Baptist Chaplain Craig O’Brien recalls a spiritual conversation he had with “a very, very bright guy” who felt his humility ruled out any personal need to pursue God. “He went on to say, ‘In the grand scale of things, my life is insignificant. So what I do doesn’t matter, and I just need to be […]
The art of welcoming the stranger
AS THE FACE of Canada keeps changing due to a steady influx of people from other countries, many churches now find themselves ill-equipped to deal with this reality. “The first couple of years that they’re here are years in which we can practically reach out to them and love them,” said Tim Nielsen, pastor of […]
In Paul’s footsteps
It was while riding our big, air-conditioned tour bus up the Meander River valley, to view the ruins of Laodicea, that I began to appreciate what Paul and the first Christian evangelists in the Roman province of Asia had to endure for the sake of the gospel. I was travelling through what is now called […]
Making a home in Canada’s poorest neighbourhood
In this season of Christ’s incarnation, CC.com profiles individuals who have become neighbours of people in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Trista Parry, the pastor of The River — a church in the heart of Vancouver’s poverty-ridden Downtown Eastside — laughs when asked to describe her congregation. “We’re the most dysfunctional family in the whole entire world,” […]
Christians unite to deter Olympic sex traffickers
As Christians prepare to welcome the athletes and spectators who will be coming to Vancouver and Whistler from across the globe to attend the 2010 Winter Olympics next February, there is one group of potential visitors they will be working just as hard to keep out: those who sell children and women for sex. Underbelly […]
2010 initiative looks promising
Organizers hoping to mobilize the broadest possible Christian involvement before, during and after the 2010 Winter Olympics seem convinced things are off to a very good start. A kick-off event hosted by the newly formed Vancouver Whistler Games Network (VWGN) at Broadway Church in late September drew 275 people wanting to catch a glimpse of […]
Pro-lifers warn of looming euthanasia battle
Vancouver BC — Pavel Reid, director of the Office of Life and Family with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver, is convinced that the legalization of assisted suicide will be the next major issue facing Canada’s faith community. “The people who are supposed to follow these issues most closely for the pro-life movement have been […]