New Year's babies, surprise babies, and more babies: January was a time for new beginnings and new life. Throw in a parody video that went viral and it was a great start to 2018. Here are the top stories from January, 2018.
#1 Manitoban's chilly parody video goes viral
"Rob Thiessen had a sudden blast of inspiration on Saturday and got right to work. The result was an instant viral video being shared not only across the country but around the world.
"Thiessen, who is the lead singer in the Manitoba Christian country band, Prairie Joe, says that music is always in his head. 'You never know when inspiration is going to hit,' Thiessen says. Inspiration hit on the weekend as the Oak Lake, MB resident sat in his home thinking about the extreme cold."
#2 24/7 prayer for Winnipeg church in 2018
What started out as a month-long exercise in prayer to begin the new year, turned into something much bigger for a Winnipeg church.
Anchor Point Church spent much of the start of 2018 in 24/7 prayer.
#3 Surprise! Second baby for The Color in less than a week
He showed up a little earlier than expected, and just five days after another baby was welcomed into the family of local band The Color.
Guitarist James Shiels and his wife Brandi welcomed their first child, a boy, on Tuesday, January 23.
Bearett William Shiels weighed 5 lbs 2 oz. New dad James says the baby boy was a little small as he showed up six weeks early. "[Brandi] went into labour seven weeks early, but it was quite the lengthy process before we actually had him."
#4 Meet Willow! Manitoba's New Year's baby is here
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) said that baby Willow Wiens arrived just thirty minutes after midnight, and is Manitoba's official first baby of 2018.
Mom and dad, Kathy and Sheldon Wiens, of Steinbach, Manitoba said they were both surprised to find out that their baby girl was the first born in Manitoba in 2018.
"[We were told] about half an hour after she was born," Sheldon says about the special news.
"It was kind of a surprise. We weren't even thinking about that at the time. We were just happy that baby was healthy and here."
#5 Change to summer jobs program could have big impact
It was the beginning of a year-long controversy, and CHVN was among the first to bring it to light:
At least one MP says a change in the Canada Summer Jobs program could have a huge impact for some faith-based employers this summer.
The Canada Summer Jobs program was started years ago by the Canadian government as a way to encourage employers to hire students.
Recently, the government made a change to the program. In order to qualify for funding, employers and employees are now required to sign an attestation.
#6 466-year-old severed arm of saint coming to Winnipeg
It's not often that you get to meet one of the most famous missionary saints in history, even if it's just his arm.
Saint Francis Xavier is a famous missionary. He travelled to the far edges of Asia but died before he could make it to China.
"In the church, he would be considered the greatest missionary after Saint Paul," said Angele Renier, the founder of Catholic Christian Outreach and one of the main organizers of the relic's visit. Catholic Christian Outreach is a national university student movement in campuses around Canada, including the University of Winnipeg.
#7 Made in Manitoba artist welcomes New Year's baby
Winnipeg Christian hip-hop artist Scribe and his wife Jasmine rang in 2018 by welcoming their first child - a healthy baby girl.
Scribe (a.k.a. Troy Lydiate) says that he and his wife were thrilled to welcome Ariyah Maxine Lydiate at 3:09 a.m. on January 1.
#8 The Color welcomes a new member
Made in Manitoba band The Color has welcomed a new member into the fold.
Lead singer Jordan Janzen and his wife Gwendolyn welcomed their first child, Lennyn Sofia Marie Janzen, on Thursday, January 18 at 10:57 p.m. The baby girl weighed 8 lbs and 1 oz and dad says mom and baby are doing great.
#9 Video of fireball captured
Just before 9:30 p.m., on January 3, people from across Manitoba began making posts on social media about a green light.
The streaking fireball could be seen as far away as Fort Frances, Ontario, where Robert Perreault captured the above video on his security camera.
#10 Winnipeg church starting 2018 with "first fruits challenge"
A Winnipeg church is taking the first three full weeks of 2018 to bring their first fruits to God.
"This is something that our family has practiced for a number of years," the pastor at Bethel Community Church in Winnipeg, Tony Froese, said. "We take the principle of scripture of giving God the first of everything you have. Putting God first in your life financially, relationally, and timewise. We take the beginning of our year and give it to God."
Wed, May 8, 6:00 PM
Full-time, Permanent, Education, Technology
Featured