Around Town: Cabinet of Canadians, lost $4,000 returned, Over 18 . . .

Shachi Kurl, executive director of Angus Reid Institute, is co-chair of the Cabinet of Canadians.

Several local leaders have been named to the Cabinet of Canadians, a group selected as part of Faith in Canada 150 (FC150).

Those behind Faith in Canada 150 explain the movement in this way:

On the occasion of Canada’s 150 anniversary [in 2017], Canadians everywhere are celebrating what makes our country feel like home. We’re celebrating the cornerstone of many people’s daily lives — their faith.

The Cabinet of Canadians – 41 strong at this point, from a wide range of faiths – is “an assembly of leading Canadians from industry, politics, religion, academia and culture whose role will to be lend their respective voices to the discussion of faith as an integral part of our public dialogue.”

Representing British Columbia are Shachi Kurl (co-chair of FC150, she is executive director of the Angus Reid Institute); Tom Cooper (president of City in Focus); Leah Kostamo (co-founder of A Rocha Canada); and Ray Aldred (director of the Indigenous Studies Program at Vancouver School of Theology).

Faith in Canada 150 is supported by Cardus, a think tank “dedicated to the renewal of North American social architecture.” Here is their rationale for initiating FC150:

A public square stripped of faith and its expression is one in which hope, forgiveness, grace, and mystery will wither. . . .

We reach out in honest yet hospitable ways to engage faith traditions other than our own. We welcome without overwhelming.We converse apart from imperatives of conversion.

In our secular age, we believe a fundamental commitment to pluralism is vital for a think tank committed to its Christian foundations, and for a free society to flourish. If faith can be categorized into act, content and conduct, we begin with a grace-filled rapprochement among Canadians turned toward making faith the active principle in their lives.

We can respectfully disagree with the content of other faiths. We can offer charitable critique if the conduct of other faithful people is at odds with Canadian tradition. But we must always vigorously protect the shared space in which all acts of faith occur, even those acts of faith required to disavow belief in the transcendent. . . .

For the full statement go here.  FC150, chaired by Andrew Bennett (formerly Canada’s first ambassador for religious freedom), will undertake a number of  initiatives and events over the course of the next year.

Salvation Army hero

She wanted to be generous – but not that generous. A North Shore woman inadvertently gave several thousand dollars to the Salvation Army, mixed in with some other items. Only the honesty and alertness of a young employee resulted in her retrieving her money.

A November 1 article by Brent Richter in the North Shore News told the story:

A North Vancouver Salvation Army donation sorter is being hailed a hero after finding a large sum of cash accidentally tucked into a donated bag.

Early in October, a woman who was preparing to move from North Vancouver stopped in to the Capilano branch on Fell Avenue to donate some clothes and accessories she no longer needed.

She came back the next day in tears, saying somewhere within her donations was $4,000 in savings.

“She told us that she accidentally donated the money and she needs the money,” said Louie Lumio, who had only been working at the thrift shop for the last three months. . .

Several weeks later, Lumio found the money and returned it.

Lumio said he didn’t for a moment consider keeping the money for himself.

“I feel so good because I helped her find her money and I know she really needed it,” he said.

In part, it was out of his Christian duty, he added.

“I actually grew up in seminary school. I was there for six years. I was serving God as well as studying. That’s what the seminary taught me – to do the right thing,” he said.

Hope for the Sold: Over 18

Several local churches will be showing a movie highlighting the ever-increasing risk of exposure to pornography. Hope for the Sold (makers of Red Light Green Light) have just completed Over 18.

They point out:

Here’s a paradox: pornography is getting more violent, sexist, and racist as it’s becoming more mainstream.

• 88% of porn scenes contain physical aggression (spanking, gagging, slapping)
• 49% of porn scenes contain verbal aggression (ie. name-calling)

Kids are finding porn online.

• 9 out of 10 boys and 6 out of 10 girls are exposed to online pornography before the age of 18
• 83% of boys and 57% of girls have been exposed to group sex online
• On average, a boy will first see porn at 12 years old

The age of showing ID at the video store to get access to adult content is gone, and it’s time we start protecting kids from being exposed to harmful online content. The first step is to have a frank and honest conversation about porn.

This is why we’ve made a new film called Over 18, and we’re in full swing planning our tour across the nation!

Over 18 will be shown at Gracepoint Community Church (November 6); Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver (November 7);  West Coast Christian Fellowship (November 8); Granville Chapel (November 15); and Tenth Church East Van (November 16).

Letisha Reimer remembered

Letisha Reimer is remembered with great affection at South Abbotsford Church.

The 13 year old girl killed in a knife attack at Abbotsford Senior Secondary School November 1 was described in a Vancouver Sun article as:

“a happy girl who was deeply involved in the congregation at the evangelical South Abbotsford Church. The church’s pastor, Matt Ewert, expressed his grief in a written statement, describing Reimer as a ray of sunshine for everyone around her.

“Letisha had a vibrant faith in Jesus; a faith that shaped the way in which she lived her life. She generously gave her time, energy and heart in sacrificial service, both to those inside our church family and to those in our broader community. There is so much about her life that is worthy of remembrance and reflection,” Ewert said.

Ewert added on the church’s Facebook page: