Church-led blood donation drive goes national
Starting in Ottawa, campaign expands
Record year for Bible app engagement
Last year was a record year for Bible engagement through the YouVersion Bible app. The family of apps was installed over 100 million times in 2023, marking nearly a 30 per cent increase from the previous record set in 2020. The apps were used 6.7 billion times with users highlighting, bookmarking or making notes on verses 2.8 billion times. The most-searched terms of 2023 were love, peace, hope, healing and anxiety. The verse most engaged with was Isaiah 41:10 – “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” YOUVERSION.COM
Persecuted Christians face different threats based on gender
Christian men and women are targeted differently by perpetrators seeking to weaken and degrade the Christian community, according to a report released by Open Doors, an organization that advocates for the persecuted Church. Men and boys are more likely to be killed for their faith, and primarily persecuted through physical violence, followed by psychological violence, economic harassment, imprisonment and being forced into military or militia/ gang service. Persecution of Christian men aims to limit their ability to protect and provide for their families and Christian community. Women and girls primarily face sexual violence followed by forced marriage, physical violence, psychological violence and house arrest (usually enforced by family members). Persecutors often target women to punish and shame the Christian community. In Asian countries Christian women often face targeted abduction for the purpose of sex trafficking. OPENDOORSCANADA.ORG
Faith boosts mental health
With increasing anxiety and pessimism around the world, a new study found religious adherents reported significantly higher rates of psychological well-being. The Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life surveyed 2,004 adults from the U.K. Seventy per cent of religiously affiliated respondents reported having positive psychological well-being, compared to only 49 per cent of atheists. Nearly a 24 per cent of atheists reported being unhappy as a person, compared to only 9 per cent of religious respondents. Interestingly 74 per cent of respondents who say their faith is important to their identity report having high levels of self-control, versus 57 per cent of religious people whose faith is not important to their identity, and only 51 per cent of atheists. PREMIERCHRISTIANITY.COM
Record low public trust of pastors
Public trust in pastors reached a new low in 2023, according to a Gallup poll of 800 Americans in December. Only 32 per cent of respondents believe pastors have high levels of honesty and ethics, down from 40 per cent in 2019. The drop, however, is part of a larger trend of the public losing faith in most professions. Labour union leaders were the only group to see an increase in confidence, increasing from 24 per cent of respondents believing they have high honesty and ethics to 25 per cent. Pastors rank near the middle of professions. Pharmacists, journalists and politicians also reached record lows in 2023. NEWS.GALLUP.COM
Every unit of blood donated leads to three lives saved.
In the spring of 2023, Ed Ng had an idea. After hearing calls from Canadian Blood Services for more donations, Ng organized the church he attends, Emmanuel Alliance Church in Ottawa, and partnered with Love Ottawa of One Way Ministries to encourage churchgoers to donate blood. (Faith Today featured this story in Church in Community May/June 2023). Ng says donating blood in an organized way to help others is a practice Chinese Christian churches in Ottawa did years ago. Ng and a team of volunteers have resurrected the practice.
This year they’re expanding their annual Easter blood drive across Canada. “We are doubling our goal from 150 registered members to 300 members; from 200 units of blood donated to 400 units of blood,” says Ng. The blood drive’s efforts were previously focused solely on connecting with Ottawa-area churches during Holy Week, but now the team hopes to pull in churches across Canada.
“We’ve built up a strong network of connection with churches in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver,” says Ng. “I’m really positive that God will deliver because it’s not my idea, it’s God’s idea.”
Every unit of blood donated leads to three lives saved, according to Canadian Blood Services. Emmanuel Alliance Church and Love Ottawa leadership hope people will donate blood during the Easter season, but also all year long. “Our donation saved 600 lives this past year. We want to grow it. The Church can do more. We just need to connect to more people,” says Ng.–SAMMY KYEREME