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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
EFC PRESIDENT AT MISSIONS CELEBRATION
EFC President Bruce J. Clemenger is speaking at a missions bicentennial event in Boston on February 6. Participants will also celebrate the merger of two North American mission societies, CrossGlobal Link (formerly IFMA) and The Mission Exchange (formerly EFMA). A number of EFC affiliate ministry organizations are members.
OFFICE OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM – ON TV
The EFC’s Don Hutchinson appeared on TVO’s The Agenda with Steve Paikin on January 23 and on CTV’s National Affairs on January 4 to discuss the need for the federal government’s proposed Office of Religious Freedom. The EFC has been calling for such an office for a decade. Watch the newly posted TVO video (37 minutes long, includes option to leave comments) and the CTV video (10 minutes long, but you can jump ahead to start at the 2.5 minute mark).
THE EFC ADDRESSES FINANCIAL TRENDS
The EFC’s Director of Research Rick Hiemstra is speaking on financial trends in Canadian evangelicalism and within the Wesleyan Church at a “ministers and mates” retreat for the Wesleyan Church of Canada’s Central Canada District. To have an EFC speaker at your denominational event please contact the EFC’s Paul Hilsden.
ANTI-BULLYING BILLS NEED ATTENTION
EFC Legal Counsel Faye Sonier responded to a ChristianWeekarticle to identify the similarities and differences between the two anti-bullying bills currently before the Ontario Legislature. Bill 13, if passed, could have significant impact on the religious freedoms of Ontario families and schools.
GENETIC RESEARCH: WHEN WILL PARLIAMENT ACT?
In a recent interview, the EFC’s Faye Sonier discussed the state of the law in Canada on genetic and reproductive technologies, where embryo research and destruction as well as human-animal genome experimentation are now unregulated.
POVERTY IN CANADA: GOVERNMENT ACTION, BIBLICAL REFLECTION
The EFC’s Julia Beazley offers some insightful and provocative thoughts on poverty in Canada on the EFC’s ActivateCFPL blog. Beazley, the EFC’s policy analyst on poverty, also published a version of the article in the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of Faith Today.
FINANCE COMMITTEE, PLEASE NOTE FAMILIES ARE KEY
The EFC’s Don Hutchinson and Rick Hiemstra tackle the need for family-based tax relief in the first of three blogs reflecting on the EFC’s submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance as part of the pre-budget submission process. The EFC will appear before the committee on February 14. For now, you can dig in by reading “Federal Budget 2012 – Families, Compassion & Charities: Key Components to Maintaining a Strong Canada (Part 1).” A PDF of the full EFC submission to the government committee is also available.
THE EFC IN CALGARY THIS WEEK
The EFC’s Manager of Affiliate Relations, Paul Hilsden, will be representing the EFC at the Missions Weekend at Centre Street Church, an EFC affiliate congregation in Calgary, February 4 and 5. He will also be meeting with several pastors in the Calgary area the following week. If your organization or church is not yet an affiliate of the EFC, you can help us affect positive change in our nation for years to come. We can do it if we all work together. More information on affiliation is available online or you can contact Paul Hilsden directly.
YOUTH LIVE OUT THEIR FAITH
The Love Movement is a youth-oriented ministry with a fresh approach that helps young people live out their faith. Their “Love Is Moving” launch event takes place Feb. 10 at Church on the Queensway in Toronto. The speaker is the internationally renowned author Josh McDowell. Share this event with your Toronto-area friends and family.
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