Be prepared for changes to provincial guidelines for worship services. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix held a telephone town hall with about 120 religious leaders Wednesday afternoon (November 10). While they were clear no…
Members of Fraser Lands Church in southeast Vancouver have been making regular trips to help the people of Lytton and nearby Indigenous communities. Residents in and around Lytton were evacuated from their homes when the village was burned to the…
The provincial government has purchased a seniors home in Chinatown in order to prevent residents from being evicted. Housing Minister David Eby stated April 23: This has been a difficult time for the seniors at Grace Seniors Home. We understand…
For the current issue of InCommon, Jonathan Bird, church relations specialist for Union Gospel Mission, interviewed Dave Harder. Jonathan Bird: Dave, before moving to Ottawa and founding Parish Properties, you were co-pastoring a congregation here in Vancouver. Did that experience…
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…
“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…
Last Sunday (September 20) was a momentous day for three Vancouver churches. All closed their doors, but each will retain a presence, though in quite distinct ways. Bethlehem Lutheran Pastor Fred Rink led a decommissioning service for Bethlehem Lutheran Church,…
There is a lot of good will between most churches in Metro Vancouver, most of the time. And several ecumenical initiatives (More Than Gold, Voices Together, the Vancouver Consultation, for example) have drawn the Christian community closer in various ways.…
A couple of years ago, my family and I walked a few blocks to our church to take part in its annual Christmas lunch. The cross-section of people in attendance was remarkable: middle-class families from our church, older homeless men…