Good News Journey – PA Day Camp Nassagaweya

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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 Parable of a Lighthouse

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In 2004 as a meditation at a ministerial meeting, our local Catholic priest read us this powerful story. I often think of it and it challenges me and should challenge us all. (Many unattributed versions of this story exist online; it was written in 1953 by Rev. Dr. Theodore O. Wedel, a canon of the … Read more

A Holy Discontent

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Discontent can be a destructive energy that harms us physically, emotionally, and relationally. It may be a symptom of ingratitude or an inability to accept one’s lot in life – never having “learned to be content whatever the circumstances”. At its root, one is shaking an angry fist at God, accusing Him of failing to satisfy one’s expectations. This kind of discontent is … Read more

Good News Journey – Find Life In Jesus

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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

Is it always right to be right?

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One hopes it was God’s Spirit, but some might demur it was the second large helping of dessert; nonetheless, I awakened before I wanted to with a saying looping repeatedly through my mind. I know it is tempting for a few close friends to substitute ‘loopy’ at this point! The looping phrase is one often spoken, but I suspect the words seldom reflect one’s actual opinion. You may have used it yourself. It begins, ‘I could be wrong, but…” … Read more

No Middle Ground

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A recent survey from Renewal Fellowship asked readers where their minds were at four months after the historic change in doctrine of the Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC). It was hardly a scientific survey, but the responses mirrored what we’ve been hearing in conversations: In general, “We are staying in the PCC for now, while … Read more

Living Hope: A Day of Encouragement and Renewal

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Videos on this page:
Rev. Dr. Dale Woods: “Six Stages of Faith” – experiences of faith throughout life.
Kristy Short of Alpha Canada: “Engaging evangelism in a COVID World”.
Rev. Dr. Christine O’Reilly: “Salt and Light” – church court strategies post-Remits.
Rev. Doug Cameron and Rev. Cathi Cameron: “Grieving to live” – engaging loss to regain vitality.
Rev. Dr. Esther Acolatse: “Recovering the joy – rekindling the hope”.
Shane Davis and Jon Dykeman: “Youth/young adult ministry – how to engage and encourage.”
Cory McKenna of The Cross Current: “How do we walk as followers of Christ in an increasingly secular world?” … Read More

A new front emerges

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Opposition to Physician Assisted Suicide/MAID. Like a typical town hall meeting, Renewal Cafés provide a glimpse into the mind of Christ within the evangelical wings of The Presbyterian Church in Canada. We send an invitation, accept RSVPs and open the door. The conversation then takes a life of its own. The invitation to the July … Read more

A Year in the Life

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I retired four years ago after 39 years as a minister of the Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC). This naturally put me out of the loop for a while with much of what goes on nationally in our church. But my vantage point has improved due to a year of frequent online meetings with more … Read more

Don’t let it get you down

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I’ve had more than a month to process this year’s General Assembly (GA). While each annual gathering of commissioners representing every presbytery from coast to coast to coast is unique in that never do we get exactly the same people each time, it’s still a fairly accurate cross-section of our denomination. I think of it … Read more