Need a new president

Justin D. Cooper has announced his retirement as president of Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario, effective June 30, 2010. Cooper has been president since 1994. Previously, he taught political science and then served as Vice-President (Academic) at the school from 1986 to 1994. He has a BA from Trinity Christian College in Chicago and an MA and PhD from the University of Toronto. The university has initiated a formal search process to find a new president. Redeemer is an undergraduate Christian liberal arts and science university with a Reformed perspective.

New Ottawa leader

Paul Heidebrecht has been appointed director of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Canada's Ottawa office. He has a science degree from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, an MA in theological studies from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, and a PhD in religious studies from Marquette University. An engineer by trade, he has held leadership positions in the automotive industry, helped lead a new church in Milwaukee, and served short-term assignments with MCC in Bangladesh in 1993 and Nigeria in 2001. MCC is the relief and development arm of Mennonite denominations. Its Ottawa office helps the agency relate to government for purposes such as joint relief projects, but also critiques government policy in the light of Mennonite theology. The Ottawa office was established in 1975 and was led by Bill Janzen for 33 years until he retired in 2008.

She's an Alpha leader

Susan Cockburn is stepping down as national director of Alpha Ministries Canada. In a few months, she will transition to leader of the British Columbia region of Alpha. Cockburn came to faith in Jesus at age 29 as an executive in the banking industry. She joined Alpha Canada in 2000, where she served as regional director for Western Canada, led the national field ministries team and was responsible for national ministry operations, before being appointed interim national director in August 2008 and national director in February 2009. The Alpha outreach course, first developed in England, has helped many Canadian churches bring new people to Christ. Recent statistics show that while most churches in North America are not growing, 88 percent of churches that run Alpha are, 21 percent of them significantly. Cockburn says that God has done amazing things through Alpha in the past but expressed faith that what God will do through Alpha in the future will "blow our minds."

Directing no traffic

Jocelyn Durston, deputy director of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada's Centre for Faith and Public Life, has been appointed to serve on the World Evangelical Alliance's newly created task force on human trafficking.

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Pray for the persecuted

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) will be observed Sunday, November 8. Resources on this year's theme, 'Persecuted: Not Abandoned,' are available at the IDOP website. This international effort is supported in Canada by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, Open Doors with Brother Andrew, the Voice of the Martyrs (Canada), Intercede International and International Christian Response.

They care about the budget

Each year, the House of Commons Finance Committee invites Canadians to share their priorities and concerns for the federal budget. In August, Citizens for Public Justice submitted a brief to the committee reflecting on the biblical values of justice, love for neighbour and care for creation and arguing that the Canadian economy should be "an economy of care." The brief made three specific proposals: that Budget 2010 should announce a comprehensive, federal plan for poverty elimination; that Budget 2010 should take steps towards introducing a universal, Guaranteed Livable Income for all Canadians; and that Budget 2010 should roll back the recent corporate tax cuts and GST cuts and invest the revenue in social infrastructure programs such as childcare and EI.

Not just gadding about

Cityscape Prayer Ministries, based in Richmond, BC, is offering a Gadite Track Intercession Mentoring program to train people all across Canada to pray. The 18-week program (offered from September to January 2010 and again from February to June 2010) uses e-mail to distribute practical teaching on the principles of intercession. It also includes a one-hour weekly telephone conference call; every other week the hour will be spent in prayer, and in alternate weeks the hour will be devoted to coaching and sharing. The intent is to raise up prayer warriors like the Old Testament Gadite warriors (1 Chronicles 12:8,14).

Keep on pedaling

In July, Cornel Dobrin of Langley, BC, bicycled across Canada -- from Vancouver to St. John's, Newfoundland -- in 24 days, breaking the old record of 27 days. Dobrin and his family came to Canada in 1989 as refugees from Romania. At the end of his trip, Dobrin, a Christian, commented on his Facebook page: "Never ever ever give up! Don't give up on your family, your marriages, your kids, your dreams, and don't give up on God."

More than 4 million downloaded

Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington, has released its own application for the iPhone. The app can be used to download sermons, music and blogs from the church's website to the user's phone, to get information on church programs and even to make donations to the church.

August 27/2009