Am I Thankful?

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The more I pray for, study, and seek renewal for the church, the more I realize that personal renewal is a necessary part of what happens corporately. I am not completely sure if it is a precedent condition, a coincident condition, or a result of the other. I am pretty sure there is reason to ask a “Chicken and Egg; which came first?” type of question about many of the past times of renewal. In thinking about Thanksgiving holiday observances, I was drawn along a path that is relevant to personal renewal. It started with wondering why we needed a holiday to remind us… Read More

Support For Anti-Racism Petition

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Support is growing for the landmark petitions by Korean-speaking congregations which accuse The Presbyterian Church in Canada of racism by "demonizing" ethnic congregations. This week, a coalition of Chinese congregations, known as the Chinese Consultation, issued a statement in support of the petitions. "We thank the members of the Han-Ca Presbyteries for calling attention to the … Read more

Renewal at Knox Sooke

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Sooke, BC — The problem with ministers in the PCC? “You’ve got a bunch of ministers and administrators,” says Rev. Gord Kouwenberg. “We need vision catchers who understand the prophetic role of the clergy. We’re not prophetic in casting vision before the people so that the people are stimulated to act.” Not that he takes … Read more

We Need to Create New Wineskins

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It’s time for the church to issue its own marriage licences. This writer is old enough to remember the burning of draft cards to protest the Vietnam war and bras being burned to somehow advance a feminist agenda. Similarly, as both a protest and affirmation, he would have no difficulty shredding his government-issued marriage licence … Read more

Thirty Seconds Of Silence

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“Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” I thought as I prepared an email to the synod clerk, offering to bring greetings to the court from the Renewal Fellowship. I’d been reminded of our age-old Renewal mission to be a praying presence in our courts. I was planning to attend anyway as moderator of my presbytery, so why … Read more

Can I get a witness?

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There is great hope for the church. I see it in many places. Generally, where authentic believers and followers of Christ are gathered, we find peace, strength and spiritual growth. Therein lies the hope. In mathematical terms, this hope is directly proportional to the degree in which believers seek genuine and total submission to the … Read more

A church for an extraordinary time

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We do not live in interesting times. These are extraordinary times. Artificial Intelligence is taking the digital age to a new level. AI is either the saviour of humankind by allowing us to progress technologically at a lightning pace and potentially solve all kinds of problems. Or it’s the advent of a super intelligence which … Read more

Profile: Cheyne Presbyterian Church

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We are an intergenerational community of believers seeking after the transformative power of Christ to live out the purpose and plan of His calling on our life. Since 1844, the congregation of Cheyne has been serving its community on the outskirts of Hamilton, Ontario. In 1960, the current building was opened in the centre of … Read more

Korean Pastors Of English-Speaking Presbyterian Churches In Canada

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After almost eight years at Bridlewood in Scarborough, Ontario, I accepted a call to St. Andrew’s, Calgary, in beautiful Alberta. In September of 2014, I decided to drive across the country to begin my new journey. Along the way, I dropped in on friends that I had met on a retreat to Florida in 2013 for Korean pastors ministering in the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Here is a brief account of their ministry. My first stop was in Kapuskasing, Ontario, where the Rev. … Read More

A Question of Identity

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Who is Jesus? Who am I? Who is the church of Jesus Christ? None of these questions are straightforward to answer; indeed, many spend their entire lives pondering them. It is not by accident either that I write these questions side-by-side. It seems to me that, from the standpoint of a Christian worldview, these questions … Read more