Praying for the Atlantic Provinces

Praying for the Atlantic Provinces

I’m here today shamelessly enlisting you to pray for the Atlantic Provinces. Honestly, if you’re looking for a place to find solitude, rest, community, and to connect with God in nature, just come to Atlantic Canada. This isn’t a tourism ad, though it’s hard to speak about my home region without sounding like one. It is just that beautiful – rugged, remote, picturesque, quirky, fun, and cozy. Everything that you’ve heard about the natural and cultural beauty here is true. So come here to stay, play, and pray, but also pray for us.

Probably the best-known cultural feature in Atlantic Canada is our hospitality. We are, for better and worse, a party culture. On one hand, it makes us amazing hosts. Churches that embrace this cultural grace are great places to form lasting friendships. They have deep roots in their communities and welcome the stranger, widow, orphan, and poor. Hospitable Christians on mission with God in Atlantic Canada are everyday expressions of good news to their neighbours, to tourists and visitors, and to the newcomers to our communities.

The darker side of this kitchen party cultural facet is that our surface “friendliness” doesn’t always translate to the eager formation of new, deep relationships. It was shocking to me to read in our NL Vital Signs Report that 25% of newcomers to Newfoundland and Labrador indicated that they were lonely, compared to 13% in the rest of Canada.¹ Additionally, overconsumption of alcohol is normalized here and in the Maritimes.² The common social ills related to alcohol are unsurprisingly also more common. Pray for those who are feeling isolated or lonely, or affected by addiction, and pray for the church to be mobilized to this part of our mission.

What Paul said about the people of Athens in Acts 17:22 also rings true of us: “I see that in every way you are very religious.” As a region, we are the most religious in Canada. Just look at the stats for my home province of Newfoundland and Labrador. We have the highest percentage of people self-identifying as Christians by a long shot, and far fewer who would say they have no religion or secular perspectives. The same rings generally true for the other Atlantic Provinces.³

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There are advantages and disadvantages to being so “religious.” One huge advantage is that people here tend to have some “religious memory.” There is more resonance to traditions, songs, church attendance, and Bible knowledge than elsewhere. Our churches and denominations are “known.” That is also a double-edged sword because there are a growing number who have become disenchanted with the religion of their parents or grandparents and tend to view their past religious experiences through a negative lens.

The fastest-growing religion in every Atlantic region is “no religion.” It has grown by 10-15% in every province over the last ten years – this is symptomatic. There are also a large number for whom their Christian denomination is important as a part of their heritage, but not as a part of their everyday lives. Pray for us for a renewal of hot orthodoxy, for those who have deconstructed their faith, for prodigals, and for those with religious baggage and hurt.

I know this is a big ask, but we serve a big God with a huge heart for Atlantic Canada, so I’ll ask for a little more. Pray for our beautiful diversity of indigenous populations here in Atlantic Canada and for the church as we meaningfully pursue truth and reconciliation. Pray for the growing population of newcomers to Canada on our East Coast – that we will do a better job of loving, resourcing, and connecting with them. Pray for our aging populations and communities – outmigration and economic insecurity have hit hard. Pray for pastors, leaders, and disciples who feel a deep rootedness and sense of assignment to this place, that God will continue to give supernatural grace to join Him in His unique mission to this tourist’s paradise.

Footnotes:
1 Newfoundland and Labrador's Vital Signs 2024 PDF
2 How Excessive Drinking is ‘Normalized’ in the Maritimes Article (EHN Canada)
3 Ethnocultural and Religious Diversity – 2021 Census promotional material (Stats Canada)

Jeremy Nippard volunteers as the Atlantic Region Coordinator for Simply Mobilizing Canada. He lives in Paradise with his wife Cheryl and children Christyn and Carter. He is deeply loved (and liked) by God and is grateful to join God on mission by serving the local church.