Around Town: Canuck Clay, Addictions Course, Demons and Diagnoses . . .

Clay Imoo’s day job is Associate Director of the Ministries and Outreach Office of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver. But he has become increasingly well known about town as a a Vancouver Canucks superfan – and he is glorying in the current moment.

He wrote an April 25 comment for The B.C. Catholic; here is how it begins:

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks are good again, squaring off against the Nashville Predators in the Stanley Cup playoffs in their first playoff appearance since the 2019-20 season.

As a long-time Canucks vlogger, I’ve seen substantial growth in my YouTube channel, Canuck Clay. I now offer memberships, and among the ‘perks’ for certain members are a monthly group Zoom call with me as well as a bi-monthly one-on-one Zoom call.

And it’s in these moments when it becomes less about hockey and more about ministry.

When I first started the group Zoom chats, I was really interested to see in what direction they were going to go. Obviously, the viewers and I had a shared interest in the Vancouver Canucks. But I hoped the gatherings would go deeper than talking about our favourite hockey team for an hour.

I certainly wasn’t disappointed.

Within the first few minutes of our first-ever group call, one member asked me to pray for her. Another person shared how she used to be a practising Catholic, but she left the Church after a poor experience. A third caller told me that he was an evangelical Christian and that he wanted to know the differences between his church and mine.

I quickly realized that with this group of people, God had given me a perfect opportunity to be a witness of his love and mercy. To listen without judging. To seek understanding without sending solutions. And most of all, to be present.

Go here for Clay’s full comment. Go here for his YouTube channel, where he describes himself in this way:

I’m a Canucks season-ticket member, an award-winning video creator, and I do daily Canucks vlogs. As well, I’ve done close to three dozen parody songs about and with the team. You’ll also find some videos focusing on family, faith, ministry, speaking and music!

It’s all good fun; I have particularly enjoyed some of the songs.

Addictions Course

Quentin Genuis is a Medical Doctor at St Paul’s Hospital and the Physician Ethicist for Providence Health Care. He will lead a two-evening Addictions Course at Christ City Church May 7 and 14.

Here is the description:

Our society has an addiction problem. Deaths related to addictive drugs like fentanyl have increased almost unbelievably in recent years. Research shows that other addictions – to substances like alcohol or to behaviours like gambling or consuming pornography — are all-too-common and have devastating consequences.

But what is addiction? What does the Gospel say about it? Is there hope?

Taught by Quentin Genuis MD MLitt, this two-talk series seeks to engage these foundational questions in a way that is grounded in our Christian hope and also attentive to the roots of the many addictions-related-challenges that face us in our time.

The first week will focus on characterizing what addiction is, and the second will turn directly to how the Church can be a place of welcome, grace and meaningful hope for those who struggle under the weight of addiction.

Genuis and his family attend Christ City Church. Along with his medical positions, he holds a Master of Letters from the University of St. Andrews and is a Sessional Lecturer at Regent College.

If you cannot make the course, or would like to get a sense of his approach, you can watch three related videos on the Pastor Jake LeFave’s ‘Here Be Dragons Podcast’ on the Christ City site: Addictions (April 22), Bioethics 1 (February 11) and Bioethics 2 (February 22).

Go here to register for the Addictions Course.

Demons and Diagnoses

An April 12 post on the Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries site addresses an issue which must be faced regularly by pastors, and by church members.

It includes an excerpt from The Sanctuary Course written by Jane Born and an introduction and conclusion by Rachel Watson. Here is a portion:

The subject of mental illnesses doesn’t just raise questions for us as individuals. As Christians, it also challenges us to think deeply about how we are to respond to people experiencing mental illnesses within the Church. We know that Christians can and do experience mental illnesses.

And with that knowledge comes an opportunity to learn more about the subject and to examine some of our own assumptions so that we can better care for those of us with lived experiences of mental health challenges in our communities.

For this month’s blog, we are going to share an excerpt from The Sanctuary Course coursebook that takes a deeper look at one of the most common questions that people of faith raise regarding mental illnesses: Are mental illnesses the result of demonic possession?  

This is a complex question, and one that we’ve seen show up within faith communities that are having conversations around mental illness and the Bible. 

You may have your own perspective on the topic already, or this may be a new concept to you. Wherever you find yourself, we hope that this excerpt can be a starting point to reflect on your beliefs and engage in a meaningful dialogue within your local congregation. 

Session 2: Mental Illnesses (The Sanctuary Course)

Different denominations and congregations have developed different beliefs regarding the involvement of the demonic in the experience of mental illnesses. It is helpful to envision these beliefs existing on a spectrum.

At one end of the spectrum, some Christians would argue that all mental illnesses are the direct result of demonic activity, while at the other end of the spectrum, some Christians would claim that mental illnesses are purely biological and do not involve any spiritual activity. However, in the middle of the spectrum you will find a perspective that takes the whole person into consideration. . . . 

“But what about the Gerasene demoniac¹ (Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39)?”² This is the story that creates confusion and raises questions for many people, and so it is worth taking a few moments to examine it here. . . .

Go here for the full comment and a link to more about mental illnesses in session two of The Sanctuary Course. Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries is based in Vancouver, but has an increasingly significant international presence.