Fruit that Lasts
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Fruit that Lasts

What does it take to have a community flourish? At Diaconal Ministries Canada, we believe it takes relationships; moving away from transactional interactions (meeting needs) to transformational relationships (connecting and belonging) so that every single person can thrive. That’s why for the last 40 years, NewGround has helped churches establish or grow healthy and sustainable…

Our Daily Bread
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Our Daily Bread

Chapati!Roti!Poori! The answers came quickly. I was leading devotions at a children’s home and had asked the children to tell me the names of some of their delicious breads. The question was a lead-in to talking about the portion of the Lord’s prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.” This home for orphans and…

Calling all women
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Calling all women

All women are invited to attend the 2023 Inspirational Women’s Conference hosted by Global Coffee Break. Join us for a day of encouragement, biblical teaching, and worship. The conference will be held on April 29, 2023 from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm at Compass Point Bible Church in Burlington, Ontario. There is also an opportunity…

But what about unity?
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But what about unity?

Sponsored Content: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the editorial perspective of Christian Courier. Perhaps the biggest concern I hear about Synod 2022 is how decisions on sexual ethics will affect unity in the Christian Reformed Church (CRC). “Personally, Lora, I agree with…

40 were baptized
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40 were baptized

A deep cut on the heel of her foot didn’t stop Mrs. Chan Sokmean from being baptized. After worshiping with her church one Sunday, she climbed down the cement steps into the reservoir near her house and lowered herself into the water. On the way to the reservoir, she told Navy Chann-Chhay, a Resonate Global…

The Church at Work
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The Church at Work

Syria is on many of our minds since the recent earthquake and World Renew is responding with aid for survivors. But this country has long been a place of insecurity and unrest, and an estimated one and a half million Syrians have fled to Lebanon. Wafaa* is one of these refugees. The mother of six…

A generational project
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A generational project

Lead Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Commissioner Murray Sinclair is known for speaking in memorable one-liners. Seven years after the TRC’s release, two of these have stuck with me: “education got us into this mess and education will get us out” and “reconciliation is a generational project.” Both of these zingers have inspired our long-term…

Into the Woods of Northern Alberta
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Into the Woods of Northern Alberta

For most of their lives, Roger and Evelyn* never called a single place home. Instead, they traveled from place to place on trains that ran across Canada, where they worked on track repair crews. Then in 1960 they finally settled in a secluded home in the woods of northern Alberta. During their retirement years, Roger…

Tawâw: There is room
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Tawâw: There is room

“You don’t belong” is a spoken and unspoken message most of us have heard at one time or another. We’re all familiar with that sinking gut feeling when we’re told that we don’t fit in. For many Indigenous people, this experience has been true even in the church, where they have received the message to…

On Solid (New)Ground
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On Solid (New)Ground

FOR YEARS, Bethany CRC in Fenwick, Ontario, was engaged in global missions work. Yet each time their teams returned, they wondered what missions might look like in their own backyard. The church had a huge heart for youth and was already running a summer kids camp. After much discussion and prayer, a group from the…

Responding to witchcraft

Responding to witchcraft

“My father had a dream that someone was doing witchcraft against my sister who had a young baby,” recalls Pastor Pierre speaking from his own experience. “He sought the advice of a diviner, who advised that I must carry out a traditional religious ritual for my sister’s protection. The ritual was not such a big…

Caring for ‘the Stranger’
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Caring for ‘the Stranger’

Kateryna and her nine-year-old-son Ivan* closed the front door of their home in Ukraine for the last time. Carrying what they could, they made their way through the forest – out of the combat zone and toward the train station in Warsaw, Poland. As hours passed and their feet started to ache, they eventually met…