CANADA: Growing a congregation

Parkland First Presbyterian in Spruce Grove, Alberta
began as a Bible Study group in the mid-1990′s and
officially became a congregation in 1997. In 2005, with
support from Presbyterians Sharing, they called their
first minister, Mark Chiang, a recent graduate from Knox
College. The seeds from this church plant have grown!
Parkland received a grant from Presbyterians Sharing to
purchase land and a building in a rapidly growing area.
They took possession April 1, 2011 and are beginning
renovations and looking forward to continued growth.
Through Presbyterians Sharing we are helping to plant
congregations like Parkland, and to spread the gospel
message.

For more about Parkland First Presbyterian Church, please click here.
 

INDIA: Michelle Verwey

Our gifts to Presbyterians Sharing support Michelle Verwey as she works at the MIBE Graduate School for Nurses in Indore, India. Michelle is teaching community health nursing, supervising and guiding students during their clinical postings, and assisting in maintaining students' records. She is also part of a team tasked with setting up a health professional’s learning center which promotes continuing education and life-long learning. This is proving to be a daunting task. Books dating back to the 1890’s need to be sold or disposed of and the newer books need to be assessed by faculty members to determine if the material is outdated. Library software has now been installed, and Michelle has begun the enormous task of cataloguing the books. Please pray for Michelle, the novice librarian!

For more about Michelle Verwey, please click here.
 

MALAWI: Glenn Inglis 

For more about Glenn Inglis, please click here.
 

Action Réfugiés Montréal: Hope for refugees

Our gifts to Presbyterians Sharing support Action Réfugiés Montréal as it works in solidarity with refugees and refugee claimants. Action Réfugiés facilitates the private sponsorship of refugees to Canada and helps refugees integrate into life in Canada through its matching/twinning program. It assists refugee claimants held in the Laval immigration detention centre near Montreal by giving them accurate legal information and ensuring they have access to legal services. Action Réfugiés’ Director, the Rev. Glynis Williams, writes, “We know our actions are modest compared to the need, but to the people involved, this work is life-giving. Thank you for being such faithful partners in this work of Christ which provides hope and life.”  

For more about Action Réfugiés Montréal, please click here.
 

TAIWAN: Paul McLean

Our gifts to Presbyterians Sharing support the Rev. Dr. Paul McLean as he works with a team of Hakka pastors and elders to translate the Bible into the Hakka language. Of the four million Hakka people who live in Taiwan, only 2 or 3 in 1000 are Christian. The Presbyterian Church in Canada is partnering with the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) and the Bible Society in Taiwan to translate and publish the Bible in the Hakka language. Paul McLean has been working with the Hakka Bible translation team for over 25 years. When the translation work is finished, the Bible Society in Taiwan will help typeset and publish Taiwan’s first ever Hakka Old and New Testament Bible. This will hopefully take place by the spring of 2012, in time for the PCT’s Year of Hakka Mission. Hakka churches are praying that the Bible will help them turn the hearts of Hakka people to Jesus Christ. 

For more about Rev. Dr. Paul McLean, please click here.

Mission Capsule

Our gifts to Presbyterians Sharing support three Presbyterian Colleges in Canada: Presbyterian College in Montreal, Knox College in Toronto, and St. Andrew’s Hall in Vancouver. Through its teaching charter with Vancouver School of Theology, St. Andrew’s Hall teaches theology and prepares candidates within the Presbyterian Church of Canada for ministry. It offers several programs for people seeking ordination to ministry, desiring a deepening of faith, or pursuing a degree in theology. Through 93 housing unites, it provides hospitality for full-time students during the academic year. A team of five Chaplains offers Advice, support, bible studies and other programs to residents, including programs in mandarin and Korean. Let us pray for St. Andrew’s Hall as it seeks to be a welcoming presence on the campus of a secular university and actively works to strengthen its outreach to the wider community.

For more about St. Andrew's hall, please click here.