At the close of a service, I was shaking hands and greeting members. I was delighted to hear in words what I have felt as I visited in many of the congregations within our church. The member said to me, “Since our new minister came a few years ago I wish everyday was Sunday so that I could come to church.” I could tell from the look on his face how sincere he was.
ENI – Kenyan Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi has urged his government to reconsider a decision to close its borders to refugees from neighbouring strife-torn Somalia. “At times of emergency, it is important to be humanitarian,” said Nzimbi after the January announcement by the government that it was closing its border with Somalia and deporting refugees who had crossed to Kenya. “We should not allow them to remain where they will be killed,” said Nzimbi.
Cynthia Chenard spent her formative years in Manila, Philippines, where her parents were missionaries. She worked as a radio announcer and a teacher prior to entering pastoral ministry. Ordained in 1991, she served West St. Andrew’s in St. Catharines and First Church in St. David’s, Ontario, before moving to Iona in 1996. Serving also as a police chaplain for the RCMP and the Halifax Regional Police, Chenard was a front line pastoral presence during the Swissair tragedy and its aftermath.
On Sunday morning, Rev. George Yando drives his van past two houses, picking up people who can't drive to the reserve on their own. Seated comfortably, the three elderly men and women talk candidly, laughing about their week and the rutted road that takes them to the small white church on the Mistawasis reserve.
“My priority is to give native people hope and a future,” said Rev. Hoosik Kim, director of Edmonton Urban Native Ministry. “Sticking to the past cannot draw people into a better future. I recognize that aboriginals in this land need both physical and mental healing. They also need reconciliation in various relationships. Going one step forward, they require leadership for the generations to come.”
Most Presbyterians have probably heard of native residential schools and the various abuses suffered by children who attended them. Most probably know their church had […]
When I was 11 years young, my parents sent me to Loose Moose Bible Camp as a prize for memorizing Scripture verses like “Be ye kind one to another.” I was beaten up twice that week by Bruce Johnson, the meanest kid this side of Harlem. Bruce had wrists as big as my thighs and tattoos the size of Bermuda. He was so unsaved that he couldn't even sing along on “Kum Ba Yah,” or “It Only Takes A Spark To Get A Fire Going.”
In the north end of Winnipeg, the aboriginal population — many of them poor, homeless, hurting — continues to grow. Drugs are rampant, violence is a constant threat, and absent or addicted parents fail to provide a warm and positive environment for their children. Enter Flora House.
ENI – The American Religious Newswriters Association held their annual poll in December to name the top religion news:
When Frehley McKay died last year in a gang war, no one wanted to host the funeral, fearing retaliation from McKay's gang rivals. With nowhere for friends and family to gather, nowhere to lay the coffin for its last rites, the people of Anishinabe Fellowship Centre stepped forward, offering the centre as the place where the 22-year-old's loved ones would say farewell. Police in bullet-proof vests camped out at each corner to ensure no more violence ensued.
The Towards a World Without AIDS campaign of Presbyterian World Service and Development not only funds projects in far away countries; it assists people right here in Canada. As of December 31st, more than $1 million had been raised for the campaign since its launch in 2004. About $75,000 of that has been allocated to support projects in Canada, such as:
I note in the Record that someone with the initials AM writes quite a few columns.
I was very surprised to see the strange version of my letter in the December issue. I certainly didn't say: “I have just finished reading John Visser's excellent biography of W. W. Bryant.” I did say: “I have just finished reading John Visser's excellent book, The Neo-Orthodox Theology of W. W. Bryden.” It is the theology that is significant, not Dr. Bryden's life, inspiring as it was.
What gives???
The Experimental Fund can only distribute income received from the annual investment earned on its capital, which now stands at just over half a million dollars, after 25 years. There have been occasions in the past where worthy projects were at hand, but sufficient income was not. As the capital grows, more income can be spent.
By establishing the Experimental Fund (December 2006 issue), Mr. van Beek gave the Presbyterian Church a wonderful opportunity to fund projects “outside the box.” He gave the money with no strings attached, and trusted that the money would be used for “new and unique ways of doing mission and ministry.” The article states that during 25 years of the fund's existence $150,000 has been given to new initiatives and $500,000 remains in the bank.
One person’s junk is another’s mission project. These senior high students at St. Andrew’s, Fredericton, held a rummage sale and raised $750 for local, national […]
Five dollars buys immunization for one child living in the Bhil field of India through PWS&D. These children from Armour Heights, Toronto, decided immunization would […]
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 […]
They sure love him at First, Pembroke, Ont. On the occasion of Rev. Daniel H. Forget’s 25th anniversary of ordination, the congregation praised him for […]