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School with Andy Park
Cultivating ‘A City that Worships’ is the
ultimate aim of the group hosting Worship Victoria. Participating churches
include First Church of the Nazarene, Gateway Baptist, The Place@Lambrick
Park, New Life, Adore@Glad Tidings. “What about the 300,000 people
that live in the Victoria region, most of whom have no contact with a
vibrant Christian community? Would they notice a difference if there were
no church in the city?” asks Gateway pastor Dan Rutherford.
Organizers hope to see “a revived and united church” in Greater
Victoria. To that end, at Gateway on November 22, singer/songwriter Andy
Park (pictured) will lead a morning ‘school of worship.’ On
November 23, he will lead an evening of prayer and worship, also at
Gateway, starting at 6 pm.
New digs for refugees
The Victoria Immigrant & Refugee Centre Society
(VIRCS) is moving into new office space at 637 Bay Street, according to
executive director and co-founder Carlos Gaete. Started in 1989 by three
ex-refugees, VIRCS now has a staff of 29 people and 200 volunteers. It
assists more than 2,500 clients from all over the world every year, in
tasks such as learning English, finding housing and starting new careers.
It provides support services for emergency needs,
youth, housing, education, health care, environmental awareness,
citizenship procedures, legal issues, daycare, transportation, travel and
finances, ESL classes, employment transitions and coaching programs.
Among the area churches listed as being part of the
society’s support base are Central Baptist, St. John the Divine,
First Metropolitan United, Holy Cross Catholic, James Bay United, Sacred
Heart, St. George’s, St. Aidan’s Anglican, St. Aidan’s
and St. Andrew’s Presbyterian. More info is at www.vircs.bc.ca.
Arts of worship
Joan Dosso, pastor of worship arts at Emmanuel Baptist
Church, Victoria, was ordained to the gospel ministry September 21. Her
associates at the church, senior minister Rob Fitterer, Ingrid White and
Craig Hiebert, all participated in the service. The certificate of
ordination from the Canadian Baptists of Western Canada was presented by
Laura Nelson. Jo-Ann Badley preached the ordination sermon and Barbara
Mutch delivered the address to the candidate.
Dosso grew up in Victoria where, as a young person, she
attended Central Baptist Church. Her brother, Ken Dosso, served several
years as music minister there. Joan has masters degrees from Tyndale
University, Toronto, St. Stephen’s College, Edmonton, and Western
Washington in Bellingham, and has taught music at Black Forest Academy in
Germany and Emmanuel Bible College in Kitchener, Ontario.
Ready for Christmas
Choir members and other major players are already
rehearsing for the Singing Christmas Tree at Evangelistic Tabernacle (ET)
in Nanaimo. The performances are set for December 5, 6, 7, 12, 13 and 14;
the presentation’s theme is ‘Star of Wonder.’ Also, at
ET, the congregation has bade farewell to its senior minister, Lester
Markham and his wife, Pat.
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Alternate worship coming
Over at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian, Nanaimo, their
new pastor, Ron Fischer, who came west from Ottawa earlier this year,
speaks of a range of new services and outreach activities, in addition to
the current two Sunday morning worship services (one contemporary and the
other traditional).
They will include “alternate” forms of
worship taking place throughout the week, as well as more small group
ministries designed to help individuals in their spiritual journey, no
matter where they happen to be in those pilgrimages.
More info is available at www.sapcnanaimobc.ca.
House that oxen built
Visitors to Parksville might want to take note that one
of the oldest churches on Vancouver Island, St. Anne’s Anglican, is
part of Craig Heritage Park – located three kilometres south of
Parksville on the Island Highway. Park promo material suggests taking
“a trip into yesteryear [to] see how our early settlers lived.”
St. Anne’s was built in 1894 by 45 farmers, with the aid of oxen to
haul the logs. Check ahead for opening hours at 250.248.3613, the number
for Parksville and District Chamber of Commerce.
– Lloyd Mackey
November 2008
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