Affiliate Presidents Gather
This week, leaders of dozens of ministries affiliated with the EFC will gather in Montreal for the annual event known as Presidents Day. One of the agenda items is to discuss a report on what Evangelicals are thinking, especially about how God is leading the Church in Canada, based on a series of Canadian Evangelical Forum events. The EFC held these events with partner groups across the country, as described in a recent issue of Faith Today magazine. Please pray for God’s leading and blessing on these discussions.
EFC Public Policy Director to Speak on Bill C-51
Bill C-51 would remove the only specific protection for clergy and religious services in the Criminal Code. EFC Director of Public Policy Julia Beazley will appear before the Justice Committee on October 30 and ask for these specific protections to be maintained. Call or write your MP today to ask for changes to Bill C-51. Read more information and see The EFC’s sample letter to MPs. Find your MP’s contact information here.
Interfaith Letter on Palliative Care
Last week, the EFC sent a letter, together with groups from the Jewish, Catholic and Muslim communities, to all Senators encouraging them to support Palliative Care Bill C-277.
Lack of Action from Study on Pornography's Harms
Motion M-47 asked, “What are the public health effects of viewing violent and degrading sexually explicit material online?” It called on the House of Commons Health Committee to study this question. Disappointingly, both the Committee's report, and the Government's response, tabled on October 17, failed to interact with the testimony, the evidence or even the subject matter of the study in question. Read more in a blog by the EFC’s Director of Public Policy Julia Beazley.
Refugee Sponsorship Webinar
Registration is now open for our next webinar on Nov. 16 at noon EST. Catch up on the latest developments with private refugee sponsorship and hear from Canadians who have worked directly with incoming refugee families in the last 18 months. Our two guests are Brian Dyck and Kathy Mercer. Brian is the migration and resettlement program coordinator at Mennonite Central Committee Canada and the chair of the Canadian National Refugee Sponsorship Agreement Holder Association. Kathy is the coordinator of welcome and settlement for the Port Perry Refugee Support Group, a consortium of churches and individuals who have welcomed four Syrian refugee families in the last 18 months.
Find recordings of past webinars at www.TheEFC.ca/Webinars.
New Canada Watch: Religious Freedom and More
“Religious freedom provides the space within which we can express and share our faith with others…Restrictions on the religious freedom of some will necessarily impact us all.” Read more from EFC President Bruce Clemenger in the latest issue of Canada Watch, the EFC’s bimonthly newsletter.
Evangelicals Still Reaching for Reconciliation with Indigenous People
A recent EFC-sponsored gathering of denominational representatives, held October 4-5 at Canadian Mennonite University, was another small step towards reconciliation, according to a report by Wendy Beauchemin Peterson, a Red River Métis professor at Providence University College and Seminary.
“Love Is Moving” TV Segment Featuring Tidal Impact/Tyndale
This week’s Love Is Moving segment on Outside the Box with Sheldon Neil features Tyndale University College and Tidal Impact. Tidal Impact, a ministry of the Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada’s Youth and Family Department, allows a visiting church to partner with a host church for a life-changing week including ministry, discipleship and more.
This segment is part of a regular segment on Outside the Box featuring the EFC’s youth initiative Love Is Moving. Encourage the teens and young adults you know to check out this show every Friday at 10 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. on YesTV. Past episodes are available on the Outside the Box website.
Meet the EFC in Nova Scotia
The EFC’s Director of Affiliate and Donor Relations, Don McNiven, is visiting Nova Scotia from November 6-10. Interested in meeting Don McNiven while he’s there? Just email his assistant Bonnie Knoll, and Don will be happy to meet with you. The Nova Scotia trip includes two presentations in Halifax by Don and Sheldon MacLeod, EFC Ambassador: November 9 at 7:30 p.m. at Faith Tabernacle Church and November 10 at 9:00 a.m. at Grace Chapel. RSVP by email to Bonnie Knoll by November 5 if you are interested in attending either presentation.
Day of Prayer for Religious Freedom
Sunday, November 26 is a day set apart to pray for the successful resolution of the Trinity Western University law school case, which will be heard in the Supreme Court of Canada on November 30 and December 1. This day of prayer is an initiative of the EFC and the Canadian Council of Christian Charities. The far-reaching potential implications of the Trinity Western case also makes this a day to pray for the future of religious freedom in Canada. Download a free one-page PDF that summarizes the facts and explains why this is important at www.TheEFC.ca/ReligiousFreedom2017. Please reproduce it for your church or other group.
Stability Is the Key: Helping Children After a Divorce
Divorce often leads to poor life outcomes for children; but it doesn’t have to, writes Alex Newman, whose own children experienced her divorce from their father. While acknowledging that divorce is not an ideal circumstance, Newman draws on sociological research to recommend ways of helping children thrive after divorce.
You can read this article and others on faith and current issues in Faith Today, Canada’s Christian magazine, which is currently offering 2-for-1 gift subscriptions at www.FaithToday.ca/2for1. Buy a gift that lasts all year! Discounted offer only available for a limited time.
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→ Messy Church Conference 2017, Toronto, Oct. 26-27
→ Promise Keepers Canada All In Conference, Grande Prairie, Oct. 28
→ Youth Ministry Conference, Sherbrooke, Oct. 28
→ Conférence ministère auprès des enfants, Sherbrooke, Oct. 28
→ Fall Friendship Festival, Oakville, Oct. 28
→ Ross & Davis Mitchell Prize for Faith and Writing, Toronto, Oct. 30
→ Understanding People, Mental Health & Trauma, Burnaby, Oct. 30-Nov. 3
→ Adoption Awareness Month, Nationwide, Nov. 1-30
→ Transforming Discipleship, Abbotsford, Nov. 1-3
→ Foundations of Media Strategy Course, online, Nov. 2
→ Business as a Calling, Vancouver, Nov. 2-4
→ What Makes Churches Grow? St. Catharines, Nov. 4
→ Promise Keepers Canada Legacy Equipping Conference, Grand Falls-Windsor, Nov. 4
→ Canada Glass Awards for Gospel Music, Toronto, Nov. 4
→ Youth Night for Mental Health, Ottawa, Nov. 4
→ Redesigning the Tree of the Life: Synthetic Biology and the Future of Food, Toronto, Nov. 2-5
→ It’s “us too” for Christian women, even in the church
→ Give thanks continually…to the people you work with
In Case You Missed It
→ The awful legacy of Hugh Hefner
→ Every hour counts: A call to create beauty and other great things well
→ How Two Reformation Leaders Found Faith
→ Webinar: Recovering from Pornography Addiction