As a delegate to the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) Synod last June, I experienced first-hand many of the difficult implications of Synod 2024’s decisions currently consuming the agendas of local church councils and regional classes. I find that I cannot now, in good conscience, re-sign the Covenant for Officebearers, as Synod 2024 has instructed all…
Last year, a chaplain friend asked me if I would be willing to visit a Dutch prisoner in Toronto. Sure, I said. I was busy enough but I was not formally working at that time, I live in Toronto, and have the required training. I was ready to go visit a working prison for the…
The Paris Summer Olympics will bring together millions of viewers and more than 10,000 athletes from 206 National Olympic Committees. It’s a chance for athletes to vie for the top place in their respective sports, and it’s an occasion to watch the historic event for the millions of attendees who flood the city. But the…
In 2011, while on a trip to Uganda, Chris Bosch had an “aha!” moment. Bosch, then working for World Vision Canada, had a chance meeting with Margaret, an entrepreneur whose efforts to help 6,000 farmers improve and grow their farms was stymied by lack of affordable loans. “She needed $5,000 for her project, but she…
Bondye konnen – God knows. This phrase is often spoken in the communities of Haiti. Not spoken in tones of hopelessness but with assurance, with the deep hope that even in the darkest situations, God’s light shines. He knows. It’s early Wednesday morning, 6 a.m., March 13, and I am being driven by our Children…
Probably the most common question I receive from clients at work is some version of, “Can you tell me which low-risk bonds are paying the highest rate right now?” The truth, however, is that simply loading up on whichever bonds are yielding the most at the moment – even if those bonds are relatively low-risk…
If you are in the later years of your ministry career then you have probably started looking ahead to retirement. Maybe you anticipate that season of life as a time of freedom to volunteer, travel, spend time with family or develop new hobbies. As you begin to think about retiring from active ministry you would…
When you see a pastor on television, what is the first thing that jumps into your mind? In Brazil, the answer for many would be, “I don’t trust this person.” Unfortunately, those feelings aren’t unwarranted. Many television pastors, both from Brazil and here in Canada, have damaged the reputation of pastors – taking advantage of…
When I was pregnant with my first child, I developed pre-eclampsia and it became crucial that I deliver the baby. Born at 30 weeks at a hospital that specializes in high-risk pregnancies and neonatal care, my son spent his first month of life in an incubator. At a postnatal check-up, my doctor commented, “You and…
Safe Families Canada works to fill the gaps in child and family support services across Canada. Families who access support from Safe Families Canada may be dealing with financial instability (due to unemployment or the rising cost of living), housing insecurity, substance abuse, incarceration or illness. Motivated by grace, volunteers come alongside families in crisis…
There are people and moments that leaders should have etched in their minds as part of their framework for how they make decisions. For me, one of those moments and individuals came halfway through my first ministry assignment. I was a seminary student trying on the clothes of a pastor in Edson-Peers, Alberta. Ten weeks…
With famine imminent in Gaza, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) has delivered a critical truckload of emergency food for besieged families. As part of a convoy of other trucks transporting humanitarian relief via Jordan, the vehicle sat for more than a week waiting to cross the border but finally made its way through the Kerem Abu…
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