Thank God for Rear-view Mirrors

By Rev Ed Hird

Every New Year sends us on a new journey along the Highway of Life. Where do we want to drive? What do we want to see? What do we want to become? My forty years of driving in BC have shown me that I am better off when I check my rear-view mirror. Even though ICBC gives me one of the top categories for safe driving, I had a close call once when I neglected to check the rear-view mirror. Without a rear-view mirror, we are driving partially blind.

I am so grateful this New Year 2013 for all the hard work by Janet Pavlik, Desmond Smith and Eileen Smith in producing the brand-new ‘Echoes Across Seymour’ history book. Without a sense of history, we are driving blind. History makes us a safer driver on the journey of life. History helps us discover where we want to drive, what we want to see, what we want to become. History is our rear-view mirror.

The longer I live, the more that I love the gift of history. History is about story-telling, story-remembering, and story-celebrating. Janet Pavlik and her dedicated team remind us that life has meaning, pattern and flow. Sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees. Life feels chaotic and overwhelming. History helps us realize that we are not alone, that there is direction on the journey of life.

The book Echoes Across Seymour took six years to be born. There were many anxious times when it seemed like there might not be a way forward. Congratulations to Janet and team who kept going and never gave up. Janet’s team gave immaculate attention to each subneighbourhood in the Seymour/Deep Cove area. You will want to have your own copy, as it is a great conversation starter. Special thanks are due to Pacific Arbour for making it possible to have the book in colour. The photos make the book a real keepsake.

History is about real people. Literally hundreds of key residents had their stories told and their family history recorded for posterity. Anyone who has lived or worked for any time in the Seymour/Deep Cove area will recognize face after face of gifted dedicated people who have made a lasting difference. It is remarkable how many local residents have given hundreds of hours to serve their community. An example of such unselfish dedication is seen in the Mount Seymour Lions birthed under the leadership of Joe Thornley. We are a stronger and healthier community, thanks to the investing of the Lions in affordable housing for families and seniors. They do indeed live up to their motto: ‘We serve’.

I was very pleased to see the recognition given to Bruce Coney and the Deep Cove Crier, a unique community newspaper that has done so much to bring the Seymour/Deep Cove community closer together. Jesus gave us the famous Golden Rule, that we should do to others as we would have them do to us. I am thankful for so many people illustrated in Echoes Across Seymour who seek to do to others in practical ways. Thank God for the gift of this memorable ‘rear view mirror’, as we drive into a happy New Year 2013.

p.s. The book can be purchased online or directly at

Deep Cove Heritage Society

4360 Gallant Avenue

North Vancouver

British Columbia

V7G 1L2

T: 604 929-5744

Rev. Ed Hird, Rector

St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver

Anglican Mission in the Americas (Canada)

http://stsimonschurch.ca

-an article for the January 2013 Deep Cove Crier

award-winning author of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’

http://www.battleforthesoulofcanada.blogspot.com

p.s. In order to obtain a copy of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’, please send a $18.50 cheque to ‘Ed Hird’, #1008-555 West 28th Street, North Vancouver, BC V7N 2J7. For mailing the book to the USA, please send $20.00 USD. This can also be done by PAYPAL using the e-mail ed_hird@telus.net . Be sure to list your mailing address. The Battle for the Soul of Canada e-book can be obtained for $9.99 CDN/USD.

-Click to download a complimentary PDF copy of the Battle for the Soul study guide : Seeking God’s Solution for a Spirit-Filled Canada

You can also download the complimentary Leader’s Guide PDF: Battle for the Soul Leaders Guide

Bella: Lightning a Candle

By Rev Ed Hird 

Many of us are unaware that BC was once a Spanish Territory.  Our famous Captain Vancouver, after which our city is named, was sent to the West Coast by the British Government to receive this land from the Spanish.  I took one year of Spanish in Grade 10 after finishing Grade 12 French in Grade 9.  Languages have always fascinated me, perhaps because I spent two years in Montreal learning French during the time of Expo 67.

Our St. Simon’s NV community has been on many mission trips over the years, especially to Mexico and Rwanda.  Our first St. Simon’s NV mission trip was to the Hispanic Anglicans in Honduras, one of the poorest countries in the world.  It was a wonderful opportunity to refresh my Spanish, preaching, teaching and even singing on the radio in Spanish.  Our Latino Honduran friends were very kind to me as I sought to improve my Spanish diction.  I think that they appreciated my making the effort to speak in their heart language.

The largest ethnic minority in North America is the Hispanic-speaking people with over 52 million in the United States, 14 million in California, and almost 5 million in Greater Los Angeles.  Fifty percent of all those recently added to the USA population were Hispanic.  Many commentators have predicted that the very close American Presidential election (now concluded) will be won on November 6^th by whichever way the Hispanic voters lean.

One of the most delightful movies that crosses the Hispanic/Anglo divide is Bella.  My wife and I recently borrowed Bella from the local library, after a good friend recommended we check it out.  We were not disappointed with our ‘date night’ movie.  This stunning ‘once in a lifetime’ movie left us both in tears.  It left me with the conviction that Bella has the potential to do something beautiful in the world. Bella lights a candle in people’s heart.

Bella struggled for visibility until winning the prestigious People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival as well as a Heartland Film Festival award.  Then our North Shore-based LionsGate Films and Roadside Attractions became the distributors.  LionsGate Films is part of the reason why with so much film activity, the North Shore is often called Hollywood North.

As the top-rated movie on the New York Times Reader’s Poll, the Wall Street Journal called Bella ‘the fall’s biggest surprise’.  With more than $10 million in domestic box office, it became one of that year’s top-ten-grossing independent films, breaking the record for a Latino-themed film in total box office earnings.

Alejandro Monteverde, Bella’s Producer with Metanoia Films, wanted to produce a movie that showed the real face of Latinos.  So often Hispanic people are portrayed in movies in less than flattering ways.  We need more culturally sensitive movies like Bella.  For Latino people, the kitchen is at the heart of the family.  Everything in Bella was food-related, whether speaking of the key actors who worked in restaurants or the intimate family times where Nina a pregnant non-hispanic waitress is welcomed into their Latino hospitality. Bella reminded me that the Hispanic people have a rich family heritage and deep spirituality that is an important contribution to our North American multicultural mix.  In an age where marriages and families are often collapsing, the Latino people have much to teach us about human dignity and making room for everyone.

The gist of the story is that Jose, a famous soccer star, becomes involved in a tragic car accident that ends his career.  He lost his passion for life and for soccer.  Meeting Nina changes everything for him and for her in a most unexpected way.  More than romance, Bella reveals the beauty of sacrificial love.  I thank God for Bella’s celebration of family, food, music and life-affirming Judeo-Christian values.  You could check this movie out of your local library or view it online.  My prayer for those reading this article is that we will daily rediscover the importance of family, kindness and compassion for others in need.

Bella Movie Trailer  (click to watch online)

Bella Movie Trailer (en Espanol/Spanish)

Reverend Ed Hird, Rector

St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver

Anglican Mission in the Americas (Canada)

http://stsimonschurch.ca

-an article for the November  2012 Deep Cove Crier

-award-winning author of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’

http://www.battleforthesoulofcanada.blogspot.com

p.s. In order to obtain a copy of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’, please send a $18.50 cheque to ‘Ed Hird’, #1008-555 West 28th Street, North Vancouver, BC V7N 2J7. For mailing the book to the USA, please send $20.00 USD.  This can also be done by PAYPAL using the e-mail ed_hird@telus.net . Be sure to list your mailing address. The Battle for the Soul of Canada e-book can be obtained for $9.99 CDN/USD.

-Click to download a complimentary PDF copy of the Battle for the Soul study guide :  Seeking God’s Solution for a Spirit-Filled Canada

You can also download the complimentary Leader’s Guide PDF: Battle for the Soul Leaders Guide

Kings of Hearts now available

by Rev Ed Hird

 

My good friend, The Rev Dr Rod Ellis, has been actively involved in ministry for over 35 years.  We had the privilege of leading a Renewal Mission at his congregation a few years ago.

 

He is Rector of Church of Our Lord in Victoria, British Columbia where he has served for the past 14 years. Rod is married to Lynne and they have three adult children, a son-in-law and daughter-inlaw, and a grandchild.  His new book ‘King of Hearts’ was just published by Elation Press, Victoria, British Columbia

King of Hearts: David: Man of Devotion, Living with Passion, Power and Purpose of two

kings, one who was a shepherd boy who became

- a story of two kings of Israel, one the King of Israel, the other, King of Kings, born in a lowly manger as our Saviour and how their lives are inextricably linked. Drawing from the wisdom and experience of nearly four decades of ministry, this work examines the life of King David and his unique relationship with God. As a man, David has his failings, but he is most noted for his triumphs. Dr. Rod Ellis looks at how we can have a relationship with God like the enigmatic King David. Wholly human, yet larger-than-life, David is complex and competent, yet completely full of imperfections. This in-depth study of David takes the reader on a journey where Dr. Rod Ellis shares his own personal accounts of struggles and successes.

Uplifting and challenging oneself with thought-provoking questions at the end of each chapter, King of Hearts is a quest to unlock the love and greatness that God has gifted us with.

To order the book, please contact Rev Rod Ellis at rector@churchofourlord.org

Returning from Kigeme

By Rev Ed Hird

 

In our last two days in Rwanda, we travelled with Pastor Paul, Dean of Kigeme Cathedral, to visit Bishop Nathan in Butare. He shared about the way that the Holy Spirit touched lives at the recent Christ Awakening/Butare Convention where Rev William Beasley of Chicago and others spoke. Staying again at the Kigeme Cathedral guesthouse, we visited Bishop Louis, Pastor Samuel, and Rev Ron Browning and team with the All Saints AMiA Church in Pensacola, Florida. We also visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial site before we flew home from the Kigali International Airport.

Bishop Nathan of the diocese of Butare was very gracious in his welcome to us, even showing us his cows.

Pastor Paul also attended the Butare Diocesan Convention that so deeply touched so many lives. Click to view Bishop Nathan’s account of the Christ Awakening.

It was such a blessing to have my wife Janice with me on the Rwanda trip.

Rwandan hospitality is a great blessing.

We met with three of the Rwandan Anglican bishops during our visit.

Passing the Cathedral on our way to the bus station heading to Kigali.

God is moving powerfully in the Kigali Cathedral, as they recover from many challenges in the past.

It was great to meet with the Rev. Ron Browning and team from All Saints AMiA Church in Pensacola, Florida.  They are in a sister/sister relationship with an Anglican congregation in a very poor part of Kigali where 250 children and others worship in a building that doesn’t have a roof. Rev. Browning is hoping to raise the $10,000 needed to put a roof on that burgeoning work. Click to view the Greeting to Canada from Rev. Ron Browning.

Janice meeting with one of the Anglican Mother’s Union workers.

Visiting the Kigali National Genocide memorial site where over 260,000 victims were buried.

A memorial to the children who were killed in the genocide 17 years ago.

The mass graves from the Rwandan 1994 Genocide

A photo at the Kigali Diocesan office of Archbishop Rowan Williams meeting with the African Primates.

A closer look at the African Primates, including Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini. Click to view the Greeting to Canada from the Kigali Anglican Bishop Louis.

The UN is very visible in Africa.

Stopping but not getting out at the Entebbe Uganda International Airport.

The bright Ugandan colours.

Technically Janice and I have been to Uganda

The Ethiopian Airlines was a great place to be for the exhausting 22-hour flight back to Canada. We met on the airplane the only American Carl Wilkens who stayed in Rwanda during the 100-day Genocide. He just wrote a book about it, “I’m Not Leaving” which he signed for me on the airplane. 

While on the Ethiopian Airlines plane, we were able to read in their inflight magazine about the Royal Honeymoon of Will and Kate which took place in Africa on the Seychelles Islands.  There were unlimited movies on the Ethiopian Airlines to help you deal with the stress of flying so long and far. We both watched again the moving Christian-based movie “Soul Surfer” which tells the story about how Bethany Hamilton lost her arm through a shark attack, but did not let that stop her from becoming a championship surfer.  The film reminded me that our Christian faith makes a practical difference when tragedy happens. Click to watch a short video clip of the movie.

We loved Rwanda and miss it. But it was good to be back home in Deep Cove on the North Shore of Vancouver.

Rev Ed Hird, Rector,

St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver

Anglican Mission in the Americas (Canada)

http://stsimonschurch.ca

 

Central Ontario Christian Ashram retreat on July 22nd-24th

Janice and Ed Hird had a wonderful time as they spoke at the  Central Ontario Christian Ashram at  Jackson Point on July 22nd to 24th 2011 .

 

Click to view the brochure: Central Ontario Christian Ashram 2011 brochure

 

Correction: For the Registrar’s address it is #302, not #602. 

Check out Bishop Charles Dorrington’s invitation to the July 15th-18th BC Christian Ashram Retreat

The Beautiful Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver

If you ever come to Vancouver BC, be sure to take the seabus across to the Lonsdale Quay on the waterfront of the North Shore. Here are some pictures that may whet your interest:

Looking across the Burrard Inlet to Downtown VancouverLooking from the Lonsdale Quay to the North Shore Mountains

Apartments at Lonsdale Quay

Quay up close

Hotel at the Quay

Quay rotating sign

Lonsdale Market

Lonsdale Quay Shops

Lonsdale Quay waterfront

Tennis Court at the Lonsdale Quay

Beautiful pictures of the Sunny North Shore

Thanking God for godly mentors in 2011

By Rev Ed Hird

 

Happy 2011! The New Year season is a time for both remembering and anticipating.  This New Year, I particularly remember one of my mentors Ernie Eldridge who has helped me more effectively spend the last 6,900 days on the North Shore. 

 

Healthy mentors make the world of difference. Ernie Eldridge mentored me when I was just finding my way in the world.

 

Ernie believed in me when I first came to faith in 1972 and reassured me that I had done the right thing.  Ernie gave me sage advice about relationship choices, even assisting at my wedding thirty-one years ago.  When I was completing my Social Work degree at UBC, Ernie carefully listened as I shared my dream about becoming an Anglican priest.  After thirty years of ordained ministry, I am grateful that Ernie could see potential in a well-meaning, rather naïve young adult. 

 

In the mid 1970s, we started a singing group called Morning Star and a parallel LivingStone Productions which organized contemporary music concerts at Queen Elizabeth Theatre and the PNE Gardens.  Thanks to Ernie Eldridge’s mentorship, Morning Star received a national grant that enabled us to sing throughout BC, including an extensive outreach to Vancouver Island.  During that period, we sang extensively on the North Shore, including Hillside Baptist, West Vancouver United, and St. Simon’s North Vancouver. 

 

As a social worker, I had the privilege of working for John Braithwaite in 1975-76 at North Shore Neighbourhood House.  But I had no idea that God would one day have me spend several decades living on the North Shore.  That was never on my radar screen.  After four & a half years serving as the assistant priest at St Matthew’s Anglican Church in Abbotsford, I knew in 1986 that it was time to become a Rector/Senior pastor. One of the first people that I asked for advice and prayer was Ernie Eldridge.  Ernie agreed that it was time to move on.   In ‘casting my bread on the waters’, I applied for two positions: St Thomas Chilliwack and St. Simon’s North Vancouver.  When I met with the St Simon’s selection committee on Badger Road in Deep Cove, they asked me a lot of challenging questions.  My answers did not always impress myself, but I left that meeting with a deep sense that I would be moving to the North Shore. 

 

Ernie Eldridge always cheered for me when I was facing my next major transition.  One time he went to bat for me with my bishop at great personal risk.  Two of Ernie’s gifts to me that have been invaluable on the North Shore were his ‘Death & Dying’ and ‘Time Management’ courses.  He taught me the need to prepare for one’s death and to grieve the inevitable losses that we will all face. While writing my book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’, my wife and I were privileged to visit Ernie and Barb in Beaver Harbour New Brunswick before Barb died from ALS. Recently Ernie produced a thoughtful book ‘Hope, Help, Heaven’ on his last ten years with his dear wife Barb. 

 

Because Ernie uses a time management system, he was able to write his book in which he journals his thoughts and activities on a daily and weekly basis.  One of Ernie’s favourite verses was Psalm 90:12: “Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”  Through Ernie’s influence in 1982, I began using the Seven Star Diary system after my voice was restored through surgery.  For the past twenty-eight years, I have regularly recorded my work activities in a journal format.  As a result, I know exactly how many hours I have spent on any particular activity. Ernie taught me to ‘redeem the time’ because life is short and easily wasted (Ephesians 5:17, Colossians 4:5). 

 

Through Ernie’s time management system, I am aware that I have now spent 6,900 days serving the North Shore.  Time flies when you enjoy your work. It is a great privilege to serve each of you. It has not always been easy.  In the past twenty-four years, I have been privileged to be involved in some of your baptisms, weddings, and funerals. Through the Deep Cove Crier and the North Shore News, I have been privileged to communicate with each of you in hundreds of diverse articles.  Over the last two decades, St. Simon’s NV has served many of your children, preteens, teens and young adults through our gifted young pastors, the Rev Ken Bell, the Rev Josh Wilton, and Jill Cardwell.  In the past 17 years, I have had an opportunity to personally visit over 6,600 of your homes to see what you think and feel.

 

 I am excited in 2011 about the possibilities of having even more impact on the North Shore.  St Simon’s NV, which has been in existence for the past 65 years, recently celebrated its 6th anniversary at Maplewood School.  We, the St. Simon’s NV family, are here to stay and committed to serving you using our time, talent and treasure.  In the same way that Ernie Eldridge has helped me make better use of my time, I pray that each of us reading this article will learn to more effectively redeem our time and become better stewards of this sacred gift of our fleeting days. 

                             

The Reverend Ed Hird, Rector

St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver 

Anglican Mission in the Americas (Canada)

http://stsimonschurch.ca

- previously published in the Deep Cove Crier

-award-winning author of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’

http://www.battleforthesoulofcanada.blogspot.com

p.s. In order to obtain a copy of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’, please send a $18.50 cheque to ‘Ed Hird’, #1008-555 West 28th Street, North Vancouver, BC V7N 2J7. For mailing the book to the USA, please send $20.00 USD.  This can also be done by PAYPAL using the e-mail ed_hird@telus.net . Be sure to list your mailing address. The Battle for the Soul of Canada e-book can be obtained for $9.99 CDN/USD.

-Click to download a complimentary PDF copy of the Battle for the Soul study guide :  Seeking God’s Solution for a Spirit-Filled Canada 

You can also download the complimentary Leader’s Guide PDF: Battle for the Soul Leaders Guide

John A Macdonald: Nation-Builder

By Rev Ed Hird 

 

Every time I spend ten dollars, I come face-to-face with Sir John A Macdonald, our first Prime Minister.  As “the most famous of all Canadian leaders”, Sir John A. was a nation-builder, a man with many flaws who looked beyond himself and saw a great dream. 

 

Recently we celebrated BC’s 150th Anniversary.  Without Sir John A, there is no doubt in my mind that BC would have been lost to Canada.  The vast majority of  BC settlers were Americans drawn from San Francisco by the 1858 Gold Rush.  John A’s promise of the Canadian Pacific Railway won over the hearts and mind of ambivalent BCers.  This extravagant promise almost bankrupted Canada and nearly destroyed Sir John’s A. Macdonald’s political career.   Imagine if the Federal Government in 2010 promised to send Canadian Astronauts to Jupiter by 2020!  A railway all the way to BC was just as unthinkable in 1870.  Some cynics joked that Canada was not a nation, but a railroad in search of a nation

 

John A was not only a nation-builder but also a bridge-builder.  He commented: “We should accept as men and brothers all those who think alike of the future of the country, and wish to act alike for the good of the country, no matter what their antecedents may have been.”  He saw Canadian Confederation as a spiritual marriage between francophones and anglophones.  Unlike many of his fellow party members, John A could read French, understand it, and speak it reasonably well.”  Sir John A commented: “God and nature have made the two Canadas one – let no factious men be allowed to put them asunder.”

 

After the tragic death of his first wife Isabella, he married Agnes Bernard, just before the national ‘marriage’ of the Dominion of Canada on July 1st, 1867.  Agnes wrote in her diary: “I have found something worth living for – living in – my husband’s heart and love.”  As a devout Anglican, Agnes had a significant impact on her husband’s life, causing him to cut back on his drinking and start attending church on Sunday.  John A was deeply impressed by the Beatitudes, and made a practice of reading his bible every night before bedtime. 

 

In 1888, during six weeks of Hunter-Crossley renewal meetings in Ottawa, Prime Minister Macdonald had a deep encounter with Jesus Christ.  As one journalist put it, “When the well-known form of the Honorable Prime Minister arose in the centre of the church, many strong men bowed their heads and wept for joy.” After dining at the prime minister’s home several days later, Rev John Hunter confirmed that “Sir John is a changed man.” 

 

May we all, like Sir John A. Macdonald, have the courage to change the things we can.

 

The Reverend Ed Hird, Rector

St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver 

Anglican Mission in the Americas (Canada)

http://stsimonschurch.ca

- previously published in the North Shore News

http://stsimonschurch.ca

-award-winning author of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’

http://www.battleforthesoulofcanada.blogspot.com

p.s. In order to obtain a copy of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’, please send a $18.50 cheque to ‘Ed Hird’, #1008-555 West 28th Street, North Vancouver, BC V7N 2J7. For mailing the book to the USA, please send $20.00 USD.  This can also be done by PAYPAL using the e-mail ed_hird@telus.net . Be sure to list your mailing address. The Battle for the Soul of Canada e-book can be obtained for $9.99 CDN/USD.

-Click to download a complimentary PDF copy of the Battle for the Soul study guide :  Seeking God’s Solution for a Spirit-Filled Canada 

You can also download the complimentary Leader’s Guide PDF: Battle for the Soul Leaders Guide