MILESTONES
1979 - First steps towards creating a teaching and discipleship ministry.
1981 - VEA Ministries is officially incorporated as a non-profit organization.
1981 - Consultant and Distributor of Children's Programs for Cable TV
1982 - Host of "This is the Day," on a local cable TV channel in Mississauga, Ontario.
1982 - VEA Ministries opens a teaching centre in Mississauga, Ontario.
1982 - Begins ministry of preaching, teaching, counseling, and discipleship, as well as guest speaker at conferences, workshops, seminars, and churches, including initiatives in fine art (Masterpeace Fine Art Studio), curatorial and educational work of the Drawing Society of Canada (1998), online drawing course of the Canadian Academy of Drawing (2005), publishing, consulting and management services, and mentoring of individuals in spiritual and art matters.
1983 - 1987, Organizer and speaker at 10 VEA Video-Cells throughout South-western Ontario.
1987 - VEA Ministries obtains Canadian Charitable Status.
1987 - 1993, Founder, organizer and speaker at Annual All-Ontario Holy Spirit Conferences, as well as Regional Holy Spirit Conferences throughout South-western Ontario.
1989 - International outreach with course material from VEA teachings in the form of teaching notes and correspondence courses to such countries as: Philippines, India, New Zealand, Portugal, and Ghana (West Africa), as well as Canada and the USA.
1990 - First Mission to Mexico
1991 - Second Mission to Mexico
1993 - VEA Ministries (and family) move as missionaries to Gabriola Island, BC, Canada.
1993 - VEA Ministries begins a home-fellowship named Church On The Rock (the fellowship moves from home, to the Gabriola Elementary School, the Gabriola Community Centre, and finally to the Hope Centre facilities.
1993 - Mission to the Canadian Arctic
1994 - Mission to Ghana (West Africa)
1995 - First trip to Israel
2004 - VEA Ministries opens The HOPE Centre on Gabriola Island, as the island's premier family centre for resiliency and prevention programs for children, teens, youth, and adults (location and program details at www.hopecentre.yolasite.com ) HOPE means Hands On Prevention and Education.
2016 - VEA Ministries celebrates 35 years of non-profit initiatives.
2016 - Gerrit Verstraete (at age 71) completed his Doctor of Creative Arts degree from CLU Christian Leadership University, USA. (He also holds an AOCA art degree from OCAD University / formerly Ontario College of Art; a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Thompson Rivers University; a Master of Arts in Communication and Technology from the University of Alberta, and a Master of Theology from St.Stephen's College / University of Alberta.
2018 - Celebrating 25 years on Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada.
2019 - The HOPE Centre begins construction of a new 4000 sq.ft. building, The Hope Learning Centre for Infants & Toddlers. The new building is the 3rd building on VEA Property. (1. The Hope House, child-daycare, 2. The Multi-Purpose Building, aka "Big Blue Building," After-School, Peer Helper Training, and Teen Programs, and 3. The Hope Learning Centre for infants & toddlers). When completed, the Hope Centre will comprise a total of nearly 12,000 sq.ft. of space for all services and programs. Plus the (new-relocated) "Bottle Depot" as a fundraising initiative for Hope Centre programming.
2021 - The Hope Learning Centre officially opens amidst COVID restrictions and protocols and stays in regular contact with Health Authorities and Licensing Agencies to maintain the highest standards of childcare and family resources on Gabriola Island.
2022 - Celebrating 29 years on Gabriola Island
2022- The Church on the Rock (forthcoming - post COVID 19) will resume as a House Church in the former "Hope House" on 790 North Road. The other two buildings on the property at 790 North Road, Gabriola Island, will continue as the New Hope Learning Centre and "Big Blue" Multi-Purpose Hope Centre building. In addition to which the "Bottle Depot" (metal Quonset building) will continue to be a fundraising initiative for Hope Centre programming.