City, Community

Around Town: War Room, Istoria, Syrian Refugee Concert, Kasongo & Watanabe…

by  •  • 0 Comments
WarRoom1Following a very successful three-week opening run in the United States, War Room will open in several local theatres this Friday (September 18).
 
The overtly Christian film was the top box office draw during the week of September 4 – 10 (ahead of the likes of Straight Outta Compton and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation). Between its release August 28 and September 14 it had grossed more than $40 million, despite its modest $3 million production budget.
 
Local movie critic Peter Chattaway noted in his widely-respected FilmChat blog:
 
In 1999, The Omega Code stunned the movie world by becoming the first evangelical Christian movie to crack the weekly box-office top 10. Now, in 2015, War Room has become the first such film to reach #1. . . . .
 
From a purely industry-oriented perspective, the box-office success of War Room should give a jolt in the arm to the “faith-based” film subculture, which had a few big hits early last year but then produced a string of box-office disappointments.
 
[Note, September 26: Peter has just posted an interview with Stephen Kendrick, one of the two brothers who made War Room.]
 
The producers describe War Room in this way:
 
From the award-winning creators of Fireproof and Courageous comes War Room, a compelling drama with humour and heart that explores the power that prayer can have on marriages, parenting, careers, friendships and every other area of our lives. . . . War Room is a vivid reminder that prayer is a powerful weapon.
 
Dave Carson of Hope Vancouver agrees. In cooperation with Yani Lim and Bethesda Ministry of Love, he is inviting Metro Vancouver residents to two special prayer-focused private screenings September 24 (6:30 pm and 6:45 pm)  at the Landmark Theatre in New Westminster. He notes:
 
War Room is a powerful motivation to make prayer a priority in life. Recently 300 people packed the largest cinema at the Colossus in Langley for the free preview and the reaction was very enthusiastic.
 
Reactions to War Room vary widely. Audiences love it, as evidenced by a 90 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. On the other hand, critics on the same site give it 38 percent; go here for an assessment by Kenneth R. Moreland in Christianity Today.

Istoria: Tell Your Story

Phil Cooke is a producer in Hollywood who also has a PhD in theology.

Phil Cooke is a producer in Hollywood who also has a PhD in theology.

For anyone who wants to communicate more effectively, a great opportunity is coming to town next week. Coastal Church is again hosting Istoria, September 23 – 25.

 
The event will answer three key questions: 1) How is story connected to my purpose? 2) What makes stories so effective? 3) How can I be an effective storyteller?
 
Here is how organizers describe their motivation:
 
We feel in order to communicate with our world today we must understand the craft, discipline and power of storytelling. If we combine these skills with an understanding of the story telling tools, we can be heard above the sea of messages in our media-saturated culture.
 
The key speakers at the conference are: Phil Cooke, a working producer in Hollywood with a PhD in theology; Jim Krueger, creative director at Marvel Comics and a freelance comic book writer/property creator; Gordon Pennington, former director of marketing for Tommy Hilfiger, now an international consultant to corporations, governments and institutions; Jim van Dijk, since 1984 a cinematographer, director or producer in over 200 documentaries, television specials, commercials and music videos; Willie George, founding and lead pastor of the innovative Church on the Move in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Dave Koop, host of the Istoria Conference and senior pastor of Coastal Church.
 
Along with the conference there will be free presentations on three consecutive evenings : Phil Cooke: Where Stories Start – Discovering What You Were Born to Do (September 23); Panel Discussion: At the Movies: The Necessity of Heroism (September 24); and Willie George: Using Story to Reach This Generation (September 25).
 
Concert for Syrian Refugees

matthewmooreprovince‘North Van musician rocking out to raise funds for Syrian refugees’ – the title of a September 12 article in The Province pretty much tells the story. But here is a portion of the article itself:

Singer-songwriter Matthew Moore, 27, will donate proceeds from his upcoming album-release concert to Canyon Heights Church’s Syrian Refugee Project, which was launched two years ago when his father Steve, the church’s lead pastor, learned of the plight of a local businessman’s sister and family.

Hisham Wattar, owner of Best Falafel, has been working since 2012 to bring his sister, two nieces and two of his niece’s children to North Vancouver after they fled war-torn Syria to Cairo, Egypt, where they have faced harassment and struggled to integrate.

Along with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada and Best Falafel, Canyon Heights Church is working to raise $50,000 needed to fund the sponsorship process to bring them to Canada, which has been approved by the federal government.

Moore, whose new folk-rock-leaning album Everlast is themed around “enduring love,” said it’s hardwired human nature that’s behind his desire to help Wattar’s family.

The concert will take place this Saturday (September 19), 7 pm, at Canyon Heights Church in North Vancouver – up Capilano Road, just before the Capilano Dam.

Lookout Gallery: Kasongo and Watanabe

christopherkasongoart1Regent College’s Lookout Gallery will host Through the Eyes of the Beholder September 17 – October 15. The exhibit will display various biblical scenes by African acrylic artist Christopher Kasongo and Japanese print artist Sadao Watanabe. Here is Lookout’s description of the show:

In 1996-1997, Laurent-Désiré Kabila led an violent revolution from eastern Zaire (Congo, today) towards the capital city of Kinshasa in an effort to overthrow Mobutu Sésé Seko, a US-backed despot. In the wake of this revolution, thousands of Zaireans lost their lives; some who survived fled south to Zambia.

One of those refugees was Christopher Kasongo, a man with a talent for painting. Kasongo found a way of staying alive and supporting his family by acquiring some African scenes and selling them to Westerners – greeting cards or small pieces of canvas stretched over crudely constructed wooden frames.

Sadao Watanabe was born and grew up in Tokyo, and was a well known Japanese printmaker in the 20th century. He was famous for his biblical prints rendered in the Mingei (folk art) tradition of Japan. Watanabe’s father died when he was 10 years old. A Christian woman in his neighbourhood invited the fatherless boy to attend church with her, and at the age of 17, Watanabe was baptized.

The young Watanabe worked in dyers’ shops, sketching patterns and dyeing clothes. In 1937, one year after Yanagi Soetsu, (father of the Japanese Mingei folk art movement), had established the Folk Art Museum, the 24-year-old Watanabe saw an exhibition of Serizawa Keisuke’s work. The event sowed the seeds of Watanabe’s artistic endeavor. A few years later, Watanabe attended a study group in which Serizawa taught his katazome technique of stencilling and dyeing, which originated in Okinawa. From then on, the teacher-and-student relationship between Serizawa and Watanabe became strong and abiding.

There will be an opening reception this Thursday (September 17), from 4:30 – 7:30 pm.

Sep 2015

The Plumbline Conference 2015 – September 17, 2015 - September 20, 2015 at All Day
Vancouver Fringe Festival: Eurydice – September 17, 2015 - September 20, 2015 at All Day
Vancouver Fringe Festival: Hunger Games: The Musical – September 17, 2015 - September 20, 2015 at All Day
Vancouver Fringe Festival: Shake the Sheets! – September 17, 2015 - September 19, 2015 at All Day
Vancouver Fringe Festival: The Fighting Game – September 17, 2015 - September 20, 2015 at All Day
Understanding the Moral, Ethical and Practical Complexities of Assisted Suicide – September 17, 2015 at 9:00 am - 3:30 pm
Prophetic Significance of the Festivals – September 17, 2015 at 9:30 am - 12:45 pm
Opening Reception: Christopher Kasongo / Sadao Watanabe - Through the Eyes of the Beholder – September 17, 2015 at 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm
2015 Somerville Lecture: Douglas Christie - The Blue Sapphire of the Mind – September 17, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Red Light/Green Light Film Screening – September 17, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Understanding Jewish Roots – September 17, 2015 at 7:30 pm - 9:15 pm
Catholic Charismatic Healing Conference 2015 – September 18, 2015 - September 19, 2015 at All Day
Life in the Margins Weekend Workshop – September 18, 2015 - September 19, 2015 at All Day
War Room – September 18, 2015 at All Day
Pause for Perspective – September 18, 2015 at 9:15 am - 3:30 pm
MCC Festival for World Relief – September 18, 2015 - September 19, 2015 at 5:00 pm - 2:00 pm
HI5: Elvis Impersonator Ronnie Scott – September 18, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Integrate: Mental Illness and the Church – September 18, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Pacific Baroque Orchestra: Brandenburg Concertos – September 18, 2015 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
The Wellington Folk – September 18, 2015 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
MCC Pedaling for Hope Cyclathon – September 19, 2015 at All Day
A Day Together: Marriage Workshop – September 19, 2015 at 9:00 am - 7:30 pm
Northwood United Church Fall Fair – September 19, 2015 at 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Springboard – September 19, 2015 at 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
56th Annual Country Fair – September 19, 2015 at 9:30 am - 3:30 pm
Spirituality of Gardening Seminar – September 19, 2015 at 9:30 am - 1:30 pm
Journey Home Community 10 Year Anniversary Celebration – September 19, 2015 at 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Taste of the Feast of Tabernacles / Booths – September 19, 2015 at 6:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Matthew Moore in Concert to support Syrian Refugee Project – September 19, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Sentimental Journey Big Band Concert & Fundraiser – September 20, 2015 at 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Taizé Contemplative Service – September 20, 2015 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
The Word Guild: Stillpoint Writers' Retreat – September 21, 2015 - September 23, 2015 at All Day
Webinar: Leading Worship Through the Seasons of Life with Andy Park – September 22, 2015 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Public Lecture Series: Competing Paradigms: Christianity and Naturalism – Metaphysics of Orthodox Christian Faith – September 22, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Istoria Conference: Tell Your Story! – September 23, 2015 - September 25, 2015 at All Day
EFC Critical Issues Webinar: Election – September 23, 2015 at 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Book Launch: Darrell Johnson - The Beatitudes – September 23, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Phil Cooke: Where Stories Start - Discovering What You Were Born To Do (Istoria Conference) – September 23, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Jazz Evensong: The Maria Ho Quartet, with Campbell Ryga – September 23, 2015 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Shine Vancouver 2015 – September 24, 2015 at 12:00 am
Shine Vancouver 2015 – September 24, 2015 - September 27, 2015 at All Day
At the Movies: The Necessity of Heroism (Istoria Conference) – September 24, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Q Commons – September 24, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Igniting Spiritual Gifts with Russ Kline – September 25, 2015 - September 27, 2015 at All Day
Servants Training Weekend Vancouver – September 25, 2015 - September 27, 2015 at All Day
Young Life Women's Camp – September 25, 2015 - September 27, 2015 at All Day
Apologetics Seminar – September 25, 2015 - September 26, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Sam Tudor / Noah Derksen – September 25, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Willie George: Using Story to Reach This Generation (Istoria Conference) – September 25, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Vancouver Chamber Choir: From Byrd to Bard - the Glorious English Tradition – September 25, 2015 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Cross-Cultural Temple Tour – September 26, 2015 at 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
The Daniel Plan – September 26, 2015 at 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Walk the Wall – September 26, 2015 at 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Dr. Donald Chittick: The Puzzle of Ancient Man – September 26, 2015 at 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Dr. Donald Chittick: Submerged Megaliths and the Ice Age – September 26, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Gibson & Gretsch Combo – September 26, 2015 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Gratitude Live: In Honour of UGM's 75th Anniversary – September 26, 2015 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Dr. Donald Chittick: The Bible and Time – September 27, 2015 at 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Jazz Vespers: Diane Lines – September 27, 2015 at 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Organ Recital at the Memorial Pipe Organ – September 27, 2015 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Book Launch: Donald Grayston: Thomas Merton and the Noonday Demon – The Camaldoli Correspondence – September 28, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Speaking My Mind Toastmasters Club – September 28, 2015 - December 14, 2015 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Public Lecture Series: Competing Paradigms: Christianity and Naturalism – God – September 29, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Why the Inklings Matter Today – September 29, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Yonghua Ge Theology Lecture: Aquinus on Creation – September 30, 2015 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Adele's Wish: filmmaker Terrence Turner on his controversial documentary – September 30, 2015 at 4:00 pm - 5:15 pm
Ethics Panel on Physician Assisted Death – September 30, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Metro Vancouver Alliance: Federal Election Assembly – September 30, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Jazz Evensong: Gabriel Mark Hasselbach – September 30, 2015 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Oct 2015

Life of Significance Golf Classic – October 1, 2015 at All Day
Rend the Heavens World Summit – October 1, 2015 - October 4, 2015 at All Day
The Beautiful Gospel Conference – October 1, 2015 - October 3, 2015 at All Day
Verge Conference 2015: Arts + Environment – October 1, 2015 - October 2, 2015 at All Day
National Day of Prayer for Canada – October 2, 2015 at All Day
Perogy Night in Vancouver – October 2, 2015 at 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Heroic Truth Conference with Josh McDowell & Sean McDowell – October 2, 2015 - October 3, 2015 at 6:30 pm - 12:30 pm
Prayer For Canada – October 2, 2015 at 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Bible Conference: It's All About Life for the Church & the World – October 2, 2015 - October 3, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Women of Faith Says 'Farewell' – October 2, 2015 - October 3, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 5:00 pm
International Men's Choir Concert for First United – October 2, 2015 at 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm
musica intima: Bach and the Boys – October 2, 2015 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Sea Change Colloquium – October 3, 2015 at All Day
Redleaf Prayer: Ember – October 3, 2015 at 7:00 am - 9:00 am
Ride for Refuge – October 3, 2015 at 7:00 am - 1:00 pm
Transitions of Life: Healthy Aging, Retirement & the Spiritual Journey – October 3, 2015 at 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
A Rocha Harvest Celebration – October 3, 2015 at 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Gospel Night 2015 – October 3, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Violin Virtuoso Jaime Jorge – October 3, 2015 at 7:00 pm
Book Launch: Donald Grayston: Thomas Merton and the Noonday Demon – The Camaldoli Correspondence – October 3, 2015 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Music at Queen's: West Coast Symphony – October 3, 2015 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
LifeChain 2015 – October 4, 2015 at 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Public Lecture Series: Competing Paradigms: Christianity and Naturalism – Spirits – October 6, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Common Cup Company in Concert – October 6, 2015 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Vancouver Pastors Prayer Fellowship – October 7, 2015 at 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Business By the Book: Peter Irvine – October 7, 2015 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Regent Redux: Me, My Stuff & God: Making Space in a Culture of Want – October 7, 2015 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
R. Scott Smith: Facts, Values and Modern Myths About Ethics (two lectures) – October 7, 2015 - October 8, 2015 at 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Jazz Evensong: Darlene Ketchum – October 7, 2015 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Christopher Kasongo / Sadao Watanabe: Through the Eyes of the Beholder – October 8, 2015 - October 15, 2015 at All Day
Mental Health Week - The Thief: Anxiety – October 9, 2015 at 7:00 am - 8:30 am
Share this story

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *