A publication of the Renewal Fellowship

A publication of the Renewal Fellowship

Channels

Introducing Channels Magazine

The Renewal Fellowship within The Presbyterian Church in Canada was founded in May 1982, and during the next year, plans were made to begin a magazine to reassure isolated and sometimes discouraged Presbyterians in Canada who wanted renewal that they were not alone. Word associations with media, communication, and television channels resonated with the old hymn, “Channels only, blessed Master”, and suggested the name Channels. And so, Channels – intended to be an instrument of blessing for The Presbyterian Church in Canada – debuted in the fall of 1983.

Over the next 23 years, some 66 issues were published. Channels succeeded in placing the Renewal Fellowship within a broader national and international context. Publishing articles written by internationally known authors such as Eugene Peterson, James I. Packer, Michael Green, Darrell Johnson, and John G. Stackhouse Jr. helped members of the Renewal Fellowship to realize that they were a part of a much wider movement.

Recognizing the high quality of this magazine prompted a desire to make a digital archive of all 66 issues. Each article is presented in text format, and at the bottom, a searchable, downloadable PDF copy of the issue opens at the page where the article originally appeared. Enjoy!

History Renewal

Full Time Director

By David MacKenna. The Renewal Fellowship will have, for the first time, a full time Director, The Rev. Robert Little, to speak for and guide the affairs of the Fellowship, building on the dedicated and able leadership of Drs. A. Donald MacLeod and John Vissers as interim directors for the past eight years. … Read more

Reviews

The Power of Commitment, by Jerry White

Reviewed by Jack Charleson. We live in a society where there are repeated demands on our time, talents and financial resources. … All this requires that we develop a level of “commitment” in order to be responsible in serving, not only those seeking our involvement, but more importantly, the Lord who is directing our lives. … Read more

Worship

Worship Workshop: A Response

By Calvin Brown. Although we value the beauty and dignity of the order in the present Book of Common Order, for a congregation of young people (especially those from non-church backgrounds), it is the product of a “foreign” culture. A service in their own culture that contains the essence of the faith, may be in the end more useful in the Kingdom. … Read more

History

1991 Annual Meetings

On March 1 and 2, we gathered at St. Andrew’s Church in Whitby, Ontario to worship, to plan and to hear Dr. Joel Nederhood (pictured on the cover) speak on the subject, “The Uniqueness of Jesus.” A searchable, downloadable PDF with photos of the Annual Meetings appears here. Photos by Jack Harewood.

History Renewal

Renewal Day Report

By John Vissers. Over two hundred and forty Presbyterians gathered at Kortright Church, in Guelph, Ontario for a Renewal Day on October 31, 1987. Representing nineteen presbyteries and fifty-four congregations, those gathered listened to addresses on “The Church as A Caring Community” by the Rev. Calvin Brown of First Church, Nelson, British Columbia, and Dr. Stan Skarsten, of the Institute For Family Living in Toronto, Ontario, featured on the cover. … Read more

Prayer

Prayer?

By David Mills. Just over two years ago, there was a significant number of people praying for me as I began the process of applying for, and being accepted on to, the heart transplant program at University Hospital, London, Ontario. After an initial heart attack on December 8th 1984, into emergency open heart surgery in September 1985 at Royal Jubilee Hospital, Victoria, B.C., we were told the prognosis. … Read more