Canadian Thanksgiving

Today is Canadian Thanksgiving Day giving thanks at the close of the harvest season. I invite you to join me today in giving thanks and praying to “the Lord of the harvest” (Luke 10:2) for the men and women who serve God in the spiritual harvest fields of Canada and especially for those with whom I serve and advocate in the metropolitan area of Vancouver and on Vancouver Island. Here are some Vancouver facts to prompt your Canadian praying:
• Metro Vancouver is the fourth most densely populated city in North America containing over 200 different language groups.
• One-third of the nearly three million population of metro Vancouver (900,000) are foreign born.
• 500,000 citizens of metro Vancouver, under the age of 35, are second generation – Canadian born children of foreign-born parents.
• In metro Vancouver there are 300,000 post-secondary students, in other words, one of three residents are college and university students.
• 35% of those in metro Vancouver have no religious preference. Estimates are that 93% of those in metro Vancouver are non-Christian.
• Among university students, less than .5% are evangelical Christians, making the campus an unreached people group.
• While Southern Baptists are growing slowly (79 churches); many mainline denominations are closing their church doors and selling their property.
• Vancouver Island has a population of 750,000 and is home to more than 5500 indigenous people. It is said to be the second leading center of occult in the world.
• Vancouver is known as the “Gateway to the Pacific Rim.” To reach Vancouver, is to reach into the Pacific Rim and countries beyond.

Join me this week in praying for the following Canadian global concerns:
• Pray for Suzanne, Rich, Craig, Peter, Victor, and others who serve among 300,000 university students in Vancouver, representing 145 nations.
• Pray for new church starts in the municipalities of Coquitlam, New Westminster, Pitt Meadows, White Rock, Richmond, Surrey, Maple Ridge, in the Vancouver inner city core and on Vancouver Island.
• Pray for Tim, Paul, Scott and others who serve among those of other world religions.
• Pray for Ray, Patsy, Jessica, Hamish, Janet, and others who serve the churches of Vancouver and Vancouver Island.
• Beyond Vancouver, pray again for Cathie (resigned from service in Spain), whose melanoma has returned after more than four years in remission.