PEOPLE AND EVENTS

Glencairn MB Church in Kitchener, Ont. has changed its e-mail address to <glencairn@easynet.ca>.--GLENCAIRN MB CHURCH

Sophia, "a magazine for and by Christian women", is offering its second New Writers Contest. The contest is open to anyone who has not previously written for Sophia. Categories include life writing, a reflection from Scripture, experience as a Christian woman at the end of the 20th century, a theme of the writer's choice, and fiction. There is an 800 word maximum, and cash prizes will be awarded. Deadline for submissions is Dec. 31. For more information, write: Sophia, Box 28062, 1453 Henderson Hwy., Winnipeg, Man. R3G 4E9; e-mail: <lmatties@escape.ca>.--SOPHIA

Development of a Mennonite mutual fund in Canada was discussed Oct. 8-9 in Winnipeg. Representation included Mennonite Savings and Credit Union, Mennonite Foundation of Canada, Mennonite Mutual Aid, Mennonite Economic Development Associates, the Canadian MB Conference, the Conference of Mennonites in Canada and Mennonite Central Committee Supportive Care Services. Participants reviewed market research and heard fiscal projections based on MMA's experience in creating Praxis Mutual Funds in the US. These funds attempt to invest in more socially responsible ways than similar ones in Canada. Unanimous agreement was reached that a Mennonite mutual fund in Canada would be a good idea. A business plan will be developed over the next three-to-four months by a smaller group of agencies. The MB and Mennonite conferences remain interested but will not be owners.--MENNONITE SAVINGS AND CREDIT UNION

Rise Up, the annual senior high retreat at Camp Evergreen, drew over 150 youth from across Alberta Sept. 18-20. Speaker Grant Fishbook made it clear that his aim was to help students deepen their relationship with God. He spoke about the disciplines of risk, prayer, belief and witness. Dan Bergen and his band led the worship times, and each night a coffee house featured beverages by D'Caffeinated Pickle. Recreation included floor hockey, horseback riding, ropes courses, wall climbing and hayrides--in spite of constant rain. Some of the summer staff at Camp Evergreen returned to help host the retreat. Camp Evergreen is operated by the Alberta MB Conference.--DALE FRIESEN

"Reward offered! Wanted dead or alive! A pastor. Description: beady or wide eyes; clean-shaven, mustache or beard; contacts, glasses or normal vision. Height: four-foot ten to six-foot four. Weighs 125 to 250 pounds. Answers to: various names. (More reward given for a living pastor.)" This ad for Northern Fellowship Chapel in Creighton, Sask. ran in a recent issue of the Messenger, periodical of the Evangelical Mennonite Conference.--THE MESSENGER

Children in Thailand and Indonesia are leaving school to join the work force due to the economic crisis in Asia. In Thailand, more than 250,000 students have left schools, while 6.1 million (17% of those in grades 1-9) are at risk of dropping out in Indonesia. Indonesia's economy is expected to shrink this year by 13%-20%.--WORLD PULSE

China executed 3,000 people in 1997. Amnesty International says that is a drop of 31% from 1996, when 4,367 people were executed by the state. The human rights agency, however, still maintains that China is the world leader in use of the death penalty.--WORLD PULSE

Malnutrition among North Korean children has been lessened, but the country still needs more food aid, said a four-person delegation of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank that returned from that country Oct. 29. The group toured North Korea for a week, visiting nurseries, kindergartens, hospitals and homes in two provinces where the agency had provided shipments of Canadian wheat. While the group noticed improvements in children under the age of six, they saw signs of increased malnutrition among children ages 7-17. Last year, the malnutrition rate in children's institutions was as high as 40%. Current estimates say that North Korea's 1998 harvest will fall by 1.5 million tonnes, about the same as last year, when the country ran out of food in December. Only 20% of the country's land is arable. Since the food crisis was reported, the CFGB has provided North Korea with more than 44,000 tonnes of Canadian aid valued at $14.4 million. The delegation concluded that North Korea may need food aid for years to come.--CANADIAN FOODGRAINS BANK

Mission USA , a church planting and evangelism program of the US MB Conference, moved its office from Sun City, Ariz., effective Nov. 2. It now can be reached at: 20165 N. 67th Ave. Ste. 120, Glendale, Ariz. 85308; phone: 602-825-7112; fax: 602-825-7135; e-mail: <ebmusa@phnx.uswest.net>.--MISSION USA

A single parents conference will be held Feb. 13 at Central Heights MB Church, Abbotsford, B.C. Sponsored by the church's single mothers' group "Strength of One", the conference is a one-day event open to everyone. Guest speaker will be Jim Strohl from Seattle. A children's day camp for a limited number of children to age 12 and nursery care will be offered that day. A banquet and rally for all single adults will be held that evening.--CENTRAL HEIGHTS MB CHURCH

Daniel and Anne Marie Foster of Philadelphia, Pa., who declined traditional medical care for their cancer-stricken son because of their religious beliefs, were sentenced to 14 years of probation Sept. 24. The couple was also ordered by the court to obtain medical insurance for their children and to report any serious illnesses. Their three-year-old son will remain in the custody of the Department of Human Services. The couple was convicted of endangering a child and of criminal conspiracy. They belong to the Faith Tabernacle Congregation, a denomination which emphasizes divine healing and discourages the use of modern medicine. When their son Patrick developed a lump in his stomach, they turned to prayer and anointing with oil. After an anonymous caller alerted the government to the situation, Patrick was taken from his parents and had a cancerous tumour surgically removed. Despite the conviction and sentencing, the judge stated that the couple were not considered criminals in the usual sense. Another couple from the church is facing involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of their 22-month-old son, who bled to death after cutting his foot last year. Two other church members were convicted of manslaughter last year after their 16-year-old daughter died from diabetes.--EVANGELICAL PRESS NEWS SERVICE

International Internet Alliance, a Guelph (Ont.) company operated by Jim Garrow, sold franchises for CleanNet, an Internet service that screened Web sites to block access to those with pornography or violence. Now, he can't be found. He had sold 191 franchises, mainly in Ontario. In June, Bell Canada cut IIA's phone lines due to unpaid bills, leaving franchisees with irate local customers. CleanNet blocked 142,000 Internet sites at the source and regularly downloaded updated lists of blocked sites. Curiously, while heavily appealing to Christians concerned about easy access to pornography and violence on the Internet, Garrow also offered an unfiltered service called The Rocket. Prices for the franchises in Ontario ranged from $25,000 for a local area (Christian organizations were allowed to purchase a franchise for $10,000 up front) to $100,000 for a regional area. Unconfirmed reports say Garrow sold a franchise to an individual for the entire province of B.C. for $1 million. Attempts by various franchisees to recoup their investments have proved useless because Garrow has not surfaced to face his investors. Franchises also were offered in Colombia, Saudi Arabia and Great Britain. Since 1995, Garrow has been involved in attempts to launch the National Parents Coalition of Canada, was an organizer for the Reform Party of Canada, and attempted to launch a Canadian version of the Christian Coalition.--CHRISTIANWEEK

Sun Myung Moon, the leader of the Unification Church, has been called a "con man" by his former daughter-in-law. Nansook Hong had been a member of the Moon family for 15 years. In 1995, she filed for divorce from Moon's son, Hyo-Jin. She told the CBS news program 60 Minutes that her husband used cocaine, beat her and threatened to murder their unborn child. When she complained to Moon, she was told that she was responsible for her husband's behaviour and must endure his abuse. Hong also claimed that Moon had several extra-marital affairs, which he insisted were part of "God's mission that he had to fulfill".--CHRISTIANWEEK

Land confiscation was one common concern that was discussed at a meeting in July between four Palestinians and members of the Oglala Lakota Nation in Porcupine, S.D. The Palestinians were part of a visitor exchange organized by Mennonite Central Committee. Participants shared information on land issues, compensation and housing concerns. The Palestinians also visited reserve and aboriginal communities in Manitoba and Labrador. In August, five members from North American aboriginal communities travelled to the West Bank and Gaza.--MENNONITE CENTRAL COMMITTEE

AIDS is no longer among the top 10 causes of death in the US. The National Center for Health Statistics says the disease dropped from eighth place to 14th place from 1996 to 1997. Heart disease and cancer remain the number one and two killers respectively.--EPNS