A profound sadness visits me each time I hear a reference to the Holocaust, the systematic killing of six million Jewish people during World War II. I wonder what can be said or done to commemorate that event today? We read books and study history. But is there something more that we, as Christians, should be doing?
Among these seven follicly blessed students at the Toronto School of Theology in the mid-seventies are a future moderator and two bishops. From left, the dapper Rick Fee, PCC Moderator; Heather McGregor, now a YWCA Toronto executive; Caroline Lockerbee, Presbyterian minister in Burlington, Ont.; Jack Archibald, Ottawa Presbyterian minister; Colin Johnson, Anglican bishop of Toronto; David Danner, Episcopal priest in Massachusetts; and Jim Wingle, Roman Catholic bishop of St. Catharines.
In 1999, Jerry Falwell issued a warning, through a magazine he oversaw, that Tinky Winky might be a gay role model. According to his National Liberty Journal, "[Tinky Winky] is purple — the gay pride color; and his antenna is shaped like a triangle — the gay pride symbol…. These subtle depictions are no doubt intentional and parents are warned to be alert to these elements of the series."
Assembly Council has approved a pay-hike for national church executive staff to bring them in line with comparable positions in the Toronto area. As of Jan. 1, 2005, the church's top three general secretary positions — principal clerk, chief financial officer and general secretary of the Life and Mission agency — are receiving a clergy stipend of $82,300, up from $65,249. Non-clergy receive another 15 per cent to compensate for the clergy housing tax deduction.
A prominent Toronto minister has been charged with sexual assault and sexual exploitation of a teenager for an alleged incident 15 years ago. Rev. Robert Fourney, minister at Glenview, the largest Presbyterian church in Toronto, and former moderator of East Toronto Presbytery appeared in Collingwood court on Feb 1. He is scheduled to appear again March 8, when a date for a preliminary hearing is expected to be set.
What is more joyous than the birth of a baby? Ironically, following this joyous event, congregations often neglect or even ignore children in the first six years of life. Small children are shuffled into nurseries — often poorly equipped — because they make noise. 'Teaching' of small children often consists of a haphazard and random list of volunteers. Yet these early years are incredibly important. Physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual achievements are enormous in the first six years.
On Tuesday morning my wife and I invited 10 small boys to help us celebrate our son's birthday party. When I was a child I squeezed the front brakes on my three-speed bicycle while flying around a gravel corner. That was not a wise decision either.
The Presbytery of East Toronto is sending an overture to General Assembly, asking it to establish a committee that will study same-sex marriage. The presbytery hopes the committee will report back to assembly within two years, providing clear direction to congregations and clergy that are asked to participate in the marriages of same-sex couples. The motion was passed with little discussion.
The Presbyterian Church in Canada has lost a number of faithful servants in the last few months. Below is a brief look at a handful of those no longer with us.
Over the course of one month, as the missing were declared dead, the estimates of deaths due to the Asian tsunami rose to above 300,000. But, that wasn't the only horrendous death toll. Here is a listing of on-going death rates around the globe, each month.
Rev. Robert Schuller's Crystal Cathedral, best known for its weekly Hour of Power broadcasts, was home to a suicide by one of its own leaders.
Restrictions on government subsidies given to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB) may limit the help given to survivors of the tsunami. Donations are still being put to good use and CFGB is providing victims — particularly in India — with much-needed grain, rice and lentils. "We are responding," said CFGB executive director Jim Cornelius. "We just aren't able to use all of the funds from the government."
Presbyterians have responded by raising $92,000 for the Towards A World Without AIDS campaign. Already $80,000 has been allocated to support new work of our overseas church partners struggling to respond to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in their countries.
A congregation without a minister is sometimes just what the doctor ordered. For St. Andrew's, Flin Flon (in northern Manitoba and an eight-hour drive from Brandon), this was just the case. Four years with an empty pulpit motivated them to address the general lack of support for rural and remote ministries. They soon realized their situation was not unique among rural congregations (six of the 14 charges in the presbytery are without a minister), and were convinced rural and remote ministries have a low profile in the life of the national church.
The Supreme Court opinion on gay marriage delivered in December is only one chapter in the long history of the issue in this country. Fundamental arguments aside, what is so surprising is how self-congratulatory people have been because the ruling claims to respect freedom of religion. In other words, we have been assured that clergy who refuse to marry gay couples will not face pressure or prosecution.
It's February 2 and I know spring is just around the corner. No, it is not what that Yankee rodent Punxsutawney Phil nor that Ontario hairy-tailed rat Wiarton Willie saw today. Who could possibly predict weather on the basis of what a myopic, eastern earth rat saw or didn't see on February 2? They would probably lie about it anyway. Out west, we rely on the one sure thing that there is to predict spring: the Western Wood-Pewee (Contopus sordidulus), a small, grey bird.
Although historically Scottish in origin, The Presbyterian Church in Canada has several vibrant congregations with predominantly black and multicultural members. University Presbyterian, Toronto, Malvern and St. David's, Scarborough, Eglise St. Luc, Montreal, and the Ghanaian Churches in Montreal and Toronto all have a large black contingent.
Do Christians make good employers?
The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery, Vol. V: 1935-1942, edited by Mary Rubio and Elizabeth Waterston, 2004.
When natural disasters strike, such as the recent tsunami in the Indian Ocean, many people wonder what role God is playing in these events. It is an age-old question and one not easily answered.