Most Rev. Donald Theriault, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Military Diocese and Roman Catholic Representative Interfaith Committee on Canadian Military Chaplaincy and Col. David Kettle, Director of Chaplaincy Administration, Education and Training lead an ecumenical group gathered, appropriately enough to bless a new baptismal font, at 8 Wing Trenton Chapel, in Ontario. This marks the first time, in a Canadian Forces Chapel, that all forms of baptism can be performed at one font. Water flows constantly into the tank symbolizing the living waters of Christian faith.

The Christian Reformed Church is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a Sea to Sea cross-Canada bike tour beginning June 23. One hundred and sixty five cyclists have entered, with 97 scheduled for the entire Vancouver to Halifax trek. The event is intended to foster Christian unity and raise money for the church's Deep Roots, New Branches program that supports church planting across the country. Each cyclist has committed to raising $10,000, for an expected total of $1.2 million after expenses. Although no Presbyterians are on the roster that includes eight denominations, celebration rallies will be held every Sunday in cities along the route, where supporters can join with cyclists for worship and fellowship. The tour wraps up Sept. 4. For more information, visit www.seatosea.org. — AM

A Mexican town has been spared potential damage by a Canadian mining company, thanks in part to Canadian church leaders. For more than 10 years, the residents of Cerro de San Pedro had been fighting Canadian-owned Metallica Resources' plans to start an open-pit gold mine in their town. To help them in their plight, KAIROS (Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives) sent an ecumenical church leaders' delegation to Mexico in March to investigate the situation. Former Presbyterian moderator, Rev. Mark Lewis, reported on the visit in May. "When we left the little town we promised the people we would do all we could to prevent a Canadian company from doing such harm on foreign soil," said Lewis. "I have never seen faith move a mountain, but now I have seen faith keep a mountain in its place."

The Presbyterian church is willing to send more funds to India to help with the legal expenses of 13 Bhil Christians who were arrested following a local uprising last January. International Ministries already sent $5,000. Of the 13 arrested, eight were charged with the death of a Hindu man. He was killed while Christians were protecting their homes and a church that were damaged during the attacks. Trial hearings have been repeatedly postponed because judges and witnesses fail to appear in court.

Samantha Edwards has joined the Record as its new art director. She brings more than 12 years experience in editorial design, and has worked for Rogers Publishing designing advertising supplements and promotions for Today's Parent, Chatelaine and Canadian Business. She lives in Don Mills with her husband and two children, and looks forward to sharing her ideas with the Record.

The church's Moderator has sharply criticized the federal government's refusal to increase its foreign aid to the United Nations standard of 0.7 per cent of national GDP. "It's regrettable that when we're so privileged in Canada, we cannot even meet a minimum goal that was set many years ago," said Moderator Richard Fee. "One has to question priorities and how those priorities are being set."

"What I would expect as we go about our work on mission and evangelization in the 21st century is that we recognize the diversity of the multi-faith reality of the world today," said Rev. Samuel Kobia, general secretary of World Council of Churches which met in Athens in May. Warning against "religiously-fuelled racism, culture wars and the clash of civilizations," Kobia said many exponents of particular religions intentionally discounted people of different beliefs and encouraged aggressive behaviour towards them. He noted that interfaith dialogue would be a priority for the WCC.

Maclean's magazine will be 100 years old in October, and it has a Presbyterian to thank for its name. Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean was the son of a Presbyterian minister who emigrated from Scotland and settled in Crieff, Ont. Born in 1862, Maclean launched his first publication, Canadian Grocer, 25 years later. Other titles under his belt included the Financial Post and Chatelaine. It was the creation of Maclean's magazine — originally titled the Busy Man's Magazine — in 1905 that launched the media empire Maclean-Hunter Ltd. The company, now owned by Rogers Media, includes 120 Canadian periodicals and has expanded into radio, television and book publishing.

The site of a 68-year-old massacre made Ronald Wallace stop and think. During his visit to China, accompanied by a Canadian ecumenical delegation, Wallace walked on the ground where more than 350,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers were murdered, and 80,000 women and girls were raped by Japanese forces. "The atrocity of war really hits you," he said. "It was quite moving."