Archive for October, 2006

Worship at Canada Youth 2006 featured a lot more than a stately organ and a gowned choir. Each two-hour service was packed with lively music, compelling sermons, dance...

Churches around the world have an integral part to play in the eradication of the AIDS pandemic, said Rick Warren, bestselling author of The Purpose Driven Life. "Government...

A declaration calling for "action by all African governments and other stakeholders to take immediate steps to end all forms of violence against children" was signed by the...

Decentralization and debates surrounding the same-sex issue have left Presbyterians in the United States largely unaware of the denomination's national mission and development work, says the church's new...

I have just returned from attending the Ecumenical and Interfaith pre-conference meeting held prior to the International Aids Conference in Toronto. It was an incredible experience to have...

A Toronto congregation is doing three good turns with one simple project. Don's Schoolhouse Project, created by Morningside High Park Presbyterian Church, is raising money to build a...

I have a bag at my feet that weighs over 12 kilograms. It is filled with literature I picked up at the AIDS conferences in Toronto — the...

Philip Pullman in his young adult fantasy series His Dark Materials introduces the protagonist Lyra Belacqua to the alethiometer, a golden compass-like object that takes its name from...

Delegates of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada's Eastern Synod voted July 6 to allow individual congregations to decide whether same-sex unions may be blessed in their parishes....

For perhaps the first time in our denomination's history, we are able to use technology effectively to bridge gaps of isolationism. We use e-mail to connect instantly with...

Beatrice is seven years old. She lives in Zambia. She loves to run and play around the mud-brick houses with grass-thatched roofs. Even though she is amongst the...

The facts of the decision to ordain women to ministry, both to the eldership and to word and sacrament are before me as I write. The timeline for...

Argyle Presbyterian Church, in the former hamlet of Crinan, now under West Lorne, Ontario has celebrated its 145th Anniversary. A Celebration Dinner was held on Friday, June 9th while...

"Pastor!" "Pastor!" "Canada!" "Canada!" Our luggage had just been deposited in our room on the 11th floor of Ningbo's ultramodern 28 storey World Hotel. We heard insistent cries coming...

My son Stephen has enrolled in Prairie Bible College, a decision that has his mother and me rejoicing and sniffling and clutching our wallets all at once. The...

ENI – The Czech Republic's Roman Catholic church is selling properties at cut prices in an effort to cope with plummeting congregations and donations. "We don't have the...

The Presbyterian Church in Canada sent eight international partner delegates, three national committee members and three staff to the ecumenical AIDS pre-conference. PWS&D committee members Dianne Ollerenshaw and...

The Bible can be read in the spirit of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, says a pastor who teaches the ritual renowned for its tranquility and attention to...

The media has made much of the Conservative government's promise to crack down on violent crime and impose mandatory sentencing on perpetrators. The arguments in the press usually...