From Lockdown Necessity to Permanent Ministry: How a B.C. Church Redefined Digital Community
When the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly closed church doors across Canada in the spring of 2020, religious congregations everywhere were forced to confront a daunting and unprecedented question: how do you…
Reflections on Yom Kippur, Rising Antisemitism, and the Complex Reality of Jewish Life in Canada After the Belleville Shooting
For many practicing Jews, Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement and the holiest day on the Jewish calendar—traditionally offers a rare and profound opportunity to disconnect from the noise of the…
The Resilience of Small: How Canada’s United Church Is Rethinking Scale, Success, and Community
By Julie McGonegal (With files from Alanna Mitchell) For many who find a spiritual home in modern Canada, the experience rarely begins beneath towering spires or inside cavernous sanctuaries. For…
The Threshold of Presence: Reflections of a Retired Neuropsychologist on the Quiet Mysteries at Life’s End
As a retired neuropsychologist and longtime hospice companion, I have spent a significant portion of my life studying the intricate architecture of the human mind, mapping the pathways of cognition,…
The Chatterbox Chronicles: Inside the Mobile Recording Studio Fostering Human Connection in Rural Manitoba
GRUNTHAL — Last Sunday, against the backdrop of a crisp, sunny morning, David Balzer parked his vintage 1978 Triple E Surfside camper trailer on a local church lot and prepared…
President Trump’s Order to Rename Lake Ontario Evokes a Long History of Colonial Erasure, Experts Say
The ongoing economic and political friction between Canada and the United States took a bizarre and unexpected turn when U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order officially "renaming" Lake…
Reflections on Faith, Humanity, and the Shadow of 9/11: Two Decades Later
Memories of the tragic events of September 11, 2001, remain deeply etched in the collective consciousness, but for Professor Liyakat Takim, those recollections are tied to a profound personal and…
German Church Leaders Chart a Uncertain Path Forward After Far-Right Electoral Breakthrough in Saxony-Anhalt
BERLIN — Church leaders across Germany are grappling with a profound sense of anxiety and introspection following a watershed regional election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, where the far-right…
Churches observe new Feast of Creation
The introduction of an entirely new liturgical festival is an exceedingly rare event within the global church community. The last time the shared calendar welcomed a brand-new observance was in…
Five Decades of Change: Sociologist Reginald Bibby on Canada’s Shift Toward Freedom, Economic Anxiety, and the State of Religion
For half a century, sociologist Reginald Bibby has kept a close watch on the shifting cultural and spiritual landscape of Canada. Based in Edmonton, the prolific author and Alberta researcher…