posted on July 1, 2005 in News

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A new drinking water regulation from the Ministry of the Environment will relieve many Ontario churches of costly testing and equipment requirements. The new regulation, which came into effect in June, allows churches that own and operate certain types of drinking-water systems to either post signs saying that their water has not been tested or test their water according to steps outlined by the ministry.

posted on July 1, 2005 in News

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The Record had a strong showing at the annual Associated Church Press and Canadian Church Press awards. Amy MacLachlan beat 15 other entries to capture first place at ACP for her June 2004 news story, East Toronto Presbytery Says No to Temporary Approval of Same-sex Marriage. ACP judges Canadian and American talent.

posted on July 1, 2005 in Features

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• 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 visitor to assembly, works with those infected and affected by the virus and designs prevention programs. Of India's one billion people, there are 5.1 million cases of HIV/AIDS, although Roy said the government figures are on the low side, and that tripling the number gives a more accurate picture.
• As the seven-year FLAMES initiative comes to a close, the Assembly decided to follow with a Sabbath year, beginning Dec. 3, 2006, the first day of Advent. To lay the groundwork for this time of prayer, reflection and worship in all aspects of the church's life and ministry, a year of preparation will begin on Nov. 27.
• The Presbyterian Church signed a covenant with the Hungarian Reformed Church, linking the two as partners in mission. Moderator Jean Morris and Rev. Ian Morrison, General Secretary of the Life and Mission Agency, witnessed the document for the Canadian church.
• The Synod of Toronto and Kingston was renamed the Synod of Central, Northeastern Ontario and Bermuda, despite some questions about grammar.
• Reports to future assemblies will be posted on the church's website when the documents are sent to commissioners.
• The 132nd assembly will be held in St. Catharines, Ont., hosted by the Presbytery of Niagara.
• Former moderator and director of Presbyterian World Service & Development, Rev. Rick Fee, will replace Rev. Ian Morrison as the new General Secretary of the Life and Mission Agency as of Sept. 1. "I am only one part of the body and I'll rely on the entire denomination to carry out the life and mission of the church," said Fee.
• The Towards a World Without AIDS campaign, led by Presbyterian World Service & Development and initiated by Rick Fee at last year's assembly, has been extended for another year. The national campaign has raised $434,000 of its $500,000 target.
• The moderator will also write the Minister for International Cooperation welcoming the government's recent increase in foreign aid, but urging it to reach the international target of 0.7 per cent of national GDP by 2015.
• Ten members of the Women's Missionary Society will journey to Japan on June 15. They will attend the annual meeting of the Korean Christian Church in Japan.
• Congregations were urged to designate one Sunday in May, 2006 to highlight planned giving.
• Joy Randall received a minute of appreciation in honour of her service as a missionary nurse to the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan. She is retiring after 36 years of service.
• Rev. Dr. Clyde Ervine was granted tenure as director of pastoral studies at Presbyterian College, Montreal. Rev. Dr. Calvin A. Pater, who is retiring form Knox College after 27 years, received a minute of appreciation from the assembly.
• St. Paul's, Glace Bay, made its final loan payment on March 23, canceling a $1.1 million loan. The joyous event, commemorated by a thanksgiving service in May, marked the end of a debt that existed since 1993. St. Paul's paid $600,000 towards the loan, negotiated through PCBC and the Royal Bank, and the Presbyterian Church raised $569,172. More than two million pancakes were served in the last 12 years to raise funds. "The people of Glace Bay know what it means to live in a Christian family," said Rev. Lloyd Murdoch. "For them, that is the family of the PCC." A motion was passed to express gratitude to the national church, the PCBC, the synod of the Atlantic provinces and the presbytery of Cape Breton.
• Following assembly's approval of the Presbyterian Record board's nominations, the Record has named two new members, and one returning to its board of directors. Joining the board are Mary Chudley and Sandra Demson; Gordon Higgins returns after serving a one-year interim appointment. The Record has nine directors who serve three-year terms, plus the moderator of the day.
• The late Rev. Dr. T. Melville Bailey was honoured by the committee on history by renaming its annual history prize after the founder and former minister of Southgate Church, Hamilton. The Rev. Dr. T. Melville Bailey History Prize is awarded to an individual for the publication of a congregation's history. This year's award went to John Moir for his book, Unto the Hills Around, a history of St.Andrew's,Ottawa.
• Rev. Dr. John A. Johnston was named curator of the National Presbyterian Museum in Toronto.
• The revisions to chapter nine of the Book of Forms is now complete. It will be sent down under the Barrier Act for reply to next year's assembly. Peter Ruddell, convener, was thanked for his hard work on this task.
• Presbyteries located within a reasonable distance were encouraged to promote Crieff Hills Community as the preferred location for seminars, retreats and regional educational events.
• The Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Committee was given the go-ahead to continue its dialogue on issues of common interest, ministry and concern with the Christian Reformed Church.
• Rev. Pil-Soon Kim is a member of the Korean Christian Church in Japan, one of the world's smallest denominations with only 6,000 members. Now studying at Knox College (sponsored by International Ministries), and as an ecumenical visitor to the General Assembly, Kim spoke of how the church has helped her re-claim her Korean heritage."Koreans are still recognized as aliens in Japan. Their dreams become diminished or abandoned," she said. "Since coming to Canada, I've realized the significance of your ministries. My dream for the KCCJ is to grow up and comfort others and go forward hand in hand with the Presbyterian Church for justice and peace in Christ."
• The moderator will encourage the federal government to develop a national water policy to ensure a nationwide ban on the commercial export of bulk water and exempt water from the provisions of NAFTA; to help ensure that services for water for personal and domestic use not be bound by the World Trade Organization's General Agreement on Trade and Services; that the government not support mandatory privatization of public water services as a condition for access to loans from the World Bank; and that the government of Canada affirm that access to clean, safe water for personal and domestic use is a basic human right.
• Dialogue between the Presbyterian Church and the Christian Reformed Church of North America began about a year ago. Rev. Richard Vander Vaart addressed the assembly as a representative of that denomination. "Speaking together is not an option," he said. "We are called to do so by Jesus Christ. The world needs to hear our voice." He commended the participation of the young adult representatives at the assembly. "They're not the future of the church," he contended, "they're the church with you right now."

posted on July 1, 2005 in News

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A Presbyterian minister in Ekwendeni, Malawi, has warned male and female nursing students not to exploit the proximity of their accommodation by engaging in casual sex. "Please take yourselves as students with an agenda to fulfill," said Rev. Maurice Munthali, the acting general secretary of the Livingstonia Synod of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian. "Bringing you together should not be interpreted to mean you should be engaging in sexual relationships. This is the place of God. Try to keep it holy."

posted on July 1, 2005 in News

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The Presbyterian Church is part of the fourth largest tsunami aid project approved by the Canadian government in its tsunami matching funds program. According to the Canadian International Development Agency's website, the project in India is only surpassed by efforts led by the three aid giants — Red Cross, World Vision and UNICEF.

posted on July 1, 2005 in Presbytery Profile

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The Presbytery of Pickering has figured out a recipe for growth: take a strong devotion to mission, add a generous willingness to adapt to change, and sprinkle with multiculturalism. Mix well.

posted on July 1, 2005 in Features

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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."

posted on July 1, 2005 in Features

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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.

posted on July 1, 2005 in Michael Coren

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So another Harry Potter book is about to be published and the critical e-mails are already doing the rounds. But those who wrote the entire world about the hellish horrors of HP may well be correct. Harry, Hermione and Ron could simply be lulling us into a false sense of security before they turn us all into collective newts. Thing is, the problem goes much further than J. K. Rowling and all her sordid works.

posted on July 1, 2005 in News

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The Canadian Bible Society is conducting a coast-to-coast bike ride in honour of its centennial anniversary. Participants will cover more than 7,800 kilometres, cycling through every province in 62 days. The ride starts July 2, 2006. The event celebrates the society workers who once travelled to communities by foot or on horseback, offering Bibles to those who needed them. The society hopes to raise $500,000 to be used for Bible translation, publication and distribution projects.

posted on July 1, 2005 in News

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Canadian churches sent 10,000 tonnes of wheat and 1,320 tonnes of soybeans to North Korea through the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. Presbyterian World Service & Development is the lead agency for the shipment. CFGB member churches contributed more than $1 million,matched by more than $4 million from the Canadian International Development Agency.

posted on July 1, 2005 in Mission Knocks

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You might say Waterloo North Church has already been bucking the Presbyterian trend. Rather than offering a single, lightly-attended Sunday service, it has two on Sunday — with 80 people attending in the morning and about 250 at night. The congregation also has a unique approach to mission, where Haiti is the country of choice. It stems from the idea that this developing country has no shortage of labour but needs the money and the materials to build better lives. "We're simply trying to fulfill our mission statement by being a people who continually share the good news of Jesus Christ in word and deed," said Waterloo's minister, Rev. Dwight Strain. "And that often means just giving people what they need."

posted on July 1, 2005 in Features

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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.

posted on July 1, 2005 in For the Journey

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"Boy did I ever get a surprise!" exclaimed Linda as she opened the door of our little travel trailer.

posted on July 1, 2005 in News

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There are at least 1,200 Protestant churches with more than 2,000 weekly worship attendants across the United States, a study from an American seminary has discovered. The figure was nearly double the number of megachurches previously thought. "We hope and pray that we can help correct misperceptions and better network these churches with each other," said Dave Travis of Leadership Network, a partner in the project.

posted on July 1, 2005 in News

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Moderator of the 2004 General Assembly and new General Secretary of the Life and Mission Agency received an honorary doctorate from Knox College in May.

posted on July 1, 2005 in For the Record

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In his award-winning essay on Celtic Christianity (Presbyterian Record, April 2004), Philip Newell writes about "listening within life for the beat of God's presence." Listening is not something we do all that well in Western culture; talking and shouting is more typical. Heckling question periods in Parliament are the quintessential formalization of basketball players trashtalking.

posted on July 1, 2005 in Books, Features

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The hardest task in this book was picking my Bible. I saw this book sitting on my editor's bookshelf and immediately accepted the challenge. I thought this would be exactly the thing to introduce me to the Bible and help me gain a nice, rounded experience of the different texts.

posted on July 1, 2005 in Features

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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."

posted on July 1, 2005 in Features

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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.