Airports were finally opening and COVID testing was now available to Canadians. Should our family return to Malawi? In the months I spent fighting COVID alongside other nurses in Canada, it seemed Malawi had been relatively spared. So we boarded a plane back to Malawi, arriving January 6, 2021, after 10 months in Canada. I…
“The whole atmosphere at Summit has changed,” Co Vanderlaan says of his retirement home, now that its residents have received the COVID-19 vaccine. He and his wife Alice echo the feelings of many. “We are so relieved. So thankful. So excited. Maybe soon we can see our grandchildren. We’ve had two great-grandchildren born during the…
“Return to Normal” and “Build Back Better” are the two dominant mindsets for COVID-recovery. Any suggestion of more disruption would invite stone-throwing, but that may be our future. High levels of present anxiety and fear for the future lead to equating hope with more tranquility. Is there another kind of hope? Is hope possible in…
Christian Courier has recently celebrated its 75th anniversary. The end of one world calamity and the beginning of a new world calamity stand as bookends to these 75 years. My feelings of isolation in the current pandemic have drawn my memory back to the days of WW II and my own experience in The Netherlands….
It is the forsakenness of it all. Long before that piercing cry,Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani,long before that God-forsakenness on the cross,Jesus is forsaken on the Via Dolorosa. Here on that road of sorrow,he is devastatingly alone. No one leading him out.No jeering crowds.No virus-carrying spittle.No bloodthirsty mobs.No mocking soldiers.No politicians inciting a riot.No one washing…
COVID-19 may prevent us from coming together for yet another church holiday, but if the following stories are any indication, the hope of the Risen Christ is very much alive. We asked pastors and leaders from east to west to reflect on the state of the church on this one-year anniversary of the pandemic. Was…
When COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020, the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine, an Anglican convent in East Toronto, lost its three major ministries: our ministry of being a praying presence in Victoria, B.C.; our ministry of hosting quiet days and retreats in our guest house in Toronto; and our ministry of…
“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.” (Jer. 29:11-12) The year 2020 seemed like a year in exile for…
While Nova Scotia has been relatively healthy throughout the pandemic, there has been a general feeling of angst and uncertainty in the air. This was heightened by the mass shooting that occurred here last April. The tragedy hit very close to home and intensified the feelings of grief and loss.Figuring out how to continue to…
I remember making the announcement: “We’re moving immediately to a livestream-only format for Sunday services. Oh, and all other groups are either cancelled or moving online. “Hopefully we’ll be back for Easter!” Sigh. When was the last time 12 months felt like 12 years? We miss seeing each other eyeball to actual eyeball. Pouring coffee…
When we made the switch to virtual worship, we continued to offer our weekly Young Children in Worship story time. Although originally intended for children, it became apparent that many age groups were enjoying it. Because of this, and because we believe that “parents are the most significant religious influences in the lives of their…
In 2016, I wrote an article for Christian Courier called “Disruptive Theology.” I said that in the digital age, churches are less about where you live, and more about a community of believers with a shared understanding of faith. That digital ways of connecting with each other were becoming more important to many of us…
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