Last year, I attended “Freedom Session”, a Bible-based twelve-step program, aimed at freeing us from our addictions, compulsive behaviours, and tendency to do the wrong things. The goal is to find healing and freedom through Jesus Christ. The main reason that I went to Freedom Session was to support my wife in her need to attend in order to deal with painful depressing memories from her youth. I also wanted to evaluate the program to possibly take it back to our home church. I also thought that, just maybe, I could also learn something on the way … Read More

I had the opportunity to hear Rodger Nishioka (Associate Professor, Christian Education, at Columbia Theological Seminary) speak this past fall. One story he told was about a research interview he did with a woman who lived in an apartment building across from a church. She told him that nothing that happened there had any effect on her life. She said that if that local church ceased to exist, it wouldn't make any difference to her. Dr. Nishioka then challenged us to think about whether … 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

Here at Norman Kennedy Presbyterian Church, we have just completed a great year of reading, studying, preaching, teaching, and talking our way through the Bible using Zondervan’s The Story resources. A year ago, our session discovered and reviewed these helpful resources, and committed to improving our congregation’s biblical literacy in 2013 by following The Story. In brief, The Story is an abbreviated, chronological, easy-to-understand version of the Bible that is written in … Read More

To the untrained, secular ear, "Presbyterian" sounds every bit as mysterious as Shiite, Sikh, Druze, or Methodist. At Chippawa Presbyterian Church, Niagara Falls, Ontario, when we were inviting people to worship, we began to realize that people with no faith background felt quite uncertain about what exactly it was they were being asked to consider and experience in a Christian church. We also recognized that people in our congregation struggled … Read More

As the oldest church in Scarborough, Ontario, St. Andrew's Presbyterian exists to help people experience life through Christ. An integral part of this vision statement is what we call our Adult Discipleship Studies, consisting of our pastor's bi-weekly Tuesday morning Bible study, a laity-led bi-weekly Wednesday evening study, and a between-the-services Sunday morning study. Alpha was part of our study curriculum for several years. But in 2009 … 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

There are several dynamic, growing churches in British Columbia. Like many other churches, St. John's Presbyterian Church in White Rock suffered a steady decline in attendance. God heard the congregation's prayers for renewal and growth, but answered in some unexpected ways. Another church in the Presbytery of Westminster, St. Andrew's and St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church, North Vancouver, also decided to make some changes … Read More

Twenty years ago, the congregation of Valleyview Presbyterian Church constructed a new building at a new location on the outskirts of Calgary, Alberta, surrounded only by fields and aspen groves. Twenty years later, this church now stands in the west suburbs of the city of Calgary. Recognizing that Christ has provided a unique opportunity for us to connect with the community that has grown up around us … Read More

I have attended Cote des Neiges Presbyterian Church (Montreal) for eight years, and I've had the pleasure of being a part of the regular Wednesday gatherings for prayer. The leaders, Roberto and Jessica, have a strong burden for the well-being of our church. Through their humble, friendly, and warm leadership, Roberto and Jessica have set everyone at ease … Read More