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Jesus will be there even if the Canucks are not
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Yani Lim, an Indonesian-Canadian pastor, has rented GM Place and invited all Christians in the Greater Vancouver area to unite their 'Voices Together' on Canada Day, July 1. Although the meeting will be led by known church leaders, Lim has refused to mention any names except that of Jesus. The purpose of the event, he says, is "to celebrate and give thanks to God for our city and our nation; to pray together for the future of our nation and the 2010 Olympics; and to enlighten the community about their responsibility to help the needy." The evening will include an opening celebration with hundreds of dancers, a worship band drawn from different churches, an 80-member Korean children's dance group and a choir called Voices of Freedom made up of hundreds of former substance abuse addicts. Attendees are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items for local food banks.
If you will read it, you can come
Toronto's Yonge Street Mission was able to make more than 25,000 donated books available to 1300 people in its low-income area at its fourth annual 'Grow Your World Book Fair' May 29 - 30. One public school teacher brought her entire Grade 1 class to get books. The mission says literacy is necessary to break cycles of poverty and unemployment, and people can.t overcome illiteracy without something to read.
If you promote it, they will come
Christian Higher Education Canada (CHEC) has signed a three-year "partnership agreement" to have the EI Group promote the 34 Canadian Christian postsecondary schools which are members of CHEC. The EI Group uses websites and other media to provide information on postsecondary schools to school counsellors and parents, students seeking undergraduate programs, students seeking graduate programs and international students.
Helping people with new wineskins
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), the joint international relief and development agency of Mennonite denominations in Canada and the US, has undertaken a 13-month revisioning process called 'New Wine/New Wineskins: Reshaping MCC for the 21st Century.' A task force composed of 34 people from five countries will consult member denominations, mission partners and board and staff members around the world to create a common vision and revised operating structure. MCC was begun in 1920 to provide food to Mennonites in Russia facing starvation following the Russian Revolution. It currently offers assistance to suffering people in about 70 countries.
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Remember the poor
Roman Catholic bishops in the G8 countries (the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, France, Italy, Japan and Russia) have sent the same letter to their respective political leaders on the eve of the next G8 summit meeting. Archbishop V. James Weisgerber sent the letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper on behalf of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. The letter calls on these countries to keep their 2005 promise to increase aid to poor countries by $50 billion per year, to help poor communities deal with the global food crisis, and to make sure that the poor do not suffer unduly from climate change or the efforts to fight climate change.
Power to expand
Power to Change (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ Canada) recently enlarged its headquarters in Langley, BC. The ministry held an open house May 31, to mark the grand opening of the Block Ministry Centre, with entertainment provided by Canadian Idol finalist Greg Neufeld. The organization encompasses 15 ministries, which promote the gospel through many means, including drama, campus evangelism, marriage enrichment and sports.
Americans believe even if they are not certain
The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey of 35,000 Americans conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life revealed that Americans are highly religious but not dogmatic. 92% of Americans believe in the existence of God or a universal spirit, but only 70% are "absolutely certain." 60% believe that God is a person with whom people can have a relationship, but 25%, including about half of Jews and Hindus, see God as an impersonal force. A majority of adherents in nearly all religions, including a majority of evangelical Protestants and 70% of religious Americans overall, say that many religions can lead to eternal life. Most also think there is more than one correct way to interpret the teachings of their own faith.
But does it change the way they vote?
A 2007 survey of 35,000 Americans by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found that 50% of American evangelical Protestants support the Republican Party and 34% support the Democratic Party. Among white evangelicals, 57% are Republican and 32% Democrat -- but that is down from the 62% who claimed to be Republican in 2004 and the 80% who voted for Republican President George W. Bush in 2004. In contrast, only 41% of mainline Protestants are Republican and 43% Democrat. Mormons are the most staunchly Republican group, with 65% supporting that party. The Democratic Party is supported by 77% of members of historically black churches, 65% of atheists, 62% of agnostics, 66% of Jews (with 24% supporting the Republicans) and 48% of Roman Catholics (with 33% supporting the Republicans).
June 26/2008
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