Why the Church Cares

It is a primary belief of reformed Christians that God is at work in the world healing that which is broken and calling all Christians to participate in God’s redemption of the world.

For a comprehensive list of all the immigration changes from Executive Orders issues during the coronavirus pandemic, see this list. 

6/1: The Supreme Court rules that immigrants who are at risk of being tortured upon deportation to their home country can challenge deportations in federal appeals court. 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, gardening is the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to creation care. With the whole world turning upside down because of COVID-19 many have become acutely aware of what gardeners have known for ages…  Gardening helps you join with God in providing for yourself, caring for creation and for your neighbour, reducing waste, staying healthy physically and mentally and provides endless metaphors for the spiritual life.

Have you ever been asked that weird ice-breaker question: if you could have a superpower what would it be? My answer would be super-weakness. Let me explain. I have always wondered why Superhero movies are so popular lately. To be honest I was over the fad back when the first X-Men movie came out. So I did a bit of research. Out of the many theories out there, I came to this conclusion: superheroes are a metaphor of our lives and they personify our ultimate hopes.

The theme of this year’s annual advocacy summit for Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is Equal in God’s Eyes: Human Rights and Dignity for all in Israel/Palestine. For some, this statement will seem obvious. Of course, all of God’s human creation is created equally and in the image of God. We recall the words of the Hebrew Scriptures in the book of Genesis,

“So God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (1:27).

I never intended to work as a psychotherapist.  When I first went off to ‘pursue’ a career I chose being a school teacher.   I even taught Grade 6 for two years. Then as life would have it, I decided to take a risk and covered a maternity leave teaching GED (high school equivalency) to moms in the Jane/Finch area of Toronto.  I fell in love with the vulnerable women that I was working with.

As employees of the CRC we’re working from home as much as possible to do our part in preventing the spread of COVID-19.  So we’re sharing some of our favourite podcasts with each other and with you! Here’s our wide ranging list of fantastic content.  We hope that whether these podcasts are biblical or scientific you’ll enjoy some of our (personal) favourites.  

"They have treated the wound of my people carelessly, saying, 'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace." Jeremiah 6:14

Many years ago, the Rev. M.P. Bill Blaikie  explained to Church leaders that it’s important for people of faith to show up in legislatures as often as the Canadian Fire Fighters Association does - every year, like clockwork! , Blaikie’s point was and remains straightforward: relationships and regular presence create opportunities to bring constructive ideas to our leaders that become our faithful contribution to the journey of justice.  Relationships and presence are core to what I call a theology of advocacy.