Our MCN Dispatch — May 18, 2026

Hello Missional Friends,

Walter Kim, President, National Association of Evangelicals, wrote this past week:

In the latter portion of Romans 12, Paul paints a portrait of Christian love: practice hospitality, do good, bless and do not curse, do not seek vengeance, mourn with those who mourn, and rejoice with those who rejoice. He encourages us to be peaceful and to strive to secure peace; to be “joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

From his article:
The Church was America’s first volunteer network. It can be so again. – Christian Daily International Also downloaded and reformatted here for personal or small group study.

Local initiatives we applaud

We see many opportunities for community-based ministries, and love to affirm and celebrate each. Focusing on our inner-city, with its poverty of many kinds and related causes, we share today our support for:

The Break-Free Ministry in North Central. Congratulations are extended on the shop recently opened on Broad Street across from Value Village. It’s attractive and has great potential.
The Rising Above Ministry, promoting Indigenous discipleship, under the leadership of Nick Helliwell with support of Cory Illingsworth. A fundraiser occurred just recently at Celebration Church with good attendance and strong inter-church support.
The new Operation Break-Through initiative. Recently, a number of our inner-city fellowship groups came together Saturday morning, April 18??, under the name of Operation Break-Through. As an opening focus on the social and spiritual problems of North Central, the leaders chose a time of worship and teaching on the topic of Spiritual Warfare, followed by a “prayer walk” in the community with at least 45 participants drawn from a variety of churches.

Our Network is keen to encourage, support, and promote such activity and others Meanwhile, we are mindful of the challenges of inner-city ministry. We attempt support through promoting collaboration and deeper insight into needs, services, and creative ministry strategies.

We focus here on just two aspects

What is Spiritual Warfare and how does it shape our engagement?

Operation Break-Through gathered Saturday, April 25 at Morning Star Ministries in a form of ministry collaboration focused on North Central needs. Pastoral leadership included Attila Csakany of Morning Star Ministries, Nick Helliwell of Rising Above, Kevin Vance of Gentle Road Church of Christ, Graham Beke of River House of Prayer, and TV Thomas of Global Evangelism Ministry.

Nick shared his Indigenous perspective on the inner-city community. TV Thomas spoke to the biblical teachings on Spiritual Warfare. All of this brought some focus to the spiritual and practical needs of our inner-city. We are encouraged to watch for follow-up events.

My notes on TV’s teaching are incomplete but consistent with the broad historical teaching of the Church on the theme, this time, of Spiritual Warfare. The following may be somewhat instructive to our understanding of the topic.

QS — Meaning and Scriptural Basis for Spiritual Warfare

The Inner-City Thursday Prayer Walk (sponsored by Rising Above)

Each Thursday morning at 10:30, a group gathers at Tim Hortons (7^th Ave and Albert St) for a brief time of fellowship before heading out into the streets where we pray for guidance on addressing the spiritual and other needs of the North Central neighbourhood.

This week we broke into three groups. I linked up with Graham Beke who has had deep ministry commitment to marginalized people groups. He and his wife, Deb, are often onsite in North Central giving support and encouragement.

As we walked and prayed, we discussed:

The role of prayer in the larger context of our call to faithful ministry. Can we err in being too passive in our prayers? Do we seek with openness and diligence to be actively engaged?
We recognize the legitimate desire to seek decisions for Christ, but often sense our failure to effectively engage in discipling to maturity, faithfulness, and leadership.
Meanwhile, in humility, we recognize the problem of managing personal desires. Are they not a universal problem for most of us? Management of desires by those in poverty are only part of the wider problems in society.

We reflected on how Peter and others were called to Follow Christ, but after three years of discipling, lots of confusion still remained. Challenges exist in both comprehending and pursuing the New Life in Christ. Do we approach concern for maturity too casually?

Nick Helliwell, in sharing his conversion and mentoring, has reminded us of the guidance by Walter Selke and others who mentored him faithfully for five years as he grew in this faith and became strengthened for ministry and leadership.

But the fruits of inner-city ministry are due, also, to people like the late Glenn Povey and his wife, Julie, and the founding of Morning Star Ministry. It has touched the lives of so many, spawning multiple ministries over the years. In recognizing Julie’s commitment to the founding of Morning Star Christian Academy, we now recognize how her daughter, Lannette Cyr, is faithfully serving in leadership of the school.

We likewise appreciate the ministry of Kevin and Lisa Vance, now into their 14^th year of leadership of Gentle Road Church of Christ and its diverse and effective ministry.

So much more could be shared even as we continue to seek out new and more effective ways to be active in bringing the Message of the Gospel into the hearts and homes of inner-city families.

Resources of note:

Christian perspective in national press

Father Raymond J de Sousa, a fellow of the Cardus institute, wrote recently in the National Post:

Conrad [Black] introduced me to Newman on Napoleon on Jesus Christ. That is the thrill of reading good history — that a dying Napoleon, who sought after the glories of Alexander and Caesar, confessed that he was unable to accomplish by force what Christ achieved by love. [Emphasis added.]

The article provides more depth to the views of both Conrad Black and Napoleon. It is worth a read at:

Raymond J de Souza: Conrad Black’s history of the world is magnificent
Also downloaded and reformatted here for personal or small group study.

Related to this…

QS — Christian Ethic of Service vs Ethic of Control

QS — A Christian ethical perspective on Might Is Right

Concern for Young Men

Our own Molly Thomas is doing a great job hosting the program Big, If True on the Ontario Education channel, OTV. Here is her recent broadcast addressing the topic of “manosphere.” Be prepared for some rather unsettling scenes:

Media: The Manosphere with Molly Thomas

Why Scott Galloway says young men are struggling | The Current

Podcast — Biblical Masculinity (C Hansen / N Pearsey)

Additions to our website resources.

On Government and Politics

QS — Recognizing Logic, Affect, and Rhetoric in Political Debate

Our MCN core group.

A core group of missionally-minded individuals meets on-line and in-person from time to time in support of our Missional Church Network. In part we focus on the challenges of effective witnessing to the personal and social needs of the larger community.

We are a diverse group, mostly laity but with a mix of those with past full-time Christian ministry as well as active vocational leadership in the larger community. Whether attracted to politics, to forms of practical ministry, or simply promoting active service within our families, communities, and churches, we attempt to sharpen, strengthen, and encourage one another through discussions and learning on matters of missional relevance.

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Ron Richmond
Acting Coordinator
Missional Church Network
306.591.3936
Ronald.Richmond @ sasktel.net