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Priest played and won

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ENI – A Roman Catholic priest who won approximately US$70,000 in a Polish television game show has said he plans to use the money for a new church in his parish that has been under construction for the past three years.

Some honest differences amongst friends

Will Ingram

Upon my return from the central committee of the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland, I read a rather interesting comment from a Presbyterian minister friend, written in response to the newly elected WCC moderator, which spoke about the need for “new life” in the ecumenical movement. My friend wrote, “Like a probe sent to Mars, finding life may be a product of where you look for it. I see it all about me in my city. It is here that I see so much vitality and growth in ecumenism, along with growing acceptance and sharing.” After all, he suggested, the local expressions of ecumenism, in his city, are vibrant and healthy. People of different backgrounds regularly worship together, work on issues of common concern and have, through those involvements, broken down many of the historic divides in the Body of Christ. What more is needed on a national or international scale?

Regehr named E.H. Johnson Award recipient

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Dr. Ernie Regehr was named the 2007 recipient of the E.H. Johnson Award for someone working on the “cutting edge” of mission. Regehr was a co-founder of Project Ploughshares where he was worked diligently over the past several years. He is also adjunct associate professor in Peace and Conflict Studies at Conrad Grebel University College, University of Waterloo. Next year he will teach a course on “disarming conflicts” at Wilfrid Laurier University. Regehr publishes widely on peace and security issues and maintains a broad range of international engagements related to nuclear non-proliferation and regional conflicts. He has served as an NGO representative and expert advisor on a variety of Government of Canada delegations to multilateral disarmament forums and, among his current appointments, he is a Commissioner on the World Council of Churches Commission on International Affairs and a member of the Board of Directors of the Africa Peace Forum of Nairobi, Kenya.

Opera 'self-censored'

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ENI – German chancellor Angela Merkel has criticised as “self censorship” the cancellation of a Mozart opera in Berlin because of concern that a scene featuring the severed head of the Prophet Muhammad could lead to attacks by Muslims.

Green church applauded

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“This is a real marriage of theology and architecture,” Dwight Duncan, Ontario's energy minister told architect Roberto Chiotti who designed the “green” St. Gabriel's Roman Catholic Church in Toronto. 

A sense of the future

Jennifer Higgs

The Presbytery of Niagara was host to the national church twice this year, bringing hundreds of volunteers together. Brock University in St. Catharines was the site of the 132nd General Assembly in June and Canada Youth 2006 in July. The presbytery has 19 charges and 23 congregations, some with a handful of adherents and others with more than 400 members. But each shares the goal of congregational renewal and re-visioning. Many churches are looking to expand their outreach. Rev. Tijs Theijsmeijer, presbytery clerk, says a future project with Arabic ministries is under consideration. “Hopefully within the next year it'll be an established ministry,” he says.

Hungary's 'moral crisis'

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ENI – Hungarian church leaders have urged politicians to show greater responsibility, following days of street protests calling for the resignation of the country's premier after he admitted telling lies about the economy.

Kindness packs a punch

L. June Stevenson

If you go down to the mall today, you're in for a big surprise. If the mall is somewhere in Ajax, Ont., and if it's 1 p.m. on the first Saturday of the month, someone may just hand you a Tim Hortons gift certificate and say, “Have a coffee on us.”