Canada's First NBA Championship

Based in Woodstock, ON, Isaiah Belleth has served as a sales advisor with Sport Chek since 2017. When he is not engaging with customers and managing inventory at Sport Chek, Isaiah Belleth enjoys following Toronto Raptors basketball.

In 2019, the Toronto Raptors became the first National Basketball Association (NBA) team based outside of the United States to win the NBA Finals. Prior to the 2018-2019 NBA season, the Raptors had made five consecutive playoff appearances, including a run to the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals. Despite this consistency, team leadership decided a new approach was needed if the franchise wanted to secure its first finals berth and championship. Dwayne Casey, head coach since 2012, was removed in favor of Nick Nurse, while All Star guard Demar DeRozan was traded for San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard, MVP of the 2014 NBA Finals.

The moves proved beneficial. Toronto’s 58 regular season wins were actually one fewer than the season before, but the win total remains the second highest in franchise history. Leonard enjoyed a productive season but put up truly impressive numbers once the post-season began.

After a convincing 4-1 opening round against the Orlando Magic, the Raptors were pushed to seven games in the second round by Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. Leonard responded in true MVP fashion, scoring 41 points in a 92-90 Game 7 victory. The Raptors then claimed back-to-back six-game series against the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors.

Leonard was named Finals MVP once again after leading the Raptors past the Warriors, joining LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players to earn the achievement with two different teams.

3 Episodes of The Movement Church Podcast

A former seasonal worker at Thames River Melons, Isaiah Belleth helped transport and sell produce at early morning markets in southwestern Ontario. He now works as a sales associate at Sport Chek in Woodstock, ON. Outside of his professional pursuits, Isaiah Belleth is a member of The Movement Church Woodstock.

Among other digital resources for spiritual growth available to congregation members, The Movement Church produces a weekly podcast titled On the Couches. It also produces a Sunday Message podcast. Here is a look at three recent episodes:

Sunday Message: Mike Miller

Podcast episodes in July featured conversations with pastors across Canada. In this episode, pastor Mike Miller shares how he and his wife launched Nova Church in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

On the Couches Episode 35

This episode explores the will of God and the effectiveness of prayer. It strives to answer the question of how boldly one should pray and why some prayers are unanswered.

On the Couches Episode 32

Although Canada is a progressive country, there is still room for growth in gender equity. This is especially true in church settings. Guest Rachel Ernst shares her own experiences with gender disparity and the benefits of allowing more female voices within traditional expressions of faith.

Night Classes at Woodstock and TVDSB

Isaiah Belleth has experienceworking as a sales advisor. He has also served as a UPS deliverer, working over the 2019 Christmas season. For his high school education, Isaiah Belleth attended Woodstock Collegiate Institute in Ontario, Canada.

Woodstock Collegiate Institute is situated in an excellent location for students and staff members to access all the cultural and artistic buildings in the same neighborhood. As part of the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB), Woodstock Collegiate Institute offers night school to its students.

Secondary school students and TVDSB adult education students that wish to improve grades on previously earned credits or complete additional credits can apply for a night school course. Secondary school students under TVDSB must have approval from their home school’s guidance counselor or administrator to attend Night School.

Those who are not yet 18 must have permission from their parent or guardian. For the 2020/2021 school year, Woodstock night classes will be provided online through Brightspace, and learning would be both synchronous and asynchronous.

Movement Church Woodstock’s Student

Isaiah Belleth is a sales advisor at Sport Chek in Woodstock, ON. In this position, he provides top-quality customer service and facilitates the sale of products to youth and adults. Enrolled at Calvary Chapel Bible College, Isaiah Belleth belongs to Movement Church Woodstock in Canada.

Movement Church Woodstock empowers its community to walk toward God via authenticity and passion. To this end, the organization hosts many ministries, such as its student ministry MVMNT. This ministry focuses on reaching students from grade six to grade 12 who are far from God. The church helps these students find and follow a path toward religion.

MVMNT hosts meetings for both high school and middle school students. Middle school meetings are held every Thursday evening and consist of games, events, and team activities. These activities help students as they transition into their teenage years, while also teaching them about the love and plan that God has for them. Meanwhile, high school meetings are held on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and consist of small groups of students that engage in authentic conversations.

Alongside these two separate meetings, MVMNT also hosts a movie night for students ranging from grade eight to grade 12. Movie nights at the church are held on the third Friday of every month and provide students with the opportunity to make lifelong friends and have fun while experiencing church in a way that connects them to their peers.