Missions

At Work in the World

Through media coverage, Canadians have witnessed the struggle of Syrian families fleeing danger and desperation, and seeking refuge. The real story, however, is actually much larger than a 30-second news bite, or even a half-hour special report. The UNHCR (United Nations High Commission of Refugees) reports that by mid-2014, there were over three million Syrian refugees, a small part of the then 18.1 million refugees worldwide who were registered with the UNHCR. This number doesn’t i...

Mission Canada SHIFTING FAITH

In May 2014 a Canadian study was released that painted a very real and clear picture—a change in our nation. A shift. In many ways, a decline. The results of this study cannot just be read and commented on, but must be followed up by action—on the part of individuals of all generations, local churches, parents, curriculum and resource companies, Christian educators, and all who would identify themselves as followers of Christ. The Canadian Bible Engagement Study (www.bibleenga...

ERDO CHRISTMAS FEVER

The Christmas retail machine is now unleashed and, despite our best intentions, will take many of us to places we don’t want to go, including excessive spending and the sobering moment of January bill payments. Statistics Canada rounded up December 2013’s retail extravaganza and reported that Christmas toys, games and hobby supplies, including electronic games, accounted for $401.4 million in sales; $528.6 million was spent on televisions and audio and video equipment; and $176.9 mil...

Mission Canada BEING THE MAGI AMONG NEW IMMIGRANTS

Rashid and A’isha have always known about Christmas, but only at arm’s length. As Muslims in their home country, they were never allowed to participate in or even come near Christians’ celebrations of this religious holiday. But now that they live in Canada, Christmas is unavoidable. It seems infused into everything, everywhere. The music at the mall and decorations in all the shops and on many homes visually and auditorily blare the holiday. For Rashid and A’isha, it&rsq...

Mission Canada SUNRISE ON THE SIDEWALK SKYLINE

Jazz legend Hoagy Carmichael had a song “Big Town Blues.” A phrase he sang paints a vivid picture. “I’m in a bargain basement with a sidewalk skyline.” Children growing up in the core of urban centres may look out the window of a basement apartment and see the sidewalk. I want to invite you to be part of the sunrise on the sidewalk skyline. Over 80 per cent of Canadians live in urban centres in major population hubs. The gap between the haves and have-nots is a...

ERDO AFTER THE SHOCK

There’s something about coming home at the end of the day. It’s not all about the building, of course, but as I get closer I long for my comfortable couch, the smell of dinner cooking and my garden. Home is cosy and safe. But what if it isn’t? On April 25, 2015, Nepal was devastated by an intense earthquake measuring 7.8. Whole villages were destroyed, and in the cities many houses were damaged and centuries-old buildings obliterated. In the following days and weeks, landslides...

International Missions DEEP AND WIDE

Readers of testimony are well aware of the great work that PAOC International Missions is doing in the area of equipping ministries. In partnership with national churches we have established Bible colleges so that church leaders—pastors, evangelists, and more recently, missionaries—can be launched into the work of making disciples everywhere. This world has really been my entire life, starting with a move at age five with my missionary parents to an isolated station outside of Kitwe,...

Mission Canada THIS AIN’T YO GRAMMA’S CHURCH

Until recently, most people did not equate the PAOC with university ministry. That is coming to an end. We now have ministry expressions on over 50 campuses across the country … and we are adding more! In fact, we have a vision to add at least another 20 campuses by 2020 in our efforts to reach every campus in our nation by whatever means. It is both an incredible challenge and opportunity. This June, dozens of those with a stake in this vision converged for our first National Campus Mini...

International Missions WHY EUROPE?

A couple of years ago, my wife and I had some time off in Prague at the end of a church-planting trip in southeastern Czech Republic. We hired a personal tour guide who would take us around the city on foot and tell us the history of Prague. We met up with our tour guide in Old Town Square. There are a couple of churches here that demand attention. The first eye-catching landmark is the Church of Our Lady before Týn, a Gothic-style cathedral that was built in the 14th century. It has two ...

ERDO PLANNING FOR CRISIS

No one knows when a crisis will strike, yet each year ERDO staff review and update our crisis response planning. We plan how we’ll organize our staff and raise the necessary financial resources to respond each year, not knowing whether there will be multiple smaller-scale crises or one massive crisis requiring years of attention. “The typhoon has washed away our homes and crops ...” “An earthquake has struck, and there are so many homeless, sick and injured ...&rdq...

Mission Canada WHERE IS QUEBEC GOING?

The traditional Christian church in Quebec, whether Roman Catholic or Protestant, is in a period of soul searching. How can the church influence the lives of its people in a significant way? “Where is Quebec going?” This question was asked by Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Quebec, as he addressed the Synod of Bishops in Rome in October 2008. He spoke about “the profound faith crisis of Quebec society, which by its French culture and Catholic [tradition], ha...

International Missions HEY! YOU REMIND ME OF SOMEONE

A lady stopped me in the street. She was smiling. I smiled back. She started talking to me in French. I looked behind me to see if she was talking to someone else. She wasn’t—she was talking to me. “Have you been back to Rome?” “Umm … uh …” “Remember? We stayed in the same hotel? Your kids played with mine?” “I’m sorry. I have never been to Rome.” “You used to live in Versailles four years ago?” “No...

ERDO SCHOOLS OF HOPE

“I don’t understand why my friends don’t come to school when they have a cold.” This lament came from Gerson, a child in Grade 5 who lives in Honduras and attends school with the help of Schools of Hope, an ERDO-supported program. Gerson’s words were especially poignant because he is recovering from leukemia. There were many days when he felt extremely ill, but he always came to school. He was eager to keep his grades up and work his hardest. When he learned all his...

Mission Canada RAISING A GODLY GENERATION

Are you a person who lives with purpose and a sense of God’s calling on your life? Do you awaken every day and spend time with the Lord, asking Him what He has in store for you for the day? Does your daily calendar allow you to be on mission for God, responding to the opportunities He may bring your way? Is your heart tuned to constantly follow His leading? How would you rate your obedience quotient? 2015 is now upon us, and we’re a few months into the calendar. There is nothin...

ERDO DEFINING IMAGES

I was born smack dab in the middle of the ’50s, television’s golden age. In 1952, three years before I was born, there were only 146,000 televisions in Canada. Four years later there were an estimated 2.3 million. By the time I was 10 years old, 92 per cent of Canadian households owned a television. That’s a greater percentage than those that owned a telephone, an automobile or an installed bath and shower.1 Our household had all of the above. It is no wonder, then, t...

International Missions A MOST PROMISING OPPORTUNITY

There was a popular song in the 80s, The Greatest Love of All, which contained undeniable truths: “I believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside. Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be.” These sentiments are fully aligned with the teachings of Jesus about children, and few would dare to argue otherwise. Here is the challenge: how do we as leaders build a church our children w...

ERDO A POWERFUL INFLUENCE

It begins with a child. A child like Jeison, who lives in Honduras. Two years ago he was a lethargic shadow, sitting on the sidelines while the other children played. He was listless and thin, attending school but not able to fully participate because he was malnourished, which affected his ability to concentrate. Recently, Schools of Hope through ChildCARE Plus began sponsoring children at his school, and Jeison was put at the top of the list. When a team from Bethel Pentecostal Church in Stra...

Mission Canada HANGRY, ANYONE?

If you have spent any time with me at all, you will know why my family affectionately calls me “the daughter who loves to eat.” The truth is, I love food. My love of food is so strong that if I unintentionally miss any kind of meal, I will be feeling it—my glucose levels drop quickly, and instantly it feels like I am no longer seeing the world through rose-coloured lenses. My husband noticed this terrible trend quickly—in fact, one day into our marriage. He immediately le...

International Missions ZOE PROJECTS

ZOE Projects is an initiative launched by the International Missions department of the PAOC. It consists of a network of Canadian churches that cares deeply about reaching, equipping and caring for women around the world. Keith Waara, the director of development and strategic initiatives for International Missions, interviewed Leanne McAlister, the Canadian liaison for ZOE Projects. Keith Waara (KW): Tell us about how ZOE Projects got started. Leanne McAlister (LM): Things began to stir in my ...

ERDO KISS THE CAMEL GOOD NIGHT

In an area of northern Kenya, a lone woman looks up from the dry earth to the evening sky, gives thanks, and kisses her camel good night. The woman, Waru, experienced the pain and loss of widowhood three years ago when men burst into her house and killed her husband while the family was eating a meal. Within moments, Waru and her four children became impoverished, grief-stricken outcasts. As tradition dictates, all of the family assets went to her husband’s family, and Waru was left to ...