Spirit Life Miracle Centre

Spirit Life Miracle Centre

How two immigrant church planters are reaching other newcomers in Ottawa, Canada.

By: Jonathan Meyer | Case Studies Church Branding featured

The opportunity: 500,000 immigrants

When Pastor Doreen Kukuru and her twin sister Pastor Doris Muhwez of Spirit Life Miracle Centre moved from Uganda to Ottawa, Canada, five years ago, they were planning more than just a move. They planned on making a difference in their new city among immigrants who faced challenges like loneliness, rejection, homesickness, and the loss of community: newcomers like themselves.

Ottawa is expected to receive 500,000 immigrants by the year 2025, so the sisters knew they could meet a need. Also, they had learned that only 4% of Ottawa’s citizens attend church on Sundays. Their target audience: immigrant women from African countries who had suffered spiritual abuse or been hurt by church leadership.

The problem was that while they had plenty of passion and leadership experience, they had never planted a church. They had a group of friends ready to help with the launch but few practical tools. That’s when they decided to partner with ArtSpeak Creative.

Spirit Life Miracle Centre

Strategic Messaging for Spirit Life Miracle Centre

Our strategy and writing teams worked with Spirit Life Miracle Centre to understand how to establish their brand’s voice and messaging. They wanted to effectively convey their understanding of the newcomer experience. We created value propositions to speak to immigrants’ challenges—challenges Doris and Doreen had been all too familiar with when they first came to Ottawa from Uganda. It was very important that the messaging be relatable, friendly, and encouraging.

As our team members collaborated with the sisters, they also gave Doris and Doreen some practical guidance on how to leverage their messaging. The sisters not only had new tools but a new knowledge of how to use them.

Spirit Life Miracle Centre

Logo and Branding for Spirit Life Miracle Centre

Doreen and Doris wanted a vibrant brand that would reflect optimism and freedom living in the body of Christ. They had a logo created by a launch team member, but it needed refreshing.

Our designers created a clean, streamlined logo with a dove representing the Holy Spirit and Spirit Life Miracle Centre’s reverence and openness to miraculous signs of faith, as well as one reflective of their home church in Uganda, whose logo also features a dove.

Typeface, colors, and photography

The sister pastors of Spirit Life Miracle Centre wanted their brand to feel optimistic. Our designers worked with them to create a palette that would nod to African culture with bright colors but with a modern twist. They wanted the tone of their brand to be friendly and inviting but also one that showed their reverence for God’s glory.

ArtSpeak designers collaborated with Doreen and Doris to determine pulse words that would give their visuals a sense of direction. Their primary pulse word was “friendly,” followed by “bright” and “glory.”

Their main display font, Calistoga, has chunky, rounded serifs that convey a “friendly” tone so that their headings are inviting when someone first encounters their brand. 

Their subheader font, Anton, has a bold, commanding presence leaning into the sense of “glory,” reflecting their respect and reverence for God’s power and a courageous call to action.

These elements come together to represent Spirit Life Miracle Centre, a church as vibrant as its brand elements.

Spirit Spirit Spirit

A church launched for newcomers

Doris and Doreen launched Spirit Life Miracle Centre in November 2023 with clarity and direction. Along with ministries to all ages, one of their main ministries is newcomer support.

With Sunday morning services, mid-week Zoom Bible studies, and over 1,000 followers on their Facebook page in less than six months, they’re reaching other newcomers in Ottawa with the love of God.

“Their level of expertise is unmatched”

“ArtSpeak Creative did our church branding and we were pleasantly surprised. Their level of expertise is unmatched. The staff are warm, super friendly and yet very professional. They delivered our brand in time and also gave us some orientation about how to use the material created for us. I highly recommend them for any church/organisation wishing to have a unique brand through their logo, messaging, and visual identity.”

Doreen Kukuru and Doris Muhwez
Lead Planters (and Sisters!)
Ottawa, ON