Cheryl Bear

Jul 14, 2023 | christiancourier.ca | Meghan Kort |Cheryl Bear |Tom Wolthuis |Christina Van Starkenburg

Justice, reconciliation and building relationships were at the heart of the Christian Reformed Church’s (CRC) Canadian National Gathering held in Ottawa in May. The four-day conference was an opportunity to hear from Christian indigenous leaders and elders who shared their stories and challenged the largely white audience to sit, listen and learn.

Jul 3, 2023 | christiancourier.ca | David T. Koyzis |Cheryl Bear |Katie Munnik |Irene-Grace Bom

As I write today our new king, Charles III, has just been crowned in Westminster Abbey, a historic venue that doubles as worship space and national monument. As I watched the King and his consort receive their crowns, my first thought was how uncomfortable they looked. Charles received St. Edward’s Crown, made for his predecessor, Charles II, in 1661. Because it weighs 2.07 kilograms, it could not but place undue stress on our sovereign’s 74-year-old neck.

Feb 20, 2023 | christiancourier.ca | Katie Munnik |Cheryl Bear |Heidi Vander Slikke

There are three small trees in my garden and none of them is large enough for a bird’s nest, but whenever there is a flutter, I find I freeze and hope because February brings blackbird weather and blackbird song. Growing up in Ontario, the first redwing blackbirds were an early sign of spring. I remember watching for them from the backseat on the way to Kingston to visit my grandmother. There – one, there – sitting on a fencepost, see that flash of bright red, that band of yellow.

Feb 15, 2023 | christiancourier.ca | Kyle Meyaard-Schaap |Emily Wierenga |Cheryl Bear |Angela Reitsma Bick

Larry was the last holdout. Years ago, the local coal company had purchased mineral rights from the inhabitants of Kayford mountain to blow it apart – to tap the coal seams and bleed the mountain of its precious payload. One by one, Larry’s neighbours had sold their rights and moved – driven away in some cases by intimidation campaigns organised by the coal company itself. Larry’s cabin had bullet holes from his decades-long fight. Everyone in that area has ties to coal.