THE FIRST time I walked into a North Shore Alliance vacation Bible school program, I crossed over a drawbridge and under a portcullis to find myself inside a castle. The entire church lobby had been lavishly transformed into a medieval castle complete with parapets, brightly colored banners, and knights. By the time I entered the sanctuary, holding […]
Vancouver man arrested, detained for opposition to Liberian secret societies
Vancouver Missionary David Waines was arrested, detained, and interrogated nearly two weeks ago for his opposition to the Liberian secret societies that attempt to assert control over that country’s government. Just two days after returning to their Liberian hometown of Ganta, Waines was detained on his way to church July 15 by plainclothes military intelligence personnel. He […]
Catholic teachers help Habitat for Humanity in Ottawa
Catholic teachers in Ottawa have contributed $50,000 to the construction of the latest Habitat for Humanity build at 94 Melrose Avenue. And hundreds of volunteers helped, over eight days, to make the house a reality for Julio and Carmen Ortega and their three children. The $50,000 contribution was the result of two years of fund-raising by the […]
Comment: Which Church of God?
The headspace of this particular writer, you need to understand, includes a section for denominational trivia. At least “trivia” is the way some of my friends would describe it. But often, recognizing the trivia leads to an understanding of the issues. The now-famous but still anonymous seven children seized screaming and kicking from their parents in the […]
Comment: For whom does the Christian leader speak?
Much has been made of the Christian commitment — Pentecostal variety — of Matthew Coon Come, chief of the Assembly of First Nations. I can’t help but notice, however, that a fair number of people are reacting to a number of his public pronouncements — commending him at times, and otherwise wondering about some of his seeming […]
Trinity Western moves into Ottawa club
There is “something old” and “something new” in the latest move to let faith and politics interface in and around Parliament Hill. The “something old” is the century-old four-storey red brick mansion at 252 Metcalfe Street, heretofore known as the Laurentian Club. The “something new” is that the historic building, which began life as a […]
Sun Peaks a flashpoint, amid talk of reconciliation
Against the backdrop of a possible province-wide referendum on Aboriginal land claims, an ongoing protest by members of the Shuswap First Nation in B.C. has been drawing much attention to Native concerns. In the meantime, some Christians have been attempting to raise a quiet but firm voice in favour of reconciliation. Sun Peaks protest The Sun Peaks ski […]
Lutherans and Anglicans embrace full communion
In an exuberant service July 8, more than 3000 Lutherans and Anglicans celebrated the July 6 passing of the ‘Waterloo Declaration,’ linking the two denominations in full communion rights. The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) have been reviewing the potential partnership since the mid-1980’s. Both denominations held their national conventions, the […]
Comment: What kind of life do we want?
Beneath the blizzard of statistics, Ron Colman’s heartfelt plea caught the spirit of what was happening in the Ottawa conference room. “We should talk about children, not sustainable development,” he said matter-of-factly. “This is a very personal endeavour, not just numbers. I have a nine-year-old daughter. What kind of world are we leaving to the […]
Stained glass artist honored with national award
Russ Goodman’s artwork resides in churches and other buildings in every region of Canada. For 50 years the 75- year-old stained glass artist, who now lives in Kelowna, has cut and assembled glass to tell epic Biblical stories and themes in church windows. This spring he was honored by the Governor General of Canada for his most […]