Good news! The church is growing! The latest annual statistics from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary indicate that there are fewer atheists around the world today (147 million) than in 1970 (165 million) and the report expects the number to continue to decline into 2050. Almost 2.56 billion … Read more
Last month I attempted to make the case for how important it is for our ministers to be part of intimate spiritual communities with their peers. I also shared the priority and focus we at the Renewal Fellowship are prepared to put on encouraging and aiding as many ministers as we can to find or … Read more
“Please don’t forget us.” I have heard this plea spoken many times by prisoners in Malawi. These words not only resonated in my heart but motivated me to engage and lead a ministry to prisoners in Malawi. So, what are these prisons really like? They are overcrowded, they lack the basic necessities of life that … Read more
It is time for me to bid this column, the Renewal Fellowship and my Encouragement Road Trips a wistful goodbye. At 67, I can no longer pretend to function at the energy level or capacity I once did. So, after five years of serving the denomination under the Renewal banner, I sadly must hand it … 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
Once, after a night of debauchery in my early thirties (at that time in my life debauchery meant staying up to the wee hours playing ‘Hearts’ – the card game, not the relationship pastime), I woke hearing the strains of *Slow Train Coming*. Our host had it hot off the press (it was a LP … Read more
On Wednesday afternoon of the 2012 General Assembly, just as the Life and Mission Agency's report was coming to an end, Rev. Dr. Clyde Ervine rose to make an additional motion giving priority to the reimagining and renewal of congregations. He gave a stirring and substantial preamble and then presented his additional motion. … Read More