Around Town: St. Mark's for sale, 40 Days for Life, marijuana, apologetics . . .

St. Mark’s is on the market for just under $12 million.

Kitsilano needs many more churches, but it will have one less when the sale of St. Mark’s Anglican Church goes through – or at least one less church building. While it is true that the churches can survive, even thrive, without buildings, nothing speaks to Christian presence in a community like the solid presence of a building.

Local media reported February 19 that the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster is selling the St. Mark’s property at 2nd and Larch in the midst of Kitsilano for $12 million ($11,998,000).

An article by Kevin Griffin in The Vancouver Sun said:

Rev. Richard Leggett said the diocese has a number of vacant properties where congregations have declined to the point that they can no longer sustain the building.

The diocese looked at them all to determine which ones it would sell and which ones it would keep in case it ever re-established an Anglican ministry on any of the sites.

“St. Mark’s was one of those properties which we determined that it was highly unlikely that we would ever re-establish an Anglican congregation in that location,” he said by phone.

Leggett is chair of the trustees at St. Mark’s. He’s also the priest at St. Faith’s Anglican Church at 57^th and East Boulevard in Vancouver. . . .

Leggett said other Anglican Church properties for sale in Metro Vancouver include St. Edward in Richmond, St. Margaret of Scotland in Burnaby and St. Monica’s in Horseshoe Bay.

Tenth Church Kitsilano – which is one of four sites of Tenth Church in Vancouver – has been meeting at St. Mark’s.

Betty MacLeod, executive director of Tenth Church, said during a phone conversation, “We have enjoyed being able to be at St. Mark’s for the past three years.” Taking note of the media coverage, she added that the leadership at Tenth Church will address the situation with the congregations this Sunday.

Three years ago, I wrote Vancouver’s lost churches, pointing out:

Looking just at the City of Vancouver (not Metro Vancouver) I found that 20 Vancouver church properties listed in the directories have been sold off by a range of denominations. Some of the buildings are intact, now housing mosques, temples, gurdwaras and synagogues. Others are long gone, replaced by houses or apartments. In some cases, the congregation carried on in another location. In others, the group merged with another congregation or disbanded.

I noted that five Kitsilano properties were lost to the broader church between 1989 and 2014:

Across the street from St. Mark’s is an apartment block where Kitsilano United Church used to be.

* formerly: Kitsilano United Church; now: apartment block
1824 Larch Street (across the street from St. Mark’s)

* formerly: Salvation Army: Kitsilano; now: housing
2309 West 10th Avenue (west of Arbutus)

* formerly: Kitsilano Bible Church; now: housing
1415 Maple Street (north of Cornwall, in Kits Point)

* formerly: Holy Trinity Anglican Church; now: apartment building
2601 Pine Street (west of Granville at 10th) – the church now meets at 12th & Hemlock

* formerly: St. James United Church; now: St. James Community Square
3214 West 10th Avenue (between MacDonald and Alma) – actually sold in 2016

Last spring I posted a story about another lost Kits church property. Westpointe Christian Church sold its building (on 12th, just east of MacDonald) to a developer. For the time being, City Life Church Vancouver is a tenant of the building.

This is not a good trend. Is it too much to hope that denominations which own church properties would find a way either to sell to other denominations, at an affordable price, or to develop projects which include church space, as have Oakridge Lutheran, Oakridge United and Vancouver Chinese Presbyterian (all near 41st and Cambie), Central Presbyterian and First Baptist (in the downtown core) and others? Or? Surely there must be creative ways to retain church properties for the good of the broader church.

40 Days for Life

People are signing up for the 40 Days for Life vigil, which is taking place at from February 14 to March 25 at 32nd and Willow, just south of BC Children’s Hospital.

Organizers describe it this way:

40 Days for Life is a community-based campaign that takes a determined, peaceful approach to showing local communities the consequences of abortion in their own neighbourhoods, for their own friends and families. It puts into action a desire to cooperate with God in the carrying out of his plan for the end of abortion.

Go here for a video which explains the purpose of 40 Days for Life.

Let’s Talk Marijuana

Like it or not, marijuana use is becoming more socially –- and soon legally – acceptable. So indoubt, a ministry of Back to the Bible Canada, will host Let’s Talk Marijuana, tonight (February 22) at the Clova Theatre in Cloverdale.

Three speakers – Dr. John Neufeld (Bible teacher of Back to the Bible Canada), Dr. Mark Ward (co-author of Can I Smoke Pot? Marijuana in Light of Scripture) and Dr. Lucinda McQuarrie (family doctor) – will address questions such as these:

* What is the Christian perspective on marijuana?

* Is it okay to smoke pot recreationally?

* What about using marijuana for medicinal purposes?

* Is ingesting pot similar to drinking alcohol?

The presentations will be followed by a live Q&A panel with the speakers.

Christianity or Secular Humanism?

Ian Bushfield

Westside Church will host an event in cooperation with Apologetics Canada next Wednesday (February 28).

Ian Bushfield, executive director of the BC Humanist Association will brave the church environment to talk with Dr. Andy Bannister, director of Solas Centre for Public Christianity on this topic: Is Christianity or Secular Humanism a Better Foundation for Human Rights?

Organizers frame the conversation in this way:

Women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, right to life of the unborn – there is no shortage of causes vying for our attention. Underlying all such causes is the concept of human rights. Which worldview provides a better foundation for it – Christianity or Secular Humanism?

Andy Bannister

Don’t miss this opportunity to engage your mind and think about an important topic that impacts us all!

This event will be something of a warm-up for the major Apologetics Conference at Northview Community Church in Abbotsford March 2 – 3.

Bannister will debate another humanist, Justin Trottier, on a similar topic, ‘Foundations for Human Rights.’ Other speakers include Andy Steiger, Dr. Felicia Wu Song, Dr. Derek Schuurman, Dr. Paul Chamberlain, Michelle Tepper and Dr. Matthew Dickerson.

Feb 2018

Let's Talk Marijuana (indoubt:live) – February 22, 2018 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Rise (Worship Leader Training) Conference 2018 – February 23, 2018 - February 24, 2018 at 6:30 pm - 2:30 pm
One Game = One Giant Step of Youth – February 23, 2018 at 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm
The Bible: Why We Can Trust It – February 24, 2018 at 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Workshop: Songs of Justice, Songs of Freedom, Songs of Hope – February 24, 2018 at 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Flavours of Hope: Pop-Up Community Dinner – February 24, 2018 at 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Vancouver Cantata Singers: Cantus Missae - Rheinberger and the Romantics – February 24, 2018 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Spirit(us): An Evening with Kiya Tabassian – February 24, 2018 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Concert: Songs of Justice, Songs of Freedom, Songs of Hope – February 25, 2018 at 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Jazz Vespers – February 25, 2018 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Jazz Vespers with Roma Swing Trio – February 25, 2018 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Jazz Vespers: Olaf DeShield – February 25, 2018 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Income Tax Ministry (Tuesdays & Saturdays) – February 27, 2018 - April 24, 2018 at 9:30 am - 2:00 pm
David S. Robinson: Protestantism without Reformation – Bonhoeffer's View of the North American Churches – February 28, 2018 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Chaplains Connect – February 28, 2018 at 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Is Christianity or Secular Humanism a Better Foundation for Human Rights? – February 28, 2018 at 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Jazz Evensong: The Miles Black Trio – February 28, 2018 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Jazz Evensong: Heather Soles & Friends – February 28, 2018 at 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm

Mar 2018

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1 comment for “Around Town: St. Mark’s for sale, 40 Days for Life, marijuana, apologetics . . .”

Loretta says:

March 4, 2018 at 1:38 pm

Flyn, your blog is very interesting indeed and I’m thankful I stumbled across it today. Dr. John Neufeld mentioned above was our pastor at Willingdon Church for 8 years and we were sad when he moved on. I’m glad to see he is involved in such deep subjects. I myself hate the smell of “weed” and tremble to think what will happen to society when it is legal. Thank you for your informative posts. God bless.

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