Ten years ago Craig Greenfield moved with his wife and kids from the slums of Phnom Penh in Cambodia to Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES). Then they moved back again. Not surprisingly, he’s got quite a story to tell. He gave…
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…
My family moved to our neighbourhood three years ago and began the work of connecting and making our home here. It has been a slow and humbling time. I have been confronted with my own agendas and baggage – a need to…
First Christian Reformed Church of Vancouver (First CRC) welcomed more than a dozen Syrian families – almost 90 people – for a meal and conversation on Easter Monday. The newly-arrived refugees are staying at the 2400 Motel on Kingsway as they…
I’m in love. I was fretful and anxious, but now I’m in love. The context for my emotional bi-polarity has been the Syrian refugee crisis. In my anxious phase I posted a great number of guilt-inducing refugee photos on Facebook.…
Across the nation, Canadians are commemorating Mental Health Week, May 2 – 8. Here Marja Bergen describes the traumatic experience of being stigmatized, and encourages fellow Christians to welcome those – and they are in every church – who experience…
Last week I reported on Inhabit 2016. In this article, hosts Tim Soerens and Christiana Rice comment on the key themes that undergirded that event, and will no doubt be heard more frequently and broadly in the years ahead. If…
“What is a gender neutral washroom?” “When do I go to a clinic and when should I go to a hospital?” “How do I read a menu?” Interesting questions get asked at Broadmoor Baptist Church’s English as a Second Language…
For those who were unable to attend Multiply last week (as I was not, unfortunately), here is a taste of the kind of content offered by one of the three invited speakers, Jeff Vanderstelt, from his new book Saturate. “I’ll…
“This is the next critical step towards reaching our goal of one million Canadians experiencing Alpha.” Shaila Visser, national director of Alpha Canada, introduced the new Alpha Film Series last Thursday evening (April 14) before a full house at Performance…