Return from Exile
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Return from Exile

The church has often been at the forefront of emergency response to natural disasters, but it’s not as well-prepared to address public health crises, Dr. Jamie Aten told Christian Courier. Aten is the founder and Executive Director of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute (HDI) at Wheaton College in Illinois. Since COVID-19 hit North America in March, Aten and his colleagues have poured all their disaster-response knowledge into helping churches respond.

You Welcomed Me
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You Welcomed Me

Kent Annan considers the current world-wide refugee crisis “a chance for the church to shine.” His new book You Welcomed Me will be released on November 27, 2018 to encourage churches to help and welcome refugees. Annan spoke with Christian Courier about this upcoming book in August. In his words, “This topic is actually a spiritual topic. We can decide how hospitable – or not – to be.”

Meeting God in the wilderness
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Meeting God in the wilderness

When reading the Bible for the first time, Blackmer was struck by how often Jesus would go up a mountain, into the wilderness or to a lonely place to pray. Rooted in Jesus’ prayer practice, Church of the Woods offers its small core congregation and those who visit from far-flung places a chance to connect with God and each other in this rugged woods, a “scrabbly, scruffy, somewhat mysterious” corner of creation.

The fullness of life: Palliative care in Canada
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The fullness of life: Palliative care in Canada

“Let’s ensure that all live well and die well.” Physician Naheed Dosani gave his audience this challenge at a TEDx event in Stouffville, Ontario last year. “Let’s ensure that everyone has a dignified death. It is often said that the best way to judge a society is by how it treats its most vulnerable.”

Visio divina:
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Visio divina:

“It’s an experience that I think has the potential to, if not change your life, help you resolve life problems. To be in the presence of artists who have had mystical experiences and have been able to convey them through their works of art is an experience absolutely not to be missed.”

South Sudan: A young country in crisis
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South Sudan: A young country in crisis

In an interview with Christian Courier in early August 2016, World Vision Canada’s president Michael Messenger commented, “We’re deeply concerned with the situation (in South Sudan).” In November 2015, Messenger visited South Sudan, calling it one of the most “fragile contexts” in which World Vision works: “It is one of the toughest places in the world that we work in terms of security, in terms of safety, and in terms of the ability to see long-term impact.”

Durable hope
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Durable hope

Kent Annan’s recent book, Slow Kingdom Coming: Practices for doing justice, loving mercy and walking humbly in the world, offers five practices for the work of justice-seeking: attention, confession, respect and partnering. Kent is co-director of the nonprofit organization Haiti Partners. He recently promoted this new book at the community-based restaurant 541 Eatery & Exchange in Hamilton, Ontario, among other Canadian venues.