Linwood House Ministries

Supporting (and Voting!) for our Friends at ContainerVillage.ca

Back in May we posted a story from The Province about our friend Gerry Sly (that's Gerry on the left above) and the red tape he ran into when he tried to house some of his homeless friends in Coquitlam, BC. Well, he's back, he's got a whole community around him, and he's in the running for an Aviva Community Fund grant. Gerry is a founding Board member of Linwood House Ministries, he's a great friend, and we'd like to rally the LHM community to support and vote for his project.

The Aviva Community Fund is a $1,000,000 pool, available to community groups who have an action-oriented project that will make a tangible difference in their communities. The winners will be selected by... you and me, so voting is critical.

Here's what you need to do to help:

1. Learn more about the plan here
2. To vote, you must first register with the Fund
3. Voting for Phase 2 runs from October 25 to November 5
4. You can vote once a day for those 10 days, so please do!
5. Go to ContainerVillage.ca and join their Facebook page
6. Help spread the word
7. Vote
8. Vote
9. Vote
10. You get the point

Finally, in support of the project our friend Rob Clogg (that's C L Double G to his friends) has written--and rapped--My Place. You've got to see it to believe it:

YouTube link

That video alone should get you voting! So, please check out the great idea, and starting on Monday, vote, vote, vote! Thanks.

Remembering LHM on Their Special Day!

Lauren and Keith Hubley were married on August 28 in Oakville, Ontario.

They had what we think was a great idea - Instead of giving out wedding favours to their guests, Lauren and Keith made donations to three charities that have been important in their lives. Obviously the charities benefited from the donations, but this gesture was also a great way to spread the word to all the gathered friends and family. We're always amazed and grateful for the ways our friends find to promote and support Linwood House Ministries.

Thanks Lauren and Keith!

(Click for larger images)

     

Friday Night Lights

By Sue Todd

We wound higher and higher up the mountain, maneuvering one switchback after the other. It was dark and rainy, a typical October West Vancouver evening and we weren't exactly sure where we were going. Thank goodness for GPS. And for those Friday night lights. We were THAT high up that we could see the entire city, from Point Grey probably all the way around to Coquitlam. It was really beautiful. And nestled around the ports off the Burrard Inlet were the lights of the downtown Eastside. Right up against Gastown. Bordering the downtown core. Neighboring trendy Yaletown. Just a short drive away from Kitsilano. And merely over the bridge from the North Shore.

In the middle of it all, we can really believe that we are different, unique, set apart, not like them.

But when you get far enough away, when you get a bigger view, when you look down from above with God's eyes, you realize that we are all one. Part of the same whole. Intimately and closely tied together, sometimes in ways we really have to want to see.

We arrived at our destination, and spent a beautiful evening with close to twenty women who were desiring to know more about the community of the dtes. It's challenges and celebrations, and the inspiring stories within its borders. But more than that, they desired to know how their own stories could intersect, how they could give what they had, how they could open their hearts a little wider to receive. They left challenged and inspired. We left deeply encouraged by their hearts for others, for justice, and for their determination to find their purpose and place in the Greater Story.

As we slowly wound our way down the hill, I felt like my feet were back on the ground. I have to be honest, I am much more comfortable on the ground than I am up in the clouds. But I was grateful for the bird's eye view that night. The reminder that as we go about our days, we truly are more closely intertwined than any of us really understand. If we look closely, the true distances between us are barely visible.

As tiny as the glow from one twinkling city light.

Hope in Shadows

The always amazing Hope in Shadows calendar has been released for 2011. You can see the whole calendar in pdf form here, but be sure to buy your own copy and support the photographers of the downtown eastside. The calendar is an amazing project coordinated by Pivot Legal Society. Here's part of the announcement:

The photo on the cover of the new calendar is by a Hope in Shadows street vendor, Peter Thompson, who won the award for Best Colour Photo.

When Peter found out there was a new colour category in the photography contest held last June, he chose a mural painted by the residents of Kearney Gardens as the background for the photograph. "I thought it would be a good picture to take," he said. Using art materials from the dollar store, he and his nephew Ariez Pye, who is pictured in the photo, made a sign that reads "I can make a difference.” Peter thought it was an important message to send.

For the first time since Hope in Shadows hit the streets in 2003, we have included some colour images in the calendar. While we love the colour we won’t be getting rid of the black and white. There’s a special quality to black and white photography that we love (and we know you love, too.)

You can see all 40 winning photographs at the upcoming exhibition. Join us at the opening reception on October 14 and meet some of the photographers, buy your Hope in Shadows calendar and enjoy some yummy food.

What: Hope in Shadows Exhibition
When: October 12 to 23 (opening reception Thursday October 14, 6p.m. to 8p.m.)
Where: The Pendulum Gallery, 885 West Georgia

Check out the new Hope in Shadows advertisement. It is going to be played on Shaw Community Television and at Festival Cinemas throughout the calendar sales season.

Congratulations to everyone involved with this fantastic effort!

Help Make a Birthday Wish Come True!

Our good friend Idelette (of SheLoves Magazine fame) has blown out her candles and made a birthday wish. She would like to raise enough money to send 12 women to The Journey! Needless to say we would like to see that happen too.

You can read more from Idelette about her birthday wish here.

If you would like to particpate you can do so here. Be sure to designate your gift to Idelette's Birthday Wish! Thanks, and thanks to Idelette for having a heart for women around the world.

Linwood House Art Experience: They Came From Far and Wide!

By Erin Wilson,
Post Colborne, Ontario

By the time we had been greeted by friendly volunteers, passed by the musicians expertly playing their violins on the front porch, walked the beautiful grounds, and had a first glimpse of the artwork on display... it was very obvious that the Linwood House Art Experience was well named. It is so much more than an art show! The event proved to be an unexpected layering of beautiful experiences.

I loved speaking with a few of the artists from the DTES about how they came to make their art, and watching Todd Clark work on a huge canvas. Also loved having the opportunity to purchase a photograph from David Duchemin to add to my collection. The Art Experience managed to give me the pleasure of buying art that I love, in an environment that is gorgeous, in support of a ministry I care about. What a treat!

 

Gwen McVicker on bringing together people from all walks of life through art: