donate

January 5, 2015

04 January 2015

THE EFC UPDATE - 2015.01.05
Uniting Evangelicals to bless Canada in the name of Jesus

Sign up to receive the EFC Update via email every Tuesday to keep up with current news from The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

NEXT WEBINAR: CLERGY WELLNESS
Registration is now open for the next free EFC webinar, to be held Jan. 20, 2016 at noon Eastern Time. What is the state of mental and emotional health of our clergy in Canada? What does wellbeing look like in a busy pastoral life that is often full of demands and ripe for burn-out? How can churches care better for their ministry leaders? Bring your questions and concerns to our experts from Shalem Mental Health Network and Wycliffe College. Get details and register today at theEFC.ca/webinars.

PRACTICAL EFC RESOURCES ON HELPING REFUGEES
How can your church sponsor refugees and best respond to the largest refugee crisis the world has seen since the Second World War? Visit theEFC.ca/RefugeeResources. There’s a new link to the December EFC webinar – “How Can Your Church Help Refugees?” – in which three Canadian experts address practical questions. There’s also a link to the two-page Faith Today article “How to Help a Refugee Family.” Another link goes to the helpful resources, contacts and potential partners of the Middle East Refugees Resettlement initiative, a group of EFC affiliates established in 2015. A helpful webpage worth sharing!

THE EFC ADDRESSES ISSUES ON TV SHOW
EFC President Bruce J. Clemenger is a featured guest next week on the half-hour program Jim Cantelon Today. Tune in or plan to record the channel Vision TV at 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 11 (The Refugee Crisis and Church Response), Jan. 12 (Sanctity of Life), Jan. 13 (Religious Freedom) and Jan. 14 (Canada's Aboriginals/Truth and Reconciliation Commission).

LETTER AGAINST COMMERCIALIZATION OF HUMAN OVA
The EFC wrote today to the Hon. Jane Philpott, Minister of Health, expressing concern over media reports that donors of human ova are receiving payment above their expenses, contrary to the Assisted Human Reproduction Act. Read the letter at theEFC.ca/EnforcingAHRA.

WILL EUTHANASIA DECLARATION PASS 2,000?
An EFC joint statement on euthanasia and assisted suicide has grown to more than 1,900 signatures. This 900-word declaration says “any action intended to end human life is morally and ethically wrong” and calls our federal government to improve palliative care. You can add your signature. This declaration was originally co-published on Oct. 28 by the EFC and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.

COMING EVENTS AT THEEFC.CA/CALENDAR 
→ Earlybird Deadline for EFC Quebec Prayer Summit, Jan. 15 
→ Marriage and Chronic Illness, Calgary, Jan. 15 
→ Missional Community Seminar, Mississauga, Jan. 16 
→ Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Jan. 18-25 
→ Romans: Understanding Paul's Theology for Today’s Church, North York, Ont., Jan. 18 
→ Biblical Theology in a Multi-Cultural World, North York, Ont., Jan. 21 
→ Missions Fest Vancouver, Jan. 29-31 
→ Pentecostal Preaching and Ministry in Multicultural and Post-Christian Canada, Hamilton, Ont., Jan. 29

NEED A SPEAKER? WANT INFORMATION TO IMPROVE YOUR MINISTRY?
Consider inviting an EFC speaker for your group or church at theEFC.ca/speakers.

IMPROVING OUR INFLUENCE FOR CHRIST
Do you want to start the new year better connected, informed and equipped? Subscribe to Faith Today, Canada’s Christian magazine, published by The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. Details at FaithToday.ca/riskfree or toll-free 1-866-302-3362. Subscriptions now also include our free new youth magazine, Love Is Moving.

LATEST POSTS AT BLOG.FAITHTODAY.CA 
→ Announcing a Faith Today contest to reward your pastor 
→ Donnez votre pasteur un repos 
→ “Dear Church” and other bits of awesomeness from the latest Faith Today, by Karen Stiller 
→ Every number tells a story: An Urbana veteran shares her story, by Lynda Macgibbon 
→ An artful Christmas, by Patty Kingsley

IS YOUR CONGREGATION AN EFC AFFILIATE?
Congregations that affiliate with the EFC take a public stand for religious freedom, collaboration for ministry effectiveness, and the importance of bringing biblical principles to issues of Canadian law and public policy. Join hundreds of other congregations from more than 40 denominations at work in “uniting Evangelicals to bless Canada in the name of Jesus” at theEFC.ca/affiliate.