September 2020 – Renewal News

Renewal News – Fall 2020

Download the entire issue in PDF format, or read and comment on the individual articles:

In This Issue:

Where Are All the Disciples? – Rev. Andy Cornell, Renewal Fellowship Executive Director
A Question of Identity – Jillian McWhinnie, Renewal Fellowship Board Member
"Rediscover" the New Wineskins – Diane Eaton, Renewal Fellowship Board Member
Kneeling in Prayer, Standing for Recovery – Rev. James Statham, response to Diane Eaton
Love is the AnswerRev. Ian Shaw, Renewal Fellowship Board Chairperson
Renewal Fellowship: Behind the Scenes – Rev. Andy Cornell
Profile: Cheyne Presbyterian Church – Bill Harrison and Kristy Hamilton, members of Cheyne Session
Unmasking the Essential Issue – Rev. Andy Cornell
A Financial Update – Rev. Stan Cox, Renewal Fellowship Treasurer

The COVID-19 pandemic has touched a lot of church people in a lot of ways. It continues to poke and prod and forces us to examine and re-examine who we are and how we do church. Even why. In all the busyness of doing church and worship differently since March, I’ve become a tech ... Read more

A Question of Identity

Who is Jesus? Who am I? Who is the church of Jesus Christ? None of these questions are straightforward to answer; indeed, many spend their entire lives pondering them. It is not by accident either that I write these questions side-by-side. It seems to me that, from the standpoint of a Christian worldview, these questions ... Read more

‘Rediscover’ the New Wineskins

The headline We Need to Create New Wineskins (Renewal News, summer 2020, p. 2) caught my attention. It seems theologically inaccurate, for Christ Himself created the New Wineskin. The best we can do is design new versions of the old wineskin. But that can’t hold the “wine” Christ offers to cure the root heart malady. ... Read more

Kneeling in Prayer, Standing for Recovery

Response to Diane Eaton's comment: In *We Need to Create New Wineskins*, I had written about PCC clergy being able to recover Biblical marriage within the context of a new “wineskin.” Creating a new wineskin is not foreign to the PCC. It was done in 1875 and in 1925 when there was a resetting of ... Read more

Love is the Answer

Once, after a night of debauchery in my early thirties (at that time in my life debauchery meant staying up to the wee hours playing ‘Hearts’ - the card game, not the relationship pastime), I woke hearing the strains of *Slow Train Coming*. Our host had it hot off the press (it was a LP ... Read more

Renewal Fellowship: Behind the Scenes

The work of renewal is evident for all to see and digest on our website: renewal-fellowship, ca. Equally important is what goes on outside the public eyes. The board of directors meets 4-5 times a year and the executive puts its heads together about a half dozen occasions — all online these days — to prayerfully discuss and discern ... Read more

Profile: Cheyne Presbyterian Church

We are an intergenerational community of believers seeking after the transformative power of Christ to live out the purpose and plan of His calling on our life. Since 1844, the congregation of Cheyne has been serving its community on the outskirts of Hamilton, Ontario. In 1960, the current building was opened in the centre of ... Read more

Unmasking the Essential Issue

I don’t like wearing a mask. I don’t like the fog produced on eyeglass lenses. Fiddling with elastic straps is a pain. I hate how the straps sometimes get into a battle with my precious (and pricey) hearing devices, causing them to come loose. I don’t need yet another impediment to the effective enunciation of ... Read more

A Financial Update

A huge percentage of our income is from the generous giving of our members and friends. Compared to the period from January 1 to July 31, 2019, our regular income up to the end of July 2020 is about $10,000 lower. The Federal Government responded to COVID-19’s economic impact with a number of initiatives. Our ... Read more

Renewal Tools

When repairs are required – or if we need to build something new – we go to our toolbox. Ministry is no different. Trouble is, fixing or starting a new ministry isn’t as easy as tightening a few bolts or opening a box and following assembly instructions.

While we appreciate the hearts and minds of godly folks who offer handy step-by-step guides – which may indeed accomplish the task – we at Renewal Fellowship believe that the first step in renewal is right thinking: we have to have the mind of Christ before we act. The articles in this section are entitled Primers and Issues. ... Read more

Primers

Our mission to encourage authentic Biblical thinking begins with our willingness to accept and understand the fundamentals. A primer is an elementary textbook. It’s also a word for a pump which adds fuel to an engine, a base upon which to apply paint and a molecule which serves as starter in the formation of polymers.

With that in mind, take a look at Matthew Ruttan’s The Gospel video, then go to The New City Catechism. For a deeper understanding, there’s A Catechism for Today.

Together, we pray that these resources provide the solid foundation we need as we find our purpose and grow in faith.

The Gospel
Here’s the basic truth in two-and-a-half minutes.

The New City Catechism
The core doctrines of the church in 52 questions and answers are right here. Press “Get started.”

A Catechism for Today
This official Presbyterian Church in Canada document covers the same essential questions as The New City Catechism but in an expanded form, with 141 questions and answers.”

Issues

We live in a broken world. Until we join Christ in the kingdom of heaven, how does a true believer deal with matters which plague the human condition? Here are some issues to start – with more to come.

Orthodoxy
The Enemy wants us to disregard our faith or at least water it down. Our culture openly doubts Jesus’ claim that He is the only way to God. In a misguided attempt to be loving, many churches have bought into this lie and have turned from orthodoxy – the acceptance of the fundamentals of the faith (as described in the Primers section).

Theology matters – more than you might think. In 2016, a study comparing growing mainline Protestant churches in southern Ontario with those of declining churches from the same area and the same denominations. Traditional or evangelical theology was a driver of growth, while liberal or progressive theology was a driver of decline. Click here to view the PowerPoint slides of David Haskell's presentation at the Thriving in Babylon conference, while you listen to the audio recording. Click here to see the study.

Same-Sex Attraction
Some people are naturally attracted to the same gender in a physical/sexual way. Yet Scripture states clearly that we are not to act on those feelings. At the same time, God loves us unconditionally and wants us to enjoy life to the full. Here are some useful resources to understand more about this complex and emotional issue.