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EFC Update Newsletter May 30

30 May 2023

May 30, 2023

The EFC Asks Government to Recognize Circumstances in Criminal Records of Prostituted Persons

The EFC is asking the public safety minister to allow prostituted persons to have their criminal records cleared for prostitution-related convictions incurred before the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act. The current law recognizes prostitution is inherently exploitative and harmful. It recognizes the vast majority of individuals in prostitution are not there by way of free and informed choice. A criminal record can be a barrier to exiting prostitution. 

Eight New Awards for Faith Today 

The team of writers, editors and podcasters at Faith Today are celebrating eight first-place awards from an annual contest held by the Canadian Christian Communicators Association. Learn more, celebrate with us, and link to the winning articles and podcasts. Remember, it is free to subscribe to Faith Today. 

Debate on Bill to Reverse Law Allowing MAiD for Mental Illness  

A bill to reverse the law allowing euthanasia/assisted suicide for mental illness has had its first hour of debate in the House of Commons. There is still time to ask your MP to support Bill C-314. Please pray for MPs to support this important private member’s bill. For more information and a sample MP letter, see TheEFC.ca/TakeActionOnMAID.  

EFC President Speaking in Alberta Next Week 

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

On June 10, David Guretzki will speak at a “caring for life” seminar at Hillcrest Church Worship Centre in Medicine Hat, Alta., on developing a Christian theology of life while addressing current Canadian perspectives on medical assistance in dying, abortion and other life issues. 

EFC Senior Ambassador to be Awarded for Interfaith Leadership 

EFC president emeritus and senior ambassador Bruce J. Clemenger will be honoured June 6 with the 2023 Dr. Victor Goldbloom Award for Outstanding Interfaith Leadership. Richard Marceau, a vice president at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, explains the reasoning behind the award.

EFC Staff Speaking in Alberta, Quebec, this Month

→ Stéphane Couture, the EFC’s Quebec regional director, will speak on « Nul ne meurt pour lui-même : un positionnement chrétien sur l’aide médicale à mourir » (None of us dies for ourselves alone: A Christian response to MAID) in Quebec City on May 31.
→ President David Guretzki will attend and share greetings at TheoCon, in Okotoks, Alta., June 8-9.
→ On June 10, David Guretzki will speak at Hillcrest Church Worship Centre in Medicine Hat, Alta 

World Refugee Sunday  

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.  

The Dangers and Opportunities of TikTok  

TikTok is the most rapidly growing social media platform of all. Its users comprise 25 percent of the global population. What do Christians need to know about this app? Should we be worried about it? Columnist Joanna la Fleur answers those questions in the latest Thriving in Digital Column.  

This Week’s Prayer Prompts   

This week’s prayer request is about refugees.  You can learn more on this issue at theEFC.ca/refugees.  

Pray for displaced people who are waiting for a safe place to live. Pray for groups sponsoring refugees in your area. Pray for newly settling refugees to be supported as they adapt to life in Canada and for the ministries who support them. Look ahead to World Refugee Sunday June 18. 

This week’s EFC affiliate highlight focuses on Citizens for Public Justice. CPJ is a national, progressive organization of members who are inspired by faith to act for social and environmental justice in Canadian public policy. Their work focuses on three key policy areas: poverty in Canada, climate justice, and refugee rights. 

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

Coming Events at TheEFC.ca/Calendar   

→ The 6:7 Awakening (The 6:4 Fellowship), Calgary, May 30 
→ Canadian Pentecost Gathering (Transform Our World), online, May 31 
→ Come Together Saskatchewan (Gospel Fire), Saskatoon, June 2-4   
→ Truth and Grace Women’s Getaway (Muskoka Bible Centre), Huntsville, June 2-4
→ The Gathering: Journeying Toward Pastoral Health (Regent College), Vancouver, June 2-3   
→ Learning from the Westminster Divines (Wycliffe College), Toronto, June 3  
→ Canadian School of Peacebuilding (CMU), Winnipeg, June 5-9, 12-16  
→ Forum on Inter-Church Dialogues (CCC), Edmonton, June 8-10  
→ Kingdom Wealth Workshop (Transform Our World), online/Toronto, June 8-10 
→ A Night with the Persecuted Church (Open Doors), Winnipeg, June 8; Langley, June 9; Burnaby, June 10  
→ Caring for Life Seminar (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 (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 (Acadia Divinity College), online/Wolfville, June 13-15 , 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 

In Case You Missed It   

→ Job Openings: pastor (Saint John, Montreal, Brampton, 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)  
EFC Take Action Brochures: Euthanasia for Youth, Euthanasia for Mental Illness
→ A Weekly Meal and a Safe Place in Ottawa (Faith Today TV)  
→ Is Canada Woke? (Faith Today column by John Stackhouse)  
→ Encouraging women in Canadian churches (Faith Today podcast with Cathie Ostapchuk) 
→ New Bill C-311 Would Increase Protection for Pregnant Women (EFC info and call to action)  
→ How Tim Keller Changed My Life (Faith Today blog by Darryl Dash)