THE EFC UPDATE - 2015.10.20
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EFC PRESIDENTS DAY 2015
Leaders of the EFC’s affiliated denominations, ministry organizations and higher education institutions will gather in Winnipeg on Thursday (Oct. 22). EFC President Bruce Clemenger, VP Aileen Van Ginkel and Director of Research Rick Hiemstra will lead interactions on topics including Church in Mission, Responses to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and a debrief on the federal election.
FEDERAL ELECTION RESULTS
Now that voting is over, are you ready to engage with your new MP? Why not write them (and all the candidates who ran in your riding) a thank you note for the personal sacrifices they have made to engage in the political process on your behalf? In the days and weeks ahead, you might also want to remind your MP of important issues such as those found in the 2015 EFC Election Kit.
LARGE CHURCH STUDY RELEASED, WEBINAR TOMORROW
On any given weekend, about one of eight Canadians who went to a Protestant church attended a very large one, according to a new study of churches drawing 1,000 or more in weekly attendance. The executive summary of the study, conducted by a coalition of Canadian scholars and evangelical ministries, is available free at leadnet.org/Canada. You’ll also find details on a related free webinar planned for Oct. 21. (A recorded version of the webinar will be available there soon after).
ADDRESSING PORNOGRAPHY
Pornified Culture: Haunted Selves and Hindered Society is an Oct. 27 conference at Providence University College, Otterburne, Man. The EFC’s policy analyst Julia Beazley will be the keynote speaker.
COMING EVENTS AT THEEFC.CA/CALENDAR
→ Global Leadership Summit simulcast, Oct. 22–23
→ Adoption and Fostering Conference, Edmonton, Oct. 23–24
→ Heart for Asia Conference, Burnaby, Oct. 24
→ Iron Sharpens Iron Men's Conference, Coquitlam, Oct. 24
→ Conférence Ministère auprès des enfants, Sherbrooke, Oct. 24
→ Friendship Festival Including People With Intellectual Disabilities, Oakville, Oct. 24–25
→ OMF 150th Anniversary, Victoria, Oct. 25
→ Church Revitalization Conference, Montreal, Oct. 27
→ Church Planting Canada Congress, Montreal, Oct. 27-29
NEW RESOURCES: DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED
Join thousands of Canadians on Nov. 8 in a global day of prayer for Christians suffering persecution for their faith. The 2015 Canadian website for the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church offers free resources that equip churches and groups with a variety of options for participation.
THOUGHTS ON BOOKS AND ART
Have you read The Road to Character by David Brooks or Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham? Both of these mainstream bestsellers are reviewed in the latest Faith Today magazine. There’s also material aimed squarely at Christians, including a reproduction of a contemporary artwork, Rooted in Love, Filled to the Measure, by B. C. painter Erica Grimm, and reviews of Leading in Disorienting Times, Teach Us to Want and the young adult novel Blemished Heart. Preview the issue at FaithToday.ca/digital.
ONLY A FEW MORE DAYS FOR FREE BOOK ON EVIL
Subscribe to Faith Today, Canada’s Christian magazine, and for a limited time get a free printed copy of Can God Be Trusted? Faith and the Challenge of Evil. Author and Faith Today columnist John Stackhouse argues God can be trusted even when appearances suggest otherwise. Along the way he examines how thinkers across history have responded to evil and suffering. Book retail value $19. Get the national magazine of the EFC to be better equipped, informed and connected. Details at FaithToday.ca/subscriptions or toll-free 1-866-302-3362.
LATEST POSTS AT BLOG.FAITHTODAY.CA
→ When easy answers don’t help a marriage, by Sheila Wray Gregoire
IS YOUR CONGREGATION AN EFC AFFILIATE YET?
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.