The founders of Stoney Creek Christian Fellowship, James and Betty Thornley and Don and June Wenner began with and a handful of enthusiastic believers in 1981 to bring the light of the glorious gospel to Stoney Creek. After a time of renting a room on a once a week basis in the Hamilton library and later in Gulliver’s Travels, we rented an upstairs facility on King St. in old Stoney Creek. While we were there in 1983 we became incorporated using the name Restoration Center Church. Also, the same year, we started a branch of Sweetwater Bible College.

In 1984 we purchased and moved into a small church building on Margaret Avenue in Stoney Creek. During the time we were there, another small assembly joined us with their paster, Larry Goldman. Each time we moved our faith was stretched to meet the financial requirements but God was faithful to supply. While we were at Margaret Avenue, the School Board put an almost 5 acre piece of property and school at Barton and Glover road in Stoney Creek up for tender. James Thornley, the senior pastor, put an almost impossible bid on the property but God blessed us, the property became ours and we moved in on August, 1986. The church was sold on Margaret Avenue, gaining a little equity for renovations. Much restoration of the school was needed, but eager saints went to work for many long hours. A divider which separated 2 classrooms was removed and the double room became our sanctuary. The name of our church was changed to Stoney Creek Christian Fellowship.

In 1987 we opened a Christian daycare which required more work to the building: paint, tiles, roof work and more. The daycare, which was called Kiddy Kollege continued until 1993, when it seemed it was distracting from our main purpose of existence. Following the daycare, the church began a children’s ministry (Kids Alive), using a bus to transport the children from depressed areas of the city. This continued for a number of years.

With the service of Abe Martens of Marten’s Construction, we used 6 classrooms and built a new sanctuary in the year 1990.  We worshipped there till 2014 when we sold our building with the goal of building another.  Presently our services are held in a temporary location.   

Pastor James Thornley passed on the position of senior Pastor to his son Michael Thornley in 1993. Our beloved founders Don Wenner and James Thornley have gone to their rewards in glory. Don left us on Sept. 26, 1997 and James on Nov.1 2006. They are greatly missed but they left trained enthusiastic disciples to carry on the work of spreading the good news of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.