UN committee opposes MAiD expansion
There is international pressure for Canada to walk back the expansion of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) for people who aren’t dying and stop further expansion. The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities issued strongly worded concluding remarks and recommendations on Canada’s euthanasia laws on March 21. Read the EFC’s update on the committee’s remarks.
Resources on the election
Please join us in praying for Canada during this federal election. You can pray for each of the candidates in your riding by name by looking them up at Elections.ca.
The EFC also offers free election resources including a shareable brochure (in English or en français) on praying during elections, why voting matters to Christians, what churches can and cannot do, and how to talk with candidates, at TheEFC.ca/Election.
Responding to the hunger crisis in South Sudan
Stefan Epp-Koop of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank invites us to consider Christ’s call to not abandon our vulnerable neighbours, thinking in particular about South Sudan but also about other foreign aid during the current Canadian federal election. Read his call to action at FaithToday.ca.
Advice to UK on palliative care and euthanasia
In a brief written submission to a UK commission on palliative- and end-of-life care, the EFC outlined several ways Canada's euthanasia laws have negatively impacted palliative care for patients, healthcare providers and facilities.
The EFC's brief, submitted March 28, urged the UK to maintain safe spaces for palliative care patients and healthcare providers and to ensure high quality palliative care is widely accessible. Read the EFC's four-page PDF.
Seeking an EFC communications manager
The EFC is seeking a Communications and Marketing Manager for a full-time position in Ottawa (two days in office, three work from home per week). See TheEFC.ca/Jobs.
History lesson: Bible school on the Miramichi River
From 1937 to 1969, hundreds of children attended a summer Bible school in Sunny Corner, N.B. Unlike today’s activity-packed programs, this one simply involved Bible lessons, memorization and songs, yet “past students recall the life-changing impact and the Bible verses they still remember,” reports writer Rachel Baarda.
There’s a new History Lesson column and other encouraging, informative articles in every issue of Faith Today, the EFC’s print magazine. Subscribe for free to receive six issues per year.
- Moncton April 2: Ministerial Leaders Gathering with EFC President David Guretzki (Registration is now closed.)
- Toronto April 4: Ignite Prayer. All welcome to an evening prayer-and-worship summit for unity and spiritual awakening at Bayview Glen Church. Includes EFC prayer ambassador Roger Helland and Canadian PRN coordinator Joel Zantingh. (Registration is now closed for daytime seminars.)
- Online April 5: Welcome Church Webinar. Learn about refugee ministry and becoming a sponsorship agreement holder, hear from refugees, and take time to pray for SAH leaders and their work. Includes EFC resident missiologist Jon Fuller.
- Online April 10: EFC Affiliate Webinar: Reflections on the Election: Kingdom Practices and Prayer. Includes various EFC leaders and staff.
- Ottawa April 10: Grandparenting Faith. Presentation by EFC researcher Rick Hiemstra at Sunnyside Wesleyan Church.
- Online April 24: Engaged Citizenship: The Role of Faith Communities During an Election. Webinar by the Canadian Interfaith Conversation. Includes Julia Beazley, EFC director of public policy.
- Moncton May 3: Faith Matters Workshop. EFC president David Guretzki on medical assistance in dying, its expansion and how we as Christians can respond. EFC researcher Lindsay Callaway on research about how parents and grandparents can disciple their children in the home.
Additional Christian community calendar events
- Church With No Home Tour: Stories of Persecuted Christians (Open Doors), Vaudreuil, April 1; Ancaster, April 13; Prince Albert, April 26; Saskatoon, April 27.
- Preaching the Gospel Every Week (John Albiston/Church Vitalization), online, April 3
- XY Men’s Conference (Tidal Church), Moncton, April 4-5
- Impactus Men’s Conference, online, April 4
- Ministry Leaders Renewal Retreat (FOTFC), Nestleton, Ont., April 5-12; Priddis, Alta., April 8-15
- Redemptive Social Enterprise Lab (Kaleo), Cambridge, April 7-9
- Raising Safe Kids: A Holistic Approach to Prevention (Defend Dignity), online, April 9
- Becoming an Earthkeeping Church (A Rocha), online, April 10
- Evangelical Missiological Society Conferences (EMS), Edmonton, Langley, Steinbach, Toronto and online, April 11
- Empower Children’s Ministry Conference, Edmonton, April 12
- Stories of Transformation in Canada (Transform Our World Canada), online, April 22
- Journey to Us Marriage Retreat (FOTFC), Nestleton, Ont., April 25-27
- Kentro Annual Forum, Abbotsford, April 25-27
- Preaching Romans (Timothy Trust), Whistler, April 28-30