From author and artist Jan Richardson It grows only deeper, this sense of how closely light and dark live together, and how grace imbues the places that are most laden with shadows and unfathomable mystery. The season of Advent impresses this upon us with such intention, with its exquisite weave of stories and images that... Continue Reading →
Two South Okanagan churches, St. Saviour in Penticton, and St. Stephen in Summerland recently helped the Rev. Canon Roger Cooper celebrate 40 years of ordained Anglican ministry. Asked if he had any wisdom to impart to younger ordinands, Roger suggested that “after 40 yrs of ordained ministry, you need a sense of humor, and a... Continue Reading →
A number of student organists in Victoria during the mid-1970s worked for local organ builder, Hugo Spilker. We loved playing the organ — I speak here of large instruments placed in downtown churches, many comprising four manuals and a pedal division — These were not small electronic substitutes which proliferate where I live today in... Continue Reading →
Feel free to complete the phrase above with the response: “Here followeth the anthem.” Since the Anglican Book of Common Prayer of 1549 the rubric welcomes and encourages musical creativity and ability in the public services of Morning and Evening Prayer. Visitors to Anglican cathedrals and larger parish churches throughout the Anglican Communion may find... Continue Reading →
Philip Oltermann writing in The Guardian, Mon 17 Nov 2025 -- Click the original article to hear a partial performance and to see other images. Two long-lost organ pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach have been performed in Germany, roughly 320 years after the composer wrote them as a teenage music teacher. Entitled Chaconne in D... Continue Reading →
Both COP30 and the Tapiri closing service described below are now history. There are however excellent suggestions named below for action following COP, suitable for all regions as the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action (2025-2034) continues. Six days of intensive dialogue among faith communities concluded on 16 November with... Continue Reading →
Reposted from Sylvia Olsen’s blog here Dr. Sylvia Olsen is an author, story-teller, knitting designer, housing specialist and teacher, Sylvia Olsen is an eclectic mix of her creative and academic pursuits. Her books have received numerous awards and nominations and many are Canadian best sellers. Her knitting designs have received attention across Canada and the... Continue Reading →
A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen, Summerland on Sunday, November 16th, 2025, the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost by the Very Rev. Ken Gray Early in the Spring of 2002, while rector of this church I received a call from ecojustice colleagues at the Anglican General Synod in Toronto. “Would you be willing to... Continue Reading →
A comment from Isaiah Brokenleg, (Shaneequa) Staff Officer for Racial Reconciliation at Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America Another important voice from COP30 At that same moment, I was across town at the Tapiri Indigenous Voices gathering at the Anglican Cathedral. Inside, we prayed, sang,... Continue Reading →
TRIGGER WARNING: Abuse; Racism; Denialism Thanks to Chris Dolson for sharing this post from Wilbur Turner Frances Widdowson, Dallas Brodie, and Jim McMurtry — all well-known figures who deny, mock, and downplay the documented atrocities of residential schools — are advertising a OneBC event at TRU on November 12. McMurtry even bragged on X, writing... Continue Reading →
Take Note - Reflections on life, music, politics, retirement and more by Ken Gray 