After many months of waiting, the RRWG was notified on January 14, 2019 that the Syrian family we are sponsoring has been granted their permanent resident status by the Canadian government. They have completed all medical and security checks and…
Read more
Each year I read the CBC Massey Lecture. I give myself the book each Christmas. It is something I look forward to because the presenters are usually visionary thinkers who are imagining better directions for our future. This year’s book…
Read more
Our long wait for the Syrian refugee family we are sponsoring is coming to an end, and quickly! On January 14, we finally heard from Immigration and Refugee Canada and the United Church of Canada that the family had passed…
Read more
Fall 2018 Newsletter
For years now we have been aware of the decline of main line denominations in western society. There have been many attempts to make church more relevant or entertaining but with few exceptions the decline has continued unabated. Many, including…
Read more
Summer music festivals are huge. Here in Renfrew we are about to host Blues Fest and thousands of people are expected. But I confess that the whole music festival scene is foreign to me. I have never been to such…
Read more
Years ago Susan and I were in Atlanta at a conference. Our time was split between two churches, both very large, wealthy churches. In the one building we felt at ease while in the other we felt uncomfortable. Our comfort…
Read more
Loving God, we bring before You the people of [Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia, Northeast Nigeria] who are currently experiencing famine and personal hardship. We do not know them personally, but we share a common bond as human beings, created in…
Read more
Remember Eli? He was the priest of the temple back when Samuel was born. As the story goes he spoke with Hannah, Samuel’s mother when she was praying to God for a child. After birthing Samuel Hannah dedicated him to…
Read more
When I returned from sabbatical a few months ago I decided to revamp my church’s bible study. I thought we had spent enough time talking about when the various books were written, by whom, and in what context. I wanted…
Read more