The People Behind this Ministry
Janice Sadler
Founder & Executive Director
Janice is a retired school teacher, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and raised in the west end of Toronto. She graduated from The University of Toronto in 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts and later from The Ontario Teacher Education College in 1979 with a Bachelor of Education. Janice has Primary, Junior and Intermediate Division qualifications and has a Specialist in Special Education. She taught with The York Region District School Board over a twenty-five year period. Janice also spent some time on a leave of absence from YRDSB to work at St. Andrew’s College in Aurora as their Learning Resource Specialist. She raised her family with her husband in Newmarket, and now resides in Ottawa, Ontario.
Ken Sadler
Director of Finance
Ken is a retired Chartered Accountant, born in Leamington, Ontario. He attended The University of Windsor, where he earned a Bachelor of Commerce in 1975. He received his professional designation as a chartered accountant in 1978. Ken spent several years in public accounting and later worked at Don Anderson Haulage Limited in Stouffville, Ontario as their Vice President of Finance. Janice and Ken have four children, Lindsay, Daniel, Karen and Jeff. They are grandparents of seven. Janice and Ken moved to Ottawa when they retired in July 2013.
How this Ministry Began and Expanded
The Prayer Postcards “4 Police” Ministry was conceived on Sunday, July 24, 2016. Janice and Ken Sadler were visiting Hiway Church in Barrie while on vacation. Rev. Gerry McMillan, who happened to be a Chaplain to the OPP, RCMP, and The Canadian Legion (now retired), was the speaker that morning. He spoke about the challenges officers face and how he tries to help them in his role as a Chaplain. At the end of his message, he suggested that officers needed two things, thanks from the community members they serve, and prayer.
Janice’s heart had been broken for the police officers. She did not know any officers or have any in her family. Over the following week, the Prayer Postcard was developed and laid out for her, as part of a crystal clear and extremely specific mission of God’s ministry to police. Trusting and obeying, she moved the ministry forward one step at a time.
The Prayer Postcard “4 Police” Ministry was confirmed (born), three months later at the 2016 Ottawa Civic Prayer Breakfast. Previously unbeknownst to Janice, an Ottawa Police Officer, read aloud from the platform, a Prayer Postcard that a fellow officer had received (Prayer Postcard #39).
The Prayer Postcards “4 Police” expanded in 2025, to include:
Prayer Postcards 4 Firefighters;
Prayer Postcards 4 Paramedics;
Prayer Postcards 4 Communicators (911);
Prayer Postcards 4 By-law Officers.
The name of the ministry was changed to Prayer Postcards.
We have also been challenged to create:
Prayer Postcards 4 Canadian Military Police, and;
Prayer Postcards 4 CBSA (Canadian Boarder Services Agency) Officers.
With a future total of seven divisions, we feel this will complete the Prayer Postcard ministry sometime in the future.
Our Ministry Partners
Throughout this journey, many support and encourage us with their love, prayers, time, skill sets, and financial contribution.
One Way Ministries
We are official partners of this Ottawa-based ministry that seeks to advance the Gospel, by investing in the lives of Kingdom leaders. They support both the inward and outward journey of ministry leaders. Prayer Postcards is under the Pray Ottawa Banner.
Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers
Ron Mostrey, the FCPO Canadian President, has been a great mentor regarding the police world and the needs of officers in particular, has helped us by providing Christian literature, written to support officers and by encouraging our outreach to officers everywhere.
Prayer Postcard Team
Our team also consists of a group of people who are prayer intercessors for First Responders. They prepare the postcards by praying and colouring. There are other team members who handwrite the personal message on Prayer Postcards and those that intercede for individual First Responders after they sign our Intercessor’s Covenant.
The Metropolitan Bible Church ("The Met")
Our contact at The Met is Sandra Tharakan, Director Connections and Outreach.
Encounter the Truth
Scripture We Rely on
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
We love because He first loved us.
I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called Children of God.
Our Mission
To lift up all First Responders everywhere;
- By personally thanking every First Responder, for their service, skill and protection, regardless of their faith.
- By providing each First Responder with an ongoing invitation to personal prayer.
- By invitation, establish a praying relationship with First Responders that ultimately brings them into the family of God.
- To lead all people to reach out to First Responders with love, respect, and thanks.
- To lead and motivate all Christians to cover all First Responders with prayer.
- To provide a prayer postcard as a reminder to every First Responder that they are treasured.
- To focus on Ottawa, then Ontario, the rest of Canada and finally, the rest of the world.
Our Vision
We envision, encouraging the oneness and unity of the community of Christ, through the interdenominational involvement with this ministry:
- By creating prayer/colouring, and scribing teams from a variety of churches to prepare the Prayer Postcards;
- By creating delivery teams for the personal delivery of Prayer Postcards;
- By creating covenant prayer teams to pray for prayer requests received;
- By creating teams that make opportunities and occasions to invite First Responders to celebrate at churches both in their church services and in their special events;
- By eventually extending the mission of Prayer Postcards to the Canadian Military Police and CBSA (Canadian Border Services Angency);
- By partnering with Christian associations (i.e., One Way Ministries- Pray Ottawa and Love Ottawa, Associations of Chaplaincy i.e. Billy Graham (BGEA), FCPO (Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers), Canadian Christian Police Ministry (Barrie, ON).
- By partnering with police associations.
Our Core Values
1. We magnify and glorify God alone.
2. We value people without Christ, to whom we owe the compassion of Christ, and an opportunity to receive the Gospel and enter into Christian fellowship (from, Eastern District – PAOC, Core Values).
3. We accomplish the will of God through dependence on the LORD. We walk by faith and trust and are obedient. His assignments come one moment at a time. We seek Him continually.
“I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do.”
– Isaiah 46:10-11 (NIV)
4. We understand that what unites each church denomination to another is far more important than what divides us: That we are saved by faith through Jesus Christ.
5. God will equip us for His will to accomplish all He has called us to do.
6. We recognize that God leads us like a gentle breeze.
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
– Matthew 11:29-30 (NIV)
7. We are servants, mouldable and adaptable.
“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!”
– Philippians 2:5-8 (NIV)
Photo Credit: Laura Hodson Photography
Our Address
89 Auriga Drive
Ottawa, ON K2E 7Z2
Our Address
89 Auriga Drive
Ottawa, ON K2E 7Z2
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