Bay began meeting for weekly worship gatherings in the Ballroom at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel.

We are so grateful for the partnership we have with Canvas Church Oak Bay and that God allowed us to be a part of their story. You can read more about Mike and Sarah and their church at canvasoakbay.ca
2018-2019: LEGAL STEPS
In June 2018, Canvas became a BC Society

In November of 2019, Canvas became a registered charity

In ___ the first Canvas Ministry Board was appointed. 
2022-2022: A CHALLENGING SEASON
In March, like many churches, Canvas went through a challenging season due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Additionally, Pastor Ashley had a health crisis and endured two open heart surgeries in November 2020 and August 2021.

In November of 2021 Pastor Ashley miraculously returned to Canvas after a month stay in two hospitals in the states and a near death experience.
2022: THE TEAM GROWS
After facing several difficult years, God blessed Canvas with the opportunity to hire 2 full time pastors onto the staff. In January and August of 2022, two young families moved from the States to join the mission at Canvas.


2024: HUB CITY CHURCH IN MOTION
Cam and Christa Moore felt a call on their life to plant a church. After much prayer and discernment God called them to Nanaimo, a city just under 2 hours North of Victoria. The couple spent 6 weeks serving as summer interns at Canvas Church in 2016 and have a heart for the Island.

In September on 2024, the Moore family moved from Georgia to Nanaimo to follow God's call to plant another church on Vancouver Island.

There is no doubt that God has always had a plan for Nanaimo. Canvas had been actively praying for Nanaimo and felt a burden for the unbelievers there even as God was in the process of preparing Cam and Christa.

Canvas is so thankful to partner alongside Hub City church and can't wait to see what God has in store.
2024: SHEPHERDING TEAM SUPPORT
For the first time since arriving in Victoria in 2013, Canvas Church had matured to the point of having the ability to send Pastor Ashley and April on a 10 week sabbatical.

Canvas launched the Shepherding team initially to fill a need in the midst of Ashley's absence. Now, the team continues to play a crucial role in helping the pastoral staff to pray and care for the rapidly growing Faith Family at Canvas.


WHERE ARE WE NOW?

max capacity

Canvas has been hosting Sunday gathering at the Colwood Pacific Activity Centre since the spring of 2018 and most Sundays we are at a maximum capacity without an opportunity to add an additional service at this time.

leadership teams

Canvas continues to develop teams to serve the faith family and the mission of Canvas in our community and around the world.

STAFF provides most day to day leadership.

THE CANVAS BOARD provides financial oversight, wisdom, and support to the staff and the church.

THE SHEPHERDING TEAM provides prayer, care, and encouragement to the Canvas Faith Family.

OUR FAITH FAMILY

500+ REGULAR ATTENDERS
We see around 500 people each month—many of them several times—gathering to grow in faith and community.

100 KIDS & GROWING
Little Canvas, Canvas Kids, and Grade 5/6 welcome around 100 children each week. God is also moving in powerful ways among our Students.

YOUNG ADULTS ON THE RISE
Roughly 40 attend Bible Study during the school year, and up to 80 gather weekly for summer Beach Volleyball.

With rapid growth, we hired a Discipleship Ministry Intern in Summer 2025 to support our expanding Canvas Discipleship Groups.

OUTREACH 

2025 CANVAS CAMPS
will have seen more than 600 registrations in 2025 between Basketball, Soccer, Flag football, and Camp Create.

2025 FAMILY FEST 
hosted inflatables, live music, games, arts/crafts, food and drinks for more than 3,000 people in our community.

2025 FAMILY RETREAT
was a time of fellowship and discipleship for more than 200 people at Canvas Church. The three-day retreat is filled with life-giving times of worship, prayer, Bible teaching, incredible meals, and amazing times of recreation designed for the whole family.

11 YEARS OF BASKETBALL CAMP

approximately 1,400 campers

12 YEARS OF SOCCER CAMP

approximately 2,000 campers

11 YEARS OF CAMP CREATE

approximately 2,000 campers

8 YEARS OF TENNIS CAMP

approximately 240 campers

4 YEARS OF FLAG FOOTBALL CAMP

approximately 200 campers

10 YEARS OF FAMILY FEST

approximately 17,000-20,000
people in our community 

10 YEARS OF FAM RETREAT

discipleship weekends for our church

200+ BAPTISMS 

since May 2015

THE REAL MIRACLE OF 
CANVAS CHURCH: THE PEOPLE

The people that God has brought to this special faith family.
The people God has pursued.
The people God has saved.
The people that have grown in their faith in Jesus.
The people that have prayed for and with us.
The people that have given and served generously alongside us.
The people that have locked arms encouraging, supporting, and caring for one another.
The people that God has developed and sent out to make a difference for the Kingdom.
The people that have experienced stronger marriages and stronger families.
The next generation that knows there is a God in heaven who loves them and who is inviting them to join Him in making a significant impact on our city, our island, our nation, and the world.

WHY BUY/BUILD?

1/3

LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY

Several years ago, the Canvas staff and ministry board gathered for a retreat to reflect on God’s faithfulness in the past and to seek His direction for the future. One word stood out during that time: sustainability.

We believe that establishing a permanent ministry centre is key to ensuring long-term stability and consistency in the life of our church. Right now, Canvas depends on rental agreements that could change at any time—leaving us without a place for hundreds of people to gather, worship, and grow together.

A dedicated, long-term facility would not only safeguard our ability to meet but also allow us to plan and build confidently for the future God is calling us into.

WHY BUY/BUILD?

2/3

A MINISTRY HOME

The Canvas Ministry Centre will open the door to greater ministry reach and deeper community engagement by providing a space that can be used seven days a week.
It won’t just be a church building, it will be a hub for both Canvas ministries and the wider community.

We envision a welcoming coffee house that serves as a gathering place for youth, young adults, and marriage & parenting groups. We are also excited to provide dedicated areas for kids and meeting space for our Spanish ministry, Women & Men’s ministries, “Moms of Littles” group, and more.

We hope to include a gym for both Canvas Camps and community use/outreach. This space will be multifunctional and also serve as our Worship Gathering centre. Canvas is excited about the possibility to dig deeper in our current ministries and open doors for future missional impact.

WHY BUY/BUILD?

3/3

A LAUNCHPAD FOR LEADERS

The heart of the Canvas Church mission from the beginning was not to plant ONE church in Victoria, but to plant many churches all across Vancouver Island. We believe this facility will help us further the Kingdom by providing more oppurtinites to be a training ground for the next generation of ministry leaders.

HOW?
This facility will give us the stability and resources to develop leadership pipelines, host ministry residencies, and equip future leaders for ministry. With a permanent, fully equipped space, we will have a higher capacity to raise up pastors, church planters, worship leaders, and ministry teams who are called to serve both locally and globally.

WHY CANVAS church?

The Canvas story is a God story, one that began long before the Austins were called to Victoria. For years, people prayed for God to move powerfully on Vancouver Island. In 2013, those prayers became action.

Ashley & April Austin, after being involved in four church plants in Vancouver while serving with FBC Biloxi (2000–2012), answered God’s call to make the Gospel known on Vancouver Island. Over the past 12 years, they’ve planted planted Canvas Church, become Canadian citizens and homeowners, and poured their lives into the people and places of greater Victoria. Canvas Church has also played a role in planting 2 additional churches on the Island.

This long-term ministry centre is a continuation of that calling and there is an invitation for others to join it.


WHY victoria? why now?

Victoria is one of the most strategic and spiritually hungry places in North America:

  • Home to the third most irreligious city in North America (Victoria) and the first (Nanaimo)
  • A provincial capital and global destination, with over 4.9 million visitors annually
  • Home to three major universities:
    • University of Victoria (22,000 students)
    • Royal Roads University (4,100+ students)
    • Camosun College (14,000+ students)
  • Base for the Pacific Fleet of the Canadian Navy (~6,000 personnel)

THIS VISION IS BIGGER THAN US

It will take all of us, here in Canada and around the world.
This project is far beyond what any one church can do alone.

We believe God is calling faithful partners like you to pray boldly and give generously as we build a lasting gospel presence in one of the most unreached corners of North America.

WHERE WE ARE HEADED

Canvas is currently in negotiation with Path Development to acquire a 2-acre site in Royal Bay* for approximately $5 million CAD (~$3.6 million USD.) 

*Royal Bay is a new community in Colwood, BC that is a master-planned, seaside neighbourhood designed around West Coast living—walkable streets, parks, schools, and breathtaking views of the Olympic Mountains

KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SITE

Strategically placed near schools

  • Borders a new K–12 French immersion school
  • Less than 5 minutes from a future elementary school
  • A 5-minute walk to Royal Bay Secondary School (a previous Canvas gathering location)

Central to Community Life

  • Just 3 minutes from an 11-acre park with sports fields, a playground, and green space
  • 5-minute walk to Beachlands, the site of our 60+ person young adults gathering
  • Within 10 minutes of thousands of homes already built in Royal Bay
    Across from future condos to be built over the next decade

Ready Land

  • Already zoned for church use
  • Comes fully serviced (water, sewer, power, roads, sidewalks)

A Unique God Story

  • From the site, you can see a sailboat on the ocean—beautifully echoing the Canvas logo created in 2013
  • The street name already chosen by Royal Bay for this site? You’ll want to hear it! Canvas didn’t choose it, but it fits perfectly.

From Pastor Ashley…

On June 25, early in the morning I was sitting before the Lord, reading my Bible, journaling, praying, reflecting. I asked the Lord this question: “Father God, What’s on your heart?” His response: “Do you really want to know?” It almost felt like, “Ashley do you really care what’s on my heart? Are you willing to sit a while in My Presence a while? Are you willing to be still? To listen? To seek Me with all your heart?” After spending time being still before the Lord, tuning my heart to listen, I didn’t get a response. A few hours later I was gathering in my office with a group of pastors for lunch, mutual encouragement, and prayer. As we prayed together, I felt like God gave me two words. The two words were – Legacy & Entrusted.

As I have reflected on those words the following weeks, I feel like God is asking me, possibly many or all of us at Canvas, and maybe friends of Canvas from other parts of the world who have prayed for us, served with us, and invested generously in what God has called us to do – How do I/we build a Godly Legacy? While a Godly Legacy is so much more than a building or ministry centre, I invite you to join me in believing a Canvas Ministry Centre can serve as a tool, a resource that can serve our Canvas family, our larger community, and can be used to equip future leaders for ministry in cultivating a Godly Legacy that will outlasts all of us. I invite you to join me in believing a Canvas Ministry Centre will outlast us in continuing to carry out the vision that God put on my heart and April’s heart before we made the move to Vancouver Island in 2013. I invite you to join me in believing a Canvas Ministry Centre will help us to create a Godly Legacy for the many generations that will come after us.

The second word was entrusted. I felt like God was asking me, “Ashley, what are you doing with what I have entrusted to you?” If you have been around the Canvas story - it is one of faith, prayer, opposition, courage, impossible situations, miracles, and the power of God. We shouldn’t take the activity of God lightly. It is an incredible gift to see God at work in the ways we have seen God at work in the last 13 years. We want to be faithful to steward well this call and story that God is writing through so many of our lives. This invitation to “take the land” will be the next chapter in a God sized story that began many years ago.
 

A CALL TO PARTNER

its going to take all of us

As we begin this journey, there are two meaningful ways you can partner with Canvas, through prayer and giving. We encourage you to ask God how He might use your "YES" to make a lasting impact 

1. PRAY WITH US

Everything great in history and everything great in the Canvas story has happened on the backside of prayer.

This journey will be very spiritual and God-sized in nature. Our faith will grow. Our faith will be stretched. We need everyone praying with and for us! We are totally dependent on the Holy Spirit and are aware that we can do nothing apart from the Spirit of God working through us.

We need your prayer support. Would you be willing to pray consistently for the Canvas Long Term Ministry Centre? If you would like to receive monthly updates through Mailchimp on how God is working and how to pray specifically,  email ashley@canvaschurch.ca

2. GIVE 

We have an urgent timeline to raise 5 million CAD (~$3.6 million USD) for the land.

GIVING TIMELINE

$1 million (~$727,000 USD) – needed in the first 90 days
$1.5 million (~$1.1 million USD) – in the next 90 days
$2.5 million (~$1.8 million USD) – in the final six months

We also anticipate needing $8–10 million (5.8-7.3 USD) more to complete the Canvas Ministry Centre.

ONE TIME GIFT 
Would you be willing to make a one-time gift? If so, would you be willing to make your contribution in the next thirty days?

REOCCURRING GIFTS
Would you be willing to make reoccurring gifts monthly for one, two, or three years? The five million is just to cover the land. We will need approximately 8 to 10 million for the Canvas Ministry Centre.

PLEDGE/ANTICIPATE
Would you be willing to pledge a one time, monthly or yearly gift for the next three years? This will help us to know what we can count on in this building project.

STOCK HOLDERS
Would you be open to giving a donation of stock? If so, please email audrey@canvaschurch.ca

STAY IN THE LOOP 
Would you like to be updated with our progress? If so, please email ashley@canvaschurch.ca

how to give

for united states taxpayers 

ONLINE- THROUGH FBC BILOXI 

Click here to give online
Select fund : Canvas at Victoria 

BY CHECK - THROUGH FBC BILOXI 

Please make checks payable to FBC Biloxi and put Canvas Building Fund in the memo.
MAIL TO:
1560 Popps Ferry Rd., Biloxi, MS. 39532

SUBMIT A PRAYER

Would you write out a prayer in faith of what you are asking God to do regarding a long-term ministry centre for Canvas and send it to the Long Term Location Team at Canvas?

Submit