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EFC Update Newsletter June 6

06 June 2023

June 6, 2023

EFC Participates in Human Trafficking Event 

The EFC’s Centre for Faith and Public Life participated in and supported an event on human trafficking on Parliament Hill this past week, along with Defend Dignity. The all-party parliamentary group to end human trafficking hosted the event, which focused on Quebec’s efforts and successes in fighting sexual exploitation. A panel including a survivor of exploitation, a police officer, a former Quebec MNA, and director of the film Noemie dit Oui, moderated by a former MP from Quebec, shared compelling testimony about the realities of sexual exploitation. Please pray for this good initiative to continue to bear fruit. 

Ignite Prayer Sessions Draw Hundreds of Attendees 

The recent Ignite prayer gatherings in Ottawa, Regina, Calgary and Kelowna drew hundreds of people to each session, according to a new report on the EFC website. 

EFC President and Staff Speaking in Alberta and Ontario 

From June 8-9 EFC President David Guretzki will be attending and sending greetings at TheoCon, the Evangelical Free Church of Canada’s annual theology conference and AGM in Okotoks, Alta.   

Guretzki will be attending the 50-year celebration for Samaritan’s Purse Canada on June 9 in Calgary. EFC Prayer Ambassador Roger Helland will also be in attendance. 

On June 11, Guretzki and EFC Director of Research Rick Hiemstra will speak at Scarborough Chinese Baptist Church. 

Tomorrow at 4 p.m., Hiemstra is speaking about the Parenting Faith research at a Youth Worker Community Coalition class.  

Two New Faith Today Podcasts: A Seminary’s Context, and How to Read Our Bibles Better 

​​​​​​​Effective ministry – and good seminary education – can both benefit from paying attention to local context, explains Anna Robbins, president of Acadia Divinity College in Nova Scotia, in a new podcast episode. 

A Short Guide to Reading the Bible Better is a new book by George Guthrie, a professor of New Testament at Regent College in Vancouver. In another new podcast episode, we talked to him about how we can overcome the obstacles that prevent us from using the Bible to grow in our faith. 

World Refugee Sunday Coming in Two Weeks 

June 18 and 25 are great options to hold a World Refugee Sunday in your church or other group, and free resources are available. More than 100 million people worldwide are forcibly displaced, the majority of whom are women and children, according to the World Evangelical Alliance. Many churches hold World Refugee Sunday annually on the Sunday before or after June 20 (UN World Refugee Day) to remember this need and to participate in prayer and action, responding in practical ways to God’s call to "love the stranger as yourself." Learn more and find resources at TheEFC.ca/WorldRefugeeSunday.  

Meet New Canadian Coordinator of the Peace and Reconciliation Network 

Joel Zantingh, the newly appointed Canadian coordinator of the Peace and Reconciliation Network, introduces himself and his interest in peace and reconciliation in his first blog post at FaithToday.ca/AllThingsReconciled.  

How Should Christians Deal with Those on Opposite Sides During Wartime?  

 During wartime, how do we relate to fellow Christians who stand on the other side of the divide? In the latest Faith Today, History Lesson columnist David Doherty suggests we can learn from the example of traveling preachers doing cross-border ministry during the 1812 American-British conflict.  

Subscriptions to Faith Today are now free across Canada! Sign up at FaithToday.ca/Subscribe.    

This Week’s Prayer Prompts           

This week’s prayer request is for families. Pray for a culture that respects and fosters faithful, committed relationships and for the marriages and family relationships of the people you know. Pray also for wisdom and relevance in teaching our kids, for families in crisis, and for children and youth in government care needing a permanent home. 

Each week we also list an EFC affiliate to pray for. This week, pray for Impactus. For more than 25 years, Impactus | Promise Keepers Canada has been at the forefront of calling men to follow Jesus Christ, and to be men who will have a godly impact in their families, workplaces, churches, and communities. 

You can always find the week’s prayer prompts at TheEFC.ca/TakeAction.

Coming Events at TheEFC.ca/Calendar       

→ Canadian School of Peacebuilding (CMU), Winnipeg, June 5-9, 12-16   
→ TheoCon Annual Theology Conference (EFCC), Okotoks, Alta., June 8-9 
→ Kingdom Wealth Workshop (Transform Our World), online/Toronto, June 8-10 
→ Communications Workers' Watercooler Break (CCCA), online, June 9 
→ Forum on Inter-Church Dialogues (CCC), Edmonton, June 8-10   
→ A Night with the Persecuted Church (Open Doors), Winnipeg, June 8; Langley, June 9; Burnaby, June 10   
→ Caring for Life Seminar (EFC/David Guretzki/Hillcrest Church), Medicine Hat, June 10   
→ Creative Justice: Disability and the Church (A Deeper Communion), online/Hamilton/Calgary, June 10   
→ Letters from Moscow: The Opening and Closing of Russia (Global Scholars), online/Oakville, June 10  
→ Victorious Festival (Canadian Bible Society), Toronto, June 10; Calgary, Oct. 7 
→ EFC Staff at Scarborough Baptist Church, June 11   
→ Women of Ministry Getaway (Shannon Popkin/MBC), Huntsville, June 12-14   
→ Simpson Week Special Events (Acadia Divinity College) including The Challenge of White Christian Nationalism (June 13), The Christian Legacy of Moral Fusion (June 14), A Public Witness for Our Time (June 15), online/Wolfville, N.S., June 13-15

In Case You Missed It      

→ Job Openings: pastor (Montreal, Brampton, Saint John, Ottawa); Montreal director of leadership programs; and more (FaithToday.ca/Classifieds) 
Hastened Death for Mental Illness Delayed, But Needs to Be Stopped  (EFC info and call to action)  
Two Take Action Brochures: Euthanasia for Youth, Euthanasia for Mental Illness   
→ The Dangers and Opportunities of TikTok (Faith Today column)  
→ New Bill C-311 Would Increase Protection for Pregnant Women  
Letter to Public Safety Minister on Prostitution
EFC Senior Ambassador to Be Honoured with Award for Interfaith Leadership 
→ Eight New Awards for Faith Today