Magazine

A new church grows in Winnipeg

For the first time in 40 years, a Presbyterian church has been planted in the city of Winnipeg. Trinity was launched on Easter Sunday, 2007, with opening ceremonies attended by 90 people. At that point, the congregation met at a community centre. "Since then we've had anywhere from 40 to 60 in worship consistently," says Rev. Matthew Brough, a Winnipeg native and former pastor of Knox, Selkirk, Man.

PC(USA) Assembly News

ENI – U.S. Jewish groups are praising actions taken at the general assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) that include a call for denominational members to become, "non-partisan advocates for peace" in the Middle East, and that state that the church should not become identified with any one party in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "We welcome the movement by Presbyterians toward balance," nine Jewish groups said in a statement after the late June assembly.

134th General Assembly : Some more GA NEWS

International Affairs Committee made a recommendation endorsing visits to the Holy Land sponsored by the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Centre in Jerusalem. It failed to pass after commissioners suggested evidence had been found for Sabeel being anti-Semitic; it was also recommended that the court be offered more than one tour group through which to visit the Holy Land.

134th General Assembly : Be Not Afraid

Having been very much involved socially, politically and in church movements, I have participated in many public assemblies in my life. With their debates, their polarizations, in some cases ruptures, in other cases compromise or even at times brilliant consensus.

Dutch turn to youth for advice

ENI – Young adults dubbed "ambassadors for ecumenism" are to scrutinise the work of the Council of Churches in the Netherlands for one year as of September. The council's chairperson, Henk van Hout, made the announcement in Utrecht at a symposium to mark the 40th anniversary of the foundation of the council, the main ecumenical body in the Netherlands.

134th General Assembly : Travelling Together

I am the student representative of St. Andrew's Hall/VST and a member of Haney, in the Presbytery of Westminster. Moderator, I would first like to thank you for allowing me to address this assembly and giving me permission to observe and participate in the deliberations of this past week. I have enjoyed the week immensely; being here at General Assembly has confirmed for me that I am definitely a Presbyterian because I had the time of my life. I suppose my excitement at being here was heightened by the difficult trip I had getting here. After a flight from Vancouver to Toronto and a lengthy layover in the airport there, I flew into Ottawa through a thunderstorm – I could see forks of lightning outside the windows as we landed, and we had a long period of waiting on the tarmac for several hours until the storm cleared and we could disembark. I have heard people say that 'the journey is more important than the destination,' but I can tell you that after a long and difficult journey, arriving at your destination and being greeted by the friendly faces of the local arrangements committee is pretty wonderful.

134th General Assembly : Women Who Serve

When the Order of Diaconal Ministries called upon their longest-serving member, 100-year-old Margaret Williams, to say a few words in honour of their centennial year, the diminutive lady took the microphone, said, "Thank you very much," then stood back and smiled.

Speak Up, Christians!

ENI – Evangelical Lutheran Church Holy Land Bishop Munib Younan, of Jordan, said Christians need to have a stronger voice in Jerusalem in order to prevent tensions spreading there, and that Muslims and Christians should work together on ecology issues. "Europe is suffering because [Christians] do not know how to talk with Muslims. Africa is also having problems on how to talk to Muslims. Ecology is the way to speak to the Muslims because we share the environment." He was speaking at the June meeting of the main governing body of the 68-million-strong Lutheran World Federation.

Sharing the Stories

"As a nation, perhaps we haven't even started nation-building because a lot of people in this country haven't been included in the process," said Robert Watts, special advisor to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Indian Residential Schools, in an address to the General Assembly on June 5. "There's a societal opportunity before all of us," he continued, to engage Aboriginal people in a way they haven't in the process of creating Canada.

134th General Assembly : Our Uniqueness

At this General Assembly, I saw the struggle of the Presbyterian Church trying to cope with the changing world. I sensed that many recognized the church could not remain as it had been. How can we be faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ while meaningfully engaging in a dialogue with the changing world that surrounds us? That was the big question we were struggling with at this Assembly. The Christian community has been struggling with that question from the very beginning. There was a lengthy debate about the uniqueness of Christ. Behind this debate, I saw that it was not just about the uniqueness of Christ but our own identity. Who are we in the context of this fast changing world? What is our own uniqueness?

134th General Assembly : Park calls for change

Rev. Dr. Cheol Soon Park, Moderator of this year's General Asembly, wants to see the church move to the forefront of society. "Church should have the vision and understanding of the future or of the next generation, and we as a Christian community should show the people what to prepare and how to prepare and how we should move into the next stage; so my main theme is change."

People of the book

Here's the scenario: New neighbours move in next to you in southern Alberta. Their car sports a Pittsburgh Penguins decal. You are a Calgary Flames fan. How do you welcome them?

Seeking Gospel Engagement

When someone admits to a conversion experience in a CBC interview, my ears suddenly listen a bit more attentively. When that person is the vice-president for government policy with the National Association of Evangelicals in the United States, admitting to a major shift in his thinking about the environment, I become really curious! Richard Cizik did precisely that in late March after witnessing first-hand the extensive environmental degradation in Alaska. He said he could no longer bracket environmental issues, as so many evangelical Christians had tended to do. He had to make a connection between his deepest spiritual convictions and the world around him. His understanding of God as Creator and the creation as God's gift compelled a new perspective – and also gospel engagement.