New kid on the block
It’s hard to believe but Jessie Bush, second from left, is really the new kid on the block here. To her left is Doug Pruss, […]
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Mothers are a Gift from God!
Click here for this month’s Called to Wonder.
St. Andrew’s, Calgary, AB
Call it a living history – rather than compile a book, the history committee at St. Andrew’s, Calgary, decided to create 10 historical panels recording […]
Nigerian grows church through mission and evangelism
Rev. Friday Inya is passionate about spreading the Good News to his fellow countrymen. As the recently appointed head of the National Directorate of Missions […]
St. Andrew’s, Dresden, ON
A Raise the Roof Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser was held at St. Andrew’s, Dresden, Ont. The teens, together with various church leaders, were very enthusiastic and […]
West Vancouver, BC
Ian and May Loudon arrived from Scotland in 1953 and very soon thereafter joined West Vancouver Church, which in those days met in a rented […]
Clarity and Depth
The Master Preacher: Sermons from John by Roy Sheldon MacKenzie Fairway Press, Lima, Ohio, 2006 In his introduction to The Master Preacher, short and not […]
Taiwanese women seek gender equality
Although the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan has ordained women since 1950, when the church celebrated the 50th anniversary in 2000, there were still congregations that […]
Take up his cross
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take […]
Journeying in Faith to the Middle East Conflict
The Presbyterian Record ran an advertisement last spring that just grabbed me. Here was an opportunity for mission in the Holy Land, a mission to walk where Jesus walked, attempting in some small way to bring justice, solidarity and presence to those being persecuted. Before retirement, I was the owner of a manufacturing company, experienced in interviewing job applicants. I now found myself in the opposite situation being interviewed by a dozen or so professional mission staff at PCC offices in Toronto. They were candid about the personal challenges I would face should I take on this mission to Palestine/Israel.
Preparing for Pandemics
The Spanish Flu of 1918, the Asian Flu of 1957 and the Hong Kong Flu of 1968, all of which had their origins in bird flu, resulted in 40- to 50-million deaths. But new strains of avian-related viruses are potentially even more dangerous today. “Humans have no immunity to them,” said Dr. Michael Markus, a consultant in occupational medicine and travellers' health. “And as it jumps to other species that are closer to humans, it means the virus is getting more efficient.”
From liberation to mission
ENI – Rev. Israel Batista, general secretary of the Latin American Council of Churches presented a report at the fifth assembly of the church grouping's highest governing showing a shift in membership and focus. The Latin American church was once seen as a bastion of liberation theology. But some delegates noted that in recent years it has moved closer to the mushrooming Pentecostal and Evangelical churches which are outstripping the traditional Protestant and Roman Catholic churches in membership growth.
Community, Conflict and Coming Together
Last month, readers got to know the Presbytery of Hamilton with its commitment to youth ministry, and vibrant, re-vamped worship. The challenges of being one of the church's largest presbyteries were also highlighted, with ministers noting that strong leadership, cooperation and building relationships with each other were hard-to-realize but important priorities. The presbytery's story continues in this issue.
The New Normal
Ask average Presbyterians in Canada what the normal model for ministry is, and they will inevitably describe a self-supporting congregation with its own full-time paid minister. These clergy have one calling, one vocation, to the single congregation they serve.
Show the money
ENI – “God sends his angels in times of disasters. These are the angels God sent to us when we stood stunned unable to decide what to do next,” said V. K. Equbal, a Muslim, of a Christian project to build a disaster shelter and community centre at a Muslimmajority village in southern India hit by the December 2005 tsunami.
Recipe of Hope
When I first met Sue, her shaved head highlighted her great smile. Later, when her hair re-emerged, it was purple before she settled on a more mature fluorescent pink. She liked to saunter around the church in ostentatiously bell-bottomed jeans and an array of crazy colourful clothes.
Solid Leadership, Strong Support
God certainly is a surprise. It began with a dream by an elder long, long ago to one day have a Christian educator work in the congregation. The dream was mentioned now and then, but in a medium-sized rural church of 300 members (100 attending on Sunday), many thought it was unrealistic. Then, in the last six years, this village of 500 outside of Pictou experienced a baby boom. There were more and more babies around, including twins and triplets, with quite a few young families coming to church.
An Obsession for Restoration
“I found someone!” I said.
Nuns were tougher
ENI – Poland's Roman Catholic nuns withstood pressure from the communist-era secret police far more robustly than male clergy, some new research shows.
REAP and You Shall Grow
The third and final installment of the annual REAP evangelism conference gets underway on May 11 and 12, and will focus on “growing deeper” by examining the idea that evangelism and discipleship are inseparable, with each needing the other and thriving in one another's presence.