Canada Summer Jobs Motion in House of Commons
On March 19, MPs will vote on a motion on the Canada Summer Jobs program. Over the next two weeks leading up to the vote, MPs are in their ridings. This is an excellent opportunity to contact your MP about this issue and ask if they will support this motion. Read more in yesterday's post: Act now on Canada Summer Jobs. You'll find a sample letter there about the motion that you can send to your MP.
This motion arose March 1 when the Opposition Conservatives used their Opposition Motion for an unexpected debate on the Canada Summer Jobs issue in the House of Commons. You can read a blog about the debate and live tweets by Barry Bussey of the Canadian Council of Christian Charities.
More EFC resources are available at TheEFC.ca/SummerJobs including our talking points to help you explain the issues to your MP or someone else. Choose your format: .docx or .pdf (Feb. 27, 2018). As always, you can contact us with questions and concerns. We are here for you as we walk through this situation together.
Send Your Pastor to Dinner Contest
Do you appreciate all your pastor has done for your church and community? Feeling inspired by the Mar/Apr Faith Today cover story “The Healing Plate,” we decided to create a contest to send some Canadian pastors out for a nice dinner! Email us the name of your pastor by March 31, tell us what their ministry means to you and your community, and we'll give them a shout-out on social media and enter them in our draw for $50 dinner gift cards, one for a pastor in every province and territory.
Webinar: Youth Ministry in Canada Today
Missed last week’s webinar on youth ministry in Canada today? You can now watch the video online. It was an insightful discussion for parents and youth workers on the latest trends in youth ministry and the challenges facing youth today. Our guests were Sid Koop and Sarah Stanley of Truth Matters/the Canadian Youth Workers Conference and Marv Penner of All About Youth/Youth Specialties Canada.
EFC President and Executive Vice-President Travelling this Week
EFC President Bruce Clemenger is in Florida this week (March 5-9) participating in meetings with the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA). Pray for wisdom for the council and for safety as Bruce travels.
David Guretzki (Executive Vice President & Resident Theologian) will be speaking at Peoples Church of Montréal on Sunday March 11 at the 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. services.
Checking in on the TWU law school case
It has been three months since the Trinity Western University legal team and interveners in the case, including the EFC, stood in the Supreme Court, presenting arguments in support of accreditation for the university’s proposed law school. We called Albertos Polizogopoulos for a brief interview and update. He is the lawyer who argued on behalf of the EFC in the Supreme Court on Dec. 2, 2018.
Two Audio Podcasts: Breaking from Tech; Youth Ministry in Canada Today
Our latest podcast is based on Carolyn Arends’ Faith Today column, Dead to Distraction. Carolyn Arends is a recording artist, author and director of education for Renovaré. You can read more of her columns at www.FaithToday.ca/GoWithGod.
Sid Koop, director of Truth Matters Ministries, discusses youth in Canada today and his involvement with the EFC’s Young Adult Transition Research (YATR) in another of our new podcasts. Truth Matters and several other Christian organizations are partners with the EFC in YATR, a major new study that is exploring how we can help our teens stay connected to church and faith in the years following high school.
FT Interview: One-on-One with U of T Director of Indigenous Relations
Jonathan Hamilton-Diabo is director of Indigenous initiatives at the University of Toronto, working to support reconciliation between the university and Indigenous Peoples and communities. Hamilton-Diabo previously worked with Toronto Urban Native Ministry and grew up in Kahnawake, Que. (Mohawk Nation). He spoke to Faith Today about how Canadians can engage in reconciliation and how listening is essential.
Sleight of Funding: Canada Summer Jobs Controversy
In the latest Love Is Moving magazine for young adults, Sawyer Bullock and Hannah Beadle weigh in with their personal insights and experience with the Canada Summer Jobs controversy.
“Since Christian faith compels us to engage in outreach, the government may not realize that by holding back on funding these groups, they may actually be withholding valuable help for those who otherwise may not receive it. As a result, we may be left with large holes in the community’s fabric that the government didn’t realize was being patched up by the organizations and ministries they are marginalizing.”
Publicize your event for free.
→ Mission Vision 2018, Fort St. John, Mar. 9-10
→ Promise Keepers "All In" Conference, Winnipeg, Mar. 9-10
→ Emerge Youth Conference, Calgary, Mar. 9-11
→ Being Clear About the Gospel, Vancouver, Mar. 13-14
→ Legacy Youth Conference, Calgary, Mar. 16-18
→ Promise Keepers "All In" Conference, Edmonton, Mar. 16-17
→ EFC Webinar on How to Create a Great Food Ministry, online, Mar. 20
→ Jesus to the Nations Conference, Halifax, Mar. 23-25
→ Promise Keepers "All In" Conference, Regina, Mar. 23-24
→ Strategic Management Course (first of four Saturdays), North York, Mar. 24
→ Principles & Practices of Mentoring Course (first of four Saturdays), North York, Mar. 23-24
→ On food, theology and a fun contest
→ Does everybody belong in church?
In Case You Missed It
→ Sadness on the Death of Billy Graham
→ For Those in Ontario: Call for Conscience Campaign
→ Seven Principles of Praying for Political Leaders
→ Podcast: Remembering Billy Graham
→ Podcast: Dispatch from Brian Stiller: Grace in Vietnam
→ The Secret to Surviving Unemployment (Love Is Moving)
→ How to Become a Disability-Friendly Church (Even if Your Church is Small and Has Limited Resources) (Faith Today)