Buy a miracle for $33

A humanitarian ministry to the blind has claimed September as its 'Month of Miracles' -- with a goal of raising enough money to sponsor 500 cataract surgeries a day (a total of 15,000 in the month). Based in Stouffville, Ontario, cbm Canada says that 18 million people in the world, including 700,000 children, have lost their sight due to cataracts. The condition can be reversed with a simple surgery costing $33 for adults and $200 for children.

Green relief

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) has established a goal of reducing its carbon footprint by 20 percent over 10 years. Its Care for Creation Task Force, which studied the issue for two years, identified air travel and inefficient buildings as the primary sources of MCC's carbon emissions. MCC is the relief and development agency of Mennonite churches, and has multiple offices throughout North America. Long-distance travel will be reduced, and 38 staffers have committed to biking or walking to work. MCC buildings will be made more energy efficient; the Winnipeg office, for instance, recently installed a $450,000 geothermal heating and cooling system. MCC says it is particularly concerned about the issue because the people it serves overseas in the developing world "are being disproportionately impacted by climate change."

How firm a foundation

After the fall of communism, Olga Lutsenko, an officer in the USSR's Academy of Pedagogical Sciences, was asked to find an ideological basis for moral training, for Russia's 30 million children. Her team concluded that the Bible was the best foundation. In the process, she became a Christian. She immigrated to Canada in 1995 and established the Kindness Society. Kindness offers Bibles, Christian literature, student exchange programs, teacher training and government-sponsored Christian camps in both Russia and Ukraine. In February 2009, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev publicly endorsed biblical moral education; and last October, Lutsenko chaired a conference, in conjunction with Russia's Department of Education, which recommended developing a Bible- based curriculum for all elementary and secondary grade levels.

To care or not to care

Contrary to media reports, recent research does not demonstrate that children are better off if placed in professional childcare at an early age. That is the conclusion of a policy analysis by Andrea Mrozek (PDF) released August 12 by the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada. Mrozek says the new research only confirms the conclusions of previous research -- that professional childcare (as long as it is high quality) can improve math and vocabulary skills; but it can also increase problem behaviours such as aggression, risk taking and impulsiveness.

That's a lot of sermons

Canadian evangelist Barry Moore is celebrating his 50th year in ministry this year. Since 1960, Barry Moore Ministries has conducted more than 900 evangelistic crusades, and Moore has preached in over 90 countries. By policy, two-thirds of the crusades were conducted in "small, out of the way places" with a population of less than 20,000. In the past five years, Moore has preached in seven Canadian provinces, and in the United States, South America, Africa and Europe. His schedule for this year includes anniversary celebrations October 15 in Abbotsford, B.C., October 22 in Warman, Saskatchewan and October 30 in London, Ontario.

A bump in Ford's road

Rob Ford, the candidate for mayor of Toronto who supports "traditional marriage," has admitted that he was convicted of drunk driving and caught with a marijuana cigarette in Florida 11 years ago. Ford was considered an unlikely candidate, but a recent poll had him 11 points ahead of his nearest rival, George Smitherman, a married homosexual.

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Strength through giving

Cardus, a Christian think tank, appeared before the Canadian government's Standing Committee on Finance August 13 to argue for its '29to42' proposal. Cardus has proposed that the income tax deduction for charitable donations be raised from 29 percent to 42 percent. The Finance Department has said the measure could cost the government $900 million a year in lost revenue. Therefore, Cardus revised its proposal so that only donations above a certain level would be eligible for the 42 percent rate, which would only cost $500 million. The purpose of the proposal is to "strengthen Canada's civic core through charitable giving." Cardus says Canada has a serious social/cultural/spiritual problem when "an average professional family, where each spouse makes over $100,000 a year, gives less annually than they would spend on dinner and an evening at the opera."

Facebook needs the ultimate Friend

The ministry Internet Evangelism Day (IED) has sent an open letter to mission agencies encouraging them to use 'digital media' as tools for evangelism and discipleship. It notes that more than three billion people have mobile phones, that two billion people access the internet regularly, that 500 million people use Facebook in nearly 100 languages -- and that even in Africa and Asia, many people can access Facebook free of charge through mobile phones. While there are weaknesses in digital media, IED suggests that the internet is a good place to "seek non-seekers" -- and that people are often more willing to share questions, needs and problems online because of a phenomenon called 'anonymous intimacy.'

Yes, we Encana

Encana, a Calgary-based producer of natural gas, has donated $150,000 to Rosebud Theatre's 10,000 square foot expansion to its dining, shopping and meeting/convention centre. This is in addition to a $200,000 donation made in 2004. The theatre, which is based in the small town of Rosebud, Alberta, has Christian roots. It still needs to raise some $700,000 to complete the expansion, which is slated to open in 2011.

Uniting with the Scriptures

Lawson Murray has been appointed president of Scripture Union Canada, effective September 1. Murray was born in the United Kingdom, grew up in Africa and emigrated to Canada with his family in 1991. In seminary, he studied the declining levels of Bible engagement in Canada. He has pastored several churches, and for the past three years has served as national director of Scripture Gift Mission Canada. Scripture Union Canada is one of 140 national Scripture Union ministries worldwide encouraging "regular engagement with God's word."

Lessons still to learn

Susanna Kokkonen, director of Christian Friends of Yad Vashem (CFYV), is in Canada for a speaking tour October 10-19, stopping in cities from Toronto to Victoria. Yad Vashem is Israel's 45-acre official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. The goal of CFYV is to promote Yad Vashem, bring the universal lessons of the Holocaust to the Christian world, build bridges between Jews and Christians, teach the history of Christian anti-semitism, and educate about the legacy of 'the righteous among the nations' (gentiles who protected Jews during the Holocaust). The visit is being hosted by International Christian Embassy Canada, an evangelical Christian organization.

Outrun poverty

Micah Challenge Canada, Make Poverty History and local churches are teaming up for a 5 kilometre run/walk in Ottawa September 18 to show their support for the eradication of global poverty. The event starts at 9 am at Carleton University -- and will include speakers, fun activities for all ages, a poverty awareness and education tent, and refreshments.

September 2/2010