Around Town: The New Vancouver, Responding to Primates, Freedom Singer

Your Future Home: Creating the New Vancouver will be at the Museum of Vancouver from January 21.

Housing affordability, urban density, mobility and public spaces – these are among the most pressing issues facing the citizens of Vancouver right now. And they are the subject of Your Future Home: Creating the New Vancouver, an exhibition being hosted by the Museum of Vancouver (MOV) and the Vancouver Urbanarium Society from January 21 to May 16.

Naoibh O’Connor wrote about it in the Vancouver Courier:

Imagine a 2,500-foot-high tower downtown that takes a street grid 90 degrees so it points upward, or a series of elevated public parks on the upper levels of buildings, or parks on barges that could be moved around the city.

These are among ideas – some a bit tongue-in-cheek – dreamed up by architects and urban designers from around the region in the Future Scenarios portion of the [exhibition] . . . the show isn’t meant to offer “magic bullets” to solve complex political problems.

“The agenda here isn’t that we want to propose specific solutions. The agenda simply is, here are some of the issues. One of the great challenges in urban design is our attention span is often short-term and immediate and the core issues about how we build a city do take time to develop,” [Vancouver architect Bruce Haden, co-curator of the Future Scenarios part of the exhibit] said.

The timing of the exhibit is good, in a couple of ways. First, it is a nice complement to the Regent Exchange Churches and the Housing Crisis January 27 evening (see accompanying story). But it can also be taken in very cheaply, on the 23rd, when Winter Wander allows you to visit five Vanier Park (Kitsilano) museums for just $5.

Skelton ‘saddened’ by Primates’ actions

Bishop Melissa Skelton

Melissa Skelton, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster, released a statement January 16 responding to a decision by the Primates (the chief bishops or archbishops of the 38 provinces of the Anglican Communion) January 11 – 15 in Canterbury:

As we all hear about the actions of the Primates in calling for a three-year moratorium on The Episcopal [American Anglican] Church’s participation in the committees and structures of the Anglican Communion, many in Canada are wondering what this action means for us and for our brothers and sisters in The Episcopal Church and throughout the Communion.

For a communiqué from the Primates’ meeting itself go here. The Episcopal News Service described the Primates’ decision in this way:

Expressing their unanimous desire to walk together, the primates said that their call comes in response to the decision by the Episcopal Church’s General Convention last July to change canonical language that defines marriage as being between a man and a woman (Resolution A036) and authorize two new marriage rites with language allowing them to be used by same-sex or opposite-sex couples (Resolution A054).

Saying she wanted to hear more from Canadian Primate Fred Hiltz before making any comments, Skelton did offer these thoughts in the meantime:

I am profoundly saddened by the Primates’ actions. While I understand that the recommended moratorium did not, as some feared, attempt to sunder the bond between the [Anglican] Communion and the Episcopal Church, it did call to remove them from some of the diverse conversations that, for me, are at the heart of Anglicanism. “We are a community of conversation and, at times, disagreement,” an Anglican friend once told me. My wish is that our conversations together continue with all parts of the Communion at the table.

Our work together in our diocese goes on. We continue to work together on the development of our parishes; we continue to work together on our engagement with indigenous peoples; we continue to work together on our relationships with each other; we continue to work on the enactment of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our kinship with those in need and our acts of compassion towards them and towards the earth, itself. We continue to do this work together regardless of where we stand on the Primates’ recommendation or on the potential change to the marriage canon, which will be discussed at our upcoming 2016 General Synod.

I want to assure all LGTBQ people in our diocese as well as their families and friends that the Diocese of New Westminster continues to honour both the presence and contributions of LGTBQ people in our churches. While the Primates’ decision may be painful, please know that in baptism God secures both our identity and our unity with one another in Christ. Nothing can take this away.

The issues Bishop Skelton refers to have been divisive in Vancouver’s Christian community, as much as anywhere in the world. Pray for her and for the Anglican churches in Vancouver.

Khari McClelland: Freedom Singer

Khari McClelland

Khari McClelland, who is a member of Vancouver-based gospel group The Sojourners, retraced the steps his great-great-great grandmother once traveled on the Underground Railroad.

Based on her story and the songs that inspired slaves who took the secret routes into Canada between 1840 and 1860, McClelland and many fellow musicians performed Freedom Singer: A special Toque Sessions concert on the evening of January 19 at the CBC Vancouver Broadcast Centre.

Go here for more of the story and to hear the full concert.

Earthkeepers: Divestment

Earthkeepers: Christians for Climate Change is cautiously optimistic about moves towards divestment in Canada. They say:

Any clues as to what’s the relationship between the City of Victoria, the Canadian Medical Association, and the Anglican Church of Ottawa?

Although very different in nature, these are three Canadian institutions that have taken up the call to divest by pulling their investment funds away from the coal, oil and gas industries.

Divestment will not the end of the climate problem, by any means. But in the past it has been a proven pursuit that contributed to meaningful change. . . . the call to divest is a boycott of sorts that chips away the social and moral license of fossil fuel companies to continue to operate in the way they have been.

Go here for the full comment. For a different perspective, read this comment by Winnipeg business professor Craig Martin in the most recent issue of Faith Today.

Jan 2016

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – January 18, 2016 - January 25, 2016 at All Day
January Lecture Series 2016 (weekdays) – January 21, 2016 - January 26, 2016 at 9:30 am - 10:30 am
Supervise: A Helping Professions Workshop – January 21, 2016 at 9:30 am - 5:00 pm
Grand Opening and Dedication of the Mennonite Heritage Museum – January 22, 2016 at 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Laudato Si After Paris, COP 21: Our Mission for a Healthy Planet – January 22, 2016 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: New Westminster – January 22, 2016 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Zaac Pick – January 22, 2016 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Seventh Annual Improv Comedy Benefit – January 22, 2016 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
God: Closer Than We Can Imagine – January 23, 2016 at 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
The Joy of Preaching with Will Willimon – January 23, 2016 at 10:00 am - 12:30 pm
The Daniel Plan – January 23, 2016 at 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Vancouver Chamber Choir: The Maestro's Art - The National Conductors' Symposium Concert – January 23, 2016 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Jazz Vespers: Jennifer Hodge Group – January 24, 2016 at 4:00 pm - 6:15 pm
The Sanctuary: A Christian View on Physician-Assisted Suicide (part two) – January 24, 2016 at 6:45 pm - 8:30 pm
The Throwdown and Legacy One Present: Slam Poetry – January 24, 2016 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
The Grenz Lectures 2016, with Dr. William Willimon: The Trinity and Missional Leadership – January 25, 2016 at 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Rethinking Our Relationship to Land (part one) – January 25, 2016 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Sam Rocha: Atheism, Doubt and the Search for God (Monday evenings) – January 25, 2016 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
The Grenz Lectures 2016, with Dr. William Willimon: Ministry as Missional Leadership – January 25, 2016 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Women's event with Connally Gilliam – January 26, 2016 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Sarah Stewart-Kroeker: Delivering on the Promise of Happiness: Augustine, Beauty & Morality – January 27, 2016 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Churches and the Housing Crisis – January 27, 2016 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
The Masked Saint (at several theatres) – January 27, 2016 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Jazz Evensong: Glenn Chatten – January 27, 2016 at 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Go! Conference – January 28, 2016 - January 31, 2016 at All Day
Missions Fest Fundraising Banquet – January 28, 2016 at 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Missions Fest Film Festival 2016 – January 29, 2016 - January 31, 2016 at All Day
Missions Fest Vancouver – January 29, 2016 - January 31, 2016 at All Day
Lori-Anne Boutin-Crawford: 'Psalms for a Hopeful Heart' CD Release Concert – January 29, 2016 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
UBC Alzheimer Update – January 30, 2016 at 12:00 am
Open Mind Eyes Heart: Premier Screening (at Missions Fest Film Festival) – January 30, 2016 at 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
True Compassion: A Workshop on How to Respond to Physician Assisted Suicide in Canada – January 30, 2016 at 12:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Matt Maher: The Saints & Sinners Tour, with Chris McClarney – January 30, 2016 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Eagle Rock Gospel Singers with guests Lovecoast – January 30, 2016 at 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Feb 2016

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Around Town: The New Vancouver, Responding to Primates, Freedom Singer

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