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By Lloyd Mackey
WHAT DO Kelowna Mayor Sharon Shepherd and the
MissionsNow event have to do with each other?
In the 2009 version of the growing and popular
multi-church mission week, the mayor willingly linked herself with its
objectives.
That was particularly where those objectives had
something to do with churches including community needs in their mission
policies and strategies.
Laurence East is the MissionsNow coordinator. His
‘day job’ is mission pastor at Willow Park Church. And he
described the mayor as one who has reflected her name by having a
“true shepherd’s heart” with respect to Kelowna people in
need.
East explained that MissionsNow started mainly as a
Willow Park event three years ago.
“But last year, there was a sense that the people
involved had a heart for the church in Kelowna,” with attitudes
shaped to be “more about unity.”
In 2008, six churches, out of Kelowna’s total of
60, worked together to bring about the one-week event.
This year, a total of 22 congregations became involved,
including all of those which are sometimes affectionately known locally as
the ‘big six’ – Evangel, Kelowna Christian Centre,
Mission Creek Alliance, New Life, Trinity Baptist and Willow Park.
But, East adds, not only did the multi-church
involvement pick up, but the leadership also became focused more on the
need for world mission to become local mission.
“People are now referring to MissionsNow as a
‘movement.’ People have been praying for this for 30 years.
During earlier MN events, attenders came from many churches. Now, the
difference is that the churches themselves and their leaders are
participating,” East said.
And that was where Mayor Shepherd came into the
picture. The first night of the March 1 – 6 event, she joined
the pastors of the 22 sponsoring churches on the platform, speaking in
support of the churches’ missional objectives.
That first evening drew a crowd of 2,000 to Trinity
Baptist and featured Bruxy Cavey, senior pastor of a 4,000-strong
multi-site Ontario congregation known as The Meeting House.
Earlier in the year, the pastors
involved in Missions-Now met with the mayor to
win her support. Taking on the theme of The Church Unified in Prayer and
Justice, they outlined two projects for community action that would be
encouraged as part of this year’s events.
• Partnership with CASEY (Community Against Sexual Exploitation of Youth). CASEY is a
grassroots community action team that promotes public education and
awareness of the sexual exploitation of youth.
They are volunteers who work as a liaison with
youth-serving agencies and the RCMP to provide information to the community
about recruitment into the sex trade, the realities and dangers of street
life, and the options available to youth trying to get off the street.
>caseyonline.org
• Alexandra Gardner
Women & Children Safe Centre Makeover.
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The Safe Centre provides temporary housing to all women
and their children who are homeless, regardless of age, race and
circumstances.
The centre offers a warm, clean and safe environment,
while a team of staff provides 24-hour support, basic counselling and
referrals to NOW Canada programs and other community services. NOW Canada
has just begun to address the Central Okanagan’s need for safe
housing for homeless women and children, with this 20-bed facility. nowcanada.ca
With respect to the CASEY partnership, East said the
arrangement is ongoing, with the perceived need based on surveys that
suggest eight out of 10 high school graduates are sexually exploited,
either at home or in/around school.
And, regarding the Gardner Centre, he pointed out that
its building is in need of extensive repairs. Over the past 10 years, it
has housed more than 4,000 people. Last year, it had to turn away hundreds.
Besides Cavey, other speakers for the week of events
included Greg Paul from Sanctuary in Toronto.
As part of a forum, he addressed issues about working
with poverty.
And describing her experiences in “Canada’s
poorest postal code – Vancouver’s downtown eastside,” was
Joyce Rees of Jacob’s Well ministry.
Contributing to the diversity brought about by the
unifying approach were a three-day Global Ministry Training Centre (a
Kelowna Christian Centre initiative); School of Missions; and a World Day
of Prayer activity hosted by St. Paul’s United Church.
A youth session at Kelowna Secondary School drew 700.
And Evangel Church was the site of a missions
‘Marketplace’ which drew more than 30 exhibitors, many of them
Okanagan-based.
East pointed out that, with the Okanagan emphasis, the
“global” focus was not lost. The sub-theme drew on the idea of
“the city, the region and the world.”
The March 6 windup rally, featuring Joyce Rees, drew
1,500 to Evangel Church.
A photo gallery, drawn from several of the events, can
be viewed at missionsnowkelowna.com, by clicking on
‘media.’
May 2009
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