A reflection by the Rev’d Jon Swales [Extracts] Every church has leaders.Every church has a culture.Even if nobody names it,something is shapingthe life of that community. Culture is the feel of a place. It’s how people are treated when nobody is watching. It’s what gets celebrated, what gets ignored, who gets heard, and who slowly... Continue Reading →
A video of her acceptance speech at the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing is here A transcript is below. (Check against delivery.) [Maggie Helwig] This is not my book. This book belongs to a community. I am cognizant that I am in the kind of room which I am not in very often, and... Continue Reading →
Reposted from Aljazeera [Introduction by Sylvia Keesmaat] “This is what creative non-violent resistance looks like: Holding a Freedom school in the face of barbed wire and the hovering threat of violence. One thing that the increasingly tyranny and violence around the world has demonstrated is that those without power know how to band together and... Continue Reading →
Reposted from The Independent Sunday 19 April 2026 NPR (National Public Radio/US) received its largest-ever donation from a living donor this week when billionaire philanthropist Connie Ballmer gave $80 million to the media organization. Ballmer — a former member of the NPR Foundation's board — told the Wall Street Journal that she poured money into... Continue Reading →
How the first American pope is reclaiming Christian values from the Trump administration By Christopher Lamb at CNN Flying to Algeria at the start of his landmark tour of Africa on Monday, Pope Leo had a choice. He could ignore Donald Trump’s extraordinary overnight social media tirade against him, or he could tackle it head... Continue Reading →
CAC faculty member Brian McLaren reflects on the person of Benedict of Nursia (ca. 480–547) whose world closely resembles ours today. History, it seems, repeats itself. Hopefully Benedict's solution helps us on our way. Long live wisdom. It’s not hard to imagine a world that seems to be falling apart with political division and corruption,... Continue Reading →
By Hankookilbo - Published Apr 13, 2026 Hankook Ilbo, Korea Visitors crowd the Yeongnangho Cherry Blossom Festival around Yeongnangho Lake in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, April 11. Yonhap {Ken Gray - As a child growing up in Victoria on Harlow Drive my street was drenched in pink cherry blossoms every March of April. I have fond... Continue Reading →
A sermon for the United and Anglican congregations in Summerland BC on Good Friday, 2026 by the Very Rev. Ken Gray We need a new name for today, for what is “good” about Good Friday? By definition, “Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is... Continue Reading →
[Notes from a CBC article here] Former politician, diplomat and activist Stephen Lewis has died at age 88. Lewis was a former leader of the Ontario NDP, Canadian ambassador to the United Nations and a longtime journalist and environmental activist. The Lewis family said in a statement on Tuesday that he died peacefully in hospice... Continue Reading →
From Andrew DeCourt on Facebook who writes: I usually script my sermons. I do this to be precise, respect time, and keep a record of what I’ve said. But yesterday morning, I felt nudged to call an audible. I switched my sermon text an hour before church and preached directly from my heart without any... Continue Reading →
Take Note - Reflections on life, music, politics, retirement and more by Ken Gray 