Urgent: Act Now to Defend People with Disabilities
Disability advocates are alarmed by and strongly opposed to Bill C-7, which would allow disability to be one of the criteria for euthanasia. Read their compelling reasons in EFC’s new blog, Will you rise to the defense of human rights? Your support is urgently needed. Please take a few minutes to call or email your MP to ask them to oppose Bill C-7 and euthanasia on the basis of disability. See EFC resources at TheEFC.ca/C-7.
Webinar Nov. 24: Understanding the conversion therapy bill
The conversation around the proposed bill to criminalize conversion therapy in Canada (TheEFC.ca/C-6) can feel confusing and complicated. We are united in opposing harmful practices. But why are many in the Christian community concerned it could infringe on freedom of conscience and expression? This EFC webinar will help to identify the key issues around the legislation and how Canadian Christians can respond with clarity and compassion – communicating our concerns with the bill while affirming our opposition to coercive and abusive practices. Our panel will help us answer that question and give webinar participants a chance to ask your own questions. Featuring Julia Beazley, director of public policy for the EFC; Derek Ross, executive director of the Christian Legal Fellowship; and Deina Warren, associate director of legal affairs of the Canadian Centre for Christian Charities. Register now! to join us Nov. 24 at noon Eastern.
Support a Bill Requiring Age-Verification for Online Pornography
Sign a petition in support a Senate bill that would require online pornography companies to verify that users are adults in order to access content. See sample letters and more information at TheEFC.ca/S-203.
EFC Pre-Advent Prayer Gathering Next Week
The EFC is inviting affiliates, ambassadors, board and staff to participate in a Zoom Prayer Gathering on Thursday, November 26 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (EST). We will gather for a pre-Advent time of God-focused worship, Scripture-fed and Spirit-led prayer. Click here for a video invite.
December Webinar: The Church and COVID
Pour a coffee, tea or hot chocolate and join an EFC webinar on Dec. 3 from 2-3 p.m. to chat and learn together about how church and ministry leaders are faring during these challenging days. Our guests include: Briercrest Seminary’s Margaret Clarke, assistant professor of marriage and family therapy with a particular interest in clergy wellness, and Tim Day, the national engagement director for Waybase.com, an online platform that helps Christian ministries partner together. Register now!
The EFC to Intervene in Supreme Court Religious Freedom Case
The EFC has been granted intervener status by the Supreme Court of Canada in a case about whether or not courts can review ecclesiastical decisions about membership and discipline. The case involves the Ethiopian Orthodox Church of Canada, which is challenging a lower court decision that would permit judicial review of a dispute between church members and their bishop on a theological and disciplinary decision. This would be an unwelcome change from an earlier Supreme Court ruling that declared courts would not “become the arbiter of religious dogma” (a case where the EFC also intervened).
EFC Affiliate Hosting Workshop Series for Canadian Faith-Based Organizations
EFC affiliate Wycliffe College is hosting a series of workshops for Canadian faith-based organizations to navigate the complexities of our current context. The first workshop is on Nov. 24. Register here.
Sixties Scoop Survivor Stories
“In the mid-1900s many Indigenous children in Canada were forcibly removed from their families and communities, and placed into non-Indigenous families, including my own in Sioux Lookout, Ont.”
Dorene Meyer shares in the latest Faith Today what she has learned about the Sixties Scoop from her mother’s work as a foster parent.
Faith Today is free online, and print subscriptions are free to homes within Canada at FaithToday.ca/SubscribeFree. Our Canadian Christian journalism is supported by advertising revenue and charitable donations. Suggested donation per year: $15 for digital-only readers, $25 for print subscribers, or $50 for those able to help someone who can’t afford it, at TheEFC.ca/FTDonate. Thank you for enabling this important ministry!
→ Adoption and fostering awareness month, nationwide Nov. 1-30
→ The Church and the Land – an Indigenous Perspective (Wycliffe Coll.), online, Nov. 18
→ Business Talks series (RZIM/Intriciti), online, Nov. 18 and 25
→ Missions Upside Down: Aaron Baart (Sent Conference), online, Nov. 18
→ J.I. Packer: Honouring and Remembering an Evangelical Theologian (Regent College), online, Nov. 18→ Good Words virtual book fair (Arts Connection), online, Nov. 18
→ Night with the Persecuted Church (Open Doors), online, Nov. 22
→ Together for Good: Free marriage conference (FamilyLife Canada), online, Nov. 20-22
→ ELO Forum Toronto (Entrepreneurial Leaders Organization), online, Nov. 23
→ Celebrating the Hispanic Church in Canada (Nexo), online, Nov. 23
→ Faithful Climate Conversations (Love of Creation), online, Nov. 23 and 30
→ EFC webinar: Responding to the proposed conversion therapy ban in Canada, online, Nov. 24
→ Stop Strategic Planning: Why Leading...Requires a Radical Shift (Wycliffe College), online, Nov. 24
→ The Role of the Holy Spirit in Evangelism: Shaila Visser (Sent Conf.), online, Nov. 25
→ Christmas book fair (TWG authors), online, Nov. 26
→ EFC affiliate prayer gathering, online, Nov. 26
→ Iron Sharpens Iron Conference (Eagle Ridge Fellowship), Coquitlam, Nov. 28
→ International Day for the Abolition of Slavery (annual event by UN), Dec. 2
→ EFC webinar: The Church and COVID: How are our pastors and leaders faring? Dec. 3
→ Watercooler Break for Communication Workers (Cdn Christian Communicators Assoc’n), online, Dec. 4
→ Plan to Protect 101 (Plan to Protect) free webinar, Dec. 8
Publicize your event for free on our calendar and we will also share it in this email newsletter.
In Case You Missed It
→ Bill 21 case on Quebec religious freedom reaches court
→ Euthanasia Bill C-7 will bring harm to people with disabilities (EFC website)
→ Defend Dignity webinars on pornography addiction and recovery
→ Rethinking local church ministry during COVID (Faith Today blog)
→ From the ground up: On racism and reconciliation (podcast)
→ Welcome the stranger: A Canadian church guide to welcoming refugees (free practical resource)
→ EFC speakers in your online gathering - contact us to explore options
→ Get your message out at FaithToday.ca/Classifieds or in this e-newsletter. Contact ads@faithtoday.ca