Abbeys for sale

An international conference called 'Religious Houses: A Legacy' was held in Montreal October 7 - 8 and in Quebec City October 10-11. The conference, featuring presentations by 40 experts, was organized by the Canada Research Chair on Urban Heritage at the Universite du Quebec a Montreal, in partnership with the Conseil du patrimoine religieux du Quebec and Concordia University. At issue are the large number of impressive religious houses on stately grounds owned by Roman Catholic convents, monasteries and abbeys. As the members of these religious orders age and the monasteries are shut down, the religious orders who own them often want to sell them to the highest bidder, often to real estate developers, in order to maximize income for church work. However, many in secular society want to preserve these lands and buildings as heritage sites, public parks and monuments.

Roch on

A Rocha Canada, a Christian environmental organization based in Surrey, BC, is endorsing and supporting the 'Resilient Cities: Urban Strategies for Transition Times' conference at the Vancouver Convention Centre October 22 - 23. A Rocha will present a workshop at the conference called 'Faith Angles on Living Sustainably in the City.' A Rocha has observed that more people are seeking practical and sustainable expressions of the biblical mandates to "care for creation," "love your neighbour" and be an agent for the "healing" of a wounded planet. A panel discussion at the workshop will explore questions such as: "What are the most effective and transformative steps for the rebuilding of eco-systems and local social economies?" and, "How do we mobilize the significant social network that is the church, for positively addressing the health and Resiliency of the City?"

Chances they disagree: six to four

Theologians from six Anglican dioceses in Africa are now exchanging essays about sexuality with theologians from four Anglican dioceses in Canada. The dioceses of Central Tanganyika and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) have been paired with the diocese of Niagara; the diocese of Mombasa (Kenya) with the diocese of Ottawa; the dioceses of Cape Town (South Africa) and Tanga (Tanzania) with the diocese of Toronto; and the diocese of Botswana with the diocese of Ontario. Niagara is one of two Canadian dioceses that have decided to bless same-sex unions, although several other Canadian dioceses are considering it. Most African Anglican dioceses are conservative on the issue, many relate to Anglican parishes which have left the Anglican Church of Canada, and some refused to take part in the dialogue. The six African-Canadian conversations will culminate when six African bishops and five Canadian bishops meet at the Anglican Communion office in London February 24 - 27. They will share their findings and explore how the papers can be integrated with the Anglican Communion's listening process.

Trick or treat

October 31 is the first-round deadline for entries for the Canadian Christian Writing Awards. In this round, work published from January through September 2009 may be entered. There will be a second round for submissions, for work published in October through December 2009; these must be postmarked no later than January 15, 2010. Writers who miss the first deadline for work published in the first nine months of the year will not be disqualified from the contest, but will pay a higher entry fee. The contest is open to any Canadian citizen or permanent resident who affirms the Apostles' Creed. Awards will be given out in June 2010 in 20 book categories and 15 article/short piece categories. These prizes have been awarded annually since 1988, and are now administered by the Word Guild, an association of more than 350 Canadian writers and editors who are Christian.

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Can new company balance the books?

Graf-Martin Communications Inc. is a new Canadian company dedicated to publicizing and marketing Christian, inspirational and family-oriented books and products. The company was launched this fall by Ellen Graf-Martin after her former employer, Christian book industry giant R.G. Mitchell, went bankrupt. The new company is based in Waterloo, Ontario.

That's a lot of traffic in three minutes

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada's Centre for Faith and Public Life has released a free three-minute video clip that can be downloaded and used to alert congregations and youth groups to the issue of human trafficking around the world. Over 600 women and children are trafficked into Canada each year for sexual exploitation, and over 1,500 people are trafficked from Canada to the US.

Are we part of the problem or the solution?

Cardus, a Canadian Christian think tank, and World Vision are teaming up to host a conference called 'Think Different: Live Chat on Urban Religious Communities.' Scheduled for November 6 - 7 at St. Paul's Bloor Street United Church in Toronto, it will look at the roles, positive and negative, that religious communities play in North America's urban centres. Keynote addresses will be delivered by John Tory, former leader of Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, and Karen Hamilton, general secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches. In preparation for the event, Cardus is publishing a compilation of research on the topic called Think Different: Urban Religious Communities, Problem Solvers or Problem Makers?

A lot of Brunk

The Biotechnology Reference Group of the Canadian Council of Churches is celebrating its tenth anniversary by sponsoring a forum called 'Faith, Life and Technology,' which will examine the theological, ethical and policy challenges of the next decade. The lead speaker will be philosopher Conrad Brunk from the University of Victoria. Medical issues will be addressed by Gayle Woloschak, director of the Zygon Centre for Religion and Science, Gregor Wolbring of the International Centre for Bioethics, Culture and Disability, and Linda Nichols, Bishop of Trent Durham in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto. Environmental issues will be addressed by Ann Clark, associate professor of plant agriculture at the University of Guelph, and Heather Eaton, theology professor at St. Paul's University. The conference will take place in the Toronto headquarters of the United Church of Canada December 3 - 4. Participants should register at noteboomk@ccc-cce.ca by November 17.

Mothers and Fathers stop parenting

United Mothers and Fathers has decided to close down following the resignation of president Michele Dow in August. The organization was formed six years ago to strengthen the family, faith and freedom in Canada. In that time, the organization gained over 40,000 followers who sent over 490,000 email letters to elected representatives on issues such as marriage, the right to life, parents' rights and human rights abuses.

The song goes on

Wilf Ray's gospel music program ran on a Vancouver radio station for 43 years. The run of over 2,000 weekly radio programs ended in October 2008 when radio station 600 AM was sold. Ray ran the program without pay as a Christian service. Past programs are now available 24/7 on his website, with a different program made available every two weeks.

October 22/2009