What allows sex-trafficking to proliferate in Canada? Canadian author, Paul Boge, lists several things: “The availability of it; the apparent anonymity of it, by meeting online and then in person; the under-staffed police force; the corruption in the justice system; the apathy towards victims and an unwillingness to jail perpetrators; the incredible money that traffickers make; … [Read more...] about Sex trafficking – Part 2: What’s gone wrong
Community
Creating community; belonging, connecting and supporting one another, celebrating the joys, and facing and overcoming the challenges in our common life together.
S.A.L.T.S. life lessons on tall ships
The wind whips through my hair. Waves crash over the hull as I scan the horizon from the crow’s nest. Seagulls cry, circling the ship as I hang on for dear life… Kids have, for centuries, entertained - in their imagination at least – an adventure on the high seas, sailing a “pirate ship”. A version of that dramatic dream can become reality right here in BC – a reality … [Read more...] about S.A.L.T.S. life lessons on tall ships
Sex trafficking – Part 1: Are Christian youth at risk?
Cassandra Diamond didn’t wake up one day and decide she wanted to be trafficked for sex through a decade of her life. Neither do other girls trapped in the lucrative trade. Sex-trafficking, world-wide, nets $99 billion a year according to the International Labor Organization. It is part of what the UN defines as “the recruitment, transportation, harbouring or receipt of … [Read more...] about Sex trafficking – Part 1: Are Christian youth at risk?
Multi-cultural teams reach First Nations
From April through December, Love First Nation’s Ministry (LFNM) director, Peter Park makes a three-hour monthly drive from Vancouver to the Village of Lytton (Nlaka’pamux) to build on the respectful exchange of culture and belief, developing since 2007. He was part of an original group of ten Korean churches who loosely bonded together to start an outreach program where 50 … [Read more...] about Multi-cultural teams reach First Nations
The hot dog church serving the poor in Vancouver downtown eastside
Contemporary writer A.M. Swodboda, addressing a conservation biology class at Houghton College, stated that “creation care is not about polar bears. It’s about the poor.” If there is anyone in Vancouver who has translated this into tangible expression, it is Randy Barnetson through his street church ministry in the eastside of downtown Vancouver. Barnetson began the … [Read more...] about The hot dog church serving the poor in Vancouver downtown eastside