A lovely post from Summerland resident, Dorothea Atwater We went into Summerland today to visit the Evacuees Resource Centre set up on the top floor of the George Ryga Arts and Cultural Centre. Everyone was very nice and helpful. Then we went downstairs where the Summerland Community Arts Council has a lovely little arts and... Continue Reading →
โThe roots of true community are fireproofโ — A Wildfire Worship Experience — Sunday August 16, 2026
An archival shot from Cartwright Mountain, an area likely destroyed by the Bald Range wildfire. Resources and thoughts assembled by me, the Very Rev. Ken Gray, all in light of the Bald Range Wildfire in and around Summerland, BC as we and over 20,000 others are evacuated from our homes and community for an indefinite... Continue Reading →
A day-5 evacuation story
Image: Hope, Susan Norie From Facebook [Ken Gray - I don't know Banu Tรผlรผmen's but they tell a beautiful story admist so much uncertainty.] I don't quite know how to describe these past five days. There are stories everywhere. Some heartbreaking. Some heroic. Stories of loss and uncertainty, but also extraordinary stories of kindness, generosity... Continue Reading →
Picture this — Wildfire
These images were created prior to our evacuation from Summerland late Friday night. Given our hurried packing there was no time to take shots of the fire itself though we did witness the Cartwright Mountain Ridge (our dog walking area) fully aflame. Many such images are sprinkled throughout social and news media. Our evacuation story... Continue Reading →
โItโs about dignityโ: Anglicans call for relief as U.S. blockade strangles Cuba
Alongside Hope executive director Will Postma (fourth from left) visits a rural community in Cuba in 2018 By Matthew Puddister - Published August 5, 2026 - Reposted from the Anglican Journal Everyday life for the average Cuban today starts without electricity, Jose โPepeโ Bringas, general coordinator of the Episcopal Church of Cubaโs Integral-Missionary Development Program... Continue Reading →
One wildfire evacuation story
An image of our condominium behind an approaching helicopter captured Saturday, August 9. We live in the left unit in the building on the right, top two floors. So far, our home is safe, but I suspect very smelly and smoky. From CBC News. So much for the lazy, now hazy days of summer in... Continue Reading →
Love changes everything
Read this poem as you will. God's love? Our love? Simply, love. I imagine the poem below as a modern day Beatitudes, a collection of sayings that birth images of blessing and peace we receive in amidst chaos of "today." There is so much we can receive through our senses, through the very physicality of... Continue Reading →
Jann Arden — Always surprises
Reposted from Facebook I am getting married in 12 days. There isnโt a single thing anyone could have ever said or done to have prepared me for the future I find myself standing in right now. It is as surreal and as deliciously whimsical as you might imagine. Change is the thing that makes us... Continue Reading →
“Courage is fear that has said its prayers” — More from Anne Lamott
[Some differences between my experiences (and my spelling) with those of Anne Lamott. Still, great words here.] [Anne Lamott] August, ugh, not my favorite month. If I were Godโs West Coast representative, I would not have scheduled it, and gone directly from the heat blasts of Julyโwhich we would endure with only once or twice... Continue Reading →
My Top Ten Favourite Toronto Blue Jays
Once again, I find myself responding to Matthew Larkin, this time not regarding the use of historic church properties; this time nothing to do with the experience of Christโs Real Presence in the Mass. No, this time his challenge to me is to name my ten favourite Toronto Blue Jays players. I reiterate that I... Continue Reading →