David and Cheryl Koop, co-founders of Coastal Church.
Coastal Church celebrated its 30th anniversary during two well attended events at the Vancouver Convention Centre, August 31 and September 1.
And they have a lot to celebrate. The nondenominational multi-site church began in the West End of Vancouver, where they now meet in an impressive historic brick building on Georgia Street, formerly owned by First Church of Christ, Scientist.
But Coastal has now expanded to eight other locations as well, with other campuses in Vancouver (Commercial Drive, Yaletown) as well as in Burnaby, North Vancouver, Pitt Meadows, Richmond, Squamish – and even, apparently, Tempe, Arizona.
They also initiated the Eden Cafe, a social enterprise on Hastings Street in the Downtown Eastside, are heavily involved with Alpha Canada and Whole Way House, run a School of Missions and will relaunch Business by the Book this fall.
Guest speakers at Business by the Book September 25 will be John Neate, founder of JJ Bean Coffee Roasters, and David Robertson, a chef who owns The Dirty Apron with his wife Sara.
John Neate, founder of JJ Bean Coffee Roasters, will speak at Business by the Book September 25. Image from a recent video interview hosted by Northside Foursquare Church pastor Joel Conti.
But the Saturday evening gathering at the Convention Centre (which I attended) did not particularly dwell on sites, accomplishments and numbers.
Most of the focus was on the team’s efforts to follow God’s leading in their urban setting, and on God’s blessings along the way.
As Coastal’s Communications Coordinator Carolina Acevedo emailed when I contacted her:
The program featured a look back at the history of Coastal Church, its beginnings and some of the miracles that led to purchasing the 1160 West Georgia location.
The program showcased individuals who have been volunteering and leading since 1994 and a message from Pastor Dave and Cheryl Koop highlighting key scriptures they stood on during the early years of church growth. The panel focused on unity in the church within Vancouver and how God can use small beginnings and faithfulness to make an impact.
Among the highlights were comments from Pastor John Burns, founder of Relate Church in Surrey, who initially hired David Koop and introduced the idea of holding weekly meetings in downtown Vancouver.
Burns described an early drive together:
As we were driving through the streets of downtown Vancouver, tears were just pouring off our face, because of a lost city. I just didn’t know of very many churches and as we drove we talked about how God loved these people, thousands and thousands of people – and how God wanted to build churches in this city.
I know we ended up praying, driving and praying, we were just praying in tongues . . . So if we go back 30 years, why are we here? It’s because God so loved the world that He gave his everything. Jesus came, died on a cross, rose again and told us that what He’s doing from now on is “I will build my church.”
The Saturday evening panel, with William McCarthy speaking.
William McCarthy, President of W.P.J. McCarthy and Company, which focuses on commercial real estate, has worked with the Koops since the time they were seeking to lease and purchase a building in the West End.
McCarthy began by saying that one of his tenants was a congregant and knew that he offered pro bono work for religious organizations:
I’m Catholic, but I’m a Christian and I believe that the mission is global. . . . David and his team had a vision. If there’s a role I played, it was perhaps keeping the vision focused, because while it’s important to have the human element – which is the key – and the message and the ministry, you need a foundation, and that foundation is often real estate. . . .
The real genius of the Coastal business plan, religious plan, church plan was the integration of the mission and God’s work into the community. We’re in a very secular part of the world in a very secular part of our country. I think the genius of that plan is where it says, “Coastal helps (HELPS) cities be better.
And that’s one of the good calling cards whenever I have to deal with city halls or whatever. I say, “:Look at all the programs they’re offering, look at all of the good that they will bring to this community. You want to try to do what they are doing, and try to do it as well?”
Slowly but surely – 30 years is a long time – but 30 years is nothing in the world ahead. So the permanence that Coastal’s done has been the hallmark.
The hall was full both Saturday and Sunday. Coastal Church photo
The church describes ‘Our Vision’ on its site in this way:
Coastal Church HELPS Make the City a Better Place:
- Honour God, our families, the church and our neighbour.
- Embrace our city with the Gospel through small groups and weekend services at multiple sites.
- Listen to God and others before acting.
- Pray for one another, our church, our leaders and our city.
- Serve in our homes, our church and our city.
Coastal’s initial purchase was the heritage church on Georgia Street. There have been other property developments over the years, the latest being the purchase of Knox Presbyterian Church earlier this year.
Other speakers that evening were Sam Owusu, founding pastor of Calvary Worship Centre and Terry Kesson, a founding board member.
A warm welcome to the 30th anniversary celebration. Coastal Church photo
Sunday morning speakers were:
- Shaila Visser, National Director, Alpha Canada and Global Senior Vice President, Alpha International
- Bill Hogg, National Director, Message Trust Canada
- Ken Dyck, Executive Director, Freedom Session
- Jenny Konkin, President and Co-founder, Whole Way House.
Again, the focus was on how Coastal Church plans increasingly to “help make the city a better place.”
Writing in Coastal Church’s September newsletter, David Koop – Founder and Senior Pastor along with his wife Cheryl – acknowledged that the church’s prospects did not initially seem overly bright from a worldly point of view. Scoffers pointed out that urban churches were suffering, that only in the suburbs would they be likely to thrive.
He wrote:
My wife, Cheryl, and I found ourselves leading [a group of Bible school students who had conducted a survey of the West End to determine whether a church would succeed] into a mission field that we knew very little about.
We both come from rural backgrounds, having been raised in the Prairies of Canada. Our spiritual journey led us to leave our jobs in the corporate world and give our lives to church work.
The survey of the land revealed a pocket of city dwellers with a vanishing Christian presence. In this setting, God was calling us to change the spiritual climate, and doing so revealed transformational leadership principles.
I remember having a phone conversation with David decades ago, while he was prayer walking the streets of the West End, looking for a suitable long-term home. God has blessed the original team’s vision, prayerfulness and perseverance.
Go the the website for videos of the two services, the Facebook page for more images and here for the full newsletter comment.
Herbert O’Driscoll, 1928 – 2024
The Rev. Canon Thomas Herbert O’Driscoll passed away July 25, in Victoria. Born in Ireland, he served there and in Ottawa as an Anglican priest before moving to the west coast.
A memorial by Alicia Ambrosio on the Diocese of New Westminster site noted that in 1968 he became Rector of Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver and then Dean of the Diocese of New Westminster.
He took on other roles in Washington DC and Calgary before retiring on the Island.
The article noted:
O’Driscoll was known for his narrative preaching style and was sought after as a conference speaker, pilgrimage leader and homiletics instructor.
He was also a prolific writer. During his career he published over 50 books on a variety of theological and spiritual topics. From 1966 to 2002 he also wrote hymns. His hymns are collected in a book entitled Praise my Soul.
In 2022 the Vancouver School of Theology launched the O’Driscoll Forum, an annual multi-day forum offered during the summer semester as ‘A Celebration of Preaching, Teaching and the Liturgical Arts.’
Go here for the full article.
I posted something on his life story, I Will Arise and Go Now: Reflections on the Meaning of Places and People (Morehouse Publishing, 2021).
A Celebration of Life will be held at Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria October 5.
Adoption concert
Dave Rempel and his wife Sharon Kincaid facilitated the first of some 300 adoptions 31 years ago. And a couple of weeks ago (August 24) that adopted child, Natasha Kozak, sang at a concert which gathered many of those adoptees at their Maple Ridge home.
Born in the central Siberian city of Novosibirsk, Natasha was brought to adoptive parents Wendy and Larry Kozak through the intermediary work of Dave Rempel, a now-retired elementary school teacher and principal.
The concert was meant to recognize Dave and Sharon’s work over the years, and to reunite them with some of the people they have helped. About 85 people, including many adoptees, joined the party on the 24th.
Natasha was interviewed by Gordon McIntyre for a Vancouver Sun article this summer.
He wrote:
Natasha Kozak feels like she won the lottery of life.
“I really do,” she said. “I’m very, very thankful for the opportunities that I’ve had, that I wouldn’t have had if I stayed in Russia.” . . .
Since connecting the Kozaks with Natasha (and two years later her younger brother Nikita), the Rempels have facilitated about 300 adoptions from Russia and other former Soviet states. One of the couple’s two daughters was subsequently adopted, and Rempel took early retirement in the mid-1990s to do it full time.
“It changed my life,” he said. “Well, I was an educator, which also changed my life, but (becoming an adoption facilitator) changed the focus of it.”
A devout Mennonite, Rempel dreamed at one time of becoming a clergyman, before studying education at the University of BC so he could minister to thousands of elementary school kids.
Go here for the full article.
Rempel said during a brief phone call that Natasha “did very well – she’s got a beautiful voice and is very talented.” He said: “Through the adoption process we built families.”
Rempel still belongs to the Clearbrook MB Church in Abbotsford, the church that he grew up in. He points to his mother and her “phenomenal faith” as an inspiration. She and his father were forced to flee southern Ukraine through terrible winter conditions on January 21, 1943. His father had cancer; his mother and the family arrived as refugees in Canada in 1949.
Dave and Sharon keep busy on their 4.5 acre farm. Students regularly come out to visit their bird sanctuary (Sharon gave Dave a flock of black swans for Valentine’s Day one year). When we spoke, they were preparing to host their 38th annual frisbee golf tournament. Dave also carries on as chair of the Ridge Meadows Educational Foundation.
Sep 2024
Alpha Canada: National Team Training – September 12, 2024 at 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Alpha Canada: National Team Training After Party – September 12, 2024 at 5:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Speed Dating: Christian Singles (Ages 31-42) – September 12, 2024 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Gardens of Gethsemani Fall Open House – September 13, 2024 - September 14, 2024 at 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Film Screening and Panel Discussion of AI Documentary: The End of Humanity? – September 13, 2024 at 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm
MCC Festival for World Relief – September 13, 2024 - September 14, 2024 at 5:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Siglo de Oro: Renaissance Reflections – September 13, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Mission to Seafarers: Cycle for Seafarers 2024 – September 14, 2024 at 8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Bike, Walk, Run for Nepal! – September 14, 2024 at 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Take to the Streets: Say No To Racism! Yes to Immigrant Justice! – September 14, 2024 at 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Feast of St. Hildegard Celebration – September 15, 2024 at 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Eradicating the Demand with Technology: One Buyer at a Time – September 16, 2024 at 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Kentro Webinar: Workplace Culture and Leadership Best Practices – September 17, 2024 at 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Elias Dummer (of The City Harmonic) with Joshua Leventhal – September 18, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Ignite Prayer Canada Grand Opening – September 19, 2024 at 9:00 am - 10:00 am
Called to the Bar: Religious Lawyering in the Secular Practice of Law – September 19, 2024 at 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Cultural Commentator Max Wyman (OC) to Present at 2024 Chancellor’s Dinner – September 19, 2024 at 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
City Dream Centre: The Gathering – September 19, 2024 at 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Joint Church Kitsilano Prayer Meeting – September 19, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Cara Luft in Concert with Special Guests – September 20, 2024 at 8:00 am - 10:00 am
Global Children's Network Partner Dinner – September 20, 2024 at 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Dr. Margaret Cottle: Courage to Care in a Culture of Death – September 20, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Hope in Motion 2024: New Hope Fundraiser – September 21, 2024 at All Day
SOAR: Living Unafraid – September 21, 2024 at 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
March for Jesus – September 21, 2024 at 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Shadowlands: Featuring S. Carey & John Raymond – September 21, 2024 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Alpha Team Training – September 22, 2024 at 12:30 pm - 3:00 pm
Make a Joyful Noise! Old Time Hymn Sing – September 22, 2024 at 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Taize Contemplative Service – September 22, 2024 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Worship Night – September 22, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 8:15 pm
Open Pages: Seven Volumes of the Saint John's Bible (Heritage Edition) – September 23, 2024 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
William T. Cavanaugh: Secularization and Idolatry in Amazon’s World A Theological Analysis of the Consumer Economy – September 24, 2024 at 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
A Rocha Oasis Series – September 25, 2024 at 9:00 am - 4:30 pm
Business by the Book – September 25, 2024 at 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Contemporary Faith Formation: Insights from Down Under – September 25, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Elevation Worship & Steve Furtick – September 25, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
CLF Academic Symposium – September 26, 2024 at 8:30 am - 5:30 pm
CLF 2024 National Conference – September 27, 2024 - September 29, 2024 at All Day
Magnificat Vespers Concert – September 27, 2024 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Hokus Pick – September 27, 2024 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Together for Good Marriage Workshop – September 28, 2024 at 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Convergence: A Season of Creation Gathering – September 28, 2024 at 9:30 am - 4:00 pm
Fall Sale - Fundraiser – September 28, 2024 at 10:00 am - 1:30 pm
Community Living Convention – September 28, 2024 at 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Magnificat Vespers Concert – September 28, 2024 at 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Celebrate the Canadian Council of Churches’ 80th birthday – September 28, 2024 at 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Sweet Sounds on Sussex – September 28, 2024 at 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Jazz Vespers with Gergana Velinova – September 29, 2024 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Event For Christian Singles – September 29, 2024 at 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
ARPA Youth Conference 2024 – September 30, 2024 at 8:30 am - 4:00 pmOct 2024
Theology and Artificial Intelligence: Systematic and Denominational Perspectives – October 1, 2024 at 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Canadian Churches and Criminal Justice: Renewing the Prophetic Voice – October 1, 2024 at 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Gilbert Meilaender: Equal Dignity – a Commitment in Search of a Rationale – October 1, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
The Study of Religion in Canada – October 2, 2024 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Hope for Ukraine: Dr. Lucy Romanankova – October 2, 2024 at 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Use it or Lose it: An Exploration of Freedom of Expression – October 2, 2024 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Middletown – October 3, 2024 - October 6, 2024 at All Day
Leading for Sustainability: Environmental, Economic & Theological Perspectives – October 3, 2024 at 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Meet & Greet CSCA & ASA Leadership – October 3, 2024 at 1:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Sustainability & Biblical Creation Care – October 3, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Health & Wellness Fair – October 4, 2024 at 8:30 am - 3:00 pm
Reaching Gen Alpha: Launch of the New Alpha Youth Series – October 4, 2024 at 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Music Night with Scott McTaggart & Friends: A Fundraiser for Jacob’s Well – October 4, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
The 1916 Project – October 4, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Imagination Retreat: Shake it Out – Finding new rhythms for gathering and worship – October 5, 2024 at 9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Public Lecture by the Archbishop of York – October 5, 2024 at 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Ride for Refuge: Inner Hope Youth Ministries – October 5, 2024 at 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Ride for Refuge: Journey Home Community – October 5, 2024 at 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Ride for Refuge: Kinbrace – October 5, 2024 at 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Ride for Refuge: Raphael House – October 5, 2024 at 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Ride for Refuge: Willingdon Church (Journey Home Community) – October 5, 2024 at 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
A Rocha: Harvest Celebration 2024 – October 5, 2024 at 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Art and Grief: Speaking Beyond Words – October 5, 2024 at 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Celebration of Life: The Reverend Canon Dr. Herbert O'Driscoll – October 5, 2024 at 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
OM Partner Event: Transforming Lives Through Christ in the North Caucasus! – October 5, 2024 at 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Real Worship 2024 – October 5, 2024 at 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Blessings of the Animals – October 6, 2024 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Vancouver Life Chain – October 6, 2024 at 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Jazz Vespers in the Valley: Ben MacRae & Friends – October 6, 2024 at 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Phil Wickham / Canada Worship Nights with Josh Baldwin – October 6, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Barnabas Landing Executive Leadership Retreat – October 7, 2024 - October 10, 2024 at All Day
Vancouver Zion Mission Choir: Sing Hallelujah! - Healed by Love – October 8, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Launch of 'evangelical 360°' – October 9, 2024 at All Day
Wandering in the Shades of Night: Artist's Talk – October 9, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Speed Dating: Christian Singles (Ages 31-42) – October 10, 2024 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Terra Lightfoot – October 11, 2024 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Alpha Canada: Chinese Context – Envisioning In-Person Event – October 12, 2024 at 10:00 am - 12:30 pm
Broadway and Beyond (Concert) – October 13, 2024 at 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Prayer Pivot: A New Awakening – October 15, 2024 at 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Christmas Market – October 16, 2024 at 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
The Holy Spirit & the Atonement – October 16, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
The Global Leadership Summit 2024 – October 17, 2024 - October 18, 2024 at 9:00 am - 3:30 pm
The Global Leadership Summit 2024 – October 17, 2024 - October 18, 2024 at 9:00 am - 3:30 pm
TWU CREATE Conference – October 17, 2024 at 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
James J.O. O'Donnell: What was Christianity? – October 17, 2024 at 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
An Invitation to Stretch: Reconstructing Our Theological Assumptions – October 17, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Salmon River Trail Reopening – October 18, 2024 at 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Changing the Debate on Euthanasia (MAiD) in Canada – October 18, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
TiM Day: Four Workshops – October 19, 2024 at 8:30 am - 3:00 pm
Cross Cultural Ministry Training – October 19, 2024 at 9:30 am - 1:00 pm