Live interview between Selina Mullin (SCM-Montreal / MÉC-Montréal) and Éric Hébert-Daly, the
National Executive Director of CPAWS / Société pour la nature et les parcs.

We’re chatting about Canadian conservation and the Biblical imperative of creation care.

Support SCMer Rebecca Bauman, a participant in the Pilgrimage for Indigenous Rights!

From April 23 to May 14, 2017, I’ll be walking 600km from Kitchener to Ottawa with the other participants in the Pilgrimage for Indigenous Rights. We are walking in the hope that Canada will adopt and implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and along the way, we will be stopping in communities to learn, teach, pray, build community, and work to heal relationships.

In order to alleviate some of my costs associated with the Pilgrimage, I am selling lino block hand-printed cards. I invite you to support me as I walk and acquire some fun, local art as well! Perfect to keep on hand for when you want to send someone a short note or special occasion wishes.

Cards are $3 each or four for $10, and come in a variety of colours. Contact Rebecca Bauman at rebecca.e.bauman@gmail.com or 226-868-1716.

The Jesus ABCs are now all available in a Facebook gallery (no account required to view). If you would like a full-size poster, contact the SCM office. Donations welcome!

This poster is referenced in Martha Martin’s Lent devotional: Parables, Prayers, & Promises: Daily Devotions on Jesus, which is available in e-book form.

Student Christian Movement Spring Gala

April 28, 6pm
Multi-Faith Centre University of Toronto
569 Spadina Ave, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2J7

Students, alumni, and senior friends are invited to a celebration of the Student Christian Movement’s history and future at the University of Toronto and York University. If you have been part of our community this past year, if you have great memories of SCM, or if you’d like to learn more about what we do, this is for you!

We will be celebrating the end of the academic year together with music, prayer and reflection. A delicious dinner will be catered by the Afghan Women’s Catering Group.

REGISTRATION
Buy tickets or register at Brown Paper Tickets.

Students are welcome to attend for free, but please register so that we know that you’re coming.

Regular tickets are $25. (Please contact esther@scmcanada.org if you need a special rate.)

And if you’re able to be generous, please consider contributing $15 to pay for a student’s dinner.

The Multi-Faith Centre is wheelchair accessible. Please feel free to email esther@scmcanada.org if you have any questions.

Hope to see you there!

Facebook Event

The North American Interfaith Network (NAIN) is creating a network of the various interfaith organizations in North America, with an annual conference (known as a “Connect”) to share best practices and get to know one another.

The annual NAINConnect conference will take place this year from August 6-10, 2017  in San Diego. This year’s theme is Harmony: Journey to One Heart.

The conference has a Young Adult Scholarship open to anyone between the ages of 18 and 35 who is currently involved in some form of interfaith or other social justice work. Scholarship recipients receive a stipend to attend.

The Young Adults page of the NAIN website (http://www.nain.org/young-adults.html) has more details about the scholarship and the application process. The application deadline is Friday, April 7th.

A reduced registration fee is available for young adults, which will come out of the final scholarship award of $500. The remainder of the scholarship fees can be used to help reduce the flight costs to attend the NAINConnect.

Here is the direct link to the scholarship application page: https://form.jotform.com/ssaeed01/2017-nain-young-adult-scholarship-a.

March 8th is known as International Women’s Day (IWD) across the nations. It is a day of hope, a day of courage, of celebration for women who fought for equality, justice and peace. It is also a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities. United Nations (UN) has marked it as a day for Women’s Rights and International Peace since 1977.

We are thankful to the Regional Women’s Committee of the WSCF Asia Pacific for preparing this liturgy for International Women’s Day – Hospitality with the Strangers: Remembering and Standing in Solidarity with the Refugees.

Liturgy for International Women’s Day

The World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) is hosting a global Advocacy and Solidarity delegation of young women representing all the six WSCF regions. They will participate later this month in the 61st United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

If you are able to contribute financially or share the story, you can meet some of the women taking part and learn more here: Young Women Delegation to UNCSW61

Letter of Call and Application for Bible and Theology Chair

World Student Christian Federation-North America (WSCF-NA) Regional Committee and Board of Directors.

The World Student Christian Federation-North America Regional Committee, the highest decision body of the WSCF-North America in between Regional Assemblies and board of a non-profit organization registered in the State of New York, is looking for the Chair of Bible and Theology to join our leadership.

We are looking for an individual who is highly motivated, willing to work with a team and on their own, and detail oriented. Working with the regional leadership team, the Chair for Bible and Theology will have an opportunity to help enact social change, learn and lead with ecumenical partners, and assist in the development of Student Christian Movements.

The Bible and Theology (BT) Chair is responsible for the Bible, Theology and Innovative Liturgy Program of the World Student Christian Federation-North America and is in charge of the BT Working Group, with responsibilities to;

• Promote contextual biblical and theological reflection within the region
• Create tools and resources for WSCF-NA events and programs
• Promote the formation of students and young adults as public theologians for social justice and the transformation of the world
• Engage the North America region in its call to be God’s agents in addressing the world’s current challenges
• Link Biblical exegesis and theological thinking to WSCF Programs, such as Overcoming Violence, Eco-justice -economic, ecological and climate justice-, Higher Education, Interfaith Solidarity and Identity Diversity and Dialogue.

Position: Chair of Bible and Theology

Organization: The World Student Christian Federation-North American Region, Inc.

Qualifications:

• Knowledge of the Mission, Values, and History of the WSCF
• Experience/Affiliation with a Student Christian Movement (SCM) or Church Youth/Young Adult Organization
• Experience serving on an executive level team Collegiate level or above

Position Description:

The Chair of Bible and Theology of the World Student Christian Federation is a volunteer position and serves as a legal board member of the Corporation. The Chair of BT sits on the board together with three officers, two Global Executive Committee members, four other regional programmatic chairs, denominational at-large members and the Executive for North America as ex-officio. The Chair of Bible and Theology is elected for a two years’ term.

Duties and Expectations

• Responsible for chairing the WSCF-NA Bible and Theology Working Group and for helping implement the Bible, Theology and Innovative Liturgy Program.
• Responsible for production of theological and biblical material for WSCF-NA events and program
• Responsible for identifying intersectional working areas with other programmatic chairs
• Expected to attend all-conference calls and meetings of the board (in average online meetings every two months and one in-person meeting every 18 months)
• Expected to contribute to decision making of the board of the NARC.
• As a full member of the WSCF Regional Committee, the Secretary will be able to become involved in programmatic work of the WSCF, which includes Leadership Training Programs, Regional and Global events as well as regional and global thematic working groups (i.e Advocacy and Solidarity, Bible and Theology, Eco-justice, Interfaith Engagement, Racial Justice, Gender and LGBTQ rights, etc).
• Expected to contribute financially to the WSCF based on means.

Selection Process

The selection process will be handled by the WSCF-NA board, which will examine the applications and interview the shortlisted candidates. According to the NARC internal guidelines, members of the NARC should strive to reflect differing gender identities, sexualities, races/ ethnicities, denominational and geographic backgrounds and no more than two members of NARC may be 35 years or older and those over 35 must be part-time or full-time student at the time of their election.

Read the full Letter of Call and Application Form

SCM Edmonton held a storytelling event called Women in the Bible where four women of the Abrahamic faiths came together to talk about remarkable women from our histories.

• Autumn Reinhardt-Simpson shared the story of Sarah and Hagar’s tempestuous relationship;
• Dr Mona-Lee Feehan of St Joseph’s College told the Nativity story from the perspective of the midwife;
• Netta Philet, executive director of the Edmonton Interfaith Centre, talked about Rachel and Leah from a Jewish perspective;
• and Salima Versi, a PhD candidate at the University of Alberta, told us of Zainab, granddaughter of the prophet Muhammed.

SCM Edmonton coordinator Wynne explained “telling these stories is important in reclaiming our value and contributions as women from the deeply patriarchal and misogynistic texts that teach us our religious heritage. They are women of strength, tenderness and resilience and their stories empower. While there was no intentional continuity, each story tied to the others with the thematic suggestion of holy blood.”

The January 24 event was a success, with a small but fascinated audience. We will be doing this again!