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Mike’s Umbrella
Best known for books such as The Mystery of Marriage, Langley writer Mike Mason has turned his hand to fiction – specifically a children’s fantasy novel called The Blue Umbrella.
Pacific Theatre’s Ron Reed spent some time in a writer’s group with Mason, and offers these thoughts: “A few years ago, [Mason] returned to his first love and started work on a novel.
Our writers’ group was frankly astonished. Mike’s writing is always strong, but this book is truly something remarkable. The
story is gripping, the prose is extraordinary. I think this book is going to be
read by a lot of people, for a long time. After hearing it grow, chapter by
chapter, over the months and years, I can’t wait to hold the real thing in my hands! And settle in to read it all over
again.”
Mason held a book launch October 9 at a Langley venue called Porter’s General Store – which, as the book’s cover illustration shows, is depicted in the story.
New digs for old congregation
Church of the Good Shepherd in Vancouver celebrated its 120th anniversary
October 3. Bishop Don Harvey of the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) dedicated
the congregation’s recently purchased building.
The congregation is led by Stephen Leung, who was recently elected a bishop of
the ANiC.
Finding common grounds
Level Ground Mennonite Church in Abbotsford sponsors Re:Think Cafe two Thursdays
a month at the House of James bookstore and coffee shop. The evening usually
includes live music, the presentation of a topic, 15 – 20 minutes of discussion around tables and then closing thoughts.
The event is intended to provide believers and nonbelievers with an opportunity
to engage in meaningful discussions about life, truth and spirituality.
Double the good
Union Gospel Mission (UGM) has officially launched a project to build a new $31
million, six-storey, 71,000-square-foot building at 601 East Hastings in
Vancouver, behind its current facility.
The new building will allow UGM to double its capacity and increase the length
of its alcohol and drug recovery program; offer more long-term social housing
suites; double the number of meals it serves; and retrofit its existing
building to provide a full range of services for women and families. The B.C.
government is providing $12.1 million in funding, and the City of Vancouver
$400,000 – and possibly an additional $1 million. The project is expected to be completed
in 2011.
More than 400 people (61 percent of them homeless) applied to UGM’s alcohol and drug recovery program last year, but the mission only had space
for 115 of them.
First to offer sanctuary
First United Church has granted sanctuary to American war resister Rodney
Watson, who entered the church October 18. Watson served three years in the
U.S. Army, including one year in Iraq. But when his contract was up in 2006,
the army invoked a clause extending his contract for three more years – including one more year in Iraq.
Watson came to Canada in 2007 and claimed refugee status. He now has a
Canadian-born son.
His refugee claim was rejected, and he was ordered deported by September 11.
If he returns to the U.S., he will likely be imprisoned for a year and given a
criminal record.
First United has justified the granting of sanctuary on several grounds.
The church contends that the war in Iraq is unjust, and not supported by Canada;
that the unilateral extension of Watson’s army contract was unjust; that Watson has a right to have his deportation
reviewed on humanitarian and compassionate grounds; and that the Canadian
parliament has twice voted in favour of non-binding resolutions allowing U.S.
war resisters to seek refugee status in Canada – even though the Conservative government has refused to abide by those votes.
Willingdon expanding
Willingdon Church in Burnaby, which has one of the largest congregations in
Canada, has embarked on a major expansion to accommodate further growth.
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The church currently offers five worship services each weekend. At 10 am on
Sundays, it also offers The Connection – an overflow service in the chapel, which has live worship and receives the
morning sermon via video feed from the main sanctuary. The plan is to turn the
large gymnasium into a worship space accommodating 650 people, for The
Connection and Saturday evening services.
The 18,000-square-foot addition (underground parking plus a three-floor
expansion of the Christian education wing) is necessary to provide services for
the additional attenders: washrooms, an expanded nursery and Sunday school
rooms.
The church’s parking spaces are reserved for visitors, the handicapped and the elderly,
with everyone else parking at the nearby B.C. Institute of Technology and
Moscrop Secondary School. The addition was begun last spring and is expected to
take about a year to complete.
Good clean fun – not!
Take a field, dig some pits, pour on copious amounts of water, throw in some
teenagers and organize some games. The result is Mudfest – a multi-church event designed to help young people “get filthy and have a good time.”
The event is also described as a way to “challenge kids to get to know Jesus”; thus, the games are followed by a devotional.
Mudfest ‘09 took place October 2 in Chilliwack and involved youth from Sardis, Newton and
SouthRidge Fellowship Baptist Churches. The Sardis church organized this event.
The previous two years, the event involved up to five churches and took place on
property owned by SouthRidge in Langley, where it has plans to erect its first
building. SouthRidge is currently meeting in Langley Christian Middle/High
School.
Bridge into Richmond
Philip Tse is the new pastoral care chaplain at Richmond Hospital. He is also
the first Chinese-speaking chaplain to serve at the hospital. When asked how a
Chinese chaplain differs from a Caucasian one, he is quick to answer that
Richmond’s population is now 60 percent Chinese; thus, he is able to act as a bridge to
the culture, language and religions of a vast group of people.
“I see all of my studies coming together in my passion and gifts for pastoral
care.”
Tse was born in Hong Kong, and came to Canada in 1973. He studied in
Saskatchewan and Manitoba; he moved to B.C. in 1980, and was ordained as an
Anglican priest.
An experience which defined his calling occurred in 1970. He was working in a
California church, when a woman asked him to visit her daughter, who had been
in a car accident.
As she was driving, she had turned around to silence her three children – when she accidentally knocked the steering wheel, causing the car to flip over.
She suffered a broken leg, and her young son was badly scarred.
When Tse visited the child, hospital staff asked him to spend time befriending
the boy – because he had been pronounced blind. When he realized the extent of the child’s injuries, he burst into tears and wept copiously.
“This was a defining moment for me, in realizing that it was the hospital where I
could best help people with their pain and losses. The mother was guilt-ridden,
realizing that her error had taken away her son’s eyesight.” Tse spent the next three years helping this family, as they struggled with
their trauma – and were finally able to begin life anew.
Philip sees the importance of a holistic approach in working with a medical team
– dealing with a patient’s physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs. “In Oncology, which we call ‘Cancer Care Unit’ the team works with about 100 people every week. There is no way I can possibly
minister with each person, so I look to the team to refer certain ones to me,
which I can approach and say: ‘I want to support you, as you journey this new path in your life.’”
Tse’s dream is to see the Richmond facility became a teaching hospital, where he can
invite seminary students to intern with the medical team. – Esther McIlveen
November 2009
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