ChristianWeek

Coming to grips with mental illness Frank Stirk Special to ChristianWeek Writer and photographer Marja Bergen wishes everyone who struggles with depression, as she does, could have such an “amazing” friend as the one she found at the Alliance church she now attends. During a recent suicidal episode, this friend dropped by for a visit without being asked. As Bergen recalls, “She said, ‘Marja, no matter what you say, no matter what you do, I’m always going to love you.’ And through that, I found God talking.For Bruce Anderson, a stay-at-home dad in Saskatoon, who himself suffers from bipolar disorder and social anxiety disorder, his special friend and mentor has been his pastor. read the full story>

Lloyd Mackey

Veteran writer makes political splash
Gudrun Schultz

OTTAWA, ON—Lloyd Mackey, veteran Christian journalist and retired editor of ChristianCurrent Ottawa, is creating a stir in the Canadian political scene with his new book The Pilgrimage of Stephen Harper.

While mainstream media attention has focused on Mackey’s criticism of advocacy groups within the Conservative party, Mackey says he does not see radical conservative factions as a detriment to party unity, if both sides work towards communication and mutual understanding. Instead, he says the focus of the book is on Harper’s achievements in building unity within the new Conservative party. read more>

Welcome Hall helps 1,200 children back to school
Joel Coppetiers

MONTREAL, QC—With the support of several local companies, a number of area churches and dozens of volunteers, Welcome Hall Mission provided school supplies, as well as toys, clothes and shoes for children from several hundred inner-city families.

“The back to school season, along with Christmas, is one of our biggest regular outreaches of the year,” explains Tania Togias, the mission’s director of family services. “And it is one of the points of the year where needy families are most affected by their limited budgets.”The distribution of the school supplies kits was planned as a one-day event on August 20. read more>

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Atlantic Baptists advise pastors against officiating at
same-sex ceremonies

MONCTON, NB—At their annual assembly held August 24-27 at Atlantic Baptist University in Moncton, the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches (CABC) passed a resolution opposing same-sex marriage and strongly advising pastoral leaders to refrain from officiating at any same-sex marriage ceremony.

In a letter to the churches, CABC executive minister Harry Gardner and convention president George Powell wrote: “This is a strong statement that will give pastoral leaders a legitimate basis upon which to decline to perform such a ceremony if asked. It will also give a clear message to pastoral leaders and churches regarding the Convention Assembly’s position on this matter.”get the full story>

Gays demand compulsory teaching of “queer issues”
Frank Stirk

VANCOUVER, BC—Like it or not, a human rights challenge by a same-sex couple to force the province’s schools—both public and private—to teach “queer issues” could succeed, says Anna Marie White, director of communications for Focus on the Family Canada.

Peter and Murray Corren say the change is needed to counter what they allege in their complaint is the “systemic discrimination through omission and suppression of queer issues in the whole of the curriculum.But she concedes that those opposed to the move are already at a disadvantage, given the legal precedent set by the courts when they redefined marriage on grounds that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is contrary to the Charter. get the full story>

Hundreds respond at Klondike Days’ booth
Tim Callaway

EDMONTON, AB—More than 25 Edmonton area churches combined resources and efforts to host a booth where counsellors bore witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ at the city’s annual Klondike Days Exposition July 21-30. get the full story>