Ary Vreeken is the Alberta regional representative for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, a partnership of 15 Canadian churches and church-based agencies working together to end global hunger. It is estimated that up to 828 million people on our planet currently do not have “food security”, meaning they do not have regular access to enough nutritious […]

Holy Moses! is the name of this year’s summer church program for kids, happening right now at the Ponoka United Church and starting up on Monday at the Bashaw United Church. It’s the first in-person summer day camp that we’ve been able to run in three years, but it’s a program that Robin King and […]

Affirming Connections is an organization that’s placing itself at the intersection of faith communities in southern rural Alberta communities and the LGBTQ2S+ community, making valuable connections among churches interested in becoming an “Affirming” ministry. As part of their work, Affirming Connections created a series of videos called “Small Town, Big Impact: Stories and Strategies from […]

I love stories about big and impactful things emerging from small, unlikely places. So the story of Rainbow Camp popping up from the tiny, remote Northern Ontario community of Thessalon – a camp that is changing and saving lives – was one I really wanted to learn about and share with you! Ten years ago […]

I was recently sitting in a movie theatre, half way through watching Dr Strange – Multiverse of Madness, when things started getting pretty deep and existential! Thinking about my own life, the concept of other potential parallel realities and universes, it occurred to me that the Marvel universe and the enormous world of comic book […]

One of the many organizations Lewis is involved with is the Parliament of the World’s Religions. As a trustee and member for many years, Lewis has shared his Indigenous culture and spirituality at global tables and conversations that he describes as being like “the Olympics of world religions”, in that they gather in a different […]

Working as a freelance writer for the the United Church Observer 20 years ago, Jocelyn realized she had a passion for journalism and for sharing stories that inspire, inform and challenge her readers. Over the last two decades she has seen journalism evolve into the digital realm, the rise of social media, and also the […]

We’ve just celebrated Easter, tulips are breaking through the soil as snow banks quickly melt (again), and our faith communities are returning (again) to in-person events. As we collectively re-examine what it means to be in community, to engage with our congregations, to meet the evolving needs of individuals, it’s clear that “getting back to […]

Tara Shannon’s childhood nickname “Bear” took on a whole new identity when 3 years ago she began drawing rabbits and bears and her sketches turned into powerful and tender moments of conversation and reflection between the two illustrated characters. “Rabbit and Bear” became her outlet for years and years of thoughts, anxiety, depression, grief, magic […]

If you’re looking for words of hope – and I’m pretty sure we all are these days – there are a lot of places to turn, a lot of people who have things to say. If the words are true, they will not only brighten your day, but inspire you to envision a new day, […]