UBC urban geography professor David Ley will lead a Postmodern Urban Spaces Tour this weekend.
If you live in Vancouver, but still feel you’ve got a lot to learn about what makes the city tick, why not join UBC urban geography prof David Ley on his patented Postmodern Urban Spaces Tour this Saturday (July 18)? I understand there are still seats left on the bus, but you have to sign up by 11 am Friday.
Organizers describe the tour this way:
Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how to read cities by their urban landscape, using Vancouver as a model. The concepts of postmodernity and pluralism will be given concrete form as we study the development of various urban spaces, and will enable us to gain insight into the city as a mission field.
The charter bus will begin at Regent College at 9:30 am and will travel through Westside neighbourhoods to Downtown, through Gastown, the Downtown Eastside, Chinatown, Granville Island, Fairview Slopes, Shaughnessy, Oakridge and then return to Regent by 1:00 pm.
Ley, who has led similar outings many times over the years, answered some questions about the tour on Regent College’s website:
1. What can a city’s urban landscape tell us about that city’s social values?
DL: A city’s landscape is like a book. It can be read and interpreted to understand the story (or stories) of important values and groups in the society of the time. The tour aims to teach people to read the landscape, which adds to our enjoyment of urban life.
2. Vancouver has been blamed for not doing the greatest job of preserving its heritage architecture. The result is a stunning postmodern cityscape, with few historical neighbourhoods. Do you think this is a problem?
DL: In light of weak heritage planning, it is surprising that so much heritage still remains in old neighbourhoods we will see on the tour like the Downtown Eastside (the poorest district) and Shaughnessy (the wealthiest).
Go here for the full interview.
Block Parties, Community Days . . .
It has been a pleasure to see how many block parties and other community events are taking place this summer.
This Saturday (July 18), for example, Vancouver Chinese Alliance Church (VCAC) on Knight Street will be hosting a Community Day featuring “balloons, 22 foot slide, bouncy castles, face painting, plant workshop, Kidz Swap Meet, health and wellness booths, Canadian Blood Services, A Rocha: Environmental Stewardship, ImpactBC: Ministry of Health, Cantonese and Mandarin food tasting, popcorn, cotton candy, hot dogs and much more!”
Next weekend (July 25), the other VCAC church – Fraser Lands in southeast Vancouver – will also host a Community Day.
There are too many such events to name them all, but here are a few that have come to my attention recently:
Pastor Fred Rink spent the afternoon making balloon animals for children at Bethlehem Lutheran Church’s July 4 block party.
* a block party on the street in front of Bethlehem Lutheran Church July 4 (the congregation also had a presence at Main Street Car Free Day June 21);
* Killarney Park MB Church held a Canada Day Block Party July 4;
* Knox United Church celebrated the 90th birthday of the United Church of Canada with a community lunch June 10;
* Reality Church hosted a 19th Avenue block party June 6;
* a neighbourhood outreach at St. Thomas Anglican Church just east of Victoria Drive on 41st Avenue May 31.
As well, of course, there are soccer camps, day camps, theatre camps, Vacation Bible Schools and all manner of other community-building events going on all over Metro Vancouver.
Soccer champs
Congratulations to the three winning soccer teams in the BC Christian Soccer League: Northside beat New Life (my church, sadly) to take the First Division title; Southgate took the Second Division title from Cariboo Road; and North Shore Alliance B won over Cloverdale FC in the Third Division.
Finals took place July 10 at the Burnaby Lake fields. Congratulations to all participants, and to the league organizers for all the work they put in each year.
Douglas Todd on Gretta Vosper
Gretta Vosper is a United Church minister who is also an atheist.
Vancouver Sun blogger Douglas Todd wrote a good comment recently about atheist United Church minister Gretta Vosper:
To most non-United Church of Canada members who have followed the peculiar case of the semi-famous Rev. Gretta Vosper, it’s a no-brainer.
Why on earth, outsiders ask, would a Christian church allow someone who has long been an outspoken atheist to remain in the clergy? . . .
Just as outspoken Vosper should do the honourable thing and leave the United Church, so too should the more secretive clergy who won’t declare they really are atheist, mainly because they don’t want to lose their gig in a denomination in danger of becoming The Church of Niceness.
I visited Vosper’s West Hill United Church (in a Toronto suburb) twice last summer, just to see if what I’d heard could be true. It is, unfortunately. Describing herself as a progressive, she preaches a palatable (at first taste) gospel which, if swallowed, would ensure the death of the church.
Perspectives in a week
“Perspectives is not so much a course, as it is a movement. involving tens of thousands of God’s people throughout the world finding their niche in God’s overall purpose to bless the nations.” So say the organizers, and they’re right – it can change the way you think of missions and how God is reaching the world.
A special week-long intensive version of Perpectives on the World Christian Movement will be held at Willingdon Church July 24 – 31. It’s worth the time and money.
Jul 2015
Steve Bell & Pierce Pettis Live in Concert at Regent College – July 16, 2015 at 7:30 pm - 10:30 pmBC Christian Ashram Retreat – July 17, 2015 - July 19, 2015 at All Day
Harrison Gospel Chapel Art Exhibit – July 17, 2015 - July 19, 2015 at All Day
David Ley: Postmodern Urban Spaces - an Urban Tour – July 18, 2015 at 9:30 am - 1:00 pm
Soccer Skills Camp (ages 5 - 8) – July 18, 2015 at 9:30 am - 11:30 am
VCAC Community Day: For the Beauty of the Earth – July 18, 2015 at 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Soccer Skills Camp (ages 9 - 11) – July 18, 2015 at 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
ICEJ 35th Anniversary Celebration – July 18, 2015 at 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Singspiration Saturday: VOS Open Choral Session – July 18, 2015 at 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm
ICEJ 35th Anniversary Celebration – July 19, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Athletes in Action: Peace Portal Alliance Church Soccer Camp – July 20, 2015 at 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
High Power Soccer Camp – July 20, 2015 at 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Aspire Musical Arts Camp – July 20, 2015 at 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
FLO Summer Soccer Camp (ages 9 - 15) – July 20, 2015 at 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Women in the New Testament and How Their Lives Matter Today – July 20, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Daniel Block: The Ten Commandments - the World's First Bill of Rights – July 20, 2015 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Regen: James Fam & Regen Band – July 22, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Jonathan Chaplin: Public Theology - Coming to a Street Near You – July 22, 2015 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Jazz Evensong: Steve Kaldestad – July 22, 2015 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
L'Arche Vancouver: The Art Together Project – July 23, 2015 at All Day
North Korean Art – July 23, 2015 - July 24, 2015 at All Day
Sam Rocha: Three Sets – July 23, 2015 at 8:30 pm - 11:30 pm
L'Arche Vancouver: Canada Life Softball Tournament – July 24, 2015 at All Day
Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: Summer Intensive – July 24, 2015 at 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Summer Nightslide Concert: Hosted by The Russ Rosen Band – July 24, 2015 at 8:00 pm - 11:55 pm
VCAC Fraser Lands Community Day – July 25, 2015 at 11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Steve Delamar Band – July 25, 2015 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Whitecaps Faith Night 2015 – July 26, 2015 at 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Dr. Michael Goheen: Introduction to World Religions – July 26, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Summer Social with Russ Rosen Band and Rob Taylor – July 26, 2015 at 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Athletes in Action: Richmond Baptist Church Soccer Camp – July 27, 2015 at 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Soccer Camp – July 27, 2015 at 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
David Fitch: Eucharist on the Move - Shaping a Church for God's Mission in the World – July 27, 2015 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
A Rocha: Are You a Survivor? – July 29, 2015 at 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Regen: Sergio Najarro – July 29, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
David Kim: Exilic Discipleship - a New Paradigm for Discipling Millennials – July 29, 2015 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Jazz Evensong: The Noah Franche-Nolan Trio – July 29, 2015 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Godspell – July 30, 2015 - August 1, 2015 at All Day
Roger Feldman: Remnant Future – July 30, 2015 at All Day
Mozart's Don Giovanni – July 31, 2015 - August 2, 2015 at All Day
A Rocha: Farm Day for Kids – July 31, 2015 at 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Aug 2015
Praise Fest – August 1, 2015 at All DayDr. Michael Goheen: Introduction to World Religions – August 2, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Athletes in Action: Southside Community Church Soccer Camp – August 4, 2015 - August 7, 2015 at 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Sanctuary's Coach Recruiting Session – August 4, 2015 at 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
'Shining with Divine Light': Making a Jesus Prayer Rope Workshop – August 4, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Business By the Book: Dr. Peter Chung – August 5, 2015 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Regen: Todd Lueck & City Life Church Band – August 5, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Early Music Vancouver: Pergolesi's Stabat Mater – August 5, 2015 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Jazz Evensong: LJ Mounteney – August 5, 2015 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
The Global Leadership Summit – August 6, 2015 - August 7, 2015 at 12:00 am
The Global Leadership Summit – August 6, 2015 - August 7, 2015 at All Day
Hymn Playing Workshop – August 6, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Sam Rocha: Three Sets – August 6, 2015 at 8:30 pm - 11:30 pm
The Tourist Company – August 7, 2015 at 8:45 pm - 10:00 pm
OMF Open House and Potluck – August 8, 2015 at 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm
The Tourist Company – August 8, 2015 at 6:00 pm - 6:45 pm
Strings of Hope – August 8, 2015 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Seeds of Hope Youth Choir from Zambia – August 9, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Athletes in Action: Pacific Grace Soccer Camp – August 10, 2015 - August 14, 2015 at 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Athletes in Action: White Rock Baptist Church Soccer Camp – August 10, 2015 - August 14, 2015 at 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Seeds of Hope Youth Choir from Zambia – August 10, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Kickers Soccer School (Ages 3 - 5) – August 11, 2015 - August 15, 2015 at 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Kickers Soccer School (Ages 5 - 14) – August 11, 2015 - August 15, 2015 at 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
You are Not for Sale – August 11, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Regen: Mike Bidell & Daylight Worship – August 12, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Jazz Evensong: Darlene Ketchum – August 12, 2015 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Seeds of Hope Youth Choir from Zambia – August 13, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Cebu Clergy Performing Artists – August 14, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Seeds of Hope Youth Choir from Zambia – August 14, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Summer Nightslide Concert: Hosted by The Russ Rosen Band – August 14, 2015 at 8:00 pm - 11:55 pm
Ten White Trucks – August 15, 2015 at All Day
A Rocha Summer BBQ – August 15, 2015 at 4:00 pm - 9:30 pm
The Tourist Company – August 15, 2015 at 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Armenian Genocide Centennial Event: Concert – August 15, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Cebu Clergy Performing Artists – August 15, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Royal Heirs in Concert – August 15, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Cebu Clergy Performing Artists – August 16, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm