Vancouver City Council has just voted to allow Mixed Martial Arts events in the city.
Last night, one of our elders at Gospel Mission was mugged: beaten and robbed of $40. We are praying for Bill's quick recovery, that the money will be restored to him and then some, and that the people who did it to him are forgiven and will be brought to repentance.
But here's the riddle: why is one form of people bashing people legal and the other not?
And here's another: are the people cheering the Council decision the same ones who would be outraged at the revelations of animal cruelty at a Wild Animal Park? Or those who nod sagely at the large adverts on buses telling us to buy free-range eggs because cages are cruel to chickens?
Sports Illustrated has, or used to have, a whimsical little section titled, "This Week's Sign That The Apocalypse Is Upon Us".
I think I have a suggestion for this week.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Pigeon Park - back open again!
It's been the subject of a fair bit of cynicism and suspicion ... and no little frustration on all parts for various reasons ... but one of the focal points of the Downtown East Side is back in business, as it were. Pigeon Park officially re-opened on Tuesday (Dec. 15), after being closed for several months for the work on the Carrall Street Greenway.
Pigeon Park is the primary reference point for Gospel Mission/The Lord's Rain. Barry Babcook occasionally refers to the Mission as "The Pigeon Mission" (although that's becoming less and less common) and for about four months, it was really hard for us to describe to people where we were located, because "Pigeon Park", for all intents and purposes, didn't exist.
One interesting little anomaly: I think I'm stopped illegally in this picture, because there's a "no 
stopping/bus zone" pictogram at the front of that space ... but no sign at the other end. There aren't any buses going down that block, anyway, but as you can see from the trolley overheads above the car (look closely), the buses will be back soon.
stopping/bus zone" pictogram at the front of that space ... but no sign at the other end. There aren't any buses going down that block, anyway, but as you can see from the trolley overheads above the car (look closely), the buses will be back soon.
What's really neat about this is, here is our little church - right in the midst of this lovely Greenway. People taking advantage of the new facility, be it for biking or walking, will see Gospel Mission, and I believe will start to see the good-news stories that are coming out of both the Mission and The Lord's Rain. People might suggest that the Greenway and renewed Pigeon Park are connected with the great bogeyman called "gentrification", but I say this Greenway is really a pathway that will, at last, bridge that Great Divide between the DTES and the ROTC (Rest Of The City). As I've said before, we have to stop looking at the poverty and homelessness and hopelessness issues as a matter of Us and Them. It's Us and Us, and once we get our heads around that, we'll be more than halfway there.
Besides, don't people in the area have just as much a right to nice-looking streets as those in other parts of town? Just like a shower and a fresh set of clothes, there are times when sprucing up the outward appearance can do wonders for the inward reality.
What I really like about the renewed Pigeon Park -- and the Carrall Street Greenway -- is the message the city is sending to the area. With all the beautification going on as the city prepares for the Olympics, that's a stretch that could have been ignored -- but it wasn't.
And yes, it is called -- now and forever -- Pigeon Park. There was some talk that it would be re-named "Pioneer Park", in the way that other parts of Vancouver grope for signs of "heritage", even as 21st Century high-rises (oh-so-environmentally-friendly, dontcha know) sprout like ragweed around us. But no: the official Vancouver Parks sign proclaims that Pigeon Park it shall be. Really - no other name would have gotten any traction at all.
Mind you, there's a certain historical/heritage aspect to the name Pigeon Park, because I seem to recall a time back in the Hippie 60s when there was a controversy over making that the official name. Must check with Chuck Davis - he'd know.
Not that the renewed park doesn't have a streak of ersatz history. I think I noted in a previous post that they'd installed streetcar rails in the pavement. I believe the streetcar did run along that route (the old BC Electric carbarn is across the street, now home to an art gallery and a variety of offices, including those of Red Robinson and Bruce Allen), but what makes the rails such a strange addition is that they fool nobody. For one thing, they run at sidewalk level, not at street level. On the other side of the carbarn, on Pender Street, streetcar rails also cross the sidewalk and then continue running across the street. If you really tried to run a streetcar along those tracks, that'd be a heckuva bumpy ride going from the sidewalk to the street.
There are Biblical analogs to Pigeon Park, as well. I've written before that the DTES is Vancouver's "Samaria", and Jesus makes special mention of that area in His instructions to us. When Jesus journeyed towards Galilee, He went via Samaria and then stopped and rested beside Jacob's Well, a place that had over 2,000 years of history behind it even then. It was a place where you could be guaranteed to meet a Samaritan. Pigeon Park is right at the edge of the original city limits of Vancouver, and would have been a site of some kind of settlement -- right back to the native Indian villages prior to the arrival of the white man -- for generations.
Jesus went out of His way to reach out to Samaria and Samaritans, and we need to remember that He also called on us -- His followers -- to make that a priority.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
New brochure for the Mission
Went to the "White Breakfast" yesterday morning, laid on by Business in Vancouver magazine, where the topic was philanthropy. Some notes will come later, but here's the text of the brochure I handed out to anyone who wanted. It's a good overview of who we are and what we do.
“Homelessness” is a typo
Much is said about Vancouver’s “homelessness” problem, but the metrics often refer to the number of people living on the street versus those in shelters or single-room-occupancy hotels. But are those “homes”? Matters like drugs and crime and mental illness are closer to the core of the problem, but the real root cause is hopelessness. Without Hope, why should someone try to beat drugs? Why should someone reach out for help? Why should someone even want to get up in the morning?
At Gospel Mission, we believe that Hope is found in the Gospel: the good news that God has not given up on His people and has already gone to extraordinary lengths to draw them close to Him. People need to know that it is possible to transform their lives and move forward, regardless of their situation, background or age.
We’re small – like the point of a spear
After its move from the Hastings Street storefront to Pigeon Park, it took another 50 years for Gospel Mission to expand beyond its “Upper Room” to street level. But as Jesus says, “ye shall know them by their fruits”, and the fruits of this Mission are tangible. We take joy in seeing changes coming over people, whether they get jobs, make a firm decision to move away from the area and its personal memories and issues, or just get a handle on their anger and pain. Personal victories like that seem small, but they drive to the heart of the problems that afflict people in the area. Those people can also go out and encourage their friends by their own examples.
A good place to philanthropize
Recently, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation provided a donation of $15,000 to Gospel Mission, out of a special fund the Foundation set up to help organizations at a time when other contributors might reduce their giving because of the current fears of economic downturn. The Foundation has given us permission to mention this contribution to encourage other businesses and foundations to follow that example.
Generous in-kind donations from Cobs Bread and Waves Coffee also help defray our food costs.
The really cool thing about ministering the Gospel is that it doesn’t cost much. A Bible, love and a good set of lungs have always been the tools of the trade. But James writes, “if … one of you say unto [a destitute person], ‘Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled’; [but] give them not those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit?” (James 2:15-16). Gospel Mission is a church first, not a “feeding program”: but meals are provided, as well as the showers and a warm refuge. We’re all volunteers: contributions go directly to the service: for rent, utilities, groceries and maintenance.
Building The Lord’s Rain started when there was incredible prosperity: not many could see global financial crisis, just as it was when Gospel Mission was founded in 1929. But God knew what was coming: that people would crash out and His servants had to be there to break their fall. It’s not about providing more shelters and more programs: we believe it’s about giving people hope that the world can’t give so they can clean up, turn their lives around and move on – to make room for the new ones coming in. “The poor ye shall have always,” Jesus says, but He doesn’t say they’ll be the same poor.
Canada’s Worst Postal Code -- or Whitest Fields?
Jesus looked at Samaria – which, like the Downtown East Side, was a land of outcasts – and declared, “the fields are white for harvest”. So much “bad news” is reported about the area, but we see a lot of good news at Gospel Mission. We also know that in business, people are loath to invest in things that are not successful: they want to know that their investments do pay off. We have seen how investments in Gospel Mission so far are successful both for individuals and society as a whole. There is good news, plenty on which to build further.
Jesus also said, “the labourers are few”, and Gospel Mission is always in need of volunteers – people motivated by love to help make a difference by listening to people and encouraging them; showing them there is Hope.
We’d love for you to visit us some time:
Services:
Sunday – 12:30pm
Monday, Tuesday, Friday & Saturday – 6:30pm
Wednesday Bible Study – 7pm
Thursday Movie Night – 7pm
The Lord’s Rain:
Monday & Friday 10am-3pm
Tuesday 6:30-9am
Saturday 6:30-10am
Tuesday (Ladies Only) 1-4pm
For more information, please contact:
Barry Babcook, Senior Pastor,
604-328-3987; or
Drew Snider, Ass’t Pastor,
604-803-3199
Gospel Mission
serving up “Jesus with the skin on” since 1929
Follow that “pillar”
In 1929, the area of Vancouver along Hastings between Cambie and Main was the happenin’ part of town. A look at the City Directory of the time shows theatres, restaurants and consulates all along that strip, anchored by the Dominion Building on one end and the Vancouver Public Library (now the Carnegie Centre) on the other. There were three major department stores – Woodward’s, Eaton’s and Army and Navy; Chinatown, with its blaze of neon, was a block away; the Pantages Theatre was on that strip, and Mr On Lee’s seafood joint had already been there for 17 years.
That year, in a storefront next to that famous neon seahorse, the Apostolic Church of Pentecost (ACOP) set up its first Vancouver church: Gospel Mission. Later that same year, the Great Depression hit.
Gospel Mission has a history of “following the pillar”: moving either physically or spiritually ahead of the curve, as God has directed, to be in position to catch the most vulnerable, forgotten and abandoned in our city. In the 1940s, the Mission moved kitty-corner to its current location at 331 Carrall Street, right at the edge of Pigeon Park, just in time to catch people trying to recover from the experience of the Second World War. As the “happenin’ part of town” moved west, others who fell through society’s cracks wound up in what was becoming known as the Downtown East Side.
Gospel Mission is housed in one of the oldest buildings in Vancouver: a two-storey brick pile, built in 1888 – two years after the Great Fire – and now across the street from one of the city’s worst locations for drug dealing, prostitution and violence. The “pillar”, like the beacon of cloud by day and fire by night that guided the Israelites through the wilderness, has stayed in that location, but in 2007, its form changed.
Showers of blessing – the Lord’s Rain
One of the obvious things about people on the Downtown East Side is that they’re generally filthy. Living on the street or in shelters, that’s hard to avoid. But it’s also obvious that they’d rather be clean. We saw people come into Gospel Mission and wash up at the laundry tub at the back, drying their hair with dishtowels, and wanted to do something about it; in late 2007, God provided the motive, opportunity and means.
One of the ground-floor spaces in our building came vacant, and even though we had zero dollars to make it happen, our landlord gave us the opportunity to draw up a plan for a showers facility.
From the beginning, God made it clear that the project was His will. Two days before our deadline, pledges came in totalling $4,000. The Oasis Church in Duncan, which has supported Gospel Mission for many years, put together a work party to build the stalls and sub-floor; a plumber who was “saved off the streets” at Gospel Mission donated his labour (and much of the material); Andrew Sheret, Ltd., donated four shower enclosures and the fittings; financial contributions, large and small, started coming in as others caught the vision. The media played an important role at key times, telling the public what was going on. On one occasion, a door was left unlocked through an oversight and some tools were stolen; when a TV report was aired, an anonymous donor stepped forward with a large cash donation to replace the tools and keep the project on track.
The Lord’s Rain, so dubbed by Judy Babcook, wife of senior pastor Barry Babcook, opened on April 30, 2008. Since then, it has provided more than 700 showers, thousands of cups of coffee and, in a glorious twist on The Law Of Unintended Consequences, a community place where people can escape from the streets, find good conversation, ranging from the Canucks to current events to others on the street to the Bible. We don’t outwardly evangelize, but the people who come in know who we are. That understanding, plus the fact that The Lord’s Rain exists to provide one of the basic needs of human life – cleanliness – brings the Light of Christ to that dark area and puts the Gospel into action. “Jesus with the skin on,” is the way senior pastor Barry Babcook describes it.
Further, the fact that The Lord’s Rain came about not through government programs or a single large corporation but by a group of private individuals and businesses with their unique gifts infuses the place with the intangible sense that people do care.
serving up “Jesus with the skin on” since 1929
Follow that “pillar”
In 1929, the area of Vancouver along Hastings between Cambie and Main was the happenin’ part of town. A look at the City Directory of the time shows theatres, restaurants and consulates all along that strip, anchored by the Dominion Building on one end and the Vancouver Public Library (now the Carnegie Centre) on the other. There were three major department stores – Woodward’s, Eaton’s and Army and Navy; Chinatown, with its blaze of neon, was a block away; the Pantages Theatre was on that strip, and Mr On Lee’s seafood joint had already been there for 17 years.
That year, in a storefront next to that famous neon seahorse, the Apostolic Church of Pentecost (ACOP) set up its first Vancouver church: Gospel Mission. Later that same year, the Great Depression hit.
Gospel Mission has a history of “following the pillar”: moving either physically or spiritually ahead of the curve, as God has directed, to be in position to catch the most vulnerable, forgotten and abandoned in our city. In the 1940s, the Mission moved kitty-corner to its current location at 331 Carrall Street, right at the edge of Pigeon Park, just in time to catch people trying to recover from the experience of the Second World War. As the “happenin’ part of town” moved west, others who fell through society’s cracks wound up in what was becoming known as the Downtown East Side.
Gospel Mission is housed in one of the oldest buildings in Vancouver: a two-storey brick pile, built in 1888 – two years after the Great Fire – and now across the street from one of the city’s worst locations for drug dealing, prostitution and violence. The “pillar”, like the beacon of cloud by day and fire by night that guided the Israelites through the wilderness, has stayed in that location, but in 2007, its form changed.
Showers of blessing – the Lord’s Rain
One of the obvious things about people on the Downtown East Side is that they’re generally filthy. Living on the street or in shelters, that’s hard to avoid. But it’s also obvious that they’d rather be clean. We saw people come into Gospel Mission and wash up at the laundry tub at the back, drying their hair with dishtowels, and wanted to do something about it; in late 2007, God provided the motive, opportunity and means.
One of the ground-floor spaces in our building came vacant, and even though we had zero dollars to make it happen, our landlord gave us the opportunity to draw up a plan for a showers facility.
From the beginning, God made it clear that the project was His will. Two days before our deadline, pledges came in totalling $4,000. The Oasis Church in Duncan, which has supported Gospel Mission for many years, put together a work party to build the stalls and sub-floor; a plumber who was “saved off the streets” at Gospel Mission donated his labour (and much of the material); Andrew Sheret, Ltd., donated four shower enclosures and the fittings; financial contributions, large and small, started coming in as others caught the vision. The media played an important role at key times, telling the public what was going on. On one occasion, a door was left unlocked through an oversight and some tools were stolen; when a TV report was aired, an anonymous donor stepped forward with a large cash donation to replace the tools and keep the project on track.
The Lord’s Rain, so dubbed by Judy Babcook, wife of senior pastor Barry Babcook, opened on April 30, 2008. Since then, it has provided more than 700 showers, thousands of cups of coffee and, in a glorious twist on The Law Of Unintended Consequences, a community place where people can escape from the streets, find good conversation, ranging from the Canucks to current events to others on the street to the Bible. We don’t outwardly evangelize, but the people who come in know who we are. That understanding, plus the fact that The Lord’s Rain exists to provide one of the basic needs of human life – cleanliness – brings the Light of Christ to that dark area and puts the Gospel into action. “Jesus with the skin on,” is the way senior pastor Barry Babcook describes it.
Further, the fact that The Lord’s Rain came about not through government programs or a single large corporation but by a group of private individuals and businesses with their unique gifts infuses the place with the intangible sense that people do care.
“Homelessness” is a typo
Much is said about Vancouver’s “homelessness” problem, but the metrics often refer to the number of people living on the street versus those in shelters or single-room-occupancy hotels. But are those “homes”? Matters like drugs and crime and mental illness are closer to the core of the problem, but the real root cause is hopelessness. Without Hope, why should someone try to beat drugs? Why should someone reach out for help? Why should someone even want to get up in the morning?
At Gospel Mission, we believe that Hope is found in the Gospel: the good news that God has not given up on His people and has already gone to extraordinary lengths to draw them close to Him. People need to know that it is possible to transform their lives and move forward, regardless of their situation, background or age.
We’re small – like the point of a spear
After its move from the Hastings Street storefront to Pigeon Park, it took another 50 years for Gospel Mission to expand beyond its “Upper Room” to street level. But as Jesus says, “ye shall know them by their fruits”, and the fruits of this Mission are tangible. We take joy in seeing changes coming over people, whether they get jobs, make a firm decision to move away from the area and its personal memories and issues, or just get a handle on their anger and pain. Personal victories like that seem small, but they drive to the heart of the problems that afflict people in the area. Those people can also go out and encourage their friends by their own examples.
A good place to philanthropize
Recently, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation provided a donation of $15,000 to Gospel Mission, out of a special fund the Foundation set up to help organizations at a time when other contributors might reduce their giving because of the current fears of economic downturn. The Foundation has given us permission to mention this contribution to encourage other businesses and foundations to follow that example.
Generous in-kind donations from Cobs Bread and Waves Coffee also help defray our food costs.
The really cool thing about ministering the Gospel is that it doesn’t cost much. A Bible, love and a good set of lungs have always been the tools of the trade. But James writes, “if … one of you say unto [a destitute person], ‘Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled’; [but] give them not those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit?” (James 2:15-16). Gospel Mission is a church first, not a “feeding program”: but meals are provided, as well as the showers and a warm refuge. We’re all volunteers: contributions go directly to the service: for rent, utilities, groceries and maintenance.
Building The Lord’s Rain started when there was incredible prosperity: not many could see global financial crisis, just as it was when Gospel Mission was founded in 1929. But God knew what was coming: that people would crash out and His servants had to be there to break their fall. It’s not about providing more shelters and more programs: we believe it’s about giving people hope that the world can’t give so they can clean up, turn their lives around and move on – to make room for the new ones coming in. “The poor ye shall have always,” Jesus says, but He doesn’t say they’ll be the same poor.
Canada’s Worst Postal Code -- or Whitest Fields?
Jesus looked at Samaria – which, like the Downtown East Side, was a land of outcasts – and declared, “the fields are white for harvest”. So much “bad news” is reported about the area, but we see a lot of good news at Gospel Mission. We also know that in business, people are loath to invest in things that are not successful: they want to know that their investments do pay off. We have seen how investments in Gospel Mission so far are successful both for individuals and society as a whole. There is good news, plenty on which to build further.
Jesus also said, “the labourers are few”, and Gospel Mission is always in need of volunteers – people motivated by love to help make a difference by listening to people and encouraging them; showing them there is Hope.
We’d love for you to visit us some time:
Services:
Sunday – 12:30pm
Monday, Tuesday, Friday & Saturday – 6:30pm
Wednesday Bible Study – 7pm
Thursday Movie Night – 7pm
The Lord’s Rain:
Monday & Friday 10am-3pm
Tuesday 6:30-9am
Saturday 6:30-10am
Tuesday (Ladies Only) 1-4pm
For more information, please contact:
Barry Babcook, Senior Pastor,
604-328-3987; or
Drew Snider, Ass’t Pastor,
604-803-3199
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Beaming at the Mission
We are beaming this morning after last night's service at Gospel Mission. One of the messages I like to come back to is that anyone can share the Gospel with others - and that the guys (women come to the Mission services, too, but I call them all "guys") are uniquely qualified to witness to other street people, since they do have that shared experience.
This isn't a return to the belief I held for a while, that my own experience was too "white-bread" for people on the DTES to relate to. I finally got rid of that when the Lord reminded me, "you nearly died, and I saved you. That's all that matters. Now tell them about it." No, it's a question of people overcoming any thoughts that you have to have "Rev." in front of your name or a string of letters after it in order to preach the Gospel, but that each and every one of us is "allowed" and empowered to be Jesus' witnesses. His commandment to us in Acts 1:8 is directed at everybody.
Friday nights suddenly came vacant about 6 weeks ago, and we spent some time praying for another "team" to step up. It's a great opportunity for a church from outside the DTES to move into this vital mission field. After all, as I've mentioned before, Jesus' instructions to us in Acts 1:8 are to minister to "Samaria" -- land of the outcasts in our own backyard -- even before we turn our attention to "the uttermost part of the earth". But then Kim, Lincoln, John and Bill, who manage to fill in for me on Saturdays, said, "why don't we do it?" Barry and I prayed about it, and we've decided to try it out for a month.
Last night was Night One of the new team, and listening to Sean -- a fellow Bill brought in from the Salvation Army -- leading Worship, it hit me: this was the start of that "peer ministry" the Lord had put on my heart two years ago. Lincoln led the service, Kim gave a very well-researched message about God's desire for His people to prosper in all ways, Bill and Fred (who was very much involved at Rainbow Mission) made the food.
People were riding a "high" afterwards: they pulled it off, and I'll be interesting to see how far the Lord takes it and where it goes.
(Kim was also riding a high after seeing himself on the cover of the Vancouver Courier, featured in a story about "Free Geek". Check it out.)
***
And amid the hubris, something had to give. Fred had just been to the memorial for a young woman who'd died of an overdose. They were friends: he'd just seen her in a bar, and she told him, "I have to go home now". "You need to stop drinking, is what you need," he said. That evening, he saw the coroner's van outside the hotel where she lived and they were taking out a body. The next day, he found out who it was.
"She was always happy," he said. Can we say with a straight face that someone who was wired to drugs and booze on the Downtown East Side was "happy"? Oddly enough, in this part of town, there's a certain plausibility about that.
It turned out, she was one of four people of the same family who died in the past 10 days. One of them was Bingo, a man who came into The Lord's Rain often -- and sometimes upstairs to Gospel Mission. He was given to wearing colourful ties and keeping himself fairly neat. Apparently, he contracted food poisoning.
Amid the beaming and buzzing from a successful Opening Night for the new Friday "team", something to remind us about the reality of the job we have to do.
***
And another reminder of that reality: arriving this morning at The Lord's Rain, I came down the alley between Cordova and Hastings ... watching the rats darting back and forth (NB - we've had NO rats at Gospel Mission in well over a year: another sign God is protecting this place!) ... and there, in one of the doorways, was a young woman, tying an elastic around her arm, getting ready to shoot heroin. She knew I saw her, but it didn't matter: she was getting fix, and that was all that counted. But about half an hour later, she came into The Lord's Rain for coffee and a bun. At least she had a warm, dry place to come to.
The poor will always be with us, Jesus tells us, which is something we have to keep remembering when we see scenes like that or hear about Bingo and Fred's friend. Jesus didn't say they would be the same poor people. We're kidding ourselves to think we can ever eradicate poverty -- sorry, Bono: we can't make poverty history -- at least, not for the world. But with the Gospel and God's blessing, we can give hope to individuals so that they can make their own personal poverty history. Friday night at Gospel Mission showed us just how possible that can be.
This isn't a return to the belief I held for a while, that my own experience was too "white-bread" for people on the DTES to relate to. I finally got rid of that when the Lord reminded me, "you nearly died, and I saved you. That's all that matters. Now tell them about it." No, it's a question of people overcoming any thoughts that you have to have "Rev." in front of your name or a string of letters after it in order to preach the Gospel, but that each and every one of us is "allowed" and empowered to be Jesus' witnesses. His commandment to us in Acts 1:8 is directed at everybody.
Friday nights suddenly came vacant about 6 weeks ago, and we spent some time praying for another "team" to step up. It's a great opportunity for a church from outside the DTES to move into this vital mission field. After all, as I've mentioned before, Jesus' instructions to us in Acts 1:8 are to minister to "Samaria" -- land of the outcasts in our own backyard -- even before we turn our attention to "the uttermost part of the earth". But then Kim, Lincoln, John and Bill, who manage to fill in for me on Saturdays, said, "why don't we do it?" Barry and I prayed about it, and we've decided to try it out for a month.
Last night was Night One of the new team, and listening to Sean -- a fellow Bill brought in from the Salvation Army -- leading Worship, it hit me: this was the start of that "peer ministry" the Lord had put on my heart two years ago. Lincoln led the service, Kim gave a very well-researched message about God's desire for His people to prosper in all ways, Bill and Fred (who was very much involved at Rainbow Mission) made the food.
People were riding a "high" afterwards: they pulled it off, and I'll be interesting to see how far the Lord takes it and where it goes.
(Kim was also riding a high after seeing himself on the cover of the Vancouver Courier, featured in a story about "Free Geek". Check it out.)
***
And amid the hubris, something had to give. Fred had just been to the memorial for a young woman who'd died of an overdose. They were friends: he'd just seen her in a bar, and she told him, "I have to go home now". "You need to stop drinking, is what you need," he said. That evening, he saw the coroner's van outside the hotel where she lived and they were taking out a body. The next day, he found out who it was.
"She was always happy," he said. Can we say with a straight face that someone who was wired to drugs and booze on the Downtown East Side was "happy"? Oddly enough, in this part of town, there's a certain plausibility about that.
It turned out, she was one of four people of the same family who died in the past 10 days. One of them was Bingo, a man who came into The Lord's Rain often -- and sometimes upstairs to Gospel Mission. He was given to wearing colourful ties and keeping himself fairly neat. Apparently, he contracted food poisoning.
Amid the beaming and buzzing from a successful Opening Night for the new Friday "team", something to remind us about the reality of the job we have to do.
***
And another reminder of that reality: arriving this morning at The Lord's Rain, I came down the alley between Cordova and Hastings ... watching the rats darting back and forth (NB - we've had NO rats at Gospel Mission in well over a year: another sign God is protecting this place!) ... and there, in one of the doorways, was a young woman, tying an elastic around her arm, getting ready to shoot heroin. She knew I saw her, but it didn't matter: she was getting fix, and that was all that counted. But about half an hour later, she came into The Lord's Rain for coffee and a bun. At least she had a warm, dry place to come to.
The poor will always be with us, Jesus tells us, which is something we have to keep remembering when we see scenes like that or hear about Bingo and Fred's friend. Jesus didn't say they would be the same poor people. We're kidding ourselves to think we can ever eradicate poverty -- sorry, Bono: we can't make poverty history -- at least, not for the world. But with the Gospel and God's blessing, we can give hope to individuals so that they can make their own personal poverty history. Friday night at Gospel Mission showed us just how possible that can be.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Blessings where you can find them
The funny thing about doing ministry in an impoverished area like the Downtown East Side is, it's hard to get "good news" stories Out There. There are some endeavours that almost thrive on bad news -- health and climate change research, for example -- as if people would stop paying attention (and stop giving money) if it looked as though the problem were licked.
Or look at it this way: if a mining company were to explore over and over again and come up snake-eyes over and over again, would you support it? Do you invest in a company that repeatedly reports failure?
So with Gospel Mission and The Lord's Rain, I prefer to tell about success; the blessings that have come raining down on the place: the indisputable signs that God's hand is on both the Mission and the Downtown East Side and encourage people that their money, efforts, supplies and pr
ayers are well-used.
So to that end, let's look at some of the blessings I've seen lately around the Mission. It's a symbiosis, to use a really poncy intellectual term: the ministry blesses people and the people bless us.
Or look at it this way: if a mining company were to explore over and over again and come up snake-eyes over and over again, would you support it? Do you invest in a company that repeatedly reports failure?
So with Gospel Mission and The Lord's Rain, I prefer to tell about success; the blessings that have come raining down on the place: the indisputable signs that God's hand is on both the Mission and the Downtown East Side and encourage people that their money, efforts, supplies and pr
ayers are well-used.So to that end, let's look at some of the blessings I've seen lately around the Mission. It's a symbiosis, to use a really poncy intellectual term: the ministry blesses people and the people bless us.
One of the most palpable is the sense of community at The Lord's Rain. Creating the showers facility has raised ministry to a new level, so that whether people come in for a shower or not, that spirit of permanence and caring brings a new hope and optimism. Conversations range through the Bible, personal issues, current affairs, and really important stuff like the Canucks and the Lions.
Barry
He arrived from the Regina area about six months ago, and it's been easy to remember his name: with the remnants of a mullet, he bears a striking resemblance to Barrie Melrose, the sometime coach of the Los Angeles Kings. Unfailingly polite, a sharp dresser, especially considering he's been moving from shelter to shelter; he brings a measure of class to the Mission. Rather like Chet, who came at the same time as Barry, from the Six Nations Reservation near Ottawa (his is a story that's still unfolding).
Recently, Barry set out to find an agent to kick-start his acting career. Turns out, he did some TV and films in Saskatchewan and decided to try to get similar work in these parts. "It was a choice between getting an apartment and finding an agent, and I went for the agent," he told me.
This past week, he signed on with an agent and went for photo shoots. He certainly has a "look" and the kind of intelligence to work well on a set, so this is, definitely, a sign of hope for him.
Richard
"Have some coffee, Drew: it'll wake ya up!" That's Richard's catch-phrase, and he'll say it whether I've just arrived and haven't tucked into one of Danilo's signature brews (provided as a major blessing from Waves Coffee) or I'm working on my third.
To look at Richard, you could easily label him. He's native, tall and gangly, always wearing a toque (even in the summer), and his herky-jerky motion, whatever he happens to be doing, is a sign of current or former drug over-use. He has a capacity for our pre-mixed coffee (Danilo mixes the sugar and whitener in ahead of time) that is amazing, which almost doubles when he picks up "another cup to take to my ol' lady".
I'm beginning to think that Richard's "ol' lady" is a bit like Duffy on "Duffy's Tavern" or Maris on "Frasier": a character talked-about but never actually seen. Be that as it may, Richard's appearance continually reminds me how wrong you can be if you judge a book by its cover. This past Saturday, I brought in some Christmas cards for the people at the Mission to sign, and I did a double-take at Richard's penmanship.
"You have great handwriting," I said.
"I'm an artist," he replied. Ink and paper is his specialty -- he also carves, but doesn't have any tools at present. I'll take him some paper and pens on Saturday and turn him loose. Maybe -- if he does requests -- I'll get him to do a hummingbird for Amelia. Another native artist on the DTES -- name of Angelo -- did an ink drawing for me of a wolverine. I like wolverines. Amelia said, "why didn't you get a hummingbird?" So now I'm on the lookout for a native artist to do a hummingbird.
Anyway ... Richard's blessing: he'll be getting a room of his own in the "social housing" component of the new Woodward's development. He's really looking forward to it, and rightly so. A lot of the rental housing in the DTES is not noted for the cleanliness or attention to maintenance. What's intriguing is that this is the same Woodward's development that was the target of protests by the rent-a-mobs a few years ago -- indeed, the same ones who formerly occupied the space that is now The Lord's Rain. Go figure.
Kim
I've known Kim for years -- back to the days at Rainbow Mission, in fact -- and seen him grow in the Lord. By that I mean, he's gone from being the guy who showed up just as the message was ending, in time to get the food, to someone who fills in for me giving the message on nights when I'm not there (last time, he and Lincoln took turns). He trained as a cook and started training a few months ago for a service on the Downtown East Side called "Free Geek", which repairs and rebuilds computers and trains people in the area. Recently, he was promoted to a "trainer" position.
Walter
A native from Manitoba, he's heading back to a town near his reserve to work over the winter building cabins. The job takes him closer to his 17-year-old daughter, which means they'll be together for Christmas.
Pete
"Who here has never screwed up?"
I was on a preachin' roll that night. The message was about "belonging" and how we all belong with Jesus and I was heading for Paul's oft-quoted reminder that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
"Who here has never screwed up?" Pause for dramatic effect. One hand comes up. It's Pete.
70-something, alcoholic (on and off the wagon), in and out of prison most of his life, Pete was the most miserable sod you'd ever want to meet when I first met him; but in the past year and a half, it seems he's realized there has to be more to life than what he's been going through, and has changed considerably. Lately, he was diagnosed with cancer. He actually laughed when I asked him how he was. "I got cancer!" he said. And now, with exquisite timing that would have made Jack Benny proud, he sticks up his hand at my rhetorical question. We've been praying over him, and I believe his coming closer to God came just at the right time for this new challenge.
Lincoln
From what I know of him, Lincoln has always believed in and always sought God, and lately, he's been finding who he is in the Lord -- and who the Lord is in him. Breakthroughs like that are huge: he now fills in for me when I'm away, either going solo or partnering with Kim.
Shannon & Brannen
I mentioned Shannon in a previous post, in deep conversation with Howard when I arrived at The Lord's Rain one morning: an indication of how people who come to Gospel Mission and The Lord's Rain often counsel one another. This couple are on the methadone treatment program and have a variety of chronic ailments from drug abuse. Recently, Brannen got a job at the hotel where they live; the living accommodations are, by their account, atrocious - mold, leaky roof, underheated - but they're a great example of the blessing of having each other to help face those trials.
Barry
He arrived from the Regina area about six months ago, and it's been easy to remember his name: with the remnants of a mullet, he bears a striking resemblance to Barrie Melrose, the sometime coach of the Los Angeles Kings. Unfailingly polite, a sharp dresser, especially considering he's been moving from shelter to shelter; he brings a measure of class to the Mission. Rather like Chet, who came at the same time as Barry, from the Six Nations Reservation near Ottawa (his is a story that's still unfolding).
Recently, Barry set out to find an agent to kick-start his acting career. Turns out, he did some TV and films in Saskatchewan and decided to try to get similar work in these parts. "It was a choice between getting an apartment and finding an agent, and I went for the agent," he told me.
This past week, he signed on with an agent and went for photo shoots. He certainly has a "look" and the kind of intelligence to work well on a set, so this is, definitely, a sign of hope for him.
Richard
"Have some coffee, Drew: it'll wake ya up!" That's Richard's catch-phrase, and he'll say it whether I've just arrived and haven't tucked into one of Danilo's signature brews (provided as a major blessing from Waves Coffee) or I'm working on my third.
To look at Richard, you could easily label him. He's native, tall and gangly, always wearing a toque (even in the summer), and his herky-jerky motion, whatever he happens to be doing, is a sign of current or former drug over-use. He has a capacity for our pre-mixed coffee (Danilo mixes the sugar and whitener in ahead of time) that is amazing, which almost doubles when he picks up "another cup to take to my ol' lady".
I'm beginning to think that Richard's "ol' lady" is a bit like Duffy on "Duffy's Tavern" or Maris on "Frasier": a character talked-about but never actually seen. Be that as it may, Richard's appearance continually reminds me how wrong you can be if you judge a book by its cover. This past Saturday, I brought in some Christmas cards for the people at the Mission to sign, and I did a double-take at Richard's penmanship.
"You have great handwriting," I said.
"I'm an artist," he replied. Ink and paper is his specialty -- he also carves, but doesn't have any tools at present. I'll take him some paper and pens on Saturday and turn him loose. Maybe -- if he does requests -- I'll get him to do a hummingbird for Amelia. Another native artist on the DTES -- name of Angelo -- did an ink drawing for me of a wolverine. I like wolverines. Amelia said, "why didn't you get a hummingbird?" So now I'm on the lookout for a native artist to do a hummingbird.
Anyway ... Richard's blessing: he'll be getting a room of his own in the "social housing" component of the new Woodward's development. He's really looking forward to it, and rightly so. A lot of the rental housing in the DTES is not noted for the cleanliness or attention to maintenance. What's intriguing is that this is the same Woodward's development that was the target of protests by the rent-a-mobs a few years ago -- indeed, the same ones who formerly occupied the space that is now The Lord's Rain. Go figure.
Kim
I've known Kim for years -- back to the days at Rainbow Mission, in fact -- and seen him grow in the Lord. By that I mean, he's gone from being the guy who showed up just as the message was ending, in time to get the food, to someone who fills in for me giving the message on nights when I'm not there (last time, he and Lincoln took turns). He trained as a cook and started training a few months ago for a service on the Downtown East Side called "Free Geek", which repairs and rebuilds computers and trains people in the area. Recently, he was promoted to a "trainer" position.
Walter
A native from Manitoba, he's heading back to a town near his reserve to work over the winter building cabins. The job takes him closer to his 17-year-old daughter, which means they'll be together for Christmas.
Pete
"Who here has never screwed up?"
I was on a preachin' roll that night. The message was about "belonging" and how we all belong with Jesus and I was heading for Paul's oft-quoted reminder that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
"Who here has never screwed up?" Pause for dramatic effect. One hand comes up. It's Pete.
70-something, alcoholic (on and off the wagon), in and out of prison most of his life, Pete was the most miserable sod you'd ever want to meet when I first met him; but in the past year and a half, it seems he's realized there has to be more to life than what he's been going through, and has changed considerably. Lately, he was diagnosed with cancer. He actually laughed when I asked him how he was. "I got cancer!" he said. And now, with exquisite timing that would have made Jack Benny proud, he sticks up his hand at my rhetorical question. We've been praying over him, and I believe his coming closer to God came just at the right time for this new challenge.
Lincoln
From what I know of him, Lincoln has always believed in and always sought God, and lately, he's been finding who he is in the Lord -- and who the Lord is in him. Breakthroughs like that are huge: he now fills in for me when I'm away, either going solo or partnering with Kim.
Shannon & Brannen
I mentioned Shannon in a previous post, in deep conversation with Howard when I arrived at The Lord's Rain one morning: an indication of how people who come to Gospel Mission and The Lord's Rain often counsel one another. This couple are on the methadone treatment program and have a variety of chronic ailments from drug abuse. Recently, Brannen got a job at the hotel where they live; the living accommodations are, by their account, atrocious - mold, leaky roof, underheated - but they're a great example of the blessing of having each other to help face those trials.
The Cobs Kids
Here's one outta left field for you. As we've mentioned before, we receive bread products from the new Cobs Bread location in Caulfeild (West Vancouver). It brings me closer to full circle, because it's just a chip shot from Caulfeild Elementary School, where I went in 6th and 8th grades more years ago than I'd care to remember.
There's a high school in the area, and some of the people working at this new Cobs are students at that high school, and picking up the bread on Monday nights has brought me in touch with a couple of them. They are both very interested in the work going on -- particularly at The Lord's Rain. West Van is an exceptionally affluent area -- much moreso than when I lived there, 30 years ago -- and anything that gets these kids thinking about what they can do -- and more importantly what is possible to be done -- is the seeds of a major blessing for the future.
It would be prideful to say that these blessings come because of Gospel Mission and The Lord's Rain, but there's no denying that we are part of a distinct move of God over the Downtown East Side. If you unpack Ezekiel 40, which describes the building of the Temple in intricate detail, you'll see that each of us has a job to do, but the entire plan, in the final analysis, is in God's hands.
It would be prideful to say that these blessings come because of Gospel Mission and The Lord's Rain, but there's no denying that we are part of a distinct move of God over the Downtown East Side. If you unpack Ezekiel 40, which describes the building of the Temple in intricate detail, you'll see that each of us has a job to do, but the entire plan, in the final analysis, is in God's hands.
What's more, we get to be witnesses to that move -- and to tell others about it.
It's easy to portray the people on the Downtown East Side as pathetic victims, but on the principle that death and life are in the power of the tongue (Prov. 18:21), if we keep on hammering that message, then the situation remains the same. We can bear witness to the fact that there are VICTORIES going on as we speak, and these people are just a few examples. These are just the ones I've seen, and as soon as I hit "publish post", I'll probably think of many more examples of people being blessed. Watch out for sequels.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 15:57).
It's easy to portray the people on the Downtown East Side as pathetic victims, but on the principle that death and life are in the power of the tongue (Prov. 18:21), if we keep on hammering that message, then the situation remains the same. We can bear witness to the fact that there are VICTORIES going on as we speak, and these people are just a few examples. These are just the ones I've seen, and as soon as I hit "publish post", I'll probably think of many more examples of people being blessed. Watch out for sequels.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 15:57).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)