History of Souls Harbour RESCUE Mission

On January 15, 2007, Regina RESCUE Mission and Souls Harbour Mission House merged into one family of charities, renamed Souls Harbour RESCUE Mission. The merger created a new and stronger ministry to the poor, hungry, addicted, homeless, and needy in Regina and the surrounding area.

This merger marked the beginning of a year of incredible blessings for Souls Harbour RESCUE Mission. The Mission was able to hire more staff, purchase buildings and pay off mortgages in this year which of course allows for more ministry!

The Sacred Heart Church and Rectory on 1380 Elphinstone was purchased, and with a few renovations it became the LifeChange Discipleship Program Women's Home and the Good News Chapel. This meant that the former LifeChange Campus could now be the LifeChange Discipleship Program Men's Home. Now, both men and women are able to bring their children with them into the program, a service which no other organization in Canada offers.

Rev. Ken Porter was also able to fulfill his long time dream of planting an inner city church by stepping down as Executive Director, and stepping into the new role of Senior Chaplain at Good News Chapel. Michelle Porter is now filling the role of Executive Director.

The construction of Harbour House began in the summer of 2007. This building, funded by the federal, provincial, and city governments will provide low-income housing, and emergency shelter.

History of Regina Rescue Mission, founded in 2000

In October of 1999, Rev Ken and Michelle Porter sold their house and belongings and moved to Regina from Winnipeg, MB. They rented an apartment while they searched and prayed for a building. Michelle put a picture of a castle on their fridge, and they prayed every day that God would provide that castle. Soon, their realtor called and said he had found a place for them on Scarth St. This old convent was perfect. It even had a turret, making it the castle Michelle had dreamed of!

The castle came equipped with clients – it had been a house full of drugs and addictions before Ken & Michelle moved in. With lots of help from the community, they cleaned it up, painted it, and started their LifeChange Discipleship Program.

In 2003, a convent on 3535 8th Ave came up for sale. It was set up perfectly for a recovery program, and the Ursuline Sisters wanted it to continue to be used for God's purposes. So they gave us an amazing deal on the building. The LifeChange Discipleship Program was moved to this location, and the castle on Scarth St continued to be used for low income housing and shelter for men.

In the fall of 2005, the old castle on Scarth St was condemned. This was a crushing blow at the time. Finances at the Mission had also been so tight that staff were praying that they would be paid at the end of the month. We would learn later that this was just part of God's plan to bless the Mission.

Many months were spent searching for an appropriate building. We searched for places to rent, and places to buy, but nothing worked out. In the spring of 2006, Souls Harbour Mission House offered us the use of the top floor of their new soup kitchen for our shelter. The city agreed to allow us to shelter men in this building, and a new kind of partnership was formed.

If you would like to browse through a more detailed history of Regina Rescue Mission, there are two options: The Interactive Historical Timeline gives you the opportunity to scroll through the history of the Regina Rescue Mission. Use the center buttons to navigate. The RRM History Paper is a 10 page essay written by one of our former Rescue College students.

History of Soul's Harbour Mission House founded in 1990

A near death experience provided direction for the rest of Gerri Carroll's life. After recovering from a heart attack, Gerri committed her life to serving those who were less fortunate than she. Matt. 25:35-36 was her theme and calling: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you have me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to see me.”

Opening in 1990 with a prayer, a pot of coffee, and a few wooden milk crates for chairs, Souls Harbour Mission House grew dramatically in size and service to the needy. By 2005, more than 200 people a day were coming to eat at the soup kitchen. Then, Souls Harbour was given a year's notice that their lease would not be extended. A building on 1836 Halifax St was found, and Gerri's son, Donovan, had the ability to see it's potential. It was fully renovated and ready to serve by March of 2006.

Read more about the life and legacy of Gerri Carroll here.