Prayers for Peace
As the United States considered military strikes against Syria, churches across the globe called for prayer.
The heads of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, the World Council of Churches and Pope Francis were among those who asked for prayers to be offered on Sept. 7.
In open letters, they condemned an alleged gas attack by Syrian government forces on Aug. 21, yet urged restraint as the U.S. and other nations considered how to respond.
“However heinous the chemical attacks are, military response is not the answer,” Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi, general secretary of the WCRC wrote. “Military response can only serve to increase the suffering of the peoples of Syria who have already suffered so much.”
“The crime of using chemical weapons is to be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted,” wrote Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, the WCC’s general secretary, in an open letter to the members of the UN Security Council. “However, an attack from outside Syria is likely to increase suffering and the risk of more sectarian violence, threatening every community in the nation including Christians. At this crucial time, the people of Syria and the Middle East need peace and not war.”
The Presbyterian Church in Canada is a member of the WCRC and WCC. —Connie Wardle
Monument at Residential School Site Honours Children
Representatives from the Presbyterian Church, local aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities, and residential school survivors together dedicated a monument at the site of Cecilia Jeffrey residential school on Aug. 14.
On a large rock in the centre of the monument a brass plaque reads: “In honour of all the children.” Beneath the stone, a time capsule contains toys the schoolchildren played with, including bottle caps, elastic bands, ribbons and marbles. It was built by the Treaty 3 Tribal Council.
“The space is inviting to families so the children of today can ask ‘What do these stones mean?’ and hear from their parents and grandparents about the residential schools and Cecilia Jeffrey in particular,” wrote Rev. Peter Bush, who along with Ina Borger represented the church at the dedication ceremony.
“As we were leaving a woman came up and thanked me for my words,” Bush said. “She said she and her husband had received their compensation payments along with a letter from the Presbyterian Church including parts of the denomination’s 1994 Confession. ‘But,’ she said, ‘that seemed unreal; your words today gave the apology a human face. Thank you.’ And then she hugged me.”
The church was in charge of the school from 1902 until the federal government took over in 1969. It was first located at Shoal Lake from 1902 to 1929, and then moved to Round Lake, near Kenora, Ont. It ceased operating in 1976. —with files from Peter Bush
New Intern Named – Partnership continues.
Charmila Ireland is the fifth intern to participate in an eight-month peace and human security internship at the ecumenical peace organization, Project Ploughshares in Waterloo, Ont. The position is part of a partnership between the organization and the Presbyterian Church. She began work Sept. 3.
“A world at peace is something we all should be working towards and I’m very happy to be a part of the effort to get there,” Ireland told the Record.
A member at Knox, Teeswater, Ont., Ireland completed her undergraduate studies at Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ont., and is currently studying at Knox College, Toronto, towards her Master of Divinity degree. At Ploughshares, she hopes to learn more about conflict around the world, and what can be done to help.
The internship program gives young Presbyterians an opportunity to participate in the life and work of an ecumenical agency supported by the church. Funding is made possible through undesignated bequests to
the PCC.
Founded in 1976, Project Ploughshares is the peace centre of the Canadian Council of Churches. Its mandate is to work with churches, governments, and civil society in Canada and abroad to advance policies and actions that prevent war and armed violence and build peace.
For more about the Peace and Human Security Internship Program, contact Katharine Masterton at kmasterton@presbyterian.ca or 1-800-619-7301.
—with files from Justice Ministries
How-To Worship Videos on YouTube
Fundraising is underway for an innovative online video project called Break into Song, designed to help worship leaders learn how to teach new music. The project was conceived by Hilary Seraph Donaldson, who attends St. Andrew’s Humber Heights, Toronto. She is a church musician and graduate student with degrees in theatre and sacred music.
“As a church musician, I’m motivated by the belief that congregational song is formational, as well as transformational, in our communities,” Donaldson told the Record. “I wanted to find a way to make use of the accessible format of YouTube to reach out to other church musicians and ministers, and support and inspire them in their ministries. I hope that this free resource will help give worship leaders confidence to continually engage with new worship songs, and foster vital congregational singing.”
With a choir and a congregation to help demonstrate techniques and challenges, each video will unpack new music, and show creative ways to teach it and use it in worship. Donaldson noted that, as the project is meant to support communities, she’s “keen to start a dialogue on what communities need and want to feel confident—and joyful—as they learn new music together in worship.”
For more information, or to donate to the production of these videos, visit breakintosong.ca
—AM
