Magazine

Moderator on YouTube

communications

YouTube, the online video sharing site, has added another Presbyterian minister to its library. Rev. Dr. Hans Kouwenberg has entered the realm of multi-media with a sermon he gave at Knox College last November. The sermon runs in three parts and was about modeling ministry, based on Mark 7: 31-37. A second sermon, given at Rosedale, Toronto, may eventually be added. To listen to the Knox College sermon, visit www.youtube.com and type “Hans Kouwenberg” in the search field. YouTube also features sermons by Rev. Mark Lewis, minister at St. Andrew's, Kitchener, Ont. –AM

The Not-So-Good News

afaiz

Remember the Buddhist monks last year, leading anti-government demonstrations in the-land-now-called-Myanmar. The Religion Newswriters Association (there's an association for everything!) named them the “top religion newsmakers of 2007.”

Council Plans for Diversity

Amy Maclachlan

The Assembly Council met in November, and Aboriginal issues were discussed in various ways. Lisbeth Duncan, convener, and former moderator Wilma Welsh reported on a trip to the Medicine Eagle Retreat and Healing Place in Manitoba. They were invited along with the PCC's Healing and Reconciliation Animator, Lori Ransom, and staff from Winnipeg Inner City Mission, to talk, forge friendships, and learn about life on the reserve.

Making amends

communications

ENI — Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes, prefect of the Congregation of the Clergy, asked Roman Catholics worldwide, in the Vatican-based Osservatore Romano newspaper, to engage in prayer to make amends for the actions of pedophile priests and to help their victims. The prayers should take the form of the “perpetual adoration” of the Eucharist, where members of the church take turns to maintain a vigil in front of a consecrated host representing the body of Jesus.

South to South

Mary Lou Johnston

This is a success story that must be told. It involves the determination of one man and his wife, some seed money, and the abundance of God's creation. It is the transfer of ideas from one southern country (Nicaragua) to another (El Salvador) with the help of our church in Canada. And the most thrilling thing is that this idea can continue to grow and develop in other directions because it involves plants and animals, which naturally reproduce. The economists call it sustainable development. But to those of us who have been involved, it is the result of the spirit of God working in the hearts of people in all three countries.

The Best Valentine’s Gift

Phil Callaway

It began in March with a phone call home. “I've got great news,” I told my wife. Then I read from the front page of the newspaper: “The gene that causes Huntington's disease has been discovered after a decade-long search, sparking hope a cure can be found for the deadly neurological disorder.” Ramona listened, her heart pounding.
As a young teen she learned that Huntington's was in her family and there was a 50-50 chance she would eventually die from it. During the next 20 years, she watched three siblings — all in their 30s — contract the disease, one making the slow and humiliating journey to a nursing home.

Living in a Gardasil World

Roland J. De Vries

Although it seemed a relatively innocuous line item in last year's federal budget, the Conservative government's HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination program has generated more controversy than might have been expected. The latest instalment in the debate unfolded as various Catholic school boards in Ontario considered whether to allow the vaccine to be administered within their elementary schools. The Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops weighed in with an open letter, suggesting that introduction of the vaccine is inconsistent with a Roman Catholic understanding of human life and sexuality.

Sharing The Love

Calvin Brown

February is a time when we think about love and part of that is the Lenten emphasis on repentence for not loving enough. As I thought about that I reflected on my experiences with our Muslim neighbours.

The Ebola distance

communications

ENI — Religious leaders in Uganda are backing government efforts in fighting Ebola by discouraging followers from shaking hands or embracing during greeting. “These are precautionary measures. The general advice in churches is: don't shake hands; don't embrace,” said Rev. Grace Kaiso, executive secretary of the Uganda Joint Christian Council, a grouping that brings together Roman Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox churches.

Health and Hope

amymaclachlan

The health of the Presbyterian Church was an unofficial theme at the November meeting of the Life and Mission Agency committee, as the convener, Rev. Daniel Cho, began the meeting with an Arab proverb: “He who has health, has hope. He who has hope, has everything.”

A Heart for the Poor

Alex MacLeod

The new face of evangelicalism is down to earth — it comes barrelling in from southern California in the form of a big bear-hug of a man in faded blue jeans. All in orange and green and brown in his trademark Hawaiian shirt, Rick Warren is the pastor of one of the biggest congregations in North America, Saddleback Church in Orange County, just south of Los Angeles. He's also the author of The Purpose Driven Life, the world's bestselling book from 2003-2005.

Christians celebrate 50 million Chinese Bibles

communications

ENI — Celebrations were held in China in December to mark the production of more than 50 million Bibles in the People's Republic by the Amity Printing Company, a joint venture between the United Bible Societies and the Amity Foundation, which is a Chinese Christian agency. The Amity Printing Company is the only body allowed to print Bibles in mainland China.

Full Time Cheerleader

Patricia Schneider

My husband has cancer. Sometimes I feel like a yo-yo, up one moment, down the next. The strong, firmly-fleshed body that warmed the bed at night is now thin as a rail and sometimes even a small hug hurts too much. Although it is the worst of times, it is also the best of times. I see God in the faces of so many who try to help. The Cancer Clinic in Edmonton was so good to us. The one here in Grande Prarie is so personal and cares so deeply. They are as delighted as I am when the chemo treatments seem to be working. His pain is less, mobility greater and appetite improving. But there is more chemo ahead and it is like walking through the valley of death. Not so much physically; the new drugs are wonderful, but the depression, the fatigue, the complete lack of appetite in a man who once lived to eat. These are heavy loads.

Building Relationships

Chuck Congram

He approached me immediately following worship and, in a calm but confident way, declared that he would never be a member of this church because he could never believe in Jesus. I often wonder why someone that confident about what they don't believe ever bothers to show up in church. Subsequent conversation with “Brownie” revealed he had recently been through a difficult marriage breakup and, on the arms of some friends, had initially shown up at a Friday evening Celebrate Recovery event. One of the most memorable and joy-filled times of my ministry was the Sunday he stood before a congregation of 500 and declared his commitment to Christ and to service in His church. Evangelism — the process of helping an individual to find their way from skepticism and doubt to personal faith in Christ — can be seen more clearly when there is a face like that of “Brownie” attached. In relating his story, we come to understand the kinds of components which position a church for effective ministry in this arena.

HIV/AIDS still a pandemic

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ENI — Faith-based campaigners and religious leaders say churches should not relax their efforts to deal with the HIV/AIDS pandemic despite UN figures showing a drop in the number of people worldwide living with the virus.