Some years ago, I was on a flight during which there were turbulences. It was a bit unsettling so I began to pray. As I prayed, I remembered the scripture (Matthew 8:23-27) when Jesus and his disciples went into a boat. As Jesus slept, a storm swept over the boat, the disciples woke Jesus, asking… Read more »
The Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada (WICC)
In the 1900’s, a dream spread through Canada: growing Christ’s kingdom through prayer, fostering unity, and having a voice in social justice. Various denominations were already passionate about prayer and justice, but in 1918 Bessie McMurchy invited them to gather for what would become the Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada. In 2021, members of the… Read more »
Some Bread…or a Stone?
The first step to action is awareness! Recent studies show that there are 400 million children living in extreme poverty around the world. The average person in a developing country lives on $0.78 CAD a day. This can contribute to child labour and create generational poverty traps. **** THINK NAME THAT COUNTRY …. Over 840,000… Read more »
Poverty: A Reflection on The Other Face of God: When the Stranger Calls Us Home
One book that I treasure is The Other Face of God: When the Stranger Calls Us Home, by Mary Jo Leddy, a well-known Catholic writer, and the founder of Romero House in Toronto. In her day-to-day work with refugees, Mary Jo “learned that poverty is not simply a social problem to be fixed, not an… Read more »
Poverty
The story of Jesus feeding the five thousand in Matthew 14:13-21 talks of compassion for people who are hungry, and of sharing even the little that may be available. Ontario statistics indicate that the child poverty rate in Ontario, one of the richest provinces in Canada, is similar to the Canadian level (campaign2000.ca – Child… Read more »
Kids Pray, Too! World Day of Prayer 2021
By Rev. Steph McClellan, WICC President, living in Lewisporte, NF Every year, the World Day of Prayer writing country includes a children’s program in the package for coordinators and planning teams. This year, since many were going virtual with our online service, a colleague and I decided to coordinate a virtual service led by and… Read more »
Invisible Homelessness & Our Approach
By Mary Nordick, WICC Board member living in Saskatoon. Surfing: What images does this word conjure up for you? Blue skies, an expansive ocean, bronzed athletic, graceful bodies skilfully riding towering white curling waves to a sun-kissed dazzling white beach, Beach Boy movies and songs, carefree idyllic summer living? Or maybe you live with someone… Read more »
Excerpt from the WDP 2021 Service at Gordon Memorial United Church; Alberton, PEI
We have mentioned that the country of Vanuatu, and particularly the island of Erromango, plays a large role in this Pastoral Charge in that it is where the Gordon brothers – George and James, from Alberton, and as well as Ellen Gordon, George’s wife, were martyred in 1861 and 1872. More recently, descendants of those first… Read more »
Chelsea Buns
The Chelsea bun, a top UK dessert, was first baked in the 18th century at the Bun House in Chelsea. This establishment was favoured by Hanoverian royalty. Unfortunately, the Bun House no longer exists having been demolished in 1839. To honour WDP 2022 writing countries, and Mother’s Day, Nancy Weir shares her mother’s recipe for Chelsea buns. Thank you, Nancy, for… Read more »
The themes of World Day of Prayer (WDP) – how they are chosen
Until the mid-1960s, the United Council of Church Women [UCCW] in the United States, through its WDP Committee, chose themes and writers from around the world. They worked in cooperation with Canadian women and with women from around the world who lived in North America. Picture: World Day of Prayer writing countries; WDPIC; 1968 founding… Read more »