Toronto Restaurant Alliance

A church in Richmond Hill aims to serve overworked and underpaid restaurant workers in the East Asian community.

Hundreds of restaurant workers in Richmond Hill's bustling network of over 2000 Chinese restaurants work rigorous restaurant shifts in which they are overworked and underpaid (half work for less than minimum wage) -- let alone entirely unable to attend church on a given Sunday. 

Toronto Restaurant Alliance exists to serve these workers in a creative and Christ-centered way.

Pastor Deng Pan first became aware of the challenges that Chinese restaurant workers face while working at West Island Chinese Alliance Church in Montreal.  As he ministered to the restaurant workers there he witnessed firsthand how their stressful work environments impacted their physical and mental health. Many resorted to gambling, alcohol and drug abuse as a means of coping with the duress of their work.  

Meanwhile in Toronto, in March 2013, a number of Chinese missionary organizations and churches were holding the first joint evangelistic meetings for Restaurant workers known as "Pay Tribute To The Restaurant Workers." This evangelical drive held a total of 17 evangelistic meetings in different churches and as a result, more than a hundred restaurant workers received Christ through a series of personal visits and evangelism.

Upon moving to Toronto in 2014 and reflecting further on the example of Jesus, who spent his final three years on earth serving the vulnerable and the underprivileged, Pastor Pan recognized the growing need to serve these neglected workers.   

Finally in May 2017, in partnership with the CCACA and North Toronto Chinese Alliance, Pastor Pan launched a New Venture: Toronto Restaurant Alliance.   

TRA aims to provide a worship gathering for restaurant workers who cannot attend church on Sundays, as well as discipleship fellowships in or near their workplaces.  Its goal is to share the gospel with workers in the over 2000 Chinese restaurants across the GTA.

Please consider supporting this New Venture through prayer. 

Pastor Deng Pan was born and educated in China, has served in pastoral roles in Paris, the UK & Montreal, and now lives and serves in Richmond Hill, ON.  He loves his family, his church community and his neighbouring community, and the local restaurant workers whom he serves!