Vancouver, Canada 8

A warm afternoon, huh?

We keep watching the forecast for the coming week and note that it will be at least 10 degrees cooler in Vancouver, BC. May we should have traveled there next week instead of last. . . Oh well, the garden really needed us here.

So the Dad in the picture is helping his daughter down from peering over the counter where she could see her soft ice cream cone being made. The big plastic display cone says "Do Not Touch". A good idea so kids don't lick it and spread swine flu.

But there it is, that little treat store right on Robson Street where most customers don't think twice about indulging. It doesn't cost much when you have plenty in your pocket. But if you don't have much, a $2-$3 ice cream cone would be a fortune. And not much of a meal.

Food options on Robson Street are not in short supply. And some of them conveniently take up most of the sidewalk. Presumably, they have permits to create these permanent obstacles to traffic. It contributes to the ambience of the place. Makes it seem more like Europe . . . or like you're on vacation. It's always nice to be seen in a place. Everybody knows how hip you are, what you can afford.
Except when you can't afford it. 7-Eleven is here. Way to go, Southland Corporation, based in Dallas, Texas! I remember seeing the corporate headquarters from Love Field, the downtown airport in Dallas, when I worked there: tall reflective smoked glass building with lights on all four sides in the shape of a big "X".

So-called "convenience" stores are not conveient places to eat. Or to buy anything, for that matter. People generally buy non-essentials there. Impulse buys like Doritos and Dr. Pepper--also Texas products. The beverages in cans and bottles are part of the food chain, though.

No, not the beverages. They're generally not very nutritious. It's the containers. For some people among us, the containers ARE the food chain. They collect them to return for deposit refunds and use the money to buy more staple foods and essentials. For these folks, it's a job, not an inconvenience to be dealt with before they do the weekly gorcery buying at the big stores.

It's actually a good thing that so many people who can afford the snack beverages are so wealthy that they don't care about the deposit. They toss the cans in trash bins on the streets or in the parks. Other people go through and retrieve them. It's good and noble work because the containers shouldn't go to landfills. The "canners" do us a huge service.

But we sometimes make it really hard for these folks to do their work. Like strategicaly locating the recycling centers in only a few places--generally very far away from the sidewalk cafes of Robson Street. No wonder people in Vancouver don't collect cans and bottle in plastic bags. They use shopping carts, and their regular routes of looking for income may cover quite a few miles of streets. Then they have miles to go to do anything with them. We saw them racing one another around the parks along English Bay in the evening, trying to score the big haul before someone else did. And trying not to lose half their catch in the process.

There is growing pressure in Oregon to move can and bottle returns out of stores and into remote recycling centers. Like in California or the one above out on E. Pender Street in Chinatown, Vancouver. If we do that here, we'll make it much harder for people to make a living and take care of their needs.

We should do the opposite: Keep the can and bottle returns in stores--and expand the types of containers to all the non-carbonated beverages as well. Think of it as creating jobs.

Jesus asked, "Where shall we buy bread that they may eat?" There were 5K hungy people. He knew what He was going to do.

We have more than 5K hungry people around us. Do we know what we are going to do?

Shalom,

Roger

Vancouver, Canada 7

Hi, again.

This continues our Vancouver, BC series begun a week ago. Join the original premise by scrolling down to the first Vancouver post below...



Messages. We are sending them and receiving them constantly. Sometimes, maybe we should stop to ask if the one other people receive is the one we actually intended to send.

I wonder if the woman waiting for the bus on Robson Street thinks about what message she is sending. What message do you receive? What do you think she wants you to receive?

Ya never know these days. . .

Except when it comes to retail . . . Then there's no question. It's about getting noticed. About being edgy. It's about throwing all constraints to the four winds. "Get thee behind me, Satan, and puuussshhh!"
Push me all the way to the pay station. Push me to use my credit card. Again. And again.

Sometimes the retail messages try to get all philosophical or spritiual on us. Can't actually use a real religion or God, though. Naw, that would be taking sides, ruling some people in and others out. Sorta like we do in our churches. It's better to make up a religion that's sorta non-religious.

So we'll use symbols and icons that were once highly religious. By now, modern people have forgotten that anyway. So re-use will have universal appeal and not offend anyone--if we make it artsy enough. The little turquoise placard in the shop window is in French. It's invoking the "Moon, protectitve force and guardian of humanity and the earth." Cute little face, huh?

But the Roots /Canada sotre has taken it to a new level. They've made feeling good about life, oneself and (presumably) feeling good about buying their stuff very easy. Bite sized. By turning little slogans and affirmations into a pseudo-creed. Kinda sounds like "You shall love and serve and fulfill yourself a whole bunch. After all, no one else and no thing else ever will."

Just wondering, though, where one finds all that love and self-fulfillment? Does it come from work? from wealth? from war?

Huh? From having the right stuff from the right store?

I wonder what message(s) my faith group sends out? Are they as plain to see as . . . as the advertising slogans in the store above?

Shalom,

Pastor Roger

Vancouver, Canada 6

Hi, again!

We're going to leave Chinatown for a bit and go to where the big bucks are in West Vancouver. Robson Street is Vancouver's Rodeo Drive.
Jean likes being on Robson Street and seeing the number 5 Robson buses running both directions. Robson was her maiden name.

Those stores: Store after store. Trendy stuff. Expensive stuff. Lots of people on the street, day and evening. All trying to make a buck. Gotta get your attention first, though. Or you won't spend a buck or two thousand.

When I asked, she said her name was Trish. I told her mine as I dropped money into her empty cup. She had a very pleasant voice and a warm smile in her eyes. People say you shouldn't put money into people's empty cups, that they'll use it for bad things. Well, we're just passing through and don't have any Sisters of the Road Cafe (Portland, OR) food coupons to give out in Canada. And, hey, somebody who has a bad habit will do whatever it takes to satisfy that habit even if that means robbing, mugging, selling drugs and prostitution. I'd rather give them money and help to prevent those other crimes.

It was a pleasant day, and I had a pleasant conversation with Trish while Jean and Hilary went into the shops to browse (didn't buy anything). Perhaps one out of a thousand pedestrians gave Trish money. But I'll bet even fewer make eye contact or ask her name. For now, being on the street IS her job. But I'd never have known that without talking to her.

So, do bad girls really break hearts? Or do people who don't see each other as human beings break more hearts than all the bad girls combined?

Jesus talked to people that other people shunned. He even touched most of them. And he brought them good news. Since he didn't have any money, he gave them what he had: himself and his love. More to come.

Shalom,

Pastor Roger

Vancouver, Canada 5

Hi, America!

If you're just joining us, we're on an extended excursion in Vancouver, BC. The series of posts is much longer than our trip--only four days. Scroll down to the first post "Vancouver, Canada" (no number) to join us at the beginning.
This isn't a travelogue, however. I'm sharing how different another city looks, one we know fairly well, when seen through new eyes, the eyes of ministry with folks whose life is near or on the streets.

That said, when was the last time you looked around the place you live? No, I mean REALLY looked around? Looked around through the eyes of a visitor or tourist? Try it sometime. Try it this week in your own city or town. Go to places you don't ordinarily go and simply see through new eyes the people and the little culture quirks you've sailed right by before.

Like that shop of trinkets in Chinatown. What kind of world even makes something like that little plastic doll with blue hair and a slingshot for bikini bottoms? What kind of city or state or world lets families get kicked out of their jobs or their housing and live on the street? What kind of society discharges women from psych treatment in a hospital when there is a 2-3 month wait for housing? Which is crazier, the plastic doll or the DC from psychiatric care with no place to go?

So.... Did you ever watch any shows on TV sponsored by Ovaltine? Have you ever had any? I'm not sure I have. We mostly drank chocolate milk made with Hershey's syrup when I was a kid. Or we made Postum. I remember dipping white toast with butter into the cup of Postum. Had to pull it out quick and eat it, or the bread would fall apart. Postum was made as a grain-based substitute for coffee that was hard to get during WWII. Personally, I think it's way better than instant coffee. Yucko! Is instant coffee even made anymore?

Oooops! Who said whatever that got somebody's buns so steamed anyway? I hope it wasn't me! But at least they're the best ones in town. Now, if you're gonna get your buns steamed, might as well do it up right. No half a---d buns here!

Like I said, have you ever really looked at your neighborhood, your city, your culture through a visitor's eyes? How about your church? How about if the visitor was not just another American like you but from another country? What would they see? How welcome would they be?

Has anything changed in the neighborhood where you live? Any new people, foods, cultures, languages, poverty, unemployment? Is the attitude of our faith group "Well, we're here. They can find us if they want to."

Or is it, "Well, they're here. So it's time we moved in next door and got to know them." ?????


Do our churches effectively have bars over the doors and windows just like the market above? Remember, the people inside cannot see the bars. But people outside sure can. Look closely, and think about what you see. Either on the street or in your church. Maybe both.



More from Vancouver still to come. Much more. Fun stuff. Stay tuned.


Shalom,

Pastor Roger

Vancouver, Canada 4

So there it is in the distance at 320 E. Hastings Street. It's the First United Church Mission, brainchild of the United Church of Canada. When I first saw the roofline and the cross above it there on the edge of Chinatown, I thought, "Yeah. It's

probably just another of those poorly planned, dying churches in an inner city." I thought the church probably didn't represent the community as so many don't. I thought maybe it was a church that only reluctantly served the people outside its doors because all the other members had left. How wrong I was! This church was built specifically to BE the church to those on its doorstep.

Here are a few numbers: mission is 3 years old; 700-1,000 people come through the doors every day; 18 staff; 60 volunteers; 23 sandwich-making groups; up to 200 people call it home on any given day. But don't take my word for it. Visit the church's website and read the mission statement: http://firstunited.ca/mission_statement.htm .

Read the text of "A Song of Faith" included in the mission statement. Has any church you know been as bold, as realistic, as willing to go where the people are? One of their key staff positions is Minister of Hospitality.

Read "Our Presence: In the Heart of the Downtown Eastside." It's a humbling and inspiring vision and commitment. When we drove by, the steps were filled with people who had found a home there. It's truly what Christ is when he came ashore around Lake Galilee--a source of preaching, teaching and healing.



There are plenty of places that feed people's legal addictions to alcohol. Places like the Blue Eagle. Or like the West Hotel. Why is is that they need to hang that big vertical banner next to the hotel name to proclaim "Cold Beer & Wine?"

And these are just the establishments that serve more ordinary residents of the area as well. There are so many more where the tourists and the visitors, the people passing through will likely not get near.

And there still are those traditional sights and aromas of a vibrant ethnic community. Not all poultry and pork that people take home to eat and to add to other dishes, not all of it spends days or weeks sealed and frozen in clear plastic wrap on a styrofoam tray. Some of it is still done the traditional way.


But spend some time with that First United Church Mission site and think about what they have done, what they do on a daily basis. Is a similar mission needed where you live? What's your church waiting for?

Many more sites and reflections from Vancouver to come. Stay tuned, and thanks for this visit!

Shalom,


Pastor Roger

Vancouver, Canada 3

Hi, America!

More from the Vancouver Streets. The jewelry shop above seems to be doing OK at this particular hour on this particular day. At least, not all the visitors and shoppers are Caucasians from the USA and Europe. That may be a good sign.

However, for the little neighborhood grocery and market below the picture is different. His "Blow Out Sale--Everything Must Go--Don't Miss Your Chance" is his last attempt to bring in a bit of revenue before he closes. The economy and the changing neighborhood had hit hard. Especially when there are other nearby shops that sell essentially the same thing. That will leave a hole in the neighborhood.

But other things have been changing in the neighborhood also. Libraries are an important feature of any community, any city. Vancouver has a stunning new one. Huge interior atrium. Stunning glass and architecture. A far cry from the Carnegie library that once served the city from a corner on E. Pender Street. This beautiful mosaic is out front on the sidewalk right at the corner entrance.

But it's no longer a library. It's a community center. That's a good thing. Lots of services are needed in this community. But they probably aren't the kind of services one might expect to find at a community center in other neighborhoods. Things like organic gardening classes and summer reading and recreation programs for youngsters out of school, knitting and weaving groups for seniors.

No, this sturdy old building probably provides showers for people on the street, 12-step programs, diversion groups.

Might even have a clothes closet and a food pantry. Life-saving stuff.

Maybe a place to use a phone or a computer. A place to sit down for a few minutes. Take a pee. Maybe even a locker to store your stuff for an hour.

Might serve as a resource center for public housing, a place to come in off the street when it's cold and wet out--which is a lot of the year in Vancouver, BC.

It no doubt has other unofficial uses due to its location. Such as a landmark for making a deal on the corner. Other people will be coming and going. No one will notice. . . .

Until someone does. . .

While the two female officers were making this bust in front of the Carnegie, a woman was standing right outside the coffee shop door a block down taking care of her own private "business" with the butane lighter and her little pipe. 10:30 in the morning. It didn't matter to her whether she was in Chinatown or Beijing. So long as that little pipe and lighter did what she wanted. What her body needed more than anything else. As businesses close, there will be less shopping and more "street sales".

So often, when Jesus came ashore on Lake Galilee or entered a town, a crowd formed. People desperately needed some good news, a reason to live and go on another day.

Someone has heard the call "Follow Me" in Vancouver. Right up the street. Stay tuned. . .

Sahlom,

Pastor Roger

Vancouver, Canada 2

Hi, Americans!

Not all is as it once was in Chinatown, Vancouver. To be sure, the megamarkets on prime corners along E. Pender Street in East Vancouver will continue to do well. They will attract locals with their selection and quantity. Tourists who know their stuff will surely wander into the open market storefront. Who knows? They may sell more online than "over the counter these days". But I've always wondered about some Chinese markets such as the one below. Is this a food store? Herbal medicine apothecary supply? Craft supply store? Health and beauty store? All of the above?

Does one cook with these nearly transparent dried fish? Grind them up for medicines? Boil them for the cat? Fertilize the garden with them?

The old institutions and clubs are barely hanging on. Younger Chinese-Canadians have grown up almost entirely westernized. They don't want to live or raise their families on the old narrow apartment buildings with cramped space, poor plumbing and heat, inadequate electrical systems and right above the crowded streets. Those who can afoord to move out to communities like Richmond or North Vancouver and have a more suburban life. Their kids feel much more at home there.

How does that change life for the smaller stores and businesses? If they go under, what happens to the space? Who moves in? What goes on outside?

How do these factors and other changes in the economy affect life for the people already there? For the people who have nowhere else to go?

Where does the Gospel and ministry fit into all of this? Stay tuned.

Shalom,

Pastor Roger