In the 15 years I’ve been helping churches and municipalities engage with one another, I’ve never been more hopeful that genuine dialogue is keenly desired on both sides of the table – nor more convinced that time is running out…
Jonathan Bird has been working on a unique project with the City of Vancouver and is offering an opportunity to inform how the Christian community and the City interact in future for the common good. Read his article and look…
In late November, the City of Vancouver released the Housing Vancouver Strategy to replace its Housing and Homelessness Strategy (2012-2021). Despite having exceeded several of the key targets it had established for this midway point in that 10-year plan, city…
Church-goers know the many benefits of participating in a congregation. Outsiders might not be convinced – and sometimes even feel that churches (mosques, synagogues, temples) are parasitic and should be paying taxes. Now there is a good way to assess the…
ReImagine Vancouver (December 2 – 3) is “designed for leaders and practitioners who are starting something new, revitalizing the local church through new expressions and deepening their church’s faithful presence in their neighbourhood.” Leading the way at St. Andrew’s Hall…
Jonathan Bird wrote about the year-long Vancouver Consultation process for the national Faith Today magazine. Vancouver is rightly celebrated for being one of the most liveable urban regions in the world. Yet Vancouver’s very success has contributed to profound spiritual…
The Vancouver Consultation kicked off in January and February by bringing together pastors and non-profit executives into nine focus groups based on which part of the City of Vancouver they ministered in. Out of the 309 congregations and 122…
A new book and a just-released study offer some fascinating insights into the positive role of religion in Toronto – and suggest some avenues for exploring the role and value of local congregations in Vancouver. Revisiting ‘Toronto the Good’ demonstrates…
Half a dozen local pastors and ministry leaders got a glimpse into a unique urban ministry in Manchester, England last week. We spent almost a week with Andy Hawthorne and members of The Message, which works with young people in…
It has been quite a few years since Debra Fieguth lived in Vancouver, but I know she retained a good number of friends here – and many more will remember her from her days as editor of BC Christian News.…