Around Town: disPLACE, Terrance Richmond, tax aid, Bethlehem Lutheran

There are several great ways to learn more about refugees this month, through Journey Home, Kinbrace, New Hope, First CRC, etc - and by **** ***

The Cultch will host two showings of disPLACE this weekend.

Vancouverites will have a couple of chances this weekend to experience a powerful play which premiered at Trinity Western University late last fall.

disPLACE: Refugee Stories in Their Own Words features real-life experiences of refugees from a variety of cultures.

Canadian Immigrant magazine said of the play:

In disPLACE, the diverse cast of actors, each transforming into multiple characters, weave together an unforgettable journey using verbatim testimony and original music to tell honest real-life experiences and individual stories.

The audience is drawn in to discover the human experience hidden beneath the headlines. From the immigrants who fled Europe after World War II, to the current Syrian refugee crisis, the stories brought to life in disPLACE offer a unique glimpse into the bonds that tie all of us together.

There will be two showings at The Cultch on Saturday (March 4), following showings in Abbotsford March 2 and Richmond March 3.

Terrance Richmond: That Love

Terrance Richmond and friends will be holding two album release parties this weekend.

Terrance Richmond will be joined by several local and American friends for two concerts this weekend to launch his new album, That Love. They will be at the Backstage Lounge on Granville Island Friday evening (March 3) and at the Bell Performing Arts Centre in Surrey the next night.

No doubt some of the young people at the Festival of Hope – which has a particular youth focus on Friday – will cross over False Creek to catch Richmond’s show, which doesn’t start until 9:30 pm.

The next night, out in Surrey, he will partner with Clayton Heights Secondary School, partial proceeds benefiting Cody Kehler’s BE The CHANGE Movement. Kehler and his girlfriend Chantal MacLean, both 17, were killed in a car accident in Delta in October, 2014. The Facebook page in his memory says, “Cody’s legacy is to BE the CHANGE through random acts of kindness. He would encourage us to give more, want less, to be honest, grateful, humble & kind.”

Richmond and his Love Quest Krew are offering:

. . . an explosive musical experience fusing Hip-Hop, EDM, Gospel, Pop and inspiring new sounds from Terrance’s latest album release, That Love! Expect energetic beats, rhymes, voices, dancers, spoken word, DJs and a hype fashion show! Featuring special guests Dani Fuentes, Joshua Raymond Spence, Emma Kade, Antonio Smith (Mission) and more!

Tax Preparation Clinics

It is encouraging to see that several religious sites host Tax Preparation Clinics for low income people, in partnership with Canada Revenue Agency. Four of the five clinics listed in the City of Vancouver are religious – Tenth Church, Salvation Army Vancouver Harbour Light and two Sikh locations.

Tenth’s Tax Clinic, for example, “is open for tax help service for individuals and families with simple tax situations (T5007, seniors, students, new Canadian residents, disability credits, T4–employment, etc).” It runs March 4 – April 15.

There are other such programs around Metro Vancouver. One I’m aware of is Surrey Alliance Church’s Income Tax Ministry, which runs until April 29.

Bethlehem Lutheran being sold

It looks like another Vancouver church is going to be sold for housing. Goodman company – which describes itself as being “at the pinnacle of apartment sales professionals in BC and across Canada” – is listing the 231′ x 123′ Mount Pleasant lot as “a multi-family redevelopment site”:

Overview

To acquire a redevelopment site in Vancouver, just off Main Street along East 15th Avenue, currently improved with the Bethlehem Lutheran Church (BLC) and a single family home. The site is rectangular in shape totaling ~ 28,400 SF with RM-4 zoning designation which allows for a conditional 1.45 FSR (depending on form of development).

The Bethlehem Lutheran Church is prepared to look at various options when considering the sale of their property. Preference will be given to a developer who will entertain rebuilding a new 2-storey church for the benefit of BLC of approximately 7,000 sq. ft. (~ 3,500 SF floor plate) on the existing site. However, BLC will also consider selling the property “as is” and relocating to a different site.

Bethlehem Lutheran is in a prime location. The tagline on its website homepage says, “The church one block east of Main on 15th.” It would be a shame to lose another church site (see Vancouver’s lost churches, which detailed the loss of 20 church properties in the City of Vancouver between 1989 and 2014, three of them Lutheran) – so I’m praying the congregation will be able to stay, or at least purchase an equally good local site.

The church currently also hosts St. Matthias and St. Luke Church, which is part of the Anglican Network in Canada.

Briefly noted

Marilynne Robinson articles

Marilynne Robinson delivered Regent College’s Laing Lectures.

For those who missed Marilynne Robinson’s three Laing Lectures February 8 – 10 at the Frederick Wood Theatre as a guest of Regent College, there have been couple of good write-ups since then. Sarah Grochowski wrote Marilynne Robinson’s Metaphysical Inklings for Convivium and Denise Ryan wrote Novelist says lonesomeness a ‘very privileged’ thing for The Vancouver Sun.

Science & Religion Conference Scholarships

Adam and the Genome with Dennis Venema and Scot McKnight at South Langley Church February 21 was a great success for the Canadian Scientific and Christian Affiliation (CSCA). As an added bonus, Venema mentioned that the CSCA is offering five scholarships this year of up to $1,600 to help Canadian students attend conferences dealing with science and religion. The deadline is May 31.

Biblical Creativity at Carey

Jill Schuler and Joy Kirkwood will lead what looks like a very enjoyable Biblical Creativity and Storytelling Through the Arts workshop Carey Centre this Saturday (March 4).

Salvation Army movie: Out of the Shadows

Retired Royal BC Museum archivist Dennis Duffy wrote two columns (here and here) about Out of the Shadows, a film made for the Salvation Army in 1957 by Lew Parry Film Productions. The first looked “with devastating frankness [at] the day-to-day experiences of a homeless alcoholic on Vancouver’s Skid Row, the second “at the protagonist’s eventual reintegration into society.”

Mar 2017

Apr 2017

Peace of Mind: Mental Wellness & the Church with Sandra Wong, Doug Johnston & Paul Pearce – April 1, 2017 at 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Three Biologos 2017 Highlight Lectures – April 1, 2017 at 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Way of the Cross for Migrant Workers – April 1, 2017 at 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Celebrate the Festival – April 1, 2017 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
The Story of MRI with Dr. Raymond Damadian – April 1, 2017 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Douglas Todd: Vancouver – Discerning the Spirit of the City – April 1, 2017 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

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Around Town: disPLACE, Terrance Richmond, tax aid, Bethlehem Lutheran

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