Around Town: Love My City, St. Paul's book, Crystal Mall, The Missing Project

The ‘Love My City’ team is organizing several clean ups in the Tri-Cities and would love some company.

Clean up crews will be out in several locations around the Tri-Cities next week as Love My City Week returns for its second year. They will tackle four sites in Coquitlam, three in Port Coquitlam and one in Port Moody.

But they will kick off the week just outside of the Tri-Cities area by painting Pitt Meadows United Church, a heritage building, July 6 (9 am – 4 pm) and 7 (1 – 4 pm).

Here is a list of the clean up events:

* July 7: Lions Park, Port Coquitlam (2 – 4 pm)
* July 8: Robinson Memorial Park Cemetery, Coquitlam (6 – 8 pm)
* July 9: Lafarge Lake, Coquitlam (6 – 8 pm)
* July 9: Oxford Cemetery, Port Coquitlam (10 am – noon)
* July 9: Citadel Heights, Port Coquitlam (6 – 8 pm)
* July 10: Mundy Park, Coquitlam (6 – 8 pm)
* July 11: Shoreline Trail, Port Moody (6 – 8 pm)
* July 12: Coquitlam Crunch, Coquitlam (6 – 8 pm)

Organizers say:

Our platform exists to unify communities by facilitating a week of events devoted to showing love to our cities and the people therein.

There are many community sponsors: Starbucks, Home Depot, Pattison, Real Canadian Superstore, Foamers’ Folly Brewing Co., Save-On-Foods, Pawn.Design, CocaCola, Poco Building Supplies, Rona and Riverside Community Church.

Go here for more information on how to get involved and where to meet, and regarding a follow-up Celebration July 13. (I wrote about last year’s event here.)

The book on St. Paul’s

Leslie Buck has attended St. Paul’s Anglican Church in the West End for many years, and now he has written a book about his home church: Peace Be to the Whole Community: the story of St. Paul’s Anglican Church in the West End of Vancouver.

Here is how he describes the book:

The story begins with a little wooden church on Hornby Street, built in 1889 as the new city was taking shape. As the bush was cleared, the church was moved to Jervis Street at the top of the hill, where it expanded and grew.

As the city prospered, St Paul’s became a vibrant and important part of the life of the West End.

Following the end of the Second World War, church life continued vigorously, but the population of the West End was changing and so were attitudes towards religion and what the church stood for.

The book relates how St Paul’s responded by developing new and more inclusive forms of liturgy, opening up its property for use by community groups, addressing the AIDS crisis and the needs of the LGBT community, and creating imaginative programs like the St Paul’s Advocacy Office and the St Paul’s Labyrinth.

Go here for information on how to order the book, and here for access to two pdf files (70 pages in total) by Leslie Buck on the history of St. Paul’s.

Crystal Mall, appreciated

Christopher Cheung reports on urban issues for The Tyee. He has a real nose for intriguing and often overlooked corners and characters in Metro Vancouver (his most popular stories are The Dictator, The Doughnut King and a Shop Called Duffin’s and The Mystery of the Baklava Man.)

This week he wrote The Story of Burnaby’s ‘totally quirky’ Crystal Mall, which begins like this:

Bright, buzzing neon will light your way through the cavernous heart of Crystal Mall, a labyrinth of stalls that sell produce alongside specialties like fresh tofu and peppercorn pig ears.

Vendors will shout that their veggies are the cheapest. Shoppers, mostly older than you, will push and shove to secure a spot in one of many snaking lines. You’ll smell buns and bubble waffles, curry and charsiu – you might even glimpse a butcher wheeling a rack with a whole animal carcass.

It’s not in Chinatown, but a suburban mall.

It may be hard to believe that this very Chinese place can exist as part of Burnaby’s Metrotown. Its chaotic charisma is at odds with the polished vision sold by the neighbourhood’s condo ads.

Chinese Christian Mission of Canada is located right in the centre of Crystal Mall.

The article includes this portion:

A Christian organization took over a massive 13,000-square-foot space at the centre of the food court, and offers Bible studies and activities like martial arts, health social support groups and an art gallery for the public.

“For us, it was a miracle,” said Thomas Tam, the director of the Chinese Christian Mission of Canada, known as CCM.

The organization, now 40 years old, used to be located in a small storefront on Fraser Street.

“Our philosophy is to go where the people are,” he said. “When we heard about this space at the heart of Metrotown, right at the centre of Greater Vancouver, our board members started to explore the opportunity.”

They bought the space as one of the Crystal’s first owners, a smart decision considering how religious groups are struggling to find space today. The mission also plays the role of landlord, with three other churches renting their space at the Crystal for Sunday services.

Go here for the full article, which is well worth reading.

The Missing Project

<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span>Two new films make this a good month for pro-lifers in Canada.

The Missing Project has just been released; here is how those behind the film describe it:

To mark the 50^th anniversary of abortion’s legalization under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, several producers have worked with a Calgary-based filmmaker in putting together The Missing Project. This is a two-part initiative that began with the release of daily short video stories on how abortion has impacted Canadians. That 50-day process culminated Canada Day weekend with the exclusive online release of a full-length documentary [until midnight July 6].

The Missing Project documentary is a 70-minute film that documents what is missing in our nation because of 50 years of legal abortion.

Filmmaker and producer Ryan Stockert gathered stories from lawyers, politicians, medical professionals, post-abortive women and men, adopted children, foster families and advocates.

“We called the documentary ‘The Missing Project’ because so much of the abortion discussion is missing from public spaces,” said Stockert. “I always thought abortion is a private discussion and no one else should be involved. But as I’ve talked to Canadians across the country, it’s clear the stories of Canadians affected by abortion need to be heard.”

Go here for more information.

A little over a month ago I wrote that the unexpectedly popular pro-life movie Unplanned was not scheduled for distribution in Canada, but that many groups and individuals were working hard to change that reality.

Now the film is scheduled to be shown in numerous theatres across the country, beginning July 12. More next week.

Jul 2019

Aug 2019

Bethany Sollereder: God, Evolution & Animal Suffering – Theodicy Without a Fall – August 1, 2019 at 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Mission Possible Summer Social – August 7, 2019 at 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Perspectives Course: Intensive – August 9, 2019 at 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Lauren Daigle Look Up Child Tour – August 11, 2019 at 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Rhythms: Loving Your Neighbours – August 14, 2019 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Strategic Election Mobilization Presentation – August 14, 2019 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Strategic Election Mobilization Presentation – August 15, 2019 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Summer Used Book Sale: the biggest & best ever – August 16, 2019 - August 17, 2019 at All Day
Book Launch: Happy Colon, Happy Soul by Karen Giesbrecht – August 16, 2019 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Strategic Election Mobilization Presentation – August 16, 2019 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Strategic Election Mobilization Presentation – August 17, 2019 at 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Jesus at Work: Marketplace and Mission – August 18, 2019 at 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Kickers Soccer Camp – August 19, 2019 - August 23, 2019 at 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief – August 22, 2019 at All Day
Overcomer: Opening Day – August 23, 2019 at All Day
Flames of Revival Rally: Encounter with Jesus – August 23, 2019 - August 25, 2019 at 6:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Traditional Hymn Singing – August 25, 2019 at 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Switchfoot – August 26, 2019 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Association of Christian Clubs at UBC Prayer & Commissioning Night – August 28, 2019 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Newsboys United – August 28, 2019 at 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm

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Around Town: Love My City, St. Paul’s book, Crystal Mall, The Missing Project

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