to access “unreachable people” to address current issues.
Pascal saw he was not intimidated by
any guest. This was another lesson Vandezande brought to life. You cannot be intimidated if you are well informed. Read
and learn as much as you can on the issues
of social justice in your community.
Pascal, too, was mentored and inspired by Vandezande. “He changed
the course of my Christian walk. Jerry
saw my potential to communicate the
Christian world view and make sure it’s
well represented in the media.”
In the 1990s Vandezande might
have been forgiven for slowing down
but, as Ontario’s Common Sense Revolution brought in severe cuts to social Serve More Than “Just Us”
programs, his presence in the media ac- This period when faith organizations
tually grew as the public voice of resist- began to link effectively demonstrates the
ance, together with CPJ and other new power of Vandezande’s approach to so-coalitions. Janet Somerville was the gen- cial justice – a Christian attitude toward
eral secretary of the Canadian Council justice can’t be about advancing our
PC-Truth Alive 2010_AD:Layout 1 6/16/09 7:35 AM Page 1
of Churches from 1997 to 2002. As a
national Roman Catholic leader speaking on behalf of mainline churches, she
worked closely with Vandezande, a
longtime friend and colleague.
They had first met when Somerville was on staff with the Catholic
New Times. Vandezande introduced
her to other activists, which led to new
initiatives for the paper. She noticed his
ability to bring people together. “
Strat-egizing is something he does while he
breathes,” says Somerville. “Jerry refuses to be stopped by conventional
boundaries. He doesn’t get rude or aggressive; he simply ignores them.”
own individual or community agenda.
Justice is not “just us.” We must learn
what justice means for others to whom
we are to be salt and light and leaven. We
must seek out those who may be political
opposites or from other faiths and learn
from them. God is at work in the hearts
of all people.
One of the areas where Vandezande
has made little progress has been seeking public funding for independent (
non-Catholic) religious schools. As Vandezande kept broadening his network to
seek support on this issue, he built bridges
with Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and
secular communities. The court challenges have been disappointing and there
have been few gains for these schools.
In the late 1990s, he brought many of
these groups into the EFC-led group
called Ontario Multi-faith Coalition for
Equality in Education (OMCEE).
However, Vandezande has cultivated
2010
TRUTH
ALIVE
MINISTRY Reconnect
with the
IS TOUGH heart of God
Truth Alive 2010 Leaders Conference is designed to encourage
ministry leaders to rediscover their resources in Christ.
SAVE THE DATE!
Working Together with God
January 18 – 20, 2010
The Peoples Church, Toronto
Breakout session with
ministry facilitators
Registration Forms available online
Visit: www.truthalive.ca
E-mail: taconf@tpc-t.org
Call: 416.222.3341 Ext. 0
Plenary Guest Speakers
Henry Blackaby
Author of
‘Experiencing God’
Charles Price
Senior Pastor of
The Peoples Church
Sponsored by
