In late December of 2023 our family was visiting my wife Sakiko’s family at their home in Osaka, Japan. My mother-in-law took us out to dinner at one of her favourite restaurants – Pusan, a Korean restaurant. We all had…
The meaning of Easter
Tag: ken shigematsu
Local books: Healing our shame, fiction, liturgy, violence, fantasy, mental health
I continue to be impressed by the number and quality of books written by local authors. This is my second round-up of 2023 (on books published late last year and early this year). The first is here. This week I…
Two new books: gracious guides through the valley of the shadow of shame
Demotion. The word sent a chill through me after I blinked away the initial shock. One day I was Marketing Director for a tech start-up valued at $60M and the next I was simply a Project Manager. My emotions churned…
Kentro links more than 50 global relief & development groups; now going local
Vancouver pastor and author Ken Shigematsu will address Kentro’s annual conference (May 15 – 17). Here Laura Solberg, Executive Director of Kentro Christian Network, offers some background on an organization whose work is well known internationally, but is thus far…
Around Town: Black History, Red Ribbon Skirts, Spiritual Formation, St. Francis …
Performers closely connected to the church in Vancouver are hosting a four-week CBC Radio special to mark Black History Month: CBC Vancouver is proud to feature Revelations, a limited series for Black History Month airing every Saturday in February. Tune in at 5:05…
Around Town: Week of Prayer, A Day for Pastors & Leaders, Our Common Calling
Everyone agrees we are going through a uniquely divisive time, so it is good to see several opportunities to buck the trend – one international (with a local expression), one very local and one national (seeking local participation). Week of…
Around Town: BC’s Restart Plan, TWU / Volleyball Nations, Building Trust . . .
Apparently, churches will be free to hold indoor services as early as this weekend. [Note: This was confirmed on the afternoon of May 27 when a new variance regarding indoor worship was posted online.] Until after dinner yesterday, that was…
Advent: Living Hope – may we, like Mary, play our part
Christianity Today has put together a digital Advent Devotional entitled Living Hope that includes daily devotional readings, weekly Bible studies and a Bible reading guide. Ken Shigematsu, senior pastor of Tenth Church, was invited to write one of the readings; it is…
The church’s role in creating systemic racism & how the church can dismantle it
We still live with the legacy of historical, heretical beliefs. But God can make us new. In 1882, Canada’s first prime minister John A. Macdonald said to the House of Commons, “I have reason to believe that the agents as a…
Around Town: Walk and Talk, Randy Barnetson, Tenth Book Donation Fund
A new Angus Reid Institute poll confirms what Amie Peacock knows firsthand. She launched Beyond the Conversation five years ago so she and her team could befriend and encourage isolated and lonely people living in the midst of crowded Metro…