I spent eight exhausting days in the Holy Land as a guest of Israel's Ministry of Tourism; a strategy of the government's to balance the reporting on the country and hopefully to entice others to travel there. During our first dinner, at a restaurant in Tel Aviv, the ministry's branch director of hosting operations, Benjamin-Gad Ninnayi, presented his case passionately: "Why look elsewhere? This country is a diamond, a treasure. There are beautiful things all over the world, but they can't compare to Jerusalem."

If Mary and Joseph were to arrive in Bethlehem late at night to find all the local hotels full in 2005, Jesus would more likely have been born in the corner of a stone building or plaza.

Reluctantly, we are acknowledging that our time in Napier New Zealand is too quickly coming to an end. This is our second Ministry Exchange experience, and as before, it has been a tremendous blessing to our family and to our ministry.

From February to August, two Presbyterian ministers from opposite sides of the world journeyed to each other's church and home. Rev. Shaun Seaman of Trinity, Kanata, Ont., and Rev. Colin English of St. Paul's, New Zealand, participated in a exchange where one assumes the other's role in church. Homes and vehicles are also exchanged.

The man on the train from Tbilisi to Yerevan chatted away busily on his cell phone. He then turned with equal devotion to a laptop computer. But, when we struck up a conversation he was, like most Armenians, quick to define his country's identity in terms of the past rather than some high-tech future. "Armenia is the oldest Christian nation in the world," he announced with pride.

As I stepped off the plane into the sweltering humidity of Guatemala City, the realization that I had just entered a completely foreign world set in. Since my knowledge of the country was limited, I felt vulnerable being exposed to this different culture. Over the next 17 days, my mission group and I would come to an understanding of the beautiful yet controversial country of Guatemala. We learned of the triumphs of the Guatemalan people and were grounded by their daily struggles and misfortunes.

‘Our faith demands more of us’ ‘HIV/AIDS is simply a mirror to look closely at the world we live in. HIV/AIDS is not the sin: […]

Israel: Jesus walked here A tour through the Bible and the latest headlines by Amy MacLachlan I spent eight exhausting days in the Holy Land […]

Christianity is no longer the automatic or assumed religion of this society, and as Christian ministers we are no longer members of a professional guild which, like law or medicine, can assume that it has a well-respected place in society; we belong, rather, to a community of faith that is in many ways under duress, is frequently misunderstood and suspect within its social context and is itself rather uncertain of its mission and its place in its world. This is especially the case, I would say, with the old Protestant churches of what is called the ‘main-line' — not only, but more particularly, in their North American expressions. Like many other observers of the religious situation today, I am deeply concerned for the Protestant future.

So, there I was in the Superstore on a Friday night after the closing of the Bible School (we called it the Summer Church Camp 2005!) being asked a simple, yet profound, question by the cashier: "Are you building the church yet?" And without missing a beat, I smiled and said, "Yes, we are building it – one person at a time. Thanks for asking!"

Christians must find joy in the cross, an animated and passionate Rick Fee declared in his final sermon as the church's leader. He said Jesus himself came and endured for the joy that lay beyond his suffering. It is at the empty cross where joy can be found. "It is not the emptiness of despair or the loss of meaning," he told the more than 400 parishioners who packed the stifling hot First, Edmonton, for the opening of the 131st General Assembly. "It is the emptiness that holds open the possibility for something amazing, something God-given to emerge."

As coordinator of the Church of North India's HIV/AIDS program, which focuses on women, youth, refugees, drug addicts and prison inmates, Karuna Roy, an ecumenical […]

Christians must find joy in the cross, an animated and passionate Rick Fee declared in his final sermon as the church's leader. He said Jesus himself came and endured for the joy that lay beyond his suffering. It is at the empty cross where joy can be found. "It is not the emptiness of despair or the loss of meaning," he told the more than 400 parishioners who packed the stifling hot First, Edmonton, for the opening of the 131st General Assembly. "It is the emptiness that holds open the possibility for something amazing, something God-given to emerge."

The gentle manner and quiet spirit of Rev. Ian Morrison was heralded in Edmonton, as the General Assembly saluted one of its most-loved members. Morrison will retire as the Life and Mission Agency's General Secretary in September.

Marriage is a union of one man and one woman, General Assembly declared in reaffirming its position. The definition is based on the church's subordinate standards. Moderator Jean Morris will inform the federal government of the assembly's decision.

During their presentation to assembly, the young adult representatives lamented their limited roles. "I'd like to make an additional motion," said Barry Wade, Presbytery of Seaway-Glengarry. "To give full voting rights to the YARs in conjunction with their speaking privileges." The moderator was asked for permission to speak to the motion, which she granted. "I believe this will give new vitality to the discussions," Wade continued at the microphone. "Our young people are very knowledgeable."

A controversial move to raise the stipend for executive staff, including those at church offices and the theological colleges, was passed as an interim policy. Assembly Council was ensured responsibility to set policy and base stipend figures. However, their decisions must be recommended to General Assembly, which has the right to approve or disapprove such suggestions. Any proposed changes would, in turn, be subject to review by the council before assembly makes a final decision.

A request to include housing allowance in maternity/paternity leave benefits was denied by General Assembly, which argued the current policy is sufficient. Difficulties revolve around the definition of salary, which, as the Pension and Benefits Board contends, is defined by stipend alone. The federal government provides unemployment benefits based on salary.

The Assembly overwhelmingly voted to adopt Leading with Care: A Policy for Ensuring a Climate of Safety for Children, Youth and Vulnerable Adults. Congregations are expected to implement the policy by July 1, 2006, and presbyteries will oversee this implementation. All congregations will be mailed a copy of the policy, which has been in the works since 2000. Congregations were encouraged to seek the services of David Phillips, who has been working temporarily with the Life and Mission Agency to help congregations understand and implement the policy.

There are clues to Mulugeta Abai's Ethiopian past. One of them is the job he has chosen for himself in Toronto at the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture. Clients say he offers them comfort, that he is perceptive, kind, and always determined to help. But behind his murmurs of understanding, there is his own vivid recall, and behind his sympathy there are the shifting sheets he returns to each night, tossing in nightmares he refuses to share with his wife.