A few days ago I published a blog describing Pope Leoโs citation of the faithful witness of the Algerian Martyrs during the Algerian civil war between 1994-1996. Mission, the pope insisted, is never โa form of self-display, in opposition of identities, but the gift of self, even to the point of martyrdom, by those who... Continue Reading →
โNo one calls me Daveโ โ An appreciation of the life and ministry of David Crawley 1937 – 2025
Posting on Davidโs Facebook page, Joan Bubbs, Davidโs wife shared the sad news: โI have signed on to David's Facebook page to share the heartbreaking news that David died yesterday [Sunday], after a short illness. Some of you will also know that David was suffering from severe dementia. The combination of physical and mental deterioration... Continue Reading →
Such a cloud of witnesses
A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen Anglican Church, Summerland BC - Sunday, August 17th, 2025 โ The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost - The Very Rev. Ken Gray A woman approached me after a sermon I recently preached in Penticton, quite upset, as I intentionally contrasted the love of the Good Samaritan with the... Continue Reading →
Testament
Anas al-Sharif with his daughter, Sham, and son, Salah. Photograph: Facebook โIf these words reach you โฆ Israel has succeeded in killing meโ: the last words of a journalist killed in Gaza Anas al-Sharif, an Al Jazeera reporter, was killed along with four other journalists by an Israeli airstrike last Sunday night. This is the... Continue Reading →
Finding the sweet spot
No sermon from me today but a beautiful reflection from our friends at the Center of Action and Contemplation. I have read it several times, each time finding something jarring, beautiful, and different. Dr. Gary Paul Nabhan describes how Jesusโ parables invited listeners to find wisdom in their daily agricultural circumstances . . . Nabhan... Continue Reading →
Now they come for the churches โ US churches especially, pay attention to this
Thanks Barbara Liotscos for the shareThe following information DOES NOT constitute legal advice in either the US or Canada. The message below is โheads upโ only. A warning from DIANA BUTLER BASS AUG 07, 2025 Thereโs a letter making the rounds on social media from my friends in the UCC (United Church of Christ in... Continue Reading →
Cherry Vann โ Partnered, out, and in power
I share three things in common with the newly elected Archbishop of Wales, the Most Rev. Cherry Vann. We were both born in 1958, she in Leicester, England, and me in Victoria BC, Canada. We were also students at the Royal College of Music in London in the late 1970s where, as a colleague reminds... Continue Reading →
Sabeel Wave of Prayer, for August 2, 2025
I often wonder how I can assist the victims of the Gaza genocide. Sure, I make information available to my blog followers. What more can I, and you actually do? Well we can pray, in particular with Palestinian residents throughout the Middle East. We can join the Sabeel Wave of Prayer. Sabeel is an ecumenical... Continue Reading →
The meat in the belly of my brother
A sermon for the congregation of St. Saviour Anglican Church, Penticton BC โ The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, August 3rd 2025 โThe Very Rev. Ken Gray Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." I remember the death of my motherโs parents, my grandparents, Maxwell... Continue Reading →
Public Spaces Shouldn’t Be a Platform for Hate, Says Advocacy Canada
UPDATE: No decision yet on some Western Canada concerts including West Kelowna. TYEE article here. Thanks friends from Summerland United Church for the share below. With the support and encouragment of "Christian" churches who should know better, steadily far right ideology is now creeping into Canadian public spaces. Kelowna, BC - Advocacy Canada is expressing... Continue Reading →