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Hi, I’m David Guretzki, President of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.
Many of you may not know that both my wife and I grew up in rural Alberta outside the village of Onoway, northwest of Edmonton. Alberta is still home for us.
Many of you from coast to coast to coast may also have connections to Alberta whether through vacationing in the Rockies, enjoying the open prairie lands and skies, or working in the vast natural resource industry.
Alberta is approaching a referendum crossroads on October 19 and I am inviting you to pray with and for Albertans and the process the province is engaging.
Conversation with denominational leaders there has reminded me that we need to pray, first, with understanding: the referendum is not only one question asking if independence should be considered but contains nine additional questions seeking public thought on immigration and constitutional reform.
In other words, there’s much more to this moment in Alberta than we might first assume and it’s important we pray with understanding and empathy. The issues are complex and there are bound to be many opinions on all sides of these questions, even among those in the faith.
Second, we need to pray according to Scripture: Let’s join our sisters and brothers in Alberta in praying that Christians may live their allegiance to Jesus above all else, that they and we would be one as Jesus prayed in order that he might be known. Let us pray that Christians would love their neighbours, seek God’s best for all, model disagreement well, and bring healing to what is fractured both within society and the church.
Let’s pray that Christians, conducting themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel, have wisdom, grace and courage in conversation, truth-telling, deliberation, and witness. Let’s especially pray that fears and frustrations are eclipsed with peacefulness and good citizenship.
In all this, we also must, as Scripture teaches, pray for those in governmental authority that they may move forward with God’s wisdom, whatever the decisions made on October 19. And, finally, let’s pray as our Lord has taught us that God’s< Kingdom will come and his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
May the Spirit unite us in greater visibility in Gospel witness so that not only those in Alberta, but every Canadian province and territory, may see and know the glory of our Lord Jesus. Thank you.
Editor's note: This is the script of a short video the EFC has just released.
Author:
David Guretzki