By Peter Biggs
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| Photo: Peter Biggs |
AS B.C.’s second largest city, Surrey covers a
vast area; in terms of population, it is the 10th largest city in Canada.
Contrasts
Surrey is a municipality of contrasts. Parts of it have
all the problems of any inner city. Other areas offer the refreshment of
natural beauty. More than a third of Surrey is still actively farmed, and
it boasts some 600 parks and greenbelts.
The people of Surrey are a diverse ethnic mix; north
Surrey has a particularly large South Asian component. Theatre and the arts
are well served, by facilities such as the highly regarded Bell Performing
Arts Centre and the Surrey Art Gallery.
Surrey is growing fast, with housing construction seen
everywhere. According to Rick Sair, president of Surrey Tourism and
Convention Association, Surrey’s population is projected to surpass
that of Vancouver within 10 years.
Surrey has six diverse town centres: City Centre
(Whalley), Fleetwood, Guildford, Newton, Cloverdale and South Surrey. Each
represents a completely different community profile.
South Surrey is known for expansive nature views. Much
of Fleetwood enjoys single family suburban housing. Guildford has a higher
density of condos and apartments. Whalley has historically dealt with a
number of social challenges.
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| Mayor Dianne Watts (right), pastor Kevin Cavanaugh and
MaryAnne Connor of Nightshift Street Ministries (see here) Photo: Peter Biggs. |
In her March 1 State of the City address, Mayor Dianne
Watts stated: “[As] Surrey continues to grow at a rapid pace, we are
faced with the ever-growing issues of homelessness, addiction and crime.
“Over the years we have experienced grow ops,
meth labs, drug dealing, addiction and prostitution and have seen the
effects it has had on our community.”
Christian presence
The 2001 census found a third of Surrey’s
population identifying themselves with Christian beliefs (see sidebar).
There are some 160 churches in Surrey; many are represented by The Surrey
Pastors Network.
BCCN spoke to Surrey’s
mayor. Asked how she sees the local churches’ role in the community,
Watts responded with reference to Surrey’s new Crime Reduction
Strategy – a comprehensive approach to addressing root causes of
crime.
Church participation, she said, “is a key piece
of our strategy. They strengthen the fabric of our community.
Faith–based groups are often overlooked.”
’My barometer’
She went on to describe her own “foundation of
faith,” characterizing it as “my barometer of life.”
Watts spoke about her childhood experience of Sunday school – and her
adult commitment to the Anglican church.
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Asked about the pressures of leadership, she cited an
example of consulting her ‘barometer.’
“A developer came for a permit. It meant evicting
seniors and the mentally challenged. Although it was commercially
advantageous, we said no.”
Speaking at Nightshift Street Ministries, she commended
the Surrey Pastors Network.
“I’m absolutely impressed with [their]
work,” she said. “It speaks to the changing nature of how things change. Collectively,
we can change
things.”
Other politicians are also addressing practical ways of
changing things for the better. Conservative MP Russ Hiebert, an outspoken
Christian who attends Peace Portal Alliance Church, commented to BCCN:
“Surrey is experiencing rapid growth, with new
people moving here it is an exciting time, but there are challenges to
provide opportunities for people to connect. Local churches are critical in
providing social networks.”
Councillor Marvin Hunt, who was once a Surrey pastor,
was asked what the uppermost issue was for him. He responded: “the
lack of faith-based recovery facilities in Surrey. I’m looking for
long term facilities.”
Networking
Many local churches in Surrey cooperate with each
other. The Surrey Pastors Network draws together 30 or more pastors every
Wednesday noon, at Cedar Grove Baptist Church; quarterly this number can
swell to 75 – 100 leaders who come to share and to pray.
Two years ago, the group saw the need for someone to
coordinate networks of relationships between pastors and their
congregations, to further the work of the kingdom of God in Surrey.
They called upon seasoned leader Alan Simpson. His
two-day-a-week position is largely funded from collections taken at the
Good Friday multi-congregational gatherings held at Chandos Pattison
Auditorium.
Simpson works with a ‘Church of Surrey’
team, led by Cedar Grove Baptist Church senior pastor Kevin Cavanaugh.
Burden
Church leaders care about their community. As
People’s Church senior pastor David Curtis puts it:
“We have a Punjabi congregation meeting in our
building. Next door the property has been approved for a new Sikh temple,
which in turn is next door to the largest Hindu temple in Canada. My heart
is to change our church into a multi-ethnic congregation.”
Cavanaugh is upbeat. “This spirit of God is on
the move in the city of Surrey like at no time before,” he said.
“Churches are rising up to minister into the great needs of our
city.”
May 2007
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