Around Town: First United art campaign, Halo Effect, Worship / Converge . . .

First United Church is in the midst of a major redevelopment – and they want to make sure the final result visually represents the local community. The church has been serving their Downtown Eastside neighbourhood for nearly 140 years. 

Here is how they announced their art campaign November 15:

First United is redeveloping its site at 320 East Hastings into a multi-storey, purpose-built space with four floors of community services and amenities (operated by First) and seven floors of below-market Indigenous social housing (operated by Lu’ma Native Housing Society).

Informed by conversations with Indigenous consultants, the exterior of the building respectfully integrates works by Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh artists, holding space for Host Nation art on traditional Host Nation lands, contributing to an ongoing revival of Salish art forms, and standing as a visual welcome to the community.

Notable among these exterior features is a woven brickwork pattern by well-known Musqueam Master Weaver and Designer Debra Sparrow. The interior of the building will include works by Urban Indigenous and Downtown Eastside artists, ensuring that the stories and voices of the Downtown Eastside community are represented.

Amanda Burrows, Executive Director of First United said:

Art is one of the main ways we as people and as communities share our culture and our stories. It creates a sense of purpose, dignity and belonging. Representation in art matters. Who is included, who is excluded and who is even creating these stories matters.

In the Downtown Eastside, where histories of colonialism and oppression are directly tied to the erasure of culture, particularly Indigenous culture, we believe that access to and inclusion in public art is inextricably linked to reconciliation and healing in this community.”

Go here for the full statement, which includes an announcement that there the Audain Foundation is donatiing $1 million to the art campaign.

The redevelopment project is expected to be completed about one year from now. 

Halo Effect

Last week I posted an article based on Mike Wood Daly’s recent report for Cardus: ‘Why Religious Tax Exemptions Benefit All Canadians.’

One portion of the Introduction to the report stated:

Is it accurate to say that the wider society is ‘subsidizing’ religious congregations? This paper seeks to answer this question by comparing the dollar value of congregations’ socio-economic contribution with the dollar value of the tax exemptions they receive and the tax credits that their donors receive. It finds that the socio-economic contribution is an estimated 10 times greater than the tax exemptions and credits.

Daly, and others, have described this benefit as the Halo Effect. He will offer a short and sweet introduction to phenomenon in a Flourishing Congregations webinar November 29, 12 – 12:30 pm: Congregations that Make a Difference in Their Community: The Halo Effect:

Join Mike Wood Daly, President and Principal Research Associate at Sphaera Research/Halo Canada and Flourishing Congregations Institute Fellow, for an interactive half-hour webinar – 15-minute research presentation & 15-minute Q/A (optional 15-minutes after for networking) – based on his research on the ‘Halo Effect’ and how Canadian congregations generate measurable economic impact through everyday actions, programs and expressions of faith.

While the social, spiritual and communal value of local worshipping congregations has long been accepted, learn about the real economic impact that these congregations provide directly to their surrounding communities.

Worship in the City / Converge

I love to see ecumenical events in Vancouver, and several are coming up soon:

• Worship in the City: Westside Church, November 29, 7 pm:

A night of worship and prayer for churches across Vancouver, hosted by Westside Church, church: untitled, and The Way Church. It’s a time where we seek the face of Jesus together and let the Spirit shape us into being made more like Christ.

Our prayer is to see the transformation of our city by bringing God’s Kingdom to Vancouver through the power of the Holy Spirit.

• Converge: Cloverdale Baptist Church, November 29, 7 pm:

Converge is an inter-church event for Young Adult communities that span across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. All 18-30+ welcome!

• Ecumenism & Interfaith Relations Retreat: John Paul II Pastoral Centre, November 30, 9 am:

Please join us for our yearly Interfaith & Ecumenism Retreat at the John Paul II Pastoral Centre on Saturday, November 30, 2024.

This year our theme is Journeying Together as Pilgrims of Hope. We will come together to hear members of the Sikh, Muslim, and inter-faith communities dialogue together, and then hear a presentation by Catholic Dr. Nicholas Olkovich on ecumenism and the synodal way of life.

Registration is free; morning refreshments and a light lunch will be provided after Mass.

• Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: various locations, January 18 – 25, 2025

Something to look forward to, early next year.

Events & Jobs

Events are listed below, but there is also an Events page and a Jobs page on the Church for Vancouver site.