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EFC Update Newsletter October 5, 2021

05 October 2021
 

Deconstructing Faith Webinar Tonight 7 p.m. Eastern 

Religion’s failures are pushing some Evangelicals to change — but into what? Faith Today recently published Peter Schuurman’s analysis of the trend of Christians “deconstructing” their faith — either shifting from one Christian tradition to another or else leaving Christianity entirely. Schuurman will be the special guest at a webinar tonight at 7 p.m. Eastern hosted by Faith Today editors Karen Stiller and Bill Fledderus. Register to join this webinar discussion live at FaithToday.ca/Webinars.  

New Podcast: Where the Light Fell: Interview with Philip Yancey  

Our latest podcast is with Philip Yancey, a popular and prolific author whose honest and searching books over a long writing career have helped Christians come to terms with the reality of feeling disappointment with God. Now, he's released a memoir that takes us back to his fundamentalist upbringing and the pain, trauma and resiliency of his childhood. 

Four Feature Articles Now in French // Quatre Nouveaux Articles Traduit 

Don’t miss four new French translations of Faith Today feature articles, online now. // Nous avons traduit quatre articles majeurs de Faith Today. Jetez un œil à toutes les dernières nouveautés sur faithtoday.ca/francais

Mixed Feelings about God’s Power (Faith Today column by Carolyn Arends) 

Carolyn Arends reflects on living a life empowered by the Holy Spirit: “I reach for God’s power when things are particularly dark and desperate, but as soon as the soon as the crisis is averted I’m back to my own resources again.” Get more unique Canadian Christian journalism like this by signing up at FaithToday.ca/SubscribeFree

New EFC Weekly Prayer Prompts   

This week’s prayer request is about religious freedom. Pray for boldness, strength and help for those being persecuted, for repentance and redemption of the persecutors, for laws that protect religious freedom to be passed and upheld, for Christians to care and act on behalf of the persecuted, for Canadian government officials to take action on behalf of those persecuted around the world. 

Each week at TheEFC.ca/TakeAction we rotate through a prayer request from each of these five areas: Sanctity of Life, Care for the Vulnerable, Church and Mission, Family and Community, Religious Freedom. We also list an EFC affiliate group to pray for.  

This week, we highlight the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP), which takes place on November 7.  Every year, Christians around the world set a day aside for prayer for our sisters and brothers who are persecuted for their faith. 

Covid 19 and the restrictions have a significant impact on our lives. The EFC continues to offer new Friday@4 pandemic-focused prayer suggestions each week at TheEFC.ca/Covid-19.  

Looking to Hire or be Hired?

Faith Today's website currently has online classified listings for four pastor positions (in New Glasgow, N.S., and Ontario cities of Erin, Port Hope and Toronto), a chief financial officer, an accounting/finance associate, a major gifts officer (covering Ontario and the Maritimes), a professor of psychology/counselling, and also some part-time positions. Check it out or post your help wanted ads at faithtoday.ca/classifieds.

EFC Granted Intervenor Status in B.C. Case

The EFC has been granted intervenor status in a BC Human Rights Tribunal case to argue for the ability of religious groups to rent their facilities in a way that is consistent with their beliefs. This case involves a Catholic parish that refused to rent out their meeting facility for a fundraising event by a group whose purposes were deemed to be in conflict with church teaching.

Coming Events at TheEFC.ca/Calendar

→ Faith Deconstruction: Faith Today webinar with Peter Schuurman, Oct. 5
→ Hayward Lectures: Anna Robbins on Nostalgia (Acadia Divinity College), online Oct. 5-6
→ The Jesus-Centred Way in a Polarized World (Jesus Collective), online, Wednesdays Oct. 6-Nov. 27
→ Cdn Indigenous Realities and the Cdn Church: Master Class with Ray Aldred (FFTH), online Oct. 6 and alternating Wednesdays
→ EFC Zoom Prayer for Thanksgiving and Newly Elected Government and Officials, Oct. 7
→ Alpha Masterclass with Pastor Tammy Giffen of Truro, N.S., online Oct. 7
→ Overcoming Hunger: How FH Addresses Food Security, online Oct. 7
→ Watercooler Break for Communications Workers (CCCA), online, Oct. 8
→ EFC Speaker at Calvary Church, Pembroke, Ont., Oct. 10
→ Engaging Your Whole Church to be on Mission: Using Alpha in Small Groups (Alpha Canada), online Oct. 12
→ Heritage Preaching Lectures, with Darrell Johnson (Heritage Seminary), online Oct. 14
→ Change Youth Conference 2021, online, Oct. 15
→ Called 2021: Relentless Online Conference (Women Together), Oct. 16
→ Global Leadership Summit (GLN Canada), online, Oct. 21-22
→ Courage and Calling: A Christian Response to Medical Assistance in Dying (CMDA and EFC), online, Oct. 23

Save the Date: Join the EFC’s Online Book Discussion

On Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. Eastern, we’ll be hosting a discussion on what it looks like for a congregation to flourish. It will draw on the book Signs of Life: Catholic, Mainline, and Conservative Protestant Congregations in Canada (Tyndale Academic, 2021). Plan to join co-author Joel Thiessen of Ambrose University in Calgary, engage in a live Q and A and take part in breakout group discussion. Order the book today from your local bookstore so you can read it by November.

In Case You Missed It 

→ The Lessons of My Grandmother (Faith Today column) 
→ Submission on Federal Approach to Harmful Content (EFC brief)