July 1 is a big day: 1. Step 3: BC congregations can finally meet again in person, without restrictions; 2. Canada Day ‘celebrations’ are overshadowed by residential school revelations; 3. On a personal (and arguably less significant) note, my summer…
Update: Dr. Bonnie Henry announced about 3:15 pm January 7 that the current restrictions regarding gatherings has been extended until February 5. Will our churches be able to host in-person gatherings and worship services again? We should have the answer…
Every night high-rise dwellers in Vancouver’s downtown core raise a cheer for health care and other frontline workers in the COVID-19 pandemic. The outpouring of goodwill is heartwarming, and illustrates just how widespread are the acts of kindness and the…
Churches are welcoming their neighbours in a variety of ways on Halloween night. Several are opening their building for festivals, fiestas and family nights, while others are moving right out into the community. Here are the church-based events I have…
Jemal Damtawe is well known and respected in the Downtown Eastside as an outreach worker with Union Gospel Mission (UGM). Many will know that he struggled with addictions himself before he overcame them and began helping others on the street.…
Community pastor Simon Gau is asking what could happen if church members chose to intentionally engage their neighbours during Halloween. In a short video on the Broadway Church website, he said: The last standing holiday in our culture today where…
After arriving in Vancouver from Hong Kong in 1976, Marion landed her first job with The Chinese Community Library Services Association in Strathcona, the city’s oldest residential neighbourhood. Then she worked for 30 years as a social worker in Chinatown…
Usually things slow down during summer. Not this week though. We do have the beautiful weather, but we also have a surprisingly full calendar. In what should be a delightful interlude, Image Journal will host Caring for the Culture: Why…
We’re into September so there’s lots going on around Vancouver. Check out the Events calendar. Here are a few highlights this week: Josh Garrels at St. Andrew’s-Wesley I was one of the fortunate souls gathered at Josh Garrels’ Rio Theatre…
As the Conservative government reviews their options to replace the law struck down by the Supreme Court of Canada governing prostitution-related activities, two polarized views of what Canada’s sex trade industry should look like have emerged. One camp believes that…