Rob Pattison
Chairman and Founder of Bread of Life Ministries
I was born and
raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. In 1980, at the age of twenty, I
joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and on the same weekend that I
graduated from training I was married to my wife Sandra who was also
born and raised in Halifax. Sandra and I spent almost five years in
Southern Alberta, Canada before I left the police force to return home
to Nova Scotia.
In the summer of
1991, while working in the computer business, I began to sense a strong
call of God on my life. I began volunteering at a soup kitchen in
Halifax that fall. In the following summer of 1992, a local church
donated a school bus, which, with the help of many local businesses and
individuals, we renovated into a mobile soup kitchen called the "Street
Connection". That fall I realized that I could not run the soup bus and
work at my computer job. After praying about it my wife and I decided to
launch out in faith and operate the soup bus full time. That was the
beginning of "Bread of Life Ministries".
A lot has happened
since God called me into full time ministry in the summer of 1991. I
have witnessed time and time again, God's faithful and timely provision
to this ministry and my family.
In the summer of
1993 we started a Mobile Sunday School for the dozens of children who
were coming to the bus each week for food. The program, which we later
called "The Zoo", was put on for up to 300 kids each week using a cube
van and a bus. For more information on "The Zoo" program and the
vehicles you can take a look at the Children's
Ministry section on our web site.
After almost four
years of operating the "Street Connection" Mobile Soup Kitchen
along with "The Zoo" program, we came to a point where we realized that
due mainly to a lack of volunteers, we could no longer maintain both
programs and do them both well. It was a very difficult decision, but in
the spring of 1997 we decided to stop "The Zoo" program and concentrate
our efforts on the "Street Connection".
During the four
years that we operated "The Zoo" program, we wrote and developed a lot
of children's ministry curriculum material. We decided to place all of
that material on our web site along with the plans for renovating our
ministry vehicles. All of this material has been supplied freely to
anyone interested in using it. Over the years we have received hundreds
of emails from people all over the world who have expressed interest in
our children's curriculum.
When you consider
that we do not receive government support and the ministry has done very
little fund raising, it is nothing short of miraculous to see how God
has provided for this ministry since it began in the fall of 1992. Our
support comes mainly from individuals, businesses, service
organizations, foundations and churches.
We have two
children that are both married. Our son Dan, his wife Laura and our
granddaughter Kathryn live
on Prince Edward Island and our daughter Emily, her husband Glen and our
grandsons Andrew and David live
in Halifax. My wife Sandra, who I have been married to for
thirty two
years, is actively involved full time in the ministry. We also have
dozens of volunteers involved in various ways who play a vital role in
keeping this ministry going from week to week.
In the spring of
2006 we came to another crossroad in the life of this ministry. I had
been driving motor coach part time since 2002 in order to supplement our
income. The extra money was helpful and I enjoyed the change, but we
began to realize that the ministry required my full attention in order
to be at its maximum effectiveness in reaching out to help others. The
Street Connection bus was also in need of replacement along with much of
our food handling equipment.
In April 2006 we
launched a campaign to purchase and renovate a new Street Connection
bus. I gave up my part time job at that time and recommitted my full
attention to the operation of this ministry, trusting that God would
provide the funds we needed. In September 2006, with the sufficient
funds raised, we purchased a 2007 International School bus and began
renovations. We also upgraded much of our equipment, improved our menu
and added extra locations to our regular stops. It is as if God had
breathed new life into this ministry and had given us a fresh enthusiasm
to continue His work of helping those in need in our community.
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