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
We love feedback. Here are some recent comments and statements received by Renewal Fellowship. “If you have 1/3 of the denomination that holds to an orthodox theology you are still very well situated to be a positive force for missional change in the PCC. The odds have been far worse at various points in church … Read more
The articles that were published online by the Renewal Fellowship from 2008 to 2016 are indexed on this page. … Read More
The PCC is getting a ‘poke in the ribs’. Let’s not be afraid to turn and look. Actually, it was spring in Jerusalem, and nine of us Canadian Presbyterian clergy were standing about 50 feet from the Western Wall listening attentively to our guide, Sheera. She awed us with the news that this last vestige … Read more
Requiem (noun) — 1) A Mass for the repose of the souls of the dead. 2) A musical composition setting parts of a requiem Mass, or of a similar character. 3) An act or token of remembrance. It’s the third definition which fits Rev. Don MacLeod’s latest published writing. An almost-legendary figure in the PCC … Read more
Recently, PCC denominational staff announced a workshop entitled “Rainbow Pathways: exploring LGBTQi2 welcome and inclusion.” It will be led by two individuals: a pastor and social worker who identify as a “Queer Trans Masculine person of faith” and a “femme lesbian.” Here’s an opportunity to hear first-hand how others think, I thought … Read more
Leafing through the fall 2023 edition of Presbyterian Connection, the denomination’s quarterly newsletter, I find plenty of stories about social justice and activism: racism, aboriginal rights, climate, poverty, hunger, sexuality and affordable housing. There’s content on church business: use of property, social media, travel tales, congregational renewal and stewardship. There’s the usual multi-page spread of … 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
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
When suffering happens because of natural disasters, it is because "the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth". Nevertheless, people never seem to expect tragedy, and they are unprepared, or else they assume that God will protect them from it. … Read More