News briefs

Pastor's response to vandalism caught on film

'Steps,' a five-minute documentary directed by Donna Williams, will be shown at the Pacific Cinematheque in Vancouver as part of the 'Summer Shorts 2005' series, which showcases short films produced by members of Women in Film & Video Vancouver. The film concerns a "free-spirited skateboarding pastor" who comes up with an "imaginative response" when his Mennonite church is the victim of vandalism. The series shows July 7 and 9, with a panel discussion accompanying the latter screening.

EFC: religious freedom and accountability for Vietnam

During Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai's visit to Canada this week, Janet Epp Buckingham, director of law and public policy for the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, addressed crowds on Parliament Hill in Ottawa to call for greater freedom of religion and respect for human rights in Vietnam. Prime Minister Khai's Canadian visit came less than two months after the Vietnam-US 'Agreement on Religious Freedom Improvements in Vietnam' was finalized, and following a visit to the United States. Buckingham said: "Too many times, the government of Vietnam has made promises that it will change. And too many times these have been empty promises. Unfortunately, this means that the Vietnamese people do not trust the government to live up to its promises." Buckingham went on to highlight the ongoing persecution of a number of people groups throughout Vietnam. Buckingham also called on Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin to ensure that the Vietnamese government observes its commitments, and to communicate clearly there will be consequences internationally if it does not.

Settlement for residential school claims

The federal government has agreed to a proposal by the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) to resolve residential-school claims with lump-sum payments of at least $13,000 each to as many as 86,000 students. At the same time, the government announced the appointment of former Supreme Court Justice Frank Iacobucci to refine the settlement package and speed up Ottawa's stalled dispute resolution process. First Nations leaders applauded the decision, as did Providence Sister Gloria Keylor of Edmonton, Alberta, a spokeswoman for a committee negotiating with the federal government for more than 30 Catholic orders that ran the majority of 130 residential schools maintained by the federal government across Canada between 1870 and 1996. While the Anglican and Presbyterian churches have agreed to lump-sum payments of $25 million and $2.1 million, respectively, to the federal government to cover their share of future settlements, the Catholic orders and the United Church of Canada are still negotiating. -- Catholic News Service

Toronto challenged

Beginning July 16, Toronto Challenge teams will work in partnership with churches to meet the 48 percent of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) residents who weren't born there in order to spread the gospel. Toronto's multi-ethnic/religious community includes Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs. Canada is home to the largest community of Sikhs outside of the Punjab in India, home to half of Canada's Sikh and Hindu population. For three weeks, teams will visit Muslim mosques, Hindu temples, Sikh gurdwaras or Buddhist temples while learning about other faiths and cultures. Call 1-877-487-7777 or email: andy@cdn.om.org.

Communications director appointed at CMU

John Longhurst has been appointed director of communications and marketing for Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Longhurst currently directs marketing and media relations for Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA). Prior to this, he directed communications for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Canada. He has also founded and edited a small peace and justice community newspaper in Dallas, Texas and worked as associate editor of the Mennonite Brethren Herald. In 1998 he chaired the committee that organized Canada's first-ever national conference on faith and the media. He authored the book Making the News: A Media Relations Guide for Non-Profit Organizations. He begins his new appointment August 1, replacing Kevin Heinrichs.

Writers acknowledged at 'Write! Canada' conference

The Word Guild gave out the 2005 Canadian Christian Writing Awards June 17 during the 'Write! Canada' conference in Guelph, Ontario. Griffin Prize- and Governor General's Award-winning poet Margaret Avison of Toronto accepted the Leslie K. Tarr Award for outstanding contribution to Christian writing and publishing in Canada. Communications consultant and former CBC producer Deborah Gyapong of Ottawa was named Best New Canadian Christian Author, receiving a book contract from Castle Quay Books Canada and Essence Publishing. Johanne Robertson and Monica Leis, co-publishers of the Maranatha News, and Fazal Karim Jr., publisher of The Christian Herald, tied for the Partnership Award for exceptional support of Canadian writers who are Christian. There were 26 categories of awards for books, articles, stories and poems published in 2004.

Canadians first gospel choir to visit Romania

The Toronto Mass Choir (TMC) will visit Oradea, Romania in August, where local Pentecostal and Baptist churches have joined together to invite TMC to their city to reach out to the community. TMC will sing at a specially arranged youth day held in the city, present two public concerts at the Culture House Theatre, where admission will be free, and conduct a praise and worship seminar for all the choir directors and worship leaders in that region of Romania. They will also assist a local charity that helps the country's 'Rromi' children (sometimes referred to as 'Gypsy' children, offensive to Romanians). It will be the first time ever for an urban gospel choir to visit Romania, prompting the local non-Christian TV station to be TMC's 'media partner' to promote the events. TMC will also stop to perform in Budapest, Hungary and London, England.

Two celebrations for Church of the Nazarene

The Canada Pacific District Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene in Abbotsford celebrated fifty years of ministry in British Columbia June 17, electing a new district superintendent the same day. Rev. Earl Wood of Surrey was elected on the second ballot to succeed Dr. Wesley G. Campbell, who is retiring after completing ten years as district leader to Nazarenes in B.C. and the Yukon. Wood has been the senior pastor of the Guildford Church of the Nazarene in Surrey for 25 years. He was born and raised in Saskatchewan and moved to B.C. in 1980 from Kansas City where he had completed his seminary work. He will assume this position as district superintendent in the Church of the Nazarene by July 18.

New Canadian director for the Chosen People

Rev. Joseph Gray is the new national director of Chosen People Ministries Canada, effective July 1. Involved in full-time Christian ministry since 1986, Gray is an ordained pastor with the Presbyterian Church of North America. He has previously pastored churches in New Jersey and Ontario, most recently in Milton. He has been involved in Chosen People Ministries as associate director, staff chaplain and as a member of the Board of Directors. Chosen People Ministries is a worldwide organization (active in 11 countries) with Jewish leadership, believing that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah.