EFC Update Newsletter - January 25

Senator’s Bill to Protect Children and Youth from Sexually Explicit Material Online

A Senator’s bill to protect children and youth from sexually explicit material online is moving through the Senate. Read more about Bill S-210 at TheEFC.ca/S-210 and contact your MP to ask for support for the bill when it reaches the House of Commons.

Letter to Minister of Justice on Human Trafficking Provision in Bill C-5

The EFC has written a letter to the Minister of Justice about a provision on human trafficking in Bill C-5. Bill C-5 would enable someone convicted of a human trafficking offence to receive conditional sentencing, otherwise known as house arrest. The EFC’s letter explains, “When Bill C-5 proposes to allow conditional sentencing for someone convicted of trafficking of persons for material benefit, it sends the message that this offence is of lesser concern.” Read the full letter.

Bill S-211 Against Forced Labour

Bill S-211 is a private member’s bill in the Senate that would require large corporations to report on what they are doing to make sure their supply chains are free of slavery, forced labour or child labour. The EFC supports this effort to reduce forced and child labour and to raise awareness about human trafficking. This bill, originally introduced in the previous parliament, has been re-introduced in the current parliament.

Here is a letter of support you can send to the Senator sponsoring Bill S-211. We also provide sample text you can use to communicate with your MP on this issue, docx or pdf.

Win a Book, Meet the Author of Refuge Reimagined and Explore How We Can Better Journey with Displaced People

Our discussion with author and Regent College professor Mark Glanville is coming up. Sign up today at TheEFC.ca/MeetTheAuthor to join EFC hosts Ilana Reimer and Bill Fledderus tomorrow, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. Eastern (4 Pacific, 5 Mountain, 6 Central, 8 Atlantic). Mark Glanville will share about his book Refuge Reimagined: Biblical Kinship in Global Politics (IVP Academic, 2021). We have three copies to give away. Find and follow Faith Today on Instagram or Facebook to find out how to join in. Join our live online discussion as we consider how we can hopefully, generously and creatively engage with refugee issues in our communities.

Faith Today Podcast: How to Speak to Your Kids about Pornography

Do you worry about your kids and online pornography? We have some help from Marilyn Evans, the founder of Parents Aware, an organization aimed at helping parents have healthy conversations with their kids about pornography, sex, and intimacy, and host of the Media Savvy Moms podcast. We featured her work in the Nov/Dec issue of Faith Today. Now in this new podcast, she shares with Karen Stiller some of her top guidance on having very tough conversations about online pornography and other dangers, with our highly connected children.

Go Into All the World Internet: Column by Joanna la Fleur

Jesus told His followers to, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation" (Mark 16:15), but what happens when the world moves onto the Internet? Read the first in a new Faith Today column series by podcaster, TV host and communications consultant Joanna la Fleur.

New EFC Weekly Prayer Prompts 

This week’s prayer request is about sanctity of life. Pray for our culture to be life-affirming; for strong social and economic supports for those facing unplanned pregnancy; for women contemplating abortion and those who have had abortions. Pray for doctors and nurses who may be pressured to end life or at risk of losing employment for their refusal to participate in abortion. Pray for legislators to recognize fetal rights and for an end to abortion.

Each week at 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 invite you to pray for Pregnancy Care Canada, “a Christ-centred national organization dedicated to upholding life by equipping pregnancy care centres and local communities with resources, education, and support to compassionately serve those challenged by an unexpected pregnancy.”

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.

Coming Events at TheEFC.ca/Calendar 
 

→ Meet the Author of Refuge Reimagined (EFC/Mark Glanville), online, Jan. 26
→ EFC Prayer Gathering of National and Regional Church Leaders, online, Jan. 26
→ Conversations With Cyndi Desjardins Wilkens (Women Together), online, Jan. 26
→ Spiritual Abuse: A Special Interest Webinar (Plan to Protect), online, Jan. 27
→ Our Common Calling January 2022 Forum: Integrating Conversations (Zoom), online, Jan. 27-29
→ Business Coalition “Create Conference” Webinar (World Evangelical Alliance), online, Jan. 28
→ 911 Response to Mental Health (Agora Ministries), Scarborough, Ont., Jan. 29
→ God, Science and the Pandemic (Philip Yancey/Am. Scientific Affil.), online Jan. 29
→ How to Introduce Christ to Muslims (Loving Muslims Together), online Jan. 29
→ Calvin Symposium on Worship (Institute of Christian Worship), online Jan. 31-Feb. 4
→ Our Business In Prayer (Canadian Christian Business Federation), online, Feb. 2
→ Making Peace in a Polarized World (Jesus Collective), online, Feb. 2, 16, Mar. 2
→ Watercooler Break for Communications Workers (CCCA), online, Feb. 11
→ Ending Poverty Together Workshop (Food for the Hungry), online, Feb. 12
→ Racism & the Church: How then Shall We Live? (Acadia Divinity College), online Feb. 15
→ Self-Care While Caring for Others (Acadia Divinity College), online Feb. 15
→ Plan to Protect 101, online Feb. 15
→ What! Me, Accountable? A Business Leadership Discussion (CCBF), online, Feb. 16
→ Protecting Children from Online Pornography (Connecting to Protect), Feb. 16-18
→ Ottawa Region Charity & Not-for-Profit Law Webinar (Carters), online Feb. 17
→ Elder Abuse Awareness Seminar (Plan to Protect), online, Feb. 17
→ CCCA Tips from the Winners: Design Categories (Cdn Chr. Communicators Assn), online Feb. 18
→ National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, Feb. 22
→ Bullying: A Deeper Dive in Honour of Anti-Bullying Day (Plan to Protect), Feb. 23
→ Timothy Morning with Dr. Peter Williams (Timothy Trust), Ottawa, Feb. 26
→ World Day of Prayer (Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada), worldwide, online Mar. 4

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