Free Camp for Lac-Mégantic Kids
Weeks after their town was devastated by a train derailment and explosion that killed 47 people and leveled the downtown, eight children and teenagers from Lac-Mégantic were offered a gift: a free week at camp.
Camp d’action biblique is a bilingual camp owned and operated by the Presbytery of Quebec, and located about an hour and a half’s drive from Lac-Mégantic.
After the disaster on July 6, the camp flew its flags at half-mast. The kids created a banner saying ‘we’re thinking of you, Lac-Mégantic.’ And Randy Johnston, the camp director, suggested to the camp committee that they help some kids from the town get away for a week of fun at camp.
“We don’t have a huge budget,” he said. “We thought we’d put the idea out there and go on faith.”
Contributions from individuals and churches, as well as from the national church, provided enough for 12 children to attend camp for free. Although the 12 “camperships” were filled, four of the campers didn’t show up for their respective weeks of camp in early August.
The camp had aimed to sponsor 20 children if they received enough financial support, Johnston said.
The camp is still accepting donations, and it has decided to use the money leftover from the unfilled camperships to invite the kids from Lac-Megantic back for a September retreat.
If support continues, he said the camp plans to provide camperships for children and teens from Lac-Megantic next summer as well, since it will be the first anniversary of the disaster.
“It’s a bridge that’s been built,” he said. “One good thing about the camp is the maximum we can take is 40 kids. So they form a community very quickly. They all leave telling their parents they want to come back.” —Connie Wardle
Ecumenist Retires
After 26 years of faithful involvement in local ecumenical activity, Douglas Mitchell is retiring. An elder at St. Andrew’s, Lethbridge, Alta., Mitchell was deeply involved in the work of PCC partner, Kairos, a social justice organization.
A veterinarian by trade, Mitchell has travelled extensively, spending two and a half years in Indonesia. It was an experience that, upon his return to Canada, led him to support the work of Kairos.
“The ethnic and religious diversity of peoples prompted me to join Kairos,” Mitchell told the Record. “Because of that, I enjoyed convening with my fellow ecumenical members and colleagues. I’m sorry to give it up. I had many interesting times with the committee.”
Kairos’ executive director, Jennifer Henry, wrote a letter of gratitude to Mitchell.
“I want to thank you for sticking faithfully with the movement throughout the many challenges and changes of coalition work in Canada. From debt cancellation, to anti-apartheid work to indigenous rights, you have been part of it all, and have brought many Presbyterians with you,” states the letter.
“It is true to say that the ecumenical social justice work of this country could not be accomplished without the grassroots leadership of folks like you, and so we are very much indebted.”
The list of his work within the church is lengthy, including serving on PWS&D’s national committee, the Knox College senate, the International Affairs committee, his congregation’s mission and outreach committee, and as a representative elder to presbytery. While retiring from ecumenical activity in Lethbridge, 88-year-old Mitchell will be involved with a local environmental group committed to working with the municipal government on environmental sustainability education.
Mitchell, who admitted with a smile in his voice, “I’m not hesitant to speak my mind, which gets me into trouble,” said he has often been discouraged by the “complete lack of understanding of what it means to do development work,” demonstrated by the regular person in the pew. A lack of awareness in congregations for the work done at national offices is another frustration.
“There have been ups and downs …” said Mitchell, whose reason for being so involved in the work of the church is charmingly simple: “I did it because I had some background and training and experience, which motivated me to connect with these various groups.”
“Doug Mitchell has been an extraordinary voice for justice and of conscience for many years,” said Rick Fee, general secretary of the Life and Mission Agency. “He was a respectful and diligent team member who could be relied upon in every instance. He stands out for those unique qualities which he brought to the church and which he exercised so very well wherever he was asked to serve.” —AM
Gift for Knox College Honours 160 Years of Ministry
The congregation of West Adelaide, Kerwood, Ont., is living out its commitment to mission in a new way. As a congregation, they agreed to ensure students are equipped for the complexities of ministry by making a donation to the Chair of Pastoral Theology at Knox College.
The $100,000 gift is a living legacy for West Adelaide—honouring their church’s 160 years of worship and service. The congregation gathered at a service and reception on April 14 where Rev. Dr. Pamela McCarroll, assistant professor of Pastoral Theology preached the sermon and Lisa Watson, Director of Development spoke on the life and work of the College, its students and residents. The women accepted the cheque on the College’s behalf from Rev. Larry Amiro (minister of Knox, Centre Road, the other half of West Adelaide’s two-point charge) and members of West Adelaide’s session.
The Chair of Pastoral Theology brings together the practice of ministry in real life situations with spiritual discernment and theological insight. It provides students with practical opportunities for ministry and the development of ministry competencies through the field education, mentorship and internship programs.
In an email, Amiro told the Record that, “the bulk of the donation came from the legacy of John MacKenzie, a longtime elder and staunch supporter of our church. He had a passion for missions and the work of the Church in all its facets, contributing generously to both the local church, Presbyterians’ Sharing and Presbyterian World Service and Development.”
Historically, West Adelaide had contributed in excess of three times the suggested allocation for Presbyterians’ Sharing. “At one annual congregational meeting, when it appeared our local budget was showing a deficit, I suggested that perhaps we could cut back on mission givings and increase givings to our local needs. John’s response was adamant that missions were important and that ‘the Lord would provide’ for our local needs,” said Amiro.
And while the congregation will be celebrating its 160th anniversary this month, it has decided, said Amiro, “that because of declining attendance at worship, the aging of the congregation (at least half of the members are over 90 years old) and insufficient offerings to meet our operational commitments, we would close at the end of September this year.” —AM and Knox College
Running for PWS&D
Presbyterian World Service & Development is participating in the 2013 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon for the second year in a row. Last year, Presbyterians in Canada helped raise $12,000 for PWS&D programs. This year, the goal is to raise another $10,000. Runners can sign up as part of PWS&D’s team, while those who don’t want to physically participate can donate in support of the runners. Funds raised will support development and relief programs that benefit men, women and children around the world.
Families or congregations can participate together, with children welcome to run or walk the 5K. The marathon takes place Oct. 20.
To find out more, or to donate, contact Emily Vandermeer at evandermeer@presbyterian.ca or 1-800-619-7301 ext. 293. —PWS&D
Religious Minorities on the Rise
A new Pew Research Center analysis of Canadian census and survey data finds that more Canadians belong to minority faiths than ever before. In addition, the number of Canadians with no religious affiliation has been rising, and attendance at religious services has been dropping.
Two-thirds of Canadians (including adults and children) identify either as Catholic or as Protestant, but both Christian groups have seen substantial erosion in their shares of the Canadian public, according to the analysis by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life. The percentage of Canadians who identify as Catholic has dropped from 47 per cent to 39 per cent over the last four decades, while the share that identifies as Protestant has fallen even more steeply, from 41 per cent to 27 per cent.
Concurrently, the number of Canadians who belong to other religions—including Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Judaism and Eastern Orthodox Christianity—is growing. Collectively, these smaller religious groups account for more than one-in-10 Canadians (11 per cent) as of 2011, up from not quite one-in-20 (four per cent) in 1981.
In addition, the number of Canadians who do not identify with any religion has been rising rapidly in recent decades, going from four per cent in 1971 to nearly a quarter (24 per cent) in 2011. This disaffiliation shows regional variations. For instance, the share of the population that is religiously unaffiliated in British Columbia (44 per cent) is more than twice as high as the share in Atlantic Canada (16 per cent) and three times higher than in Quebec (12 per cent), according to Statistic Canada’s 2011 National Household Survey, the most recent data available. Visit pewforum.org for the full survey. —The Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life
