Around Town: Son of a Preacherman, Laurel Gasque: Artway, Centre Church

Pacific Theatre Artistic Director Kaitlin Williams said it has been hard to get people out to theatre productions since the pandemic.

Speaking with Stuart Derdeyn of The Vancouver Sun, she said that was part of the appeal in hosting Ins Choi: Son of a Preacherman.

The article notes:

Having the world premiere of a new work by one of the big names in Canadian theatre is a real score.

“To convince people to get out of the house and up off the couch to come and show up at a show seems to need to be an event in some way,” she said.

“It doesn’t need to be a huge spectacle, but having a name in Canadian culture like Ins on stage, with live music and a premiere is sort of that secret sauce you look for.”

Ins Choi, who created Kim’s Convenience – the ground-breaking play which led to the popular TV series – will be telling something of his own story in Ins Choi: Son of a Preacherman at Pacific Theatre April 2 – 13.

As PT describes it:

Writer and performer Ins Choi returns to the PT stage to share his songs and stories found at the intersection of his faith and art. Told with whimsy, humour and heart, the creator of Kim’s Convenience riffs on Bible stories, his creative process and growing up in a Korean church as the only begotten son of the head pastor.

Kaitlin Williams is directing Ins Choi: Son of a Preacherman. Photo: Kristine Cofsky

Williams, who is directing the play, pointed to some interesting background / common ground in the production:

I’m a pastor’s kid, [musician/actor Ben Elliott] is a pastor’s kid and [musical director/actor/musician Haneul Yi’s] parents are missionaries.

Another reason Pacific Theatre is happy to welcome Choi is that his connections to Pacific Theatre run deep.

Writing to his Soul Food podcast supporters this week, Artistic Director Emeritus of Pacific Theatre Ron Reed said:

We first saw Ins in 2014 when he brought his off-the-wall under-the-ground ‘slam poet meets Old Testament prophet’ one-man-show Subway Stations Of The Cross. Stage presence! Oh man. At the top of the show the houselights didn’t even lower when he slips just inside the stage door, doesn’t say a word, and the entire audience goes silent. And stayed that intensely focused right to the end.

In 2018 a completely different flavour; the play Ins wrote for the Toronto Fringe that became a smash hit TV comedy and a huge audience favourite at Pacific Theatre, Kim’s Convenience. Well, Ins has been working with PT’s Artistic Director Kaitlin Williams to craft a show especially conceived for our audience, and it’s selling like crazy.

Get a ticket now. I’m not kidding.

Ticket sales are going very well, so it would indeed be best to get a move on.

An April 2 interview with Stephen Quinn on CBC Radio’s Early Edition offers a surprisingly positive view of church:

And what denomination was your family part of?

It was non-denominational at first. My dad moved to Toronto in 1975 with us. I was one year old, and I think technically it was non-denominational, but then after a while it became technically evangelical free. I feel like all Korean churches kind of feel the same.

What was it like growing up in that space?

Pretty great. The church I went to is called Toronto Korean Bethel Church, an immigrant church. Many immigrant churches are usually a hub for the community. Now, it’s maybe a little different, but back in the 70s, the Korean churches in Korean communities were the community centre, the language school, Taekwondo classes, history, Korean history classes – all of that would happen. . . .

Go here for the full interview, which includes more on the way in which Choi and Williams collaborated on the stories and songs in the play.

Laurel Gasque: ArtWay

Laurel Gasque was a strong proponent of the arts.

I had already been planning to write about Laurel Gasque and her role in ArtWay when I heard that she had passed away.

She, with her husband Ward, were “key founders” of Regent College, as the school’s notice of her memorial service (March 27 at Granville Chapel) noted:

Many members of Regent’s community knew Laurel, and understand how deeply she loved Regent and how much she contributed in many ways over many decades.

The College’s atrium is named in honour of Ward and Laurel, and also Carl and Betsy Armerding, to permanently recognize what these families have done to create our community and establish our traditions of valuing friendship, hospitality, and mentoring.

In particular, Laurel was a pioneer and persistent champion of the arts at Regent. An art historian and author of a book on Hans Rookmaaker, alongside longtime Regent staff member Dal Schindell, she did so much to foster Regent’s vision for serious Christian engagement with the arts.

One way in which her devotion to the arts played out was in her long-term participation in ArtWay:

ArtWay.eu has been hailed “a jewel in the crown of work in Christianity and the arts.” Founded in 2009 by Marleen Hengelaar-Rookmaaker, the daughter of the renowned art historian, Hans Rookmaaker, ArtWay publishes materials and resources for scholars, artists, art enthusiasts and congregations concerned about linking art and faith. In 2023, ArtWay came under the custodianship of the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge.

The Kirby Laing Centre seeks to develop Christian research that is rooted in spirituality and practised in community. Our goal is to preserve the legacy of ArtWay and build on the highly prized foundation that has already been laid.

I noted that partnership last fall, pointing out that Gasque – who was Associate Editor at ArtWay – described “the multifaceted history and legacy of ArtWay” during a September 19 online launch event which introduced the new ArtWay / Kirby Laing partnership.

Westside to Centre

Westside Church is now Centre Church.

I was confused when I recently received an email from Centre Church – which sounded quite a lot as though it should have been coming from Westside Church. Well, there is a simple explanation, Westside has become Centre.

A March 12 post on their Facebook page stated:

Join us on March 16th as we gather for our first Sunday as Centre Church!

We are Centre Church because Jesus is the centre. He is the centre of our faith and the centre of our very existence. He is the fulcrum of our lives and of His Church. He is the one we seek and the one we worship. As a church we have always said “Jesus is the centre!” and this new name reflects our desire to be devoted to Him and formed in His image.

We are Centre Church because it’s our desire to honour the written word of God as our authority while abiding in the Holy Spirit as our life, being centred between both Word and Spirit.

We believe we have been placed when and where we are not for the sake of a church but for the Church. We are Centre Church because we want to be a place for people from local churches to experience the beautiful and healing dynamic of Jesus’ larger family.

Our new name is a reflection of who we are and who we desire to be, a church centred on Jesus who alone is the source of all life. Join us as we enter this new season together!

Mission Fest 2024 is just one of many community-wide events that have been hosted by Westside (now Central) Church.

Presumably another reason the name change made sense is that the church is so centrally located in the downtown core (across Homer Street from the Central Library.

Also, the rather impressive building was often referred to as ‘The Centre’ even before they moved in.

An article in The MB Herald at time began:

Not all the 1,800 seats were taken in Vancouver’s former Centre for the Performing Arts on launch Sunday, September 29 [2013], but only a few chairs were vacant as Westside Church held its first service downtown, in the heart of the city. “The Centre” is Westside’s new home.

The congregation was being welcomed to the neighbourhood by members of First Baptist, Coastal and Artisan churches. The new church appreciated the welcome because there had been quite a bit of negative comment in the media about a church taking over an established arts centre.

Westside was less than a decade old when it moved downtown:

Westside started as an MB church plant in 2005 in Vancouver’s Kitsilano district. As the new congregation started its services at Fifth Avenue Cinemas, it moved quickly to plant another church (Reality Vancouver) in 2009. Later, it moved to a larger rented venue on nearby Granville Island, and launched a North Vancouver campus in 2012.

Then came an opportunity that [then lead pastor Norm] Funk said Westside would never have thought of “in our wildest dreams.” There was a chance to acquire its own space, because “The Centre” was up for sale.

Centre Church still welcomes many gatherings; on Good Friday they will be joined by Coastal Church, First Baptist and The Way.

Apr 2025

May 2025

Serve Our Schools – May 1, 2025 at 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Religious Diversity in Catholic Schools: Why does it matters to the Church's reconciliation efforts? – May 1, 2025 at 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
An evening of worship through stories & songs: Cynthia Lok – May 2, 2025 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Regent College 2025 Convocation – May 5, 2025 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Spreading the Word – May 10, 2025 at 9:30 am - 3:00 pm
Paul and Women in Leadership – May 13, 2025 at 9:00 am - 10:30 am
Celebrating Archbishop Miller’s 50th Anniversary of Priestly Ordination: Farewell Mass – May 13, 2025 at 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Vancouver School of Theology 2025 Convocation – May 13, 2025 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Meeting – May 14, 2025 - June 7, 2025 at All Day
CONVERGE: A Joint Young Adult Event – May 16, 2025 at 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Day of Renewal: Church Leadership British Columbia – May 22, 2025 at 8:30 am - 3:00 pm
Western Youth Summit – May 24, 2025 at 9:00 am - 9:00 pm
Flourishing: Rediscovering Hope, with Carlos Whittaker – May 24, 2025 at 12:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Pacific Life Bible College May Preview Day – May 26, 2025 at 11:30 am - 4:30 pm
First United 140th Anniversary Golf Tournament – May 26, 2025 at 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Compassion: Thoughtful, Engaged & Generous – May 27, 2025 - May 29, 2025 at 12:00 am
Compassion: Thoughtful, Engaged & Generous: Dr. Terri Givens – Radical Integrity in Leadership: Empathy in Action – May 27, 2025 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Journey Home Community: The Welcome Table – Annual Spring Gala – May 29, 2025 at 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Connection Point 2025: A Night of Worship & Community – May 30, 2025 at 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
The Parenting Conference: Sowing to the Spirit – May 31, 2025 at 8:30 am - 12:00 pm

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Around Town: Son of a Preacherman, Laurel Gasque: Artway, Centre Church

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