Kitschmas 08

The 'Jesus Saves piggy bank' is one of the items included in the '12 Days of Kitschmas 08' collection on the Christian website Ship of Fools, which invites Christians to laugh at themselves and their sometimes foolish religiosity. Other items on the list include a credit card-sized rosary, the St. Joseph home-selling kit and a giant inflatable military Santa.

Canadian youth in Paraguay

Forty Canadian youth, along with leaders and medical professionals, will be distributing Operation Christmas Child shoe box gifts to thousands of children in Paraguay December 9 -16. The medical professionals will also be conducting medical, dental and eyeglass clinics. Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan's Purse Canada. "This trip is an incredible chance for young people to make a positive difference in the lives of others," said Gil Dimas, regional director of Operation Christmas Child International for South America.

New Saskatchewan bishop

Michael Hawkins was elected the next bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Saskatchewan December 6. Hawkins, who has served as the rector of St. Alban's Cathedral in Price Albert and as dean of Saskatchewan since 2001, was voted in by a decisive margin in both clergy and lay houses on the first ballot. -- Anglican Journal

Equipping Evangelists' new director

Paul Simons has been appointed the new national network director for Equipping Evangelists, a Canadian movement that aims to help congregations have a trained and networked evangelist on staff. Simons lives in St. John, New Brunswick and has served as director of youth ministries for the Church Army as well as Ontario Regional Director.

Ron Toews leaves ACTS

Ron Toews, principal of the Associated Canadian Theological Seminaries (ACTS) at Trinity Western University in Langley, BC, is leaving academic life to join the executive staff of the BC Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. He will become the conference's first director of leadership development. The new position includes new leader development, coaching, training, credentialing and placement. It will also provide mediation and care supports to BC Mennonite Brethren churches and their staffs. "Although I continue to place high value on the seminary and its vital role in ministry preparation," Toews said, "I need to be closer to the church." He assumes his new position formally on May 1, 2009.

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EFC urges Ottawa

Don Hutchinson, legal counsel for the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC), is calling for the people who run this country to improve their behaviour. "When battle lines are drawn, people change. Good people can act badly," he said. "During the election, EFC's president, Bruce Clemenger, expressed the need for 'civility' as the most important issue for Canada's 40th Parliament, an expression echoed in his December 3 open letter to Parliamentarians and Canadians." In his letter, Clemenger urged, "These disciplines, civility, integrity, statesmanship and extending grace, would be significant steps toward restoring and improving the functionality of Parliament and fostering political cohesion in uncertain times."

Bus Stop Bible anniversary

Bus Stop Bible Studies is celebrating its second anniversary this month. The organization first began placing Bible-based advertising messages in buses, street cars and subways in the Toronto area in December of 2006. It has now received approval for similar ads from transit companies throughout Canada. The organization conservatively estimates that Bus Stop Bible Studies have been seen more than 100 million times. The organization is appealing for funding to expand into other cites throughout Canada. "Each donation of just $5 a month will enable us to present the wonderful Words of Life to 35,000 people," said president David Harrison.

New director at Novalis

Joseph Sinasac has been appointed to the newly created position of publishing director for the English-language division of Novalis, a Toronto-based publisher of religious books, periodicals and resources. Sinasac was publisher and editor of the Catholic Register, an award-winning national weekly newspaper. His appointment is effective February 2, 2009.

December 11/2008