Brian

     The Reverend Brian Vickers and his family were such a welcome addition to the Anglican Church of the Holy Trinity community when they arrived in White Rock, B.C.. His lovely wife Sally, his beautiful little children Michael and Katie were all wonderful in their own way and such a blessing to our congregation!

     When first together, my husband Paul and I enjoyed Brian and his family and in turn felt so welcome at the Church of the Holy Trinity. Though their kids were older than ours there was a lovely feeling of community. Michael and Katie, our daughters and many treasured friends seemed to grow up together in the Sunday School there. 

     My parents were very attached to the church over the years as parishioners, choir members, wardens and caretakers and consider Brian and Sally as friends.

     Personally, I was very encouraged by Brian to follow my passion for pastoral care which eventually led to a career in hospice and palliative care. Paul and I were sad when Brian and his family left the area and we missed them all very much! We are thankful now to receive a Christmas card from the Vickers and are thrilled to see how their children's families have grown and flourished.

   We all congratulate Brian on his retirement! His years of ministry in many different parishes has positively affected so many lives and we thank Brian for his time with us and our community. We think of him and his family often and hope that our paths may cross yet again!

Light

     One of the spiritual practices that people enjoy at our church is lighting our votive candles. They have been installed in our Newcomers Chapel recently and are a welcome addition. The word votive comes from the Latin word “votum ” meaning vow or promise. Lighting a candle serves as a visible extension of a prayer. 

     Early Christians used candles to provide light for nighttime services. They quickly took on religious symbolism representing Christ as the light of the world.

John 8:12 tells us “Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’”

     When I light a candle and invoke a loved one’s name, I take comfort in knowing that my prayer lives on, even after I have left the church. Jesus is the light of the world and the burning candle reminds me of His everlasting, ever living love for us all. Although I did not grow up with this faith expression, I am enjoying it and apparently others of us are appreciating it too.

Welcome

      All are welcome. If you look at that simple sentence, it doesn't seem that there is much there but the two important words in this phrase say a lot. Welcome is a word that we use so much---on our doormats, over our front doors, even to acknowledge thanks--- "you're welcome". But if you have ever felt not welcome, you know the weight it carries, the gift that it bestows. It says come as you are, our door is open, be yourself, stay for a while. It is the very definition of hospitality.

     To me the most important word is "all". There is no disclaimer, no fine print, no additional clauses to decipher. Everyone regardless of race, age, culture, ethnicity, nationality, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, marital status, previous religious affiliation or socioeconomic status is welcome here. That truly covers all of us. And for those who have not felt welcome in a church this is a magnificent blessing of gigantic proportions. Here and everywhere, God sees us, knows us, loves us and wants us to feel at home, welcome. And here, we are.

Bus

     Today our daughter and I endeavored to educate ourselves about the transit system in our area. As a person with a disability, our daughter is able to book rides on HandyDART but her previous experiences with this mode of travel had their ups and downs. Among its shortcomings is that it has to be booked well in advance, it is frequently a taxi and not a bus, and therefore does not feel as safe, and you must allow a half an hour window timewise either way so arriving precisely on time is not always an option; there is a lot of waiting involved. We found that this is also true when using the standard transit offered here. We made it to our destination which was her soon-to-be new home address but we did not have as much luck with the return trip. Unfortunately, there is a rather complicated issue with certain buses changing their route number mid-trip. This experience made us both realize how spoilt we are to have access to a vehicle to go wherever we want to go, whenever we want to go there! Needless to say this will be an ongoing process. We pledged to keep trying and enjoy some bus riding and more walking this summer and see our cities of White Rock and Surrey from a slightly different perspective. Harmony's proximity to our local Dairy Queen will keep us inspired on those hot and sunny days! What could be better than a tasty ice cream treat at the end of bus ride with one of my favourite people in the whole wide world?

Harmony 3

 

Doug

      We had the honour of attending the retirement party for the former executive director of UNITI! What a wonderful event! The food was just what was promised: "Blundstones and Burgers" which with hot dogs, chips and cookies, really hit the spot. Folks met up with friends, old and new, and there was lots of conversation, smiles and laughter. I loved that the person who introduced her dad Doug, did so in such a beautiful, tender and humorous way.  Unbeknownst to me, she was the person to start this man on the path of advocacy for folks with developmental disabilities. They met when she was three years old and obviously their lives were never the same after that meeting.
     Our knowledge of Doug started when we became aware of Harmony, an inclusive and supported apartment building for folks with intellectual disabilities and others needing below market housing in our community. Our daughter was on the list to live in this building and we were disappointed that the municipal government in our area consistently voted against this project. Doug's passionate and unconditional resolve to make this building happen was unwavering. He rallied the supporters around UNITI and Harmony and with great leadership, determination and the support of staff, and many others, made it happen. Our daughter moves in there this year.

     Doug's remarks at his retirement party really hit home. He talked about "good trouble", the value of which was taught to him by his mum. He pointed out that there were representatives attending from every political party; inclusion is a non-partisan issue. He said folks with developmental disabilities are just not recipients of support, they are in relationship with all the various community and government groups and relationships are reciprocal. He talked about inclusion and that self-advocates do not want to just be invited to participate, they want to host the thing and dance with whomever they want. Yes! He is a hero to us and many like us and we will miss him more than he can know....Congratulations Doug!

Pagkakaisa

      We had the pleasure of welcoming the Himig Kabataan Cultural Society on Saturday for two concerts celebrating traditions and music from the Philipines and beyond in a day filled with joy and hope. From the very first, the choir engaged us with their rendition of "Manila", a high energy song bringing us right into present day Filipino culture. Then followed "O Canada"  and "Pambasang Awit", the  Philipine national anthem, sung by many with their hand over their heart. We were then gifted with many more songs, my favourite being one from their Vienna World Peace Choral Festival offering entitled, "Locus Iste" by Anton Bruckner which translated from the Latin means: 

"This place was made by God, 

A priceless sacrament, 

It is without reproach."

which was profoundly moving as it was being sung in my place of worship. This was followed by "Saro, Duwa, Tolo" which was a  medley of three folks songs from the Philipines which had my friend, who family is Filipino, in tears as it brought her back to her childhood, hearing these very same songs on her family's record player when she was younger.

     After the intermission we were privileged to hear the Himig Kabataan choir along with our own Church of the Holy Trinity Choir, directed by Maria Golas, singing "The Lord is My Shepherd", arranged by Howard Goodall. It was a beautiful rendition and I was very proud of our choir. It was followed by "Lead Me Lord" another poignant and beautifully sung piece composed by Arnel de Pano. The choir sang "Lupa" a heart-rending song of loss, love and unity. The set was completed by several more wonderful songs, all spectacular in their own right and each more lovely than the last, many featuring gorgeous solos by various choir members. It was such a beautiful and moving experience, a treat for the senses and one which filled our church with such joy and appreciation for life in all its many facets. 

     We wish the Himig Kabataan Cultural Society safe travels on their trip to Vienna to compete in the 15th World Peace Choral Festival and many blessings in the year to come. We hope to see them all again soon!