What matters?
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What matters?

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Last week, our friends were excitedly planning for the upcoming youth convention. Then we heard the news. The 2023 All Ontario Youth Convention (AOYC) scheduled for this month was cancelled at the last minute because of objections to the main speaker Kevin Makins’ view of same-sex marriage. He wasn’t going to speak about or mention…

Ministry in a fractured landscape
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Ministry in a fractured landscape

ON April 4, the All Ontario Youth Convention (AOYC) announced that its three-day May weekend was being canceled over concerns about the main speaker’s beliefs around sexuality and marriage. The speaker that had been hired was Kevin Makins, author of Why Would Anyone Go to Church? and pastor of Eucharist Church, an affirming congregation in…

Loving Forever
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Loving Forever

It was a day when Janneke was home from school, and from my office, I could hear her giggling in her room. I had positioned her in bed while I worked on some emails. I set up a playlist from well-known Canadian storyteller Robert Munsch on the iPad. That morning, his expressive voice and playful audio…

Better or wiser?
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Better or wiser?

It isn’t a surprise that Baby Boomers, my generation, are redefining aging. We have the numbers, influence and ethos to challenge the status quo and make change. Many of the changes will make conditions better for seniors; but better in this context, may not mean wiser. Some advocacy for the aging leaves me with nagging…

Coming of age
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Coming of age

Time is relative, the adage goes.  My husband Ralph is a school principal. He recently celebrated a significant birthday, and the younger students invariably wanted to guess his age. “Twelve?” one student guessed. Another, more confident student proclaimed, “Fifty-twelve!” A third, “Ninety-three.” To twist another adage: Age is in the eye of the beholder. Louise Aronson,…

Picture Perfect
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Picture Perfect

Last summer, we went beach hunting with the grandparents on the west coast of Vancouver Island. We were looking for a specific spot where we’d taken a photo when our eldest was almost four. For years the photograph has hung on our wall, a reminder of one beautiful corner of the world we love and…

As time goes by
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As time goes by

What’s the best part of ageing? For me it’s the memories. Even better than seniors’ discounts, I have a storehouse of treasured memories to draw from. They often come to mind when I least expect them, and just as I need them most. It happened again the other night as I lay shivering under the…

Kids Speak Up, Step Out, Dig In, and March On!
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Kids Speak Up, Step Out, Dig In, and March On!

Young Jayden loves nature and sees it everywhere in the large city where he lives. Squirrels scrounging for nuts, cardinals calling from the trees, and the beauty of fluffy snowflakes falling from the sky bring joy to the boy’s heart. When his mother makes him stay inside after school, he tries to convince her that…

Why I Don’t Go to Church
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Why I Don’t Go to Church

Hey, my name is Maya MacLachlan. I’m the daughter of one of the editors of this publication. I’m a nerdy bisexual 14-year-old, and I have some issues with the mainline church I used to attend. When I was about six, I was baptized at a church with my younger sister. My parents took a vow…

A heart for justice
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A heart for justice

The Barna Group will soon be releasing a report on its global study of nearly 25,000 teenagers, ages 13-17, both in and out of the church. Billed “the Open Generation” due to characteristics like “optimistic, engaged, malleable, curious, authentic, inclusive and collaborative” that is less common in people only a few years older, today’s teens…

Let It Shine
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Let It Shine

At first, it felt a bit surreal. After two years of pandemic restrictions, Christian summer camping was finally returning to normal. One of the highlights of each summer for me is serving for a week as chaplain at Camp Douglas, the Presbyterian camp on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast. After checking in at Horseshoe Bay ferry…

Pentecost joy!
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Pentecost joy!

“Josey Johnson’s hair is a wonderful adventure — it’s different all the time! Some days it’s a ponytail or pigtails or a curly afro. And some days Josey’s hair has a mind of its own!” So begins author Esau McCaulley’s spirited portrayal of a girl who feels the pain of being different because her hair…