New Opportunities

“It has been 1,606 days since Flint has had clean water,” declared Flint Rising director Nayyirah Shiriff after introducing herself to me and a group of about 30 other “Healing Waters” retreat participants in the last days of summer 2018 at the Colombiere retreat center in Clarkston, Michigan. Nayyirah’s statement brought a silent wave of grief over the room.

Youhanna and Yosra, and their four adult children Martin, Alen, Aiden, and Abeer are from Qaraqosh, Iraq. In 2014 they were forced to flee their home when ISIS invaded and destroyed their predominantly Christian area. After spending several years in asylum in Lebanon, they had the good fortune of being sponsored to come to Canada by Harvest Bible Chapel. Martin arrived in September of 2017 and the rest of the family arrived in January of 2018.

I became personally involved in questions of justice in Palestine/Israel because of a friendship with someone who grew up and went to the Catholic school in Jerusalem. He had to leave in 1967 and has no right of return to his home. It is a great sadness for him. Now he does not want to go back because he would not be able to bear going there while his homeland is under Israeli military occupation.

June 10 is Office of Social Justice Offering Sunday. In addition to Ministry Share support, it is the yearly offering from CRC churches like yours in the U.S. and Canada that make this important work possible. Will you mark OSJ Sunday with us? 

Oakland CRC became the answer to the prayers of Christians half a world away.

In this year’s bulletin insert, you'll read how Oakland CRC became the answer to the prayers of Christians half a world away by welcoming a refugee family from the Democratic Republic of Congo!

This year, Aboriginal Ministry Sunday is on June 17th. We're celebrating 40 years of ministry at the CRC's Indigenous Christian Fellowship in Regina. Celebrate with us!

This year we're celebrating 40 years of ministry at the CRC's Indigenous Christian Fellowship in Regina.

This year's bulletin cover and insert provide more history about this ministry (formerly called the Indian Metis Christian Fellowship):

Here's a sneak peek: 

Can you imagine escaping a dangerous situation and finally beginning a new life in Canada...but doing so with $10,000 in debt, before you even started language classes or enrolled your children in school? For more than two decades, Canada was the only country in the world to charge refugees interest on their travel loans. For a nation claiming to welcome refugees, this sent mixed messages.

If you’re a Christian in Canada, you’ve likely heard by now about the Canada Summer Jobs controversy. Many churches are concerned about new rules for federal funding for student summer jobs. Kate Kooyman chatted with Mike Hogeterp of the Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue to learn more about the controversy and how CRC people can respond.

As we enter the season of Lent, the period of 40 days that carries us to Easter, it is important to acknowledge the ways that we have turned away from God in our lives and remember the call to turn our thankful hearts, humble minds and serving hands back toward God. For many Christians and churches, Lent is a time to refocus and reorient ourselves to a life of prayer, sacrifice, and repentance.

This week could be a historic one for Indigenous children in Canada. The Minister of Indigenous Services, Jane Philpott, has called an emergency meeting on Indigenous child welfare, comparing the current situation to the horrors of the residential school system.

Advent is a season of waiting and hope. As we enter the third week of Advent, these themes have taken on new meaning for me.

I see Dreamers courageously sharing their stories and tirelessly advocating for Congress to pass the bipartisan Dream Act before Christmas. Dreamers have a deep hope and great anticipation that the country they call home will claim them as its own and that their presence will be recognized as a blessing, not a burden.