March for Jesus – on Canada Day.
For many, such marches will seem a fairly distant memory. We took part in yearly Marches for Jesus two or three decades ago, but there haven’t been any for a while, at least not of any size.
However, the movement has continued internationally, and Revive City Church has determined to host the event in Burnaby.
(Many won’t recognize the church’s name, but they will recognize its location, which is just south of the freeway at the Cariboo Road exit. Revive City is a recently adopted name; formerly it was CRCF Church, or Cariboo Road Christian Fellowship.)
Sean Kirk, Executive Assistant at Revive City emailed the basic outline for the July 1 BC March for Jesus:
The March for Jesus is an international movement gathering Christians from every background and denomination to do one thing: lift high the name of Jesus. We march not in protest, but in praise – declaring that Jesus is Lord over our city through extravagant worship and joyful unity.
The event begins at Terry Hughes Park (8th Avenue & McBride Boulevard) in New Westminster at 12 pm; the march starts at 1 pm. The march route ends at Revive City, and the celebration will continue with speakers, food trucks, worship music and more until 8 pm.
He added:
1: The Holy Spirit put it on the hearts of our lead pastor and other leaders, and we decided to go ahead and host the march this year.
2: A number of churches have discussed taking part in the march, and some have committed to attending and donating. Based on our conversations, we are anticipating at least 1,200 people attending, and we are hoping for many more!
E-Connections E-mail Newsletter – 1
3: Although the March for Jesus is not solely a Revive City endeavour, as part of our vision for 2025 and beyond is multiplying, we aim to extend our outreach and lift the name of Jesus high, spreading the Good News throughout this city and beyond. The march is part of that, and we believe it will be the first in a revival of this tradition.
Revive City will also host two Open Heaven Summer Worship Nights, July 11 and August 8.
As a community of enthusiastic worshippers, we’re gathering again with one purpose: to take our worship beyond the walls and proclaim God’s goodness over Vancouver and the surrounding areas.
We’re starting the evening with dinner together at 6 pm! Bring your lawn chair or blanket and come early to enjoy a meal with the community before we enter into a powerful time of sunset worship and prayer.
Everyone is welcome to the BC March for Jesus and the Open Heaven gatherings.
Anti-MAiD Bill
Cloverdale-Langley City MP Tamara Jansen has introduced a bill which would prevent MAiD from being used in cases of mental illness.
The Conservative Member of Parliament for Cloverdale-Langley City is trying to prevent MAiD (medical assistance in dying, euphemistically).
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada posted this June 23:
A law allowing euthanasia for mental illness alone has already passed and will take effect in March 2027 unless a bill is passed to stop it.
MP Tamara Jansen introduced Bill C-218 in the House of Commons on June 20, 2025. This bill would remove the provisions that will allow MAiD for mental illness alone in 2027.
Bill C-218 would exclude a mental disorder from being considered a “grievous and irremediable medical condition” for the purposes of Medical Assistance in Dying. This would mean that no one would be eligible for MAID on the basis of mental illness alone.
Ask your Member of Parliament to support Bill C-218 to stop medical assistance in dying (MAiD) for mental illness alone.
How to reach your MP
- On the website ourcommons.ca/members go to Find Members of Parliament
- Enter your postal code, then click on your MP’s name
- Look under the Contact tab for their phone number and email address
- Letters and petitions may be sent postage-free to your MP at the following address:
[ Name of Member of Parliament, MP ]
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Contact your MP in more than one way for even greater impact, for example, by calling and writing. Even a voicemail message left at your MP’s office has an impact. Signing petitions also brings this issue to your MP’s attention. Personal communications are most effective.
The EFC also offers guidance on how to write your MP.
ARPA Canada, which has an office in the Fraser Valley, posted an article about Jansen’s bill as well:
MP Tamara Jansen introduced a new bill that would repeal the expansion of euthanasia to those with mental illness. Four years into the conversation about euthanasia for mental illness, we’re incredibly happy that there is another proposal to eliminate one of the most egregious parts of Canada’s euthanasia regime.
Go here for the full comment.
Postmodern Urban Spaces
Every summer a short tour leaves from Regent College – one that anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of Vancouver should take (I know from experience).
This year the Postmodern Urban Spaces city tour will take place July 5:
Dr. David Ley, Professor Emeritus of Urban Geography at UBC, will take us through Vancouver’s downtown and inner city districts, highlighting the changing social values of postmodern culture as they are expressed and reproduced in the urban landscape.
Using the built environment of Vancouver as a model, he’ll illustrate various views and challenges of the postmodern city.
Join us for this city tour to gain a deeper understanding of how to we can read cities by their urban landscape. Dr. Ley’s teaching on the development of urban spaces gives concrete form to the concepts of postmodernity and pluralism, offering insight into the city as a mission field.
The charter bus will begin at Regent College departing at 9:30 am (arrive by 9 am) and will travel through Westside neighbourhoods to Downtown, through Gastown, the Downtown Eastside, Chinatown, Granville Island, Fairview Slopes, Shaughnessy and Oakridge. We will return to Regent at 1 pm.
Go here to register. You won’t regret it.
Summer break
Speaking of summer, I will be taking it off; my next weekly Church for Vancouver update will be in early September (God willing). Hope you all enjoy a good break as well.
Events & Jobs
Events are listed below, but there is also an Events page and a Jobs page on the Church for Vancouver site.
Jun 2025
Choir Concert: Megaron Chamber Choir from Slovenia – June 27, 2025 at 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Summer Gospel Concert: A Choir Movement – June 27, 2025 at 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Monthly Community Dinner – June 28, 2025 at 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Young Adults Walk – June 28, 2025 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Jazz Vespers with Ruby Lane Organ Trio – June 29, 2025 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pmJul 2025
BC March for Jesus – July 1, 2025 at 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Earthkeepers Youth Day Camp – July 2, 2025 - July 4, 2025 at 9:00 am - 3:30 pm
Gender in Church History: Amy Peeler & Cindy Alders – July 2, 2025 at 12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
Sarah C. Williams: Book Launch – When Courage Calls: Josephine Butler and the Radical Pursuit of Justice for Women – July 2, 2025 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Packer College Update Gathering – July 3, 2025 at 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Encounter: Church Planter Mentorship – July 4, 2025 - July 5, 2025 at 6:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Works for Cello and Piano Concert – July 4, 2025 at 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Postmodern Urban Spaces: a City Tour with David Ley – July 5, 2025 at 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
First Breath: An Inaugural Performance of the Inspiro Singers – July 5, 2025 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Soccer Camp 2025 – July 7, 2025 - July 11, 2025 at 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
John M. Owen: What's Wrong with Democracy? – July 7, 2025 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Climate Crisis & Imagination: Everett Hamner – July 9, 2025 at 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm
Brittany Kim: Hagar, Leah & the God Who Sees – July 9, 2025 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
It All Belongs – July 10, 2025 - August 6, 2025 at All Day
Community Day 2025 – July 12, 2025 at 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
A Brentwood Hymn Swing – July 13, 2025 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
FLO Summer Soccer Camp 2025 – July 14, 2025 at 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
David I. Smith: Faith, Hope & the Purpose of Schooling – July 14, 2025 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Early Christianity Roundtable: Amy Brown Hughes & David A. deSilva – July 16, 2025 at 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm
It All Belongs: Chad Chomlack - Artist Talk – July 16, 2025 at 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
BC Christian Ashram – July 17, 2025 - July 18, 2025 at 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Into the Fray: A Call to Be Repairers of the Breach – July 17, 2025 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Summer Shindig in the Barn: Fundraiser – July 19, 2025 at 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Animal Homes Day Camp – July 21, 2025 - July 25, 2025 at 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Jonathan Pennington: Children of the Resurrection, Priest of the Kingdom – July 21, 2025 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Politics Q & A: John M. Owen – July 23, 2025 at 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm
Summer Ukulele Band (4 Thursday evenings) + Chimes Choir (4 Sunday mornings) – July 24, 2025 - August 17, 2025 at All Day
Discovering Daniel Conference – July 26, 2025 at 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Community Market – July 26, 2025 at 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Neighbourhood Block Party – July 26, 2025 at 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Youth in the Park – July 26, 2025 at 6:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Church in the Park – July 27, 2025 at 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Jazz Vespers with Bob Liley Jazz Quintet – July 27, 2025 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Jazz AWE (Alternative Worship Experience) – July 27, 2025 at 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Animal Homes Day Camp – July 28, 2025 - August 1, 2025 at 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
George Kalantzis: On Migration & Refugees (and the Re-humanizing Role of the Church) – July 28, 2025 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Christianity & Art Q & A: Mary McCampbell – July 30, 2025 at 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm
FaithTech Vancouver Anniversary Celebration – July 30, 2025 at 5:45 pm - 8:30 pm
Susan S. Phillips: Englarged Imagination: Reflections from a Life Spent Listening to Others – July 30, 2025 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pmAug 2025
Animal Homes Day Camp – August 5, 2025 - August 8, 2025 at 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Journeying into the Future of Church Together – August 6, 2025 at 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Cork Lecture 2025: The Holy Spirit and The Christian Life | Rev. Dr. Rob Fennell – August 8, 2025 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Open Heaven: Summer Worship Night – August 8, 2025 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Godly Play North American Gathering – August 14, 2025 - August 16, 2025 at All Day
Peace & Reconciliation Network Summer Town Hall – August 15, 2025 at 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Athletes in Action Soccer Camp – August 18, 2025 - August 22, 2025 at 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Sean Feucht: Revive in 25 – August 24, 2025 at 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Known & Unknown: Ministry Leadership in Liminal Time – August 25, 2025 at 3:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Virtual Church Vitalization Summit (2 morning sessions) – August 27, 2025 - August 28, 2025 at 9:00 am - 11:00 am