Around Town: Voices Together, Jazz Fest, Anil Kant, The Rock Theatre . . .

Come down to the Pacific Coliseum July 1 to join thousands of Christians from all over Metro Vancouver.

Voices Together offers a unique opportunity to join together with thousands of fellow believers to worship God while also celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday. And this year it is free.

Do come and join the 10,000 or so expected at the Pacific Coliseum July 1. And encourage your fellow church members to join us – post it online, add it to the church bulletin, announce it from the pulpit. These opportunities do not come along that often!

Wayne Lo of the Vancouver Evangelical Chinese Ministerial said recently:

Christians know how to be thankful for what they enjoy in this wonderful land. . . . here in Metro Vancouver, we believers of Jesus Christ should be awakened to the need to celebrate unity in the Lord despite our differences in ethnic origin, in social upbringing and theological details.

There have been weekly prayer walks in preparation for Voices Together; the last one will be next Wednesday (June 28), 7:30 pm, at the north end of Pacific Coliseum.

The Canada Day gathering starts at 5 pm, and will end at 7 pm sharp, leaving lots of time to go downtown for the fireworks or participate in other local celebrations.

Cyrus Chestnut, Jazz Vespers

Cyrus Chestnut has experienced a life-long connection between jazz and God.

Keep your eyes open for jazz star Cyrus Chestnut at church this weekend. He will be playing Pyatt Hall next Tuesday (June 27) as part of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, and he’s a devoted church-goer.

Here are some selections from his online bio:

Soulful jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut might just be proof positive of the impact that music has on babies in the womb. Either that, or a life in music was simply in his blood. Chestnut’s father, a postal employee and the son of a church minister, was the official organist for the local church in Baltimore, Maryland, where Chestnut grew up.

Young Cyrus’s home was filled with the sounds of the gospel music that his church-going parents played in their home, along with jazz records by artists such as Thelonius Monk and Jimmy Smith. . . .

As a boy Chestnut reached for the piano keys before he could walk, so his father began teaching the earnest three year old to play the piano. One of the first songs young Cyrus learned was ‘Jesus Loves Me.’ Before long, seven year old Cyrus was playing piano in the family church, and by age nine he was promoted to church pianist at Mt. Calvary Star Baptist Church . . .

For Chestnut, there has always been a deep connection between jazz and God. He believes jazz to be a religious musical genre. “I believe the ability to play music is a gift from God and every time I play, I’m thankful. Every time I sit down to play, for me, is worship and expression,” he told Down Beat magazine. . . .

To this day, Chestnut attends church every Sunday, and whenever he can he plays in the local church in Brooklyn, New York, where he lives with his family. He told CBS News, “If I’m not working, you’ll find me in somebody’s church.”

I’ve skipped all the stuff about what a good pianist Chestnut is – should be a good show!

In fact, there will be great jazz concerts all over town June 22 – July 2 (headliners include Branford Marsalis, Seu Jorge and Kenny Barron), but one of the best deals takes place at St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church, almost every day through to the end of next week.

A series of free Jazz Vespers concerts run from noon to 1 pm, unless otherwise noted:

Anil Kant & Family

I’m looking forward to seeing Anil Kant & Family this weekend. The musical family from Mumbai, India will lead worship evenings twice, at Punjabi Masihi Church in Surrey on Saturday and at Punjabi Masihi Church in Vancouver on Sunday.

I first heard about Kant about 10 years ago, when someone introduced me to a YouTube video of him and his daughter performing Sing Unto the Lord. I’ve watched it several times since, and always find that it lifts my heart. (Some 207,000 others have watched it as well, so they must be pretty popular.)

This song is in English, but many of his videos are performed in Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu and probably other languages as well. Kant has now released 18 gospel albums.

Here is the start of his biography:

Pastor Anil Kant comes from a Hindu-Punjabi family. His parents, being very devout and religious, taught him Hindu scriptures from a young age. Music was an integral part of his life. In spite of the regular spiritual guidance from his parents; Pastor Anil Kant still knew that something was amiss and from a young age had a quest for a close relationship with God.

Go here for the full testimony.

The Rock Theatre

The Rock Theatre is the newest addition at RockRidge Camp.

Not many camps offer a theatre, but RockRidge Canyon now does. The Young Life camp near Princeton just hosted a grand opening celebration for their brand new ‘The Rock’ Theatre. While this is not exactly ‘around town,’ there is no doubt that many local churches will take advantage of the enhanced facilities for retreats and other gatherings.

Here is how Shelley Austin of RockRidge describes the theatre:

June 2017 finds a new addition to our lakefront venue. The Rock Theatre is our state-of-the-art auditorium with whisper quiet air conditioning. Seating 320 in the main hall, with tiered seating, the theatre will make any event successful.

The foyer of The Rock Theater has gorgeous lake views that will contribute to the enjoyment of any type of reception. Downstairs there are two meeting rooms that can seat 40 and 60 with lake views.

RockRidge Canyon can accommodate up to 450, with up to 100 people in the lodge. Meeting spaces are free when you bring a minimum number of guests.

Jun 2017

Grace W.S. Tan: Through the Eyes of Agape – June 22, 2017 at All Day
Charles Montgomery: Soul and the City – June 22, 2017 at 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Between the Sheets – June 22, 2017 - June 24, 2017 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Jenny Banai & Bre McDaniel – June 23, 2017 at 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Over 18 Film Screening – June 24, 2017 at 9:15 am - 12:30 pm
Martin Luther Remembered – June 24, 2017 at 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Walk for Water – June 24, 2017 at 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Borders to Beginnings – June 24, 2017 at 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Jeremy Pearsons – June 24, 2017 at 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Pastor Anil Kant and Family – June 24, 2017 at 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Ember – June 24, 2017 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
World Refugee Sunday – June 25, 2017 at All Day
Jazz Vespers: Karen Graves & Miles Black – June 25, 2017 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Jazz Vespers: Quintessential Jazz – June 25, 2017 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Pastor Anil Kant and Family – June 25, 2017 at 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Vancouver International Jazz Festival: Cyrus Chestnut Trio – June 27, 2017 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Prayer Walk for Voices Together – June 28, 2017 at 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Jazz Evensong: Nathen Aswell & Friends – June 28, 2017 at 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Eastside Story Guild: Women at War – June 29, 2017 - June 30, 2017 at All Day
Vancouver International Jazz Festival: Jazz Vespers at St. Andrew's-Wesley – June 29, 2017 - July 2, 2017 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Danny and the Deep Blue Sea – June 29, 2017 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Jul 2017

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Around Town: Voices Together, Jazz Fest, Anil Kant, The Rock Theatre . . .

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