Big wheels stuck in tar sands

Kairos: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives is leading a delegation of church leaders to the Alberta tar sands May 21 - 27. The delegation intends to listen and speak pastorally and prophetically in conversations with churches, indigenous peoples, workers, industry representatives, community workers and elected officials. The delegation includes representatives of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, Quakers, Mennonite Central Committee, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, the Canadian Religious Conference, the Presbyterian Church in Canada, the United Church of Canada, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Oil Watch International. The delegation will be blogging daily at KAIROSblog.

Something we can do without

Canada Without Poverty (formerly the National Anti-Poverty Organization) and Citizens for Public Justice are launching 'Dignity for All: The Campaign for a Poverty-free Canada' May 22. The campaign hopes to make Canada poverty-free by 2020 through three strategies: a comprehensive plan by the federal government (which would include income security, food security, housing security, child care and early childhood development, education and training, labour standards, job creation, a green jobs strategy, unemployment insurance, health supports, and supports for vulnerable populations); a federal act outlining the federal government's responsibility to eliminate poverty; and changes to tax law that would provide income sufficient to fund the initiative. The campaign will launch during the final plenary session of the Canadian Social Forum in Calgary.

Take a turn in Ottawa

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada's Centre for Faith and Public Life in Ottawa has developed a Law and Public Policy Summer Internship Program for undergraduate students. Two interns will work June 15 - August 14 on various public policy and legal issues under the supervision of associate legal counsel Faye Sonier and international policy analyst Jocelyn Durston. There is no remuneration, but students might receive course credits for some of their research. Applications must be submitted to Faye Sonier at sonierf@efc-canada.com or 613-233-9868 ext. 231 by May 22.

Anglican mediation fails

The Anglican Diocese of New Westminster and four Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) parishes have failed to reach an agreement after one and a half days of mediation with BC Chief Justice Donald Brenner, May 14 - 15. The dispute over whether the parishes or the diocese owns the buildings currently occupied by the parishes will now go to trial May 25. The parishes -- St. John's Shaughnessy, St. Matthias and St. Luke, and Church of the Good Shepherd, all in Vancouver, and St. Matthews in Abbotsford, BC -- are among over two dozen parishes that have left the Anglican Church of Canada over issues such as homosexuality, the authority of Scripture and the uniqueness of Jesus. The dispute has split the worldwide Anglican Communion.

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It takes a wise man to write

Ray Wiseman will receive the 2009 Leslie K. Tarr Award for outstanding career achievement in writing at the Word Guild Awards Gala in Mississauga, Ontario, June 17. Wiseman, 75, of Fergus, Ontario, writes a weekly column for the Wellington Advertiser and previously was a freelance columnist for the Guelph Mercury for 11 years. He has also written a novel, seven non-fiction books and 10 technical manuals. He and his wife Anna run a manuscript-critiquing business. Wiseman had to leave school in Grade 9 to help support his family, but became an electronics technician and then earned two bachelor's degrees. He edited a magazine for Partners International, wrote biographies of several world Christian leaders, and served as a missionary and pastor, visiting more than 30 countries. This is the 21st annual award named after the late Leslie K. Tarr. It is sponsored by Tyndale University College and Seminary and administered by The Word Guild, an organization of more than 350 writers and editors across Canada who write and edit from a Christian perspective.

Singing on the road

The Phoenix Chamber Choir will present the Canadian premiere of The Road to Santiago at Shaughnessy Heights United Church in Vancouver, May 30. The full-length piece for an unaccompanied choir is a new work by British composer Joby Talbot. It celebrates the pilgrimage taken by 50,000 - 200,000 pilgrims each year from the Pyrenees Mountains in northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela, supposed resting place of the apostle James. The choir, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, was the 2006 grand prize winner in the CBC's National Choral Competition and a finalist in the European Broadcasting Union's 2007 'Let the Peoples Sing' Competition.

Better than Freedom 55

Six teenagers from Trinity Middle School are staging a 'sit-in' for 20 hours in front of Trinity Baptist Church in Kelowna, BC, May 23 - 24. They will wear chains and hold signs with statistics about modern slavery. The awareness-raising event is part of the school's Freedom 151 initiative to raise $151,000 to free 151 slaves through International Justice Mission Canada. Since September 2008, the students have raised $68,000.

Experts for hire

The Internet Evangelism Day organization has created an international panel of speakers with expertise and experience in using the Internet for Christian outreach. The speakers will offer to lead workshops and seminars at Bible colleges, conferences, ministers' retreats and mission staff consultations, whether in person or by phone. The organization also offers a list of blog posts that can be used in print media or in online newsletters.

A whole lot of devotion

The PCCWeb Daily is a collection of daily devotions on the Presbyterian Church of Canada website. It was started 13 years ago by Michael Farris and has now grown to over 4,000 devotions. The site has over 6,400 subscribers around the world and is currently maintained by a team of volunteer editors and technicians scattered across the country. The devotions are available in a number of formats, including webpage, email, text feed, podcast, and a simplified version intended for PDAs.

May 21/2009