What will a healthy and vibrant Canadian church look like in ten years?
Toronto-area EFC donors and friends are invited to an Oct. 23 evening public discussion on “What will a healthy and vibrant Canadian Church look like in ten years?” with David Guretzki, EFC president; Lee Beach, McMaster Divinity College professor; and Dorothy Pang, Tyndale Intercultural Ministries Centre director. A Q&A session will follow the discussion.
Register online now or contact events@theEFC.ca or 1-866-302-3362 ext. 300. Walk-ins are also welcome if space permits.
Canadian Christian Communicators meet in Winnipeg
Faith Today editors Bill Fledderus and Karen Stiller will gather with peers this week in Winnipeg for the annual Canadian Christian Communicators Conference. Stiller will give a keynote address. The event includes a book launch open to the public on Wednesday, Sept. 25 featuring Stiller’s latest book, Holiness Here, and Blessed Are the Undone by Angela Reitsma Bick and occasional Faith Today writer Peter Schuurman. All are welcome.
A vision for nationwide local houses of prayer
The EFC is a founding partner of Ignite Prayer Canada, a national network of partners seeking to encourage prayer for spiritual renewal of churches and our country. Ignite shared a compelling vision during its online launch gathering Sept. 19. Learn more in a new post at TheEFC.ca.
Columnist, journalist win at Faith Today
Faith Today writers won two awards Sept. 19. The Word Awards are given annually in more than 30 categories by The Word Guild, a national association of Christians in writing. Columnist David Guretzki won best column for "Not Without Prayer: When What Used to Work Stops Working." Journalist Ilana Reimer won best long feature and news for "Parents, Kids and Faith: A New Study Reveals Trends and Insights Into How Parents Help Form the Faith of Their Kids." In addition, contributor Phil Wagler won best book in the biblical studies and apologetics category for Live Your Assignment: Being Christ’s Ambassador in 7 Spheres of Life. Find links to read these materials (and to all winners of The Word Awards) at FaithToday.ca/awards2023.
Reclaiming digital discipline
Do you ever feel chained to your phone or other digital device, caught in the constant barrage of notifications and content? Faith Today columnist Joanna la Fleur outlines six practical steps to align our digital lives with Christian values so that technology serves us rather than enslaves us.
Read the full Thriving in Digital column and others in the Sep/Oct Faith Today, the EFC’s free bimonthly print magazine. Sign up now to subscribe.
EFC president giving seminar on MAiD
EFC president David Guretzki is giving a seminar on MAiD to the Smiths Falls (Ont.) Group of Churches Mission Committee on Sept. 28 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Contact Leah Williams at rwilliams33@cogeco.ca for more information.
Recovering the lost art of porch-sitting and the evening constitutional
Finding simple daily ways to pause, reflect and regroup can help do away with the lingering disquiet that persists after the pandemic, according to a new post at FaithToday.ca by Matthew Ruttan and Sarah Joy Covey.
Upcoming EFC Speaking Events
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EFC senior ambassador Bruce J. Clemenger, Lecture on Liberalism, Pluralism and Evangelical Political Engagement in a Secular Age, Laurentian Leadership Centre, Ottawa, Oct. 4
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EFC prayer ambassador Roger Helland, Teaching Workshop on Life of Prayer, Centre Street Church, Calgary, Tuesday evenings Oct. 1-Nov. 5
Coming Events at TheEFC.ca/Calendar
→ Oasis Day Retreat (A Rocha Canada), Surrey, Sept. 25
→ Catch the Fire Conference 2024, Toronto, Sept. 26-28
→ Christian Communicators Annual Conference, Winnipeg, Sept. 26-28
→ Giving Strategies for the Canadian Church (Church Vitalization Canada), Sept. 26
→ Canadian International Faith & Family Film Festival, online, Sept. 27-29
→ The Christian Legacy of J.R.R. Tolkien (Redeemer), Ancaster, Sept. 27-28
→ Listen, Reflect, Reconcile, Jonathan Maracle and the Broken Walls band, Niverville, Sept. 27
→ Safe Spaces for Your Church (Agora Network), Niagara-on-the-Lake, Sept. 28
→ The Timothy Trust Central Preachers’ Refresher, Ottawa, Sept. 30-Oct. 2
→ Theology and Artificial Intelligence (Canadian Council of Churches), online, Oct. 1
→ Leading Women: Tests of Leadership (Women Together), online, Oct. 1
→ Canadian Churches and Criminal Justice: Renewing the Prophetic Voice (CCC), online, Oct. 1
→ The Study of Religion in Canada (Institute for Religion, Culture and Societal Futures), online/in-person, Waterloo, Oct. 2