Be prepared. Growing up in the scouts, it was a message that I heard time and again. Indeed, it is the official motto of the scouts, “Be prepared,” and is taught to every teen from an early age. Now, if I’m being honest, this messaging was at least partly about, maybe even mostly about, making […]
If I were to ask you to describe what a progressive, socially active church looks like, I suspect most people would eventually get around to describing something along the lines of a church with contemporary worship, praise music, perhaps even some slide shows to jazz up the sermon. Yet, in my experience, the churches most
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Stories of Light Featuring the Art of Bettina Stumm Stories of Light is on display from November 1 to December 31. Come by St. Faith’s Anglican Church to experience the artist’s work Tuesday-Friday from 9:30 to 4pm or on Sundays. Artist’s Statement In this series I explore how light interacts with translucent and transparent surfaces,
In a world where we frequently hear concerns expressed about the future of the church in the face of declining attendance and a secularized world, it is easy to forget that these anxieties are nothing new. Every generation has experienced anxiety about the state of the church as they perceive the end to the way
Just over a week ago, Matt and I were downtown when we ran into an actual street corner preacher at the corner of Georgia and Granville. It had been a while since I had seen one, so I was paying attention to his shouts over the sounds of buses and the crowds of people. It
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It was the first church I ever served, and I had only been there for a year when the hurricane hit us. We were only an hour east of New York City, on the shores of Long Island Sound, not a place that gets many hurricanes. We knew it was coming, of course, and many
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Moses had climbed up a holy mountain with his flock, when a wondrous and miraculous sight caught his eye. There before him, a bush was on fire. Now, admittedly, in this time of wildfires, a bush that is on fire hardly seems noteworthy. Perhaps distressing, yes, but hardly worth mentioning. But this bush, though it
What does it mean to fear God? When we say that someone had the fear of God put into them, we mean that they have been terrified, made afraid of punishment or retribution, that they are made compliant for fear of the consequences. It is a usage that leans heavily on the common meaning of
By Kerry Baisley, ODNW Last month a number of us explored the making of Cedar Rattles with Giihlgiigaa, Todd Devries. Todd spoke about being a “Sixties Scoop” child who was adopted and sent outside his family and community. As a support to that conversation we mentioned the 2017 NFB film, “Birth of a Family.” In
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Who we are today is built on the stories, actions, and wisdom of our ancestors. The Rev. Melanie Calabrigo In mid-July, I once again attended the Indigenous Summer School program at the Vancouver School of Theology. As always, it was a wonderful experience. What happened that week is what happens for me every year when
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