Winnipeg Free Press Newspaper Archives Apr 11 2015, Page 90

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 11, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE D15 JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Wesleyan ministers Justin and Angela Bradbury offer a place for newcomers at the International Friendship Centre on Pembina Highway. Ukrainian Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral of Sts. Vladimir & Olga 111 McGregor Street, Winnipeg CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED HE IS RISEN! EASTER SERVICES April 11th Holy SATURDAY Blessing of Easter Food ( Paska): 2: 00, 3: 00 and 4: 00 p. m. April 12th EASTER SUNDAY, RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD 6: 30 a. m.: Procession, Resurrection Matins, Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, Haivky 11: 00 a. m.: 2nd Easter Divine Liturgy Õðèñòîñ Âîñêðåñ! Âî³ñòèíó Âîñêðåñ! D15 faith 49.8 ¢ª SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2015 FAITH BRIEFS Announcements for Faith Briefs must be in our office by Monday, 4 p. m., prior to the intended date of publication. Due to space restrictions, publication is not guaranteed. Please post information on website: wfp. to/ events. Chakras: Healing your chakras, heal your body, Spiritualist Fellowship Church, 525 Beresford Ave., every Tuesday, to April 21. This course presents the essence of alternative medicine. Areas such as how to avoid energy loss, securing your sense of self and honour and developing intuitive abilities. Information: 204- 333- 5364. $ 15. Winnipeg Central Aglow meeting , April 11, 9: 30 a. m., Best Western Inn and Suites, 1714 Pembina Hwy. Fun, food, fellowship and spiritual enrichment with speaker Marilee Mutcher Register: Marion 204- 736- 2341 or dnmklass@ mts. net. $ 7. Living Room Immanuel Pentecostal Church , 955 Wilkes Ave., April 12, 5 p. m., April 19, 5 p. m. A Christianbased support group where people with mood disorders are accepted, loved and encouraged. Living Room is based on John 10: 10, where Jesus promises abundant life. Information: Lorna: 204- 296- 2920 or smith. lornaa@ gmail. com. Realms of Creativity First Unitarian Universalist Church of Winnipeg , 603 Wellington Cres., April 12, 10: 30 a. m. Join Tanya Brothers as she explores the realms of her creativity. The Shrine of the Divine Mercy 541 Marion St., April 12, 1 p. m., Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; 3 p. m., Chaplet to the Divine Mercy; 3: 30 p. m., Holy Mass. Information: 204- 233- 4316 or www. standrewbobola. ca. KVI Interfaith Hymn Sing , April 12, 6 p. m., Portage Avenue Church, 1420 Portage Ave. With Ruth Ens and the mixed octet. Special features — mesej quintet, Sister Dorothy, Dean Pollard, Matt Neufeld, Andrew and Donna Klassen, John and Ruth Ens. Report on Kingdom Ventures youth camps in Ukraine and the former Soviet Union. Free admission. Offering for KVI camps. Shaarey Zedek Yom Hashoah commemorative service and reading of the Megillat Hashoah — Congregation Shaarey Zedek, 561 Wellington Cres., April 12, 7 p. m. Yom Hashoah service in memory of the six million and in honour of the survivors. The evening will include the reading of the Megillat Hashoah with participation by clergy from Jewish and non- Jewish communities and congregants. There will be a memorial candle- lighting by first-, second- and third- generation Holocaust survivors and other members of our community. Life in the Spirit Seminar is an introduction to a life lived in the power of the Holy Spirit and it’s at Our Lady of Perpetual Help at 4588 Roblin Blvd. ( Roblin Boulevard and Grant Avenue) every Wednesday, 7 p. m., to April 15. Register: 204- 895- 7544 or ccrs@ catholicrenewalservices. com. St. Aidan’s Christian School Fundraising Dinner Calvary Temple, 440 Hargrave St., April 16, 6 p. m. The dinner program includes a sit- down dinner, silent auction, entertainment and testimonials by the students. All funds raised go toward a Christian education accessible to all children and youth, regardless of family income. Free ( donations welcomed). IN2105 Conference Douglas Mennonite Church, 1517 Rothesay St., April 17, 7 p. m. As representatives of the body of Christ, our churches and faith communities are called to inclusion. This conference is for pastors, church leaders, volunteers, caregivers, family members... anyone who wants to learn more about how to better include those with disabilities... We invite you to come in. $ 130, students $ 60. Remembering through song and story : tales and melodies of the Holocaust Temple Shalom, 1077 Grant Ave., April 18, 7: 30 p. m. An evening featuring storytelling by Rabbi Karen Soria and Jane Enkin and songs from the Holocaust sung by Jane Enkin, accompanied by Janet Pelletier- Goetze on piano and guitar. We will honour the memory of Holocaust victims and ask the unanswerable questions as we join for this evening, concluding with Havdallah. Information: 204- 453- 1625 or www. templeshalomwinnipeg. ca. Hymn presentation by Rev. Dr. Mac Watts, Westworth United Church, 1750 Grosvenor Ave., April 19, 7 p. m. A presentation and hymn- sing showing how the United Church hymnbook, Voices United, is a living link with fellow Christians through the ages. Free. Spiritual Growth — Portsmouth Retirement Residence, 125 Portsmouth Blvd., April 24, 2 p. m. Conference on the spirituality of Vatican II while referencing the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Information: Leonard Schmidt 204- 487- 3553 or adeline. leonard. schmidt@ shaw. ca. No charge. Canadian Mennonite University graduation service , Immanuel Pentecostal Church, 955 Wilkes Ave., April 26, 2: 30 p. m. Church service on the occasion of the Canadian Mennonite University’s convocation ceremony. ‘ R ELIGION in Canada isn’t declining nearly as fast as we think.” That was part of a headline in Maclean’s magazine about a new survey by Angus Reid about religion in Canada. The survey, done in collaboration with Reginald Bibby of the University of Lethbridge, found 30 per cent of Canadians say they embrace religion, compared to 26 per cent who say they reject it. Forty- four per cent are somewhere in between — they could go either way. Religion in Canada may not be declining as fast as some think, but the number of people who say they are religious is down 15 per cent from 30 years ago. Meanwhile, the number of people who reject it is up 22 per cent since 1971. As for those who are in the middle — the so- called ambivalents — many haven’t abandoned religion. Eighty- seven per cent continue to identify with a religious tradition, 64 per cent believe in God, 40 per cent say they pray and over 40 per cent say they are open to greater involvement with religious groups — if it was worthwhile. As for those who reject religion, the pollster notes they are not hostile toward it; it would be better to say they are “ bypassing faith.” Overall, the survey also found that over 70 per cent of Canadians believe in a “ Supreme Being” and 66 per cent believe in life after death — figures that haven’t changed much since the 1970s. Summarizing the findings, the pollster observes that increasing secularization is occurring in Canada against a backdrop of persistent spirituality. What’s behind the slower- than- assumed decline in support for religion in Canada? Immigration, says the pollster. “ One of the keys to understanding the current state of organized religion in Canada is to look at immigration patterns,” the study states, noting that the reason groups such as the United, Anglican, Presbyterian and Lutheran denominations are declining is because they no longer get immigrants from Britain and Europe. As immigration patterns have shifted, so too has growth in different religions, with greater immigration from Asian countries benefiting Roman Catholics, evangelical Protestants and other faith groups offsetting decreasing interest and participation from native- born Canadians. As Bibby put it in the Maclean’s article: “ The reality is that groups depending on natural increase are dead in the water. There’s just not enough people being born to offset the number who are dying.” But even immigration won’t keep up the numbers forever. Said John Stackhouse, a professor at Vancouver’s Regent College: “ There aren’t enough immigrant Christians to make up for the vast majority of Canadians who have become less enthusiastic, indifferent or even hostile to Christianity.” Before the survey came out, I interviewed a couple of observers of the Canadian religious scene about the future of religion in Canada. Their take on the situation confirms what the survey found. Joel Thiessen, associate professor of sociology at Ambrose University in Calgary, and Paul Bramadat, director of the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at the University of Victoria, both agreed the future will be challenging for Canadian religious groups. Secularization, said Thiessen, is “ the overarching trend,” coupled with “ less affinity by Canadians with religious groups.” Added Bramadat: “ If the statistical patterns continue, and that seems fairly likely, historians will look back on the period in which we now live and characterize it as one of massive upheavals in the ways individuals and the broader public think about and involve themselves in religion.” As for what this means for the survival of religious groups, Thiessen said people of faith “ need a new way of being religious in society.” This includes doing things to change the perceptions of religion. “ Many people have negative perception of religion,” he said. “ It is seen as being against things. We need to talk more about the things that are good and beneficial about religion to counter the negative stories.” For Bramadat, religious groups also need to find new ways to engage their communities, do more interdenominational collaboration and address social- justice issues. So the good news is that religion in Canada isn’t declining as fast as some might think. The challenging news is that faith groups need to re- think their place in this increasingly secular landscape and prepare themselves for greater challenges in the future. As Bramadat put it: “ Religion in Canada is in the midst of a truly massive, categorical shift. We can’t underestimate the consequences of these changes. The next five to 10 years could be significant ones for Canadian religious groups.” The full survey can be found at http:// angusreid. org/ faith- in- canada. jdl562000@ yahoo. com I N a culture of individualism and electronic devices, Rev. Angela Bradbury simply wants to make friends. Not just to widen her own circle, but also to help immigrants and international students build connections with other Winnipeggers. “ That’s the wall we’re trying to smash down,” explains the director of the International Friendship Centre, located in a storefront at 2077 Pembina Hwy. “ This is the space where there is no wall for you.” Bradbury and her husband Justin, ordained ministers of the Wesleyan Church of Canada, opened the friendship centre last December, offering international students, refugees and other newcomers to Winnipeg a free place to practise their English skills, use a computer, cook with others or drop in with their young children to play. “ It’s not unreasonable for us to expect people moving here to integrate,” says Justin Bradbury. “ But we need to be good hosts. That’s a bit of our passion: for Canadian people to be good hosts.” The Bradburys want to extend that hospitality to Sunday mornings as well. Last weekend they launched New Horizons International Church in their Pembina Highway storefront, the first Wesleyan congregation in Manitoba. While other Christian denominations struggle with dwindling numbers and underused buildings, the Wesleyan Church is bucking the trend as it expands to Winnipeg, says the denomination’s director of church multiplication. “ We’re not growing by big amounts, but we’re growing by two to four per cent each year, while others tend to be declining,” explains Rev. Mark Parker, based near Stratford, Ont. He says the denomination has committed $ 50,000 over three years to the new congregation, and expects the new church to start another one in several years. “ We don’t just want to add a church in Winnipeg and say we did it,” says Parker. “ We want that church to start another church.” The Winnipeg church is one of three the small evangelical Protestant denomination of only 10,000 members in 120 churches is starting in Canada this year. After researching several neighbourhoods in Winnipeg, the Bradburys chose to locate the centre and congregation in southwest Winnipeg because of the many newcomers who live there, says Justin Bradbury. “ The interesting thing about this ( Pembina) location is just watching the foot traffic and see people from all over the world,” he says, adding that eventually the church will relocate to a bigger space. Parker says the ministry to newcomers expresses the Wesleyan theology of doing good for others, as well as standing up for people who are oppressed. “ We have a rich heritage of being there socially, whether it’s opposing slavery or ordaining women,” he says. “ We try to be the denomination that moves out of its four walls.” The Wesleyan movement dates back to 1843, when Methodists opposing slavery broke away from the Methodist Episcopal Church. The denomination has long championed the rights of women and first ordained a woman to the ministry in 1853. Prominent Wesleyans include singer George Beverly Shea, who performed for decades with American evangelist Billy Graham, and pastor Todd Burpo, author of Heaven is for Real , which was the basis for a 2014 movie filmed in Manitoba. For Angela Bradbury, living out her faith means modelling friendship and openness to people from other cultures and traditions. “ I would like to see multiple ethnicities in relationship both here and at the church. And relationships that are beyond these walls.” brenda@ suderman. com SOME HOPE ON RELIGIOUS HORIZON BY JOHN LONGHURST BY BRENDA SUDERMAN WARM WELCOME FROM WESLEYANS D_ 15_ Apr- 11- 15_ FF_ 01. indd D15 4/ 9/ 15 3: 59: 58 PM