Easter Poems 2022
The EFC wishes you a reflective and meaningful Holy Week and a blessed Easter! Faith Today’s tradition of offering contemporary Canadian poetry with an Easter theme continues this year, with a set of poems you have likely seen already in our Mar/Apr 2022 issue and a new set of additional poems you can only see online. The additional works are by Canadian poets Lesley-Anne Evans, Kate Marshall Flaherty, David Lyle Jeffrey, Sarah Klassen and Mary Willis.
Print subscriptions to Faith Today are now free in Canada. Sign up at FaithToday.ca/SubscribeFree.
World Persecution Ranking to be Presented to Parliamentarians
EFC vice-president and resident theologian David Guretzki will bring greetings from the EFC to the 2022 World Watch List parliamentary release event tomorrow, April 13 at 1:30 Eastern. Each year the EFC affiliate Open Doors identifies the 50 most dangerous places to live as a Christian, based on extensive research. This presentation is addressed to MPs and other government workers.
Does It Matter if Outsiders Trust Us?
Our latest Faith Trends podcast interviews Carole Ardell, a recent Doctor of Ministry graduate. She discusses her motivation for researching her dissertation, The Relationship Between Trust and Perceived Relevance of Local Christian Churches in Prince George, B.C. Our Faith Trends podcasts focus on conversations that connect research and ministry.
Let’s Talk About Showing Christian Character on Social Media
What should Christians be doing about the divisiveness of social media? Sign up today for our April 27 Meet the Author evening with Douglas Bursch. We'll gather online to examine why social media divides people and how Christians can address polarization through a ministry of peacemaking. Bursch is the author of Posting Peace: Why Social Media Divides Us and What We Can Do About It and host of the Fairly Spiritual podcast. He'll make a presentation and take questions live from the audience. We’ll end with optional small group discussions. Why not order a copy of the book (ivpress.com/posting-peace) from your local bookstore or library to get ready?
Faith Today Reader Survey
Faith Today, Canada’s Christian Magazine, wants to hear from our readers. What are we doing well? What would you like done differently? Take our reader survey, and you could also win one of 10 coffee-shop and bookstore gift cards. You can visit www.FaithToday.ca/ReaderSurvey.
How to Help Those Affected by the Russia-Ukraine War
To learn about EFC affiliates helping Ukraine and how to support their work, as well as to find prayer prompts on how to pray for Ukraine, see our article.
This Week’s EFC Prayer Prompts
Prayer is essential to any effective action. Each week at TheEFC.ca/TakeAction we rotate through a prayer request from each of these five areas: Sanctity of Life, Care for the Vulnerable, Church and Mission, Family and Community, Religious Freedom. We also list an EFC affiliate group to pray for.
This week’s prayer request is about refugees. Pray for a sense of hope for those who have lost so much. Pray for Canadian Churches and many Sponsorship Agreement Holders working hard to sponsor and welcome refugees to Canada. Pray for an increase in the numbers of refugees being allowed to enter countries (free of Covid) worldwide. Pray for refugees who feel trapped in Refugee camps, and who are vulnerable to the pandemic as well as attack from opposing religious factions. Pray for Canadians to have an increased heart of “welcome.”
You can learn more on these issues at TheEFC.ca/refugees.
This week's EFC affiliate highlight focuses on all affiliate churches and denominations active in sponsorship. Churches are helping government-sponsored refugees across Canada to resettle, while some denominations are Sponsorship Agreement Holders and can co-ordinate private sponsorship of refugees.
Covid-19 continues to have a significant impact on our lives. The EFC continues to offer new Friday@4 pandemic-focused prayer suggestions each week at TheEFC.ca/Covid-19.
→ Fresh Words with Publisher Larry Willard (Women Together), online, Apr. 20
→ Love Unending Ministries (Loving Muslims Together), online, Apr. 21
→ We the Diaspora - Finding Restoration and Healing Workshop (Welcome Church/The Peoples Church), online, Apr. 23
→ Women in the Holiness/Pentecostal Traditions (Tyndale/Master’s Seminaries), online/Toronto, Apr. 26
→ How to Better Engage Persons with Contentious Differences (Redeemer University), online/Ancaster, Apr. 27
→ Meet Douglas Bursch, author of Posting Peace (The EFC), online, Apr. 27
→ Flourishing Conference (Food for the Hungry), online, April 29-30
→ Missionfest Manitoba, online/Winnipeg, April 29-May 1
→ True City Conference: ReMembering the Body, Hamilton/online, Apr. 29-30
→ Bridges Seminar (Crescent Project), Orleans, Apr. 30
→ Pastor’s Conference (Ambrose University), Calgary, May 5
→ World Evangelical Alliance Business Coalition webinar, online, May 6
→ Unite 2022 (Jesus Collective), online/Oakville, May 5-6
→ Marriage Enrichment Retreat (FOTF), Huntsville, May 6-8
→ Canadian Christian Communicators Association annual conference, online, May 10-13
→ EFC Prayer Gathering for Educational Institution Affiliates, online, May 11
→ Kentro Relief and Development Forum 2022, Mississauga, May 11-13
→ Watercooler Break for Communications Workers (CCCA), online, May 13
→ Ending Poverty Together Workshop (Food for the Hungry), Burlington/online, May 14
→ Perseverance: Moving towards Greater Mental Wellness (Agora Network), online, May 14
In Case You Missed It
→ The Case for Silence in a Noisy Digital World (Faith Today column)
→ How to Create a Prayer Room in Your Church (Faith Today podcast)
→ Bill C-230: Protection of Freedom of Conscience Act