March - 22 To 23

CANADA Population 27,567,000 Peoples A mosaic of indigenous and immigrant nations and peoples, many of whom have retained much of their original cultures. The high degree of inter-cultural marriages makes classifications only approximate. British 37%. Majority in east, centre and west. French 27.7%. Majority in Quebec Province. Although Canada is officially bilingual with equal rights for all, the French minority includes a considerable separatist segment. Other European/mixed origin 23.6%. Representing every nation of Europe. Asian 4.3%. Chinese 780,000; Indo-Pakistani 280,000; Filipino 95,000; Vietnamese 60,000; Japanese 43,000; Korean 29,000. Indigenous 3.2%. Amerindians (Canadian Indians) 800,000 speaking 65 languages; Inuktitut or Inuit (Eskimo) 32,000. Middle Eastern 3.2%. Jewish 747,000; Arab 93,000; Iranian 15,000; Turkish 5,000. African 0.9%. Afro-American, Afro-Caribbean and African. Latin American 0.13%. Literacy 96%. Official languages: English, French. All indigenous languages 78. Languages with Scriptures 2Bi 4NT 36por. Cities Capital: Ottawa 819,000. Major cities: Toronto 3,427,000; Montreal 2,968,000; Vancouver 1,389,000. Urbanization 77%. Economy One of the world's leading industrial nations. Over 80% of Canada's trade is with the USA, with which it is closely linked in a free trade agreement. This interdependence moderates trends towards an economic nationalism. Public debt/person $11,760. Income/person $19,020 (90% of USA). Politics A federal monarchy with parliamentary government. Independent of Britain in 1867. The unity of Canada is under threat due to increasing polarization between the French-speaking Quebec and the other, English-speaking provinces. A referendum in 1992 on constitutional change rejected government proposals to settle the issue, and the break-up of Canada could be the consequence. Intense negotiations are also under way to restore up to one-fifth of Canada's territory to the indigenous peoples. Religion Freedom of religion, but a rapid secularization of every level of society is taking place. Non-religious/other 12.1%. Non-Christian religions 4.4%. Jews 1.2%; Sikhs 0.94%; Muslims 0.8%; Hindus 0.75%; Chinese/Buddhist 0.36%; Baha'i 0.2%; Animist 0.1%. Christian 83.5%. Nom 19.2%. Affil 64.28%. Attend 20.8%. Growth 0.9%. Protestant 32.2%. Affil 18.07%. Growth -0.5%. Roman Catholic 45.2%. Affil 41.67%. Growth 1.7%. Other Catholic 0.8%. Affil 0.62% Growth -1.8%. Orthodox 2.9%. Affil 2.23%. Growth 0%. Marginal Groups 2.4%. Affil 1.46%. Growth 3.9%. 1. The Christian Church has been marginalized in Canadian society. Many major denominations have suffered disastrous declines in membership. The loss of biblical roots and lack of vision for evangelism, compromise on homosexuality and moral failure among well-known Christian leaders have all contributed to this tragic situation. Canada needs revival. 2. The evangelical witness also declined steadily through this century from 25% of the population in 1900 to about 8% in 1980 and 7.6% in 1990. However, Pentecostal church membership has nearly doubled between 1970 and 1990, and other denominations such as CMA have grown even faster. Pray that evangelical Christians may break out of their negative isolationism and unite to make a decisive impact on the nation in its hour of spiritual need. 3. Vision 2000, nurtured under the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, was launched by 40 denominations and agencies. The purpose: to serve the Body of Christ in evangelism so that every person in Canada will have the opportunity to see, hear and respond to the gospel by the year 2000; the opportunity being defined as one evangelical congregation for every 2,000 people. This will mean increasing the number of congregations from 8,000 to 14,700. Pray that this big advance may be achieved. 4. The large number of Bible institutes, colleges and theological seminaries committed to the orthodox view of Scripture are fulfilling a major role in strengthening the evangelical witness. Most are concentrated in the western Prairie provinces. Pray for those in training and those teaching them, that world evangelization may have priority. 5. French Canadians are 85% Catholic in culture, but less than 30% ever attend mass and this percentage continues to fall. Pray for spiritual life and renewal in Catholic institutions and congregations. Evangelicals are only 0.5% of the Francophone population of Quebec, but grew from 150 congregations with 6,000 adherents in 1976 to nearly 400 congregations with 35,000 adherents in 1990. Pray for: a) Widespread evangelism to continue to bear fruit. The rate of conversions slowed in the late '80s. b) Increased receptivity in times of rapid social and political change. For Vision 2000 to be achieved, 2,300 congregations would need to be started in the provinces. c) Quebec separatism is a potent political movement with unknown implications for Canada's future. Pray that this may stimulate maturity and growth of the churches. d) The small, but growing French-speaking Protestant missionary force. 6. Canadian Indians are largely Christian in name, but active evangelistic churches among them are relatively few. a) Pray for a moving of God's Spirit to combat the effects of unintentionally paternalistic missionary work, the high incidence of social and economic problems, and the strident anti-White propaganda that draws many back into old heathen customs. b) Pray for the growth of strong, well-led churches that are culturally Indian. In many parts of Canada a change came after 1981, and hardened communities have been responding to Christ in local revivals. c) Pray for denominational (Anglican, United Church, CMA, PAoC, etc.) and interdenominational (NAIM Ministries, N. Canada Evangelical Mission, etc.) missions seeking to evangelize and plant churches -- often in the inhospitable northern parts of the country. d) Although only 25 languages are still actively used, Bible translation or revision is still needed. Pray for SIL workers and others engaged in 22 language projects. e) The one million Canadian Indians living outside reservations are neglected and needy -- especially in the cities. 7. The Eskimos (or Inuit) in the Arctic are mostly Anglican, but the impact of the worst of Western civilization has greatly altered and harmed the Eskimo way of life. AIDS is a major threat, and the suicide rate is four times the national average. However, since 1982, after a century of nominal Christianity, there has been a wave of conversions and an evident work of the Spirit across the Arctic. Pray that rising nationalistic sentiment might stimulate further spiritual awakening. 8. Immigrant communities have multiplied. Toronto lays claim to be the world's most racially diverse city. Vancouver is the world's second-largest Sikh city. Especially significant are: a) Asian Indians (now numbering over 600,000) -- 250,000 Sikhs with under 100 Christians, 200,000 Hindus and 150,000 Muslims form the biggest bloc of unreached peoples in the country. OM has a team ministering to them in Vancouver and Toronto. Only four known congregations of believers use any of their own languages. b) Arabic-speaking peoples, mostly Muslim or Orthodox Christian; very little specific outreach to them has been undertaken. Most of the few believers are Lebanese or Palestinian. c) The Greek, Italian, and Portuguese communities with few evangelical churches. d) The Chinese (780,000) who will soon number a million people with the influx of immigrants from Hong Kong. There are over 80 growing churches among them. 9. The missionary vision has been great, but the number of missionaries has fallen of late. Pray for increased involvement by churches and individuals in the evangelization of the unreached in Canada and around the world. Pray for the stimulation of missionary concern in the many growing evangelical churches among the ethnic minorities; such a vision could be strategic for the evangelization of their lands of origin. 10. Specialized ministries for prayer: a) Christian broadcasting. There are a number of widely appreciated religious programmes on secular radio and TV networks. US Christian stations tend to dominate the airwaves, but recent scandals involving televangelists have brought the medium into disrepute. b) Student ministries in the 266 colleges and universities. These give wide exposure to sections of the campus community. There are three movements linked with IFES -- IVCF (English), GBU (French) and Ambassadors for Christ (Chinese) -- and also extensive ministries linked with Navigators and CCC. YFC has a good ministry in high schools. Pray that these and other ministries may make a deep and lasting impact on the 800,000 tertiary students.