First United has long been a steady and welcoming presence in the Downtown Eastside for the homeless and poor, first as a church and more recently as a community centre and social service provider. Now First United Community Ministry has…
Thomas Schirrmacher will take over leadership of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) next March from Bishop Efraim Tendero, who in turn succeeded Geoff Tunnicliffe, who lives in Metro Vancouver. Following is the first part of a November 5 interview from…
“We are in a housing crisis, but without the heart component people don’t stay long in housing.” Jenny Konkin used to focus more on finding housing for homeless people in the Downtown Eastside, but she has refined her views: When…
What if the churches of the Lower Mainland could help to significantly reduce homelessness and provide affordable housing? That is the question organizations like Co:Here Housing, the Nest and Catalyst have been asking over the past five years. As director…
Canada Cares is working hard to “bridge the gap between Canadians’ charitable actions and government support.” Organizers describe themselves as “Canadians who care about the charitable sector.” Several partners are based in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, including Journey…
Dr. Bonnie Henry has again stated her appreciation for the role of faith leaders during the pandemic. During her October 26 statement, which announced new restrictions on private gatherings, she said: With COVID in our communities, having large gatherings in…
Poet-priest Malcolm Guite is chaplain and teacher at the University of Cambridge, but also teaches at Regent College. He wrote this piece for his regular Poet’s Corner column in Church Times (October 23). As I walked George and Zara on…
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,…
There have been no dramatic shifts since I posted ‘BC election: NDP has comfortable lead, two groups encourage careful scrutiny’ two weeks ago. The BC NDP remain well in front, though the race has tightened a bit, and those groups…
Ten years ago to the day I was seated with well over 4,000 delegates from 198 nations at the Third Lausanne Congress for World Evangelization in Cape Town. Christianity Today described Cape Town 2010 as the most representative gathering of…