Best Practices

I began to learn about the sex trade in Canada after I began working as the Executive Director of Indian Metis Christian Fellowship (IMCF) in Regina, Saskatchewan.

It was obvious to anyone who drove the streets of North Central Regina that the women and girls standing at street corners were at work. They were ‘street workers’ waiting for ‘johns’–the men who would pay them for sex. In the area around the ministry, the majority of street workers were Aboriginal females, from children to young adults to grandmothers.

Social media: the ever-developing medium that we love and hate simultaneously. Where else can you reconnect with friends from long ago, take a quiz about how long you could survive a zombie apocalypse, tweet your opinion about current events, or pin hundreds of images in one day. This medium has become an inherent part of our lives. For all its good, we know there are challenges in equal part.

A few days ago, kids with foam crowns and Crown Point buttons sat patiently with their parents through a long workplace safety discussion at Hamilton City Hall. They were waiting for the chance to help their neighbourhood association tell their city councilors about the work the association is doing in their community: a volunteer-run, low-cost soccer league, property elves, street parties, a cargo bike share program, improvements to local trails, speed reductions on side streets….The kids are also part of New Hope Christian Reformed Church in east Hamilton, Ontario.

We don’t need statistics to see evidence of poverty in our community – Ingersoll is a small town after all. We all know someone who is having a tough time making ends meet or finding a job, struggling to pay rent, or even finding a place to live. Then there is hidden poverty; the kind we don’t hear about as much but that we know exists – a disabled woman down the street who can’t pay her utility bills; a teenage boy who is essentially homeless and sleeps on a different couch every night; your child’s friend at school who often “forgets” her lunch because there’s nothing at home to bring.

Blame it on the red hair, but I get angry about a lot of things. I’m angry about the apathy I see around me about the deep wounds of this world. I’m furious at certain politicians for squelching democratic debate around issues and for making decisions based only on the economic bottom line without consideration of social and environmental impacts.

A reflection on Crossing the divide: Why culture should be cool. (2013, October 12) The Economist.

On the surface, a life of action in the cause of biblical social justice and the quiet of contemplation don’t seem to mix.

Before presenting a conference paper, academics who study Aboriginal history have a tradition of acknowledging the First Nations upon whose traditional lands they are standing. This stems from historic traditions that began before Europeans showed up in Canada, when First Nations would request permission to pass through other peoples’ lands when travelling for any reason. This is a common human practice; across the globe civilizations used similar practices.

January 20, 2013 is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. For the church, this is an opportunity to reflect on questions such as: What does it really mean to value the sanctity of human life?