posted on September 1, 2005 in News

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The national conference for Elders and Lay Leaders in Edmonton was such a tremendous success that General Assembly unanimously approved a mandate to continue the pre-Assembly training sessions over the next five years. There was a record attendance of more than 150 people at the June 4th event at Dayspring, Edmonton.

posted on September 1, 2005 in News

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St. Andrew's, Ottawa, proudly displayed their support of the Make Poverty History campaign by hoisting a 20-foot white banner. Located in the heart of downtown Ottawa, just minutes from the Parliament buildings, the church was the perfect place for Presbyterians to tell the federal government they want more foreign aid for impoverished countries. Members of the congregation are pictured at the unveiling in June.

posted on September 1, 2005 in Features

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Christianity is no longer the automatic or assumed religion of this society, and as Christian ministers we are no longer members of a professional guild which, like law or medicine, can assume that it has a well-respected place in society; we belong, rather, to a community of faith that is in many ways under duress, is frequently misunderstood and suspect within its social context and is itself rather uncertain of its mission and its place in its world. This is especially the case, I would say, with the old Protestant churches of what is called the ‘main-line' — not only, but more particularly, in their North American expressions. Like many other observers of the religious situation today, I am deeply concerned for the Protestant future.

posted on September 1, 2005 in News

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VisionTV is jumping onto the reality TV bandwagon with its new production, Gospel Challenge. Described as a lifestyle/documentary series, the show will give aspiring Canadian gospel singers a chance at their big break.

posted on September 1, 2005 in News

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Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon has invited Pope Benedict XVI to visit the Holy Land, in another sign of warming ties between the Jewish state and the Holy See.

posted on September 1, 2005 in Presbytery Profile

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As one of the church's largest and richest presbyteries, East Toronto occupies an interesting spot on the landscape. Even though it was only created in 1949 (when the Presbytery of Toronto was divided into east and west), its history includes some of the oldest churches of the denomination in Canada. Despite its fabled past, the presbytery is in the midst of change. Encompassing a downtown portion of the city as well as its northern and eastern outskirts, the demographics of East Toronto aren't quite what they once were. Originally a destination for immigrants from the United Kingdom, the bustling city has grown to include immigrants from non-European countries, changing the community's makeup as well as the people in the pews. Toronto is the most multicultural city in Canada and the presbytery's 25 congregations reflect that fact.

posted on September 1, 2005 in Features, Youth

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First the numbers: in 1984 there were 896 Sunday schools in the Presbyterian church with 44,891 students. A decade later there were 850 schools serving 33,238 students. And in 2003: 811 schools, 25,656 students. This is not merely attrition — the mainline churches' usual excuse. This is a profoundly disturbing collapse of, arguably, the most important mission assigned to the church.

posted on September 1, 2005 in Features, Youth

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Since the age of nine I've been serving alongside my family on Tuesday nights at a homeless shelter at our church. Most nine-year-olds wouldn't want to be hanging around with homeless teenagers, but somehow it was something I looked forward to every week. Now, eight years later, I still keep in touch with youth I've met and enjoy watching some of them take steps to create better lives for themselves.

posted on September 1, 2005 in Features

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So, there I was in the Superstore on a Friday night after the closing of the Bible School (we called it the Summer Church Camp 2005!) being asked a simple, yet profound, question by the cashier: "Are you building the church yet?" And without missing a beat, I smiled and said, "Yes, we are building it – one person at a time. Thanks for asking!"

posted on September 1, 2005 in Michael Coren

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I'm about to make my annual visit to Britain, the land of my birth and where I spent the first 27 years of my life. Also the country of John Wesley, who was born a little over 300 years ago. Wesley was, of course, the founder of Methodism, an evangelical grouping that began within the Church of England but eventually found life more comfortable as a separate denomination. Today, sadly, it is in decline throughout most of the world. In Canada most Methodists joined the United Church, a denomination shrinking away before our eyes.

posted on September 1, 2005 in News

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An enormous church centre that will serve at least 15 churches is under construction in an Amsterdam suburb. The Candlestick Project, which broke ground in Bijlmer on July 6, will have five worship areas in its building catering to the needs of different and diverse faiths such as Greek Orthodox, Ghanian and Iranian. The centre will also house a nursery, apartments, offices and a café. It is due to be completed in 2007.

posted on September 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 September 1, 2005 in Mission Knocks

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Good morning. Could you take Justyne with you to church today?"

posted on September 1, 2005 in Features, Youth

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You want to walk the walk not just talk the talk. There are lots of ways to serve. Below are some to consider, along with the education or training you will need.

posted on September 1, 2005 in For the Journey

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"Daddy, Daddy, you will never guess what Mom and I saw." Chelsea was bouncing up and down on the dock as I was paddling in from fly-fishing. It looked like she was so excited that she was going to do a two-and-a-half gainer right into the drink. I thought to myself, "Great! Some stupid ole bear stumbled into camp while I was gone." This meant now I was going to have to convince Linda that we should stay at this camp and maybe even have to dispatch a problem bear. The truth is, I am lousy at convincing Linda of anything and I don't like shooting bears just because they begin to hang around camp.

posted on September 1, 2005 in News

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The US United Church of Christ has joined the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the World Council of Churches in adopting a resolution to use "economic leverage" to promote peace between Israel and Palestine.

posted on September 1, 2005 in News

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The global Make Poverty History campaign had great hope that the July summit of eight leading industrial nations would take a major leap towards alleviating the debt of poorer countries. "The Group of Eight started well with cancelling US$40 billion worth of debt," Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote in an editorial prior to the summit. "Now let them continue in that direction and change the trade laws."

posted on September 1, 2005 in For the Record

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Last year, Canada's economy generated about $1.25 trillion dollars. Last year, Canada's economy grew by about $30 billion. Last year, Canada had a federal budget surplus of about $8 billion, the provinces another $4 billion. Last year, federal debt charges declined for the fourth year in a row.

posted on September 1, 2005 in Features, Youth

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Two altars of unhewn stone, a three-wick pillar candle surrounded by hundreds of tea lights, rocking guitars and a sanctuary full of church leaders worshipping God with abandon. These are my memories of the Generation Next conference held by Trinity Community, Oro, Ont., in June.

posted on September 1, 2005 in Features, Youth

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On July 4, I found myself in the departure lounge of Pearson International in Toronto, waiting to leave for Hungary, Romania and Ukraine. These were the destinations for the July Youth in Mission project. Getting here, for me, has been a lifelong journey. As long as I can remember I've had a passion and desire to travel to different countries and to participate in mission. Now I was combining these two longings.