New handle for Crandall

The Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches voted last month to change the name of Atlantic Baptist University in Moncton, New Brunswick, to Crandall University. The primary reason for the name change is to expand enrolment at the university by overcoming perceptual barriers; some people thought only Baptists could attend. Others assumed it was a seminary, rather than a liberal arts university offering degrees in arts, business, science and education. Still others assumed that only people from the Atlantic provinces could attend. The new name was chosen in honour of Rev. Joseph Crandall, the patriarch to the Baptist community of New Brunswick. Defining its mission as "quality education firmly rooted in the Christian faith," the school's intent is to be "the premiere evangelical liberal arts Christian University in Atlantic Canada."

This program is close to a disaster

Three students from Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) in Winnipeg spent eight weeks in Dulzura, California, last summer, repairing a home in an area devastated by fire in 2007. The students were working under the relief organization Mennonite Disaster Service. They were also completing the first of two required field-work placements and gaining credits in CMU's new Disaster Recovery program. The program is designed to train students to become "skilled disaster recovery leaders who understand the intricacies of providing aid in complex situations."

Counselling two birds with one stone

Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, BC, has developed an innovative approach to providing counselling services to its students this year. Fourth-year students in Columbia's Caregiving and Counselling program will serve as academic success advisors to younger students. Graduate students from two other schools in nearby Langley, BC, will provide more advanced counselling and caregiving services. The graduate students are from ACTS Seminaries' Masters of Marriage and Family Therapy program and Trinity Western University's Masters in Counselling Psychology program. They all have had previous counselling experience and will be doing the Columbia counselling as internships under the supervision of a professional counsellor. Carol Molcar, a clinical psychologist who has taught at both Columbia and Trinity Western, will oversee the entire program. Stan Bahnman, director of student development at Columbia, calls it "a win-win" approach-Columbia students will receive quality counselling at a reduced cost, and the counsellors will receive practical internship experience.

Jesus is in Toronto

Toronto's tenth annual Jesus in the City will take place September 19. Sponsored by an organization called Festival of Praise, the event is a successor to the March for Jesus movement, which ended in 2000. The parade was founded by Ayanna Solomon, president of Festival of Praise, and her mother Myrtle, a journalist who served as public relations director in the early years. Myrtle passed away on May 19 of this year. Various churches contribute to the parade, which includes floats, national costumes and flags, choirs, bands, dancers, and actors in biblical costumes presenting stories from scripture. Messages on political issues are not allowed. This year, tracts and Bibles from the Canadian Bible Society and Gideons will also be handed out.

Chain gets longer

This year's Life Chain event will take place October 4. Participants will stand on sidewalks in cities across Canada, praying and holding signs that say 'Abortion kills children,' 'Adoption is a loving option' and 'Abortion hurts women.'

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He planted a lot there

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Chittagong in Bangladesh has named Canadian missionary Flavian Laplante a 'servant of God.' This is the first step in the process to have him named a saint. Laplante was born in Quebec in 1907 and was sent to Bangladesh as a priest in 1933. In 1946, he set up an orphanage for the children of poor fisherman and those killed in World War II. He also founded schools, a health centre, a study and mediation centre, and a popular shrine to Mary in the city of Diang. Laplante died in 1981. -- Union of Catholic Asian News

New opportunities

Opportunity International Canada, which has been providing microfinancing services to small overseas entrepreneurs for 35 years, has developed several new initiatives: Villages of Opportunity helps create long-term relationships between communites in the developing world and interested groups/individuals in Canada; Young Ambassadors of Opportunity provides opportunities for young leaders and entrepreneurs, aged 18 to 35, to help those living in chronic poverty; Experiential Insight Trips allow Canadians to go overseas and work alongside microfinance clients in businesses such as baking bread and silkscreening shirts; and Faces of Opportunity is a new coffee table book that tells the stories of 20 entrepreneurs who used microfinance loans of $50 or $100 to start a business and develop a steady income.

It's a complex world

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) is hosting a series of one-day Christian Leaders Connection events this fall for Christian ministry and business leaders. The theme is 'Being Evangelical in a Complex World: Stats, Facts and trends.' Bruce J. Clemenger, president of the EFC, and Rick Hiemstra, director of the Centre for Research on Canadian Evangelicalism, will make presentations on topics such as 'Understanding Church and Faith Trends,' 'Engaging in Secular Canada,' 'Talking about Church and Mission' and 'Canadian Public Policy: Impacting Christian Ministries.' The events will take place October 14 in Victoria, BC; October 16 in Langley, BC; November 10 in Halifax, Nova Scotia; November 12 in Moncton, New Brunswick; and December 1 in Ancaster, Ontario. Registration deadline for the first event is September 30.

A minimum of debate

Bill C-268, which would amend the Criminal Code to require a minimum sentence of five years for the trafficking of minors, came up for an hour of debate in the House of Commons September 15. The private member's bill, introduced by MP Joy Smith, now requires only one more hour of debate at Third Reading before being voted on. The bill has been endorsed by a wide variety of law enforcement, victims' services, First Nations, and religious and secular non-governmental organizations, including the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The bill has also received near unanimous support from the Conservative, Liberal and NDP parties, but on September 14 the Bloc Quebecois tabled an amendment that would remove the minimum sentence clause, essentially removing the main aspect of the bill. The Salvation Army is promoting a worldwide prayer event for victims of sex trafficking September 25 - 27.

September 17/2009