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Bible Birds
Click here for this month’s Called to Wonder.
Click here for this month’s Called to Wonder.
The Sunday school children at Norval, Ont., surprised longtime Sunday school coordinator Bea Henderson with this lovely floral tribute in June. Bea retired as superintendent […]
ENI – A US survey confirmed that the Democratic Party has “a serious God problem,” with only 26 per cent of those surveyed feeling the party is friendly to religion.
Moderator Wilma Welsh, on request of the General Assembly, has written to Peter Mackay, the minister of foreign affairs, to “adopt global transfer principles or criteria that would prevent the shipment of small arms to countries where there are serious human rights violations or to countries in which small arms are likely to undermine human security and development efforts.”
St. Columba Presbyterian Church in Marion Bridge, Nova Scotia, is missing between $30,000 and $60,000. Cape Breton police were investigating its disappearance back in May, although money was first reported missing on February 21. Rev. Kevin Richardson did confirm the money is yet to be found and said he was not aware of any new information pertaining to the case. Frank magazine reported the congregation’s lawyer, Blair Mitchell, of Mitchell & Ferguson Associates, as saying, “Members of the congregation have become aware of the possibility that funds are missing, and are taking appropriate steps to investigate that, and are looking to recover potential loss.” The congregation draws about 30 people on a Sunday, in a community of about 400. – AM/p>
Forty years ago a major decision was made at General Assembly. After days of debate, the question of the ordination of women as elders and as ministers of word and sacrament was put to a vote. Despite a number of recorded dissents, the recommendation passed and women were able to be ordained.
ENI – Religious leaders in Asia are hoping a “School of Peace” will help young activists from different religions spread a message of harmony and tolerance.
Paris is a peculiar presbytery. Situated in south-western Ontario, its demographics, in many ways, reflect presbyteries across the country: several larger churches working alongside a greater number of rural and small-town congregations. But in other ways, the presbytery is quite different. While its attendance and members both dropped between 2003 and 2004, its number of adherents increased. It also has several congregations whose numbers reflect a growing trend in many denominations; that of more adherents than members. Paris Presbyterian and Calvin, Delhi, are examples of this, and Innerkip actually has more in attendance each week than is listed on the constituent roll.
Talk about a lesson in contrasts. In early July, more than 600 youth, young adults and youth leaders descended on Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., ready for some singing, playing, dancing and worshipping (amidst flashing lights, electric guitars and giant projection screens), and yes, for some learning too. Exactly one month prior, Brock was home to the 132nd General Assembly, where playing and dancing were farther from the ho-hum agenda than thoughts of snow to a cottager lounging by the lake.
All women members of the church should accept the responsibility and be given the opportunity of serving Jesus Christ and their fellow human beings in all areas and occupations of life as the members of his body. This in turn should be the example to the world of how women should be accepted in all spheres of activity.
I was in Nigeria, working with the the Board of Missions (now the WMS) when the General Assembly made the decision to ordain women as teaching and ruling elders, and my memories of that first debate are all secondhand. I have a much clearer memory of the second debate in the early 1980s (often referred to as the “liberty of conscience” debate).
Personally, while I like to commute on my bicycle, I don’t think that I would have entered the Bike for Bibles Centennial Ride if I hadn’t felt a strong nudge from God to do so. Since God does things for me all the time, I felt good about tangibly doing something for Him. In a way, for me, doing this ride parallels the story of the talents. God has given me the ability to ride my bike and called me to use it for his purpose of spreading the Word by helping the Canadian Bible Society raise funds. I felt a bit like the reluctant prophet Jonah, being anxious about undertaking the tasks of fundraising and going on such a long ride. But, I figured I might as well follow the call instead of being swallowed by a whale, and so I remind myself whenever I get overwhelmed, that I’m doing this for God and that God only asks those who are worthy. I am excited because this is the first time I am doing something that I don’t really want to do for myself but feel called upon to do for God. Actually, it scares me sometimes, because I don’t want to fail God in this effort. I guess you could say it has become a bit of a faith journey now.
A new web exhibit from the Association for Manitoba Archives highlights the Red River Settlement Churches from 1818-1870. The churches were central to the lives of settlers in the remote fur trading community on the banks of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. Archival documents left by the congregations reveal what life was like in the now-vanished society.
ENI – The World Summit of Religious Leaders, the largest interfaith gathering to meet in Russia since the time of the Cold War, closed its July meeting by passing a resolution condemning terrorism, economic inequality, environmental abuses and the denigration of moral values in the modern world.
When ministers are on holiday or maternity leave, at home sick in bed, or when the pulpit is simply vacant, congregations are missing a main ingredient for Sunday service. Not content to leave congregations without worship each week, the Presbytery of Cape Breton, currently faced with six vacant charges, found a solution in lay worship teams — groups of trained, educated and commissioned lay persons who conduct worship services for congregations in need. “Equipped, enabled, empowered,” is their mantra.
You know better than I do that being a teenager these days is far from easy. There is a lot of pressure from your parents and teachers. Life moves faster now than in any other generation and that brings with it more demands on your time. There is increasing violence in society and even in schools, you have readier access to drugs than ever before and diseases like AIDS make the world a scary place. Add to that the pain of heartache and the need to fit in that every young person has to cope with, and life can totally suck sometimes.
Those logging trucks are going to choke me to death,” Linda said. “It has been so hot for so long that I don’t think there is a drop of moisture anywhere. And the dust, not to mention the non-stop roar of trucks from 4:30 in the morning till dark. We need to move out of this campsite right now!”
The Presbyterian Church (USA) made some controversial decisions at its General Assembly in June, and is beginning to hear criticism from conservative members and partners. Meeting in Birmingham, Alabama, the assembly voted to allow flexibility in deciding whether to ordain non-celibate homosexuals as clergy, something that was previously banned outright by the denomination.
After 120 years of service, Victoria-Royce, Toronto, has closed its doors. The final service was held on June 25th, with about 300 people in attendance. “There was a tremendous response,” said Rev. George French, a former minister of Victoria-Royce for 15 years. “They came from far and wide to say goodbye.”
This year my church’s progressive dinner was scheduled during the 24-hour famine my youth group organized to combat world hunger. The nerve! So while nine youth and five adults were starving, the rest of the congregation was indulging in a five-course meal. And we had to sleep on a hard floor that night, and our youth band had to play in the service the next morning, when all of its members were hungry and light-headed. Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to complain. For one thing, our congregation helped us to surpass our $2,000 fundraising goal by more than $400. For another, I just don’t deserve to whine. I live in North America, where all youth are rich, spoiled and lazy. That, according to the World Vision Famine website (www.famine.ca), is the judgment pronounced on us by youth of other continents. Ouch. Sadly, though, I agree. We have no idea what hardship is.