Mary Fontaine had been preparing for her Hummingbird Ministries since she was a little girl. Growing up on the Mistawasis reserve in Saskatchewan, her late parents instilled in her a love for the church, as well as respect for traditional native ways.

The scene is nothing new for Rev. Stewart Folster. On the street outside his small downtown Saskatoon location, the blue and red lights of a police car are flashing once again. Some sort of physical altercation has just taken place; apparently a scruffy-looking man struck a woman as she walked past him and his dog. Various versions of the story are fed to the officer; the man denies the charges. A crowd gathers.

What we need is to find a way that we can offer all of these programs in one place,” said Rev. Stewart Folster, who became one of the PCC's earliest Native ministers when he was ordained in 1996. He is currently the director of Saskatoon Native Circle Ministry. “We need a healing centre in all major centres of Canada that offers addiction services, parenting and life skills, Native spirituality, Bible study, shelter, worship, child care, help with education and employment, with Native elders on staff as well as counsellors, therapists, parish social workers, and native artists to help in therapy. It needs government, church and aboriginal cooperation.”

On Sunday morning, Rev. George Yando drives his van past two houses, picking up people who can't drive to the reserve on their own. Seated comfortably, the three elderly men and women talk candidly, laughing about their week and the rutted road that takes them to the small white church on the Mistawasis reserve.

“My priority is to give native people hope and a future,” said Rev. Hoosik Kim, director of Edmonton Urban Native Ministry. “Sticking to the past cannot draw people into a better future. I recognize that aboriginals in this land need both physical and mental healing. They also need reconciliation in various relationships. Going one step forward, they require leadership for the generations to come.”

Most Presbyterians have probably heard of native residential schools and the various abuses suffered by children who attended them. Most probably know their church had […]

In the north end of Winnipeg, the aboriginal population — many of them poor, homeless, hurting — continues to grow. Drugs are rampant, violence is a constant threat, and absent or addicted parents fail to provide a warm and positive environment for their children. Enter Flora House.

When Frehley McKay died last year in a gang war, no one wanted to host the funeral, fearing retaliation from McKay's gang rivals. With nowhere for friends and family to gather, nowhere to lay the coffin for its last rites, the people of Anishinabe Fellowship Centre stepped forward, offering the centre as the place where the 22-year-old's loved ones would say farewell. Police in bullet-proof vests camped out at each corner to ensure no more violence ensued.

Last January, a rotting old building used for low-rent apartments in Kenora, Ont., was destroyed by fire. Forty tenants were left homeless, their few belongings ruined. With nowhere else to go, they made their way to Anamiewigummig, or the Kenora Fellowship Centre, the town's only overnight emergency shelter, where they can find coffee and a warm meal, comfy couches with a view of pristine waters, company from the resident pet turtle, and most importantly, someone to talk to about their problems.

Big city, big problems. Living amongst the wealthy and powerful of Toronto are the poor and helpless. According to the City of Toronto's homelessness report card in 2003 nearly half a million households had incomes below the poverty level. Over 30,000 individuals, including almost 5,000 children, stayed in a housing shelter at least once. Over 70,000 households were on the waiting list for subsidized housing.

Some stopgap. Some band-aid.

If you go down to the mall today, you're in for a big surprise. If the mall is somewhere in Ajax, Ont., and if it's 1 p.m. on the first Saturday of the month, someone may just hand you a Tim Hortons gift certificate and say, “Have a coffee on us.”

A father's death. A mother's mission. A family's desire to share its music with others. Put these ingredients together and you get The Scott Woods Show — a six-person ensemble playing old-time fiddle music, helping churches raise money, and hopefully drawing non-church-goers into a sanctuary for the first time. “This is music that brings fellowship, and brings people together who may not otherwise come to church. It's uplifting, and maybe we're making things seem a little brighter, and maybe people leave with a bit of inspiration,” said Scott Woods.

When ministers are on holiday or maternity leave, at home sick in bed, or when the pulpit is simply vacant, congregations are missing a main ingredient for Sunday service. Not content to leave congregations without worship each week, the Presbytery of Cape Breton, currently faced with six vacant charges, found a solution in lay worship teams — groups of trained, educated and commissioned lay persons who conduct worship services for congregations in need. “Equipped, enabled, empowered,” is their mantra.

When ministers are on holiday or maternity leave, at home sick in bed, or when the pulpit is simply vacant, congregations are missing a main ingredient for Sunday service. Not content to leave congregations without worship each week, the Presbytery of Cape Breton, currently faced with six vacant charges, found a solution in lay worship teams — groups of trained, educated and commissioned lay persons who conduct worship services for congregations in need. “Equipped, enabled, empowered,” is their mantra.

It's -13 C on a Saturday morning and most streets in downtown Chatham, Ont., are quiet.

As convener of the Presbyterian World Service & Development committee, Rev. Karen Horst had the opportunity to reach out to Malawi's AIDS orphans. Malawi has been struck particularly hard with the AIDS pandemic and its destruction affects every layer of society. Children are particularly vulnerable when the adults who normally provide for their security are dead of AIDS. The community of Collingwood and First Presbyterian quickly understood the pressing need and set about preparing a memorable fundraiser.

Some congregations support food banks. Others raise funds for HIV/AIDS programs. St. George's, London, Ont., does both. The congregation has partnered with the AIDS Committee of London for the past eight years, helping the agency operate its Country Cupboard food bank for people living with HIV.

What's for dinner?

When Annette Vickers first travelled to Nicaragua in 1996 as part of a small mission team looking for a project to support, she had no idea where the fact-finding journey would lead her. Nearly 10 years later, Vickers is active as the director of PAN—Presbyterians Aiding Nicaraguans—facilitating eight to 12 group mission trips to the Central American country each year. "I love it!" she said. "There's nothing more satisfying than seeing the fruits of your labour with your own eyes. That's why the teams like it, they get to leave something tangible behind and they bond with the people they meet."