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| | Municipal veteran and current MP Ron Cannan. |
“A transformation in our churches can and will
have a positive result in our communities – if we have a united
approach,” according to Ron Cannan.
A former Kelowna city councillor, Cannan is currently
Conservative member of parliament for Kelowna – Lake Country.
From his various political vantage points, he has
watched the process of church involvement in urban social issues from
fairly close range for well over a decade.
As it happens, he is also a member of Willow Park
Church, of which the Metro Community (see above) is a part.
Government, he says, “does play an important role
in these social issues. However, the reality is that government can not and
will not be able to get the results, without engaging the community.”
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This is, in effect, the process that we sometimes call
“public-private partnerships,” Cannan adds.
He maintains that projects like Metro, Kelowna Gospel
Mission and a range of other faith-based urban initiatives all fit into
this partnership arrangement.
“It is great to see the church take God’s
love to the streets in the community. Sometimes we call this
‘transformissional living for Christ’,” he suggests.
Cannan points out that as a former civic politician now
serving on the federal level, he keeps in touch with Mayor Sharon Shepherd
and her council.
Shepherd and her colleagues are working within a
10-year projection for tackling a range of urban issues.
– Lloyd Mackey
November 2007
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