Has “liberty of conscience and action” replaced “no divisive course” as the touchstone phrase in our polity? Ministers, elders and deacons promise in our ordination vows to “follow no divisive course but to seek the peace and unity of Christ among your people” and the wider church. It’s widely quoted and tacitly accepted, even though … Read more
The decision of the 145th General Assembly to adopt option “B” in the Report of the Special Committee of Former Moderators and the subsequent Remits on Human Sexuality and Marriage have caused a range of responses among members of the Renewal Fellowship and throughout our denomination. As a result of a meeting at Vaughan Community … Read more
At Nassagaweya Presbyterian Church in Campbellville, Ontario, we rejoice in the arrival of our new minister, Rev. Reuben St. Louis. And, with his arrival, we have consequently made both changes and an exciting addition to our youth ministries. One of our youth ministries has been KOTH – “Kids-on-the Hill” Club, established as a mid-week after-school programme for children aged JK-Grade 8. Recently this outreach was cancelled in large part due to the difficulty faced … Read More
The Canadian vernacular has several expressions, such as paradigm shift, watershed or game changer to describe a significant alteration in life. Things will now be radically different. The Christian Church has long contended that the historical shift in human existence is Jesus’ resurrection. Jaroslav Pelikan, a renowned historian, expressed this truth thus: “If Christ is … Read more
As we are entering another new year, I am reminded of the apostle Paul's words, particularly in light of the Christmas story: the weakness of God is stronger than our strength and the foolishness of God is wiser than our wisdom. I can only imagine how weak and foolish God's response to this world appeared to so many: a baby lying in a manger. The troubles of that world were many and profound. Moreover, God's people were being oppressed by Rome … Read More
Easter comes in April more than 80 per cent of the time this century. This year it comes at the end of March. For me it means Lent comes quickly after Advent and the Christmas season. It seems that one is barely over and planning for the next begins. It didn’t take me too long in ministry to realize the importance of planning my vacation and study leave carefully to ensure … Read More
On behalf of the Board of the Renewal Fellowship, I want to extend our thanks to the Presbyterian Record for what it has meant to many Presbyterians past and present across our denomination. Over the years, we have benefited from the shared experience of having a national printed periodical that connected, challenged, and gave voice … Read more
Having just finished the three-day retreat for Presbyterian Church in Canada ministers – two full days bracketed by two half days – at Crieff Hills, I spent some time listening to the comments of the other participants, and was struck by how often certain words came up. With that in mind, I decided to expand on them a little: community, blessed, discipline, relationship. … Read More
“There is so little room for genuine give-and-take in our Presbyterian discussions these days, while at the same time so much hangs on how our conversations go. The issues that we are discussing are not simply topics about which we happen to disagree. They are matters that are vitally connected to the question of whether … Read more
Questions are like tools. Good quality instruments used with skill and care can loosen the machinery and allow a glimpse into the soul of a machine. Or a person. So it is with the question and answer section of the 2021 General Assembly moderator nominee profiles. Kudos to whoever developed this skillful line of questioning, which starts with the comfortable … Read more