Since the economy began its downward spiral last fall, the Scott Mission in downtown Toronto has seen 10 per cent more men and 20 per cent more women make use of its programs on a regular basis, compared to the same period last year.

According to David Smith, CEO and executive director, there are many new faces amidst the drop-in centre’s usual crowd. “They don’t look like what you’d think of as homeless people,” he said. “Often they’re people whose economic situation was tenuous anyway and now they’ve crossed the line into poverty. Many have never used a food bank or soup kitchen before.”

Five environmentally-minded, inner-city youth, sponsored by the Yonge Street Mission and Banyan Youth, traveled to Washington, D.C. for a green conference in March.

PowerShift 2009 focused on creating green jobs, sustainable energy use, and building enthusiasm among a new generation of environmentalists. As members of the St. James Town youth council, the teens hope to promote environmental projects in their impoverished Toronto neighbourhood.

In the centre of the church hall a dozen youngsters were seated in a circle together with three adults. All held an olive branch in their hands.

The group consisted of eleven-year-old Jewish, Muslim and Christian boys and girls—two boys and two girls from each faith. The adults were advisers from each of the faiths. This was a training meeting of Kids4Peace in the town of Raineh on the outskirts of Nazareth in Galilee.

ISARC—As MPPs inside Ontario’s legislature debated the provincial budget, representatives from diverse faith communities prayed at Queen’s Park for the government and the poor throughout the month of March.

Thirteen years after it was launched by PCC web pioneer Rev. Michael Farris, the PCC Web Daily is read by over 64,000 subscribers around the world, and has archived over 4,000 devotions on its website.

ENI—Leaders of the All Africa Conference of Churches demanded the Sudanese government “allow uninterrupted humanitarian assistance” in the country following the expulsion of 13 international aid agencies from Sudan’s western Darfur province.

ENI—Episcopal (Anglican) bishops in the United States say their church has failed to adequately address economic concerns because it has been too consumed with internal controversies.

ENI—The most severe drought in a decade is fuelling a food crisis in Afghanistan that now threatens millions of people, church-linked humanitarian agencies have warned. […]

Knox and Emmanuel Colleges, Toronto—Rediscovering Calvin; June 18 to 20, 2009. Speakers will include Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, president of Union Theological Seminary, New York, Rev. Prof. Alister McGrath, head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture at King’s College, London, and Marilynne Robinson, award-winning author of Housekeeping, Gilead and Home. Registration for the event closes May 31.

ENI—An international expert on church unity has urged the Roman Catholic Church to declare that its excommunication of Martin Luther no longer applies.

WWF—On March 28, iconic buildings including Toronto’s CN Tower and London’s Big Ben went dark for Earth Hour 2009.