Around Town: Suitcase Stories, Jordan Klassen, welcome refugees, World Food

Pacific Theatre has re-opened, featuring, first, a play, and then a concert – both with socially distanced seating..

Suitcase Stories

Suitcase Stories only runs until this Sunday (October 25), but there are still tickets for a couple of the shows, as far as I can tell.

Here is the description:

With only her chatty suitcase in tow, Maki leaves her home in South Korea for the vast unknown – Canada. A vulnerable and winsome tale of resilience and self-discovery.

First produced at Pacific Theatre in 2016, Suitcase Stories returns: tale of culture shock, falling in love (with a stage), and the evils of bureaucracy.

ln her playwright’s notes, Maki Yi describes how Suitcase Stories originated as a series of 10-minute monologues performed in Pacific Theatre’s lobby prior to each of the season’s shows during the 2013/2014 season, adding:

And here I am, once again, returning to the birth place of the play, on the very stage where my artistic self calls ‘home,’ despite the imminent threat of the pandemic. I cannot thank enough to the new artistic director, Kaitlin Williams, and the staff and the board of Pacific Theatre, for taking the risk and pioneering for the rebirth of theatre. I am honoured and thrilled to be part of it.

Go here for the full comment.

Tell Me What to Do

Jordan Klassen will celebrate his new album with intimate audiences over a three-night run at Pacific Theatre, November 5 – 7. Here is PT’s write-up:

Vancouver’s own Jordan Klassen celebrates his new album Tell Me What to Do in this very intimate, limited seated concert. Klassen’s unique brand of ‘fairy folk’ has seen him tour around the world, finding a consistent home in the CBC Radio circuit as well as over 10 million streams on Spotify.

For a detailed overview of the album go here.

Shawn Conner interviewed Klassen for The Vancouver Sun early in the summer; here is a portion:

“I want to move in to your house,” Jordan Klassen sings on his new album. The sentiment may be out of step with Bonnie Henry’s plans for Phase 2, but much of the rest of Tell Me What to Do – the followup to his 2017 release Big Intruder – is in keeping with the times, as the 35-year-old singer/songwriter reveals below. . . .

Q: The lyrics and title of the song I Want to Move Into Your House is a bit ironic, given the times. How does the album fit or not fit in with what people are going through?

A: For me, the rest of the album really does fit. There’s a lot of loneliness and millennial identity crises. And I think a lot of people have been confined with that. The questions that I have on the album are almost perpetuated by quarantine.

Q: What are those questions?

A: I think they include, What is the identity that is natural for me versus the self I want to create? There are these two different stories in our culture.

We’re told that there is something in you and in your heart and you should figure out what that is and follow it. The other story is like, no, you can create whoever you want to be. The song Identivacation leans into that idea.

Another question is, Where am I planting my flag? What am I committing to? With the title track, I’m responding to the huge plethora of information being bombarded at us and asking, “What’s true?”

Go here for the full interview.

Welcoming refugees

Welcome the Stranger is a new 68-page “Canadian church guide to welcoming refugees.” The editors included stories and experiences of both first-time sponsors and veteran church groups.

Those involved are a diverse group:

This booklet is the collaborative effort of the Faith-based Sponsorship Agreement Holders Working Group, a partnership facilitated by The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and comprised of sponsorship representatives from its affiliate denominations and ministries.

Several Working Group members serve on the council of the Canadian Refugee Sponsorship Agreement Holders Association and regularly liaise with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

This unique Working Group meets regularly under the banner of our Christian faith. They problem solve, strategize and encourage each other and all Canadians to engage in sponsorship and support of vulnerable refugees worldwide.

Among the featured writers is David Bornman, pastor of West Coast Christian Fellowship and chair of West Coast Christian School (both located near the PNE in east Vancouver).

He wrote:

Over the past 15 years our congregation has become involved in several sponsorships: three men from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, along with a family of four and 12 other individuals; a family of five from Afghanistan; and one person from Iran.

We have found it useful to work with a B.C.-based organization called City of Refuge which is focused on finding sponsors for Christian refugees. They do the paperwork, and the church takes the responsibility.

Officially our church is responsible to the Canadian government for the first 12 months of settlement and financial support. Our church only does this if five families from our congregation form a support team and personally assume the financial responsibility (risk) required for that sponsorship. We have not made sponsorships part of our budget or regular offerings.

The guide offers a really wide range of stories from refugees themselves, from church hosts and from organizations. It also provides links to Christian organizations working with refugees across Canada,

The local ones are:

* Journey Home Community Association (Metro Vancouver)
* Kinbrace Community Society (Metro Vancouver)
* Inasmuch Community Society (Abbotsford)

Go here to see Welcome the Stranger.

TWU grad / WFP win

Several local papers featured this story last week: ‘Working with a Nobel prize-winning agency: a Langley graduate’s experience’:

A Langley graduate who holds a key position with a Nobel Peace Prize-winning agency said it was his encounter with a “messy complicated world” that led him to work for the World Food Programme (WFP).

On Friday, October 9, the Nobel Peace Prize for 2020 was awarded to the WFP for its efforts to combat world hunger and improve conditions for peace in war- torn areas around the world.

Kenn Crossley, a graduate of Langley’s Trinity Western University, works at the WFP headquarters in Rome, Italy as its Director of Cash Transfers, overseeing a program that provides cash and digital assistance to those in need.

“Wars, droughts, hurricanes all too often cause suffering for people who are surrounded by plenty,” said Crossley. “Food, water, shelter and medicines are often right there in the local markets – but they lack the money to buy it.”

Go here for the full article.

Oct 2020

Book Launch with Dr. Matthew J. Thomas – October 22, 2020 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Dialogue on Aging: The Fountain of Health – Practical Tools for Positive Mental Health – October 22, 2020 at 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Suitcase Stories – October 22, 2020 - October 25, 2020 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Operation World Online Family Conference 2020 – October 23, 2020 - October 25, 2020 at All Day
TWU Spartans Sports Leadership Superconference – October 23, 2020 at 8:45 am - 4:00 pm
ARPA Canada Fall Tour 2020: Defending Our Christian Legacy of Liberty – October 23, 2020 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
National Walk and Talk to End Social Isolation – October 24, 2020 at All Day
ARPA Canada Fall Tour 2020: Defending Our Christian Legacy of Liberty – October 24, 2020 at 9:30 am - 11:00 am
M2/W2 Association: Portraits of Change Online Fundraiser – October 24, 2020 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Violence in the Bible: A Conversation with Dr. Matthew Lynch – October 26, 2020 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Mao vs. God: State Control of Churches in China under Xi – October 26, 2020 at 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
InterSession 2020: Finding the Future of Church Planting in Canada – October 27, 2020 - October 28, 2020 at 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Icons: Praying with Our Eyes – October 27, 2020 at 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Community Cafe: How to Have Good Conversations in Community – October 27, 2020 at 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Explore Alpha, with Jason Ballard – October 28, 2020 at 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Earthkeepers: Prayer Night for Bold Climate Action – October 29, 2020 at 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
musica intima: the spirit's dwelling – October 30, 2020 at All Day

Nov 2020

International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church – November 1, 2020 at All Day
Together at Midday: Matthew Lynch – November 4, 2020 at 12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
Boundaries at the Table: A Discussion on Food Programs, COVID and Boundaries – November 4, 2020 at 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Boundaries at the Table: A Discussion on Food Programs, COVID and Boundaries – November 4, 2020 at 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Virtual Book Launch: 'Sarah's Laughter: Doubt, Tears & Christian Hope – November 5, 2020 at 7:00 am - 8:00 am
REVEAL webinars – November 5, 2020 at 5:00 pm - 6:15 pm
Stories from Our Living Rooms: New Hope Fundraising Night – November 5, 2020 at 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
A Taste of Dignity: JustWork’s 14th Annual Fundraiser – November 5, 2020 at 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Jordan Klassen: Tell Me What to Do – November 5, 2020 - November 7, 2020 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
A Seat at the Table: An Event for Men & Women – November 6, 2020 at 8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Community Immersive Leadership Training (3 weeks, Tuesday & Friday evenings) – November 10, 2020 at 6:00 pm - 8:15 pm
Journey Discipleship Course (Tuesday evenings) – November 10, 2020 at 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Fertility and Faith: A Conversation with Philip Jenkins – November 12, 2020 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Being Missional in a Pandemic – November 12, 2020 at 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
A Rocha Talks: Earthkeeping in the City – From backyard composting to electric vehicles – November 12, 2020 at 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Canadian L'Abri Lecture Series: Josh Darsault, "The Medium and Message of the Bible" – November 13, 2020 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Friday Night Reads: Falling: A Wake by Gary Kirkham – November 13, 2020 at 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Faith and Freedom in China – November 14, 2020 at 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
ELO Forum Online – November 16, 2020 at 8:30 am - 12:30 pm
Discernment in Hard Times (Tuesday mornings) – November 17, 2020 at 9:00 am - 10:30 am
Remembering Dr. J.I. Packer – November 18, 2020 at 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Dialogue on Aging: Sleep Health for a COVID-19 World – November 18, 2020 at 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Remembering Dr. J.I. Packer – in Conversation – November 18, 2020 at 1:45 pm - 2:45 pm
John Owen: Protecting Democracy from the Outside – November 18, 2020 at 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Global Apologetics Conference – November 19, 2020 - November 21, 2020 at 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Arresting the Darkness: A Himalayan Life Virtual Gala – November 19, 2020 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Canadian L'Abri Lecture Series: Clarke Scheibe, “The Birds and the Bees, Take 2, Part 2: Biblical Worldview” – November 20, 2020 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Friday Night Reads: The Blood Knot by Athol Fugard – November 20, 2020 at 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
MCC@100: Centennial Celebration – November 21, 2020 at 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Night with the Persecuted Church – November 22, 2020 at 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
EFC Webinar: Understanding the Proposed Conversion Therapy Ban – November 24, 2020 at 9:00 am - 10:00 am
Alpha Webinar: Opportunities for Invitation This Christmas – November 25, 2020 at 9:00 am - 10:00 am
Ideas that Matter: Malcolm Guite – Poetry Pushes Back: The Practical Power of Poetry to Rebalance Our Lives – November 25, 2020 at 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
TWU Live – November 25, 2020 at 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
SENT Conference 2020 (Wednesday evenings) – November 25, 2020 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Broken Signposts: A Conversation with N.T. Wright – November 26, 2020 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Peoples of African Descent & Canadian Churches: A Cross-Canada Conversation – November 26, 2020 at 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Prayer Night for Bold Climate Action: November edition – November 26, 2020 at 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Darrell Johnson: Discipleship and Ministry in this Temporary New Normal – November 27, 2020 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Canadian L'Abri Lecture Series: Donna Hornibrook, former head coach of field hockey at Cornell, “Sports and Faith” – November 27, 2020 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
St. Hildegard's Sanctuary Annual ILLUMINATE Gala – November 27, 2020 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Friday Night Reads: The Mountaintop by Katon Hall – November 27, 2020 at 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
The Church and Affordable Housing, by CityGate Leadership Forum – November 28, 2020 at 10:00 am - 12:45 pm
P2C's Global Missions Night – November 29, 2020 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Fall Online Forum: For the Love of Creation – November 30, 2020 at 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm