Tag "COVID-19"
48 ministries partner to bring Ottawa hope
Unchurched people are looking for hope. That is the repeated message One Way Ministries has heard over the past year, and it inspired them to organize an evangelism initiative to help churches across Ottawa reach out the week of Easter. “We are […]
Read full article
Youth ministry during COVID
Most churches rely heavily on virtual services. For youth, whose lives are already saturated in social media and technology, Zoom meetings are more of a struggle. One year into the COVID-19 pandemic and with no hint on how long restrictions will continue, Spur Ottawa checked in with local youth pastors to […]
Read full article
Virtual service helps mourners keep hope alive
To help console those grieving loved ones lost due to COVID-19, Love Ottawa organized an interdenominational reflectional service. Organizers invited believers to gather virtually, drawing near to God and each other for comfort. “Keep Hope Alive” took […]
Read full article
Coming together to support Ottawa’s homeless
Respond Ottawa and The Alliance to End Homelessness have teamed up to create the Ottawa Giving Project. They hope this new collaboration will strengthen struggling support agencies and funnel donations to where they are most needed. “When we realized that homelessness has increased by over 50 percent […]
Read full article
The God who answers prayer
I’ll never forget the words of an OC Transpo officer. I was job-shaddowing her and I mentioned prayer to steer the conversation toward faith. “Prayer is a good thing to do,” she quickly responded. “God won’t really answer or do much for you, but it’s good to pray.” For a […]
Read full article
Arise shines through 2020
Exercise and creative outlets are key in dealing with stress. This past year, Arise School of Dance was an early innovator, enabling their students to keep dancing the isolation […]
Read full article
Reflections on the year of vision
I’m thankful that I resisted the temptation to preach a sermon on “2020 Vision” back at the beginning of this year. Not that I didn’t have lots of plans for the year, but by Easter time it became clear that God had different plans for all of us, and for everyone […]
Read full article
Christmas amid COVID
When a local teacher recently asked a little boy what he enjoyed about last Christmas, he told her about going to church on Christmas Eve to worship Jesus and walking home, hand in hand, with his family. It was a good night, he said, because he felt closer to God. How will churches capture this same powerful childlike awareness of Emmanuel—God with us—amid pandemic restrictions? […]
Read full article
Churches united in compassion
Jesus established one Church. Despite the many denominations and distinctions among believers, His Church is still one, as the Ottawa Compassion Collective shows. “The Collective helps […]
Read full article
Coming back together
While the government now allows faith communities to gather, in many ways those gatherings have changed from what church used to be. Spur Ottawa connected with six different churches to gauge the state of the Body of Christ in Ottawa, what challenges we face, and to hear praise reports […]
Read full article