Church of the Advent | Anglican Church in Colwood

Join Marco Vitale for an afternoon of harpsichord music by William Byrd, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, and Martin Peerson. Admission is by donation, with all proceeds going to support the Red Cross Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal.

1:30pm PST

Join us for a zoom interview and reading with Carolyn Whitney-Brown - co-author of Flying, Falling, Catching (HarperCollins Canada - co-authored with Henri Nouwen). Rob Crosby-Shearer will facilitate the interview which will focus on themes of embodied community.

Sponsored by The Emmaus Community & The AbbeyChurch - with support from the Writers Union of Canada.

Email admin@emmauscommunity.ca for the zoom link or for more information.

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During the last five years of his life, best-selling spiritual author Henri J. M. Nouwen became close to The Flying Rodleighs, a trapeze troupe in a traveling circus. Like Nouwen’s own life, a trapeze act is full of artistry, exhilarating successes, crushing failures and continual forgiveness. He wrote about his experience in a genre new to him: creative non-fiction.

In Flying, Falling, Catching, Nouwen's colleague and friend Carolyn Whitney-Brown presents his unpublished trapeze writings framed by the true story of his rescue through a hotel window by paramedics during his first heart attack. Readers will meet Nouwen as a spiritual risk taker who was transformed through his engagement with these trapeze artists, as well as his participation in the Civil Rights movement, his life in community with people with intellectual disabilities, his personal growth through friendships during the 1990s AIDS pandemic, and other unexpected encounters.

What will we do with our lives, and with whom will we do it? In this story of flying and catching, Nouwen invites us all to let go and fly, even when we are afraid of falling.

“Flying, Falling, Catching is a beacon of hope. It reminds us that despite all the perils and sufferings that surround us, with which we often collide, we can find healing, peace, and awe even in the most unusual detours that life offers. A must read.” - Marina Nemat, Author of international best-seller Prisoner of Tehran

"In Carolyn Whitney-Brown's deft hands, Henri’s intentions literally, vividly swing alive. This is a beautiful, moving story about interconnectivity, interdependence, and life's rich, beautiful, complicated pageant. I devoured it in a sitting.” - Lisa Napoli, Author of Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie

“No question that flying, falling, and catching were unlikely teachers for Henri Nouwen, whose clear preferences were security, stability and being caught! I hope and trust that you, the reader, will allow Henri to guide your journey through risk to freedom!” - Sr. Sue Mosteller, CSJ, Executrix of Henri Nouwen's literary estate

“I am very grateful for Carolyn Whitney-Brown's accurate account of my brother Henri's inner feelings, hopes, wishes and despair. You brought Henri very close to me again.” - Laurent Nouwen, Founder of the Henri Nouwen Foundation

“A lifelong search for wholeness takes a surprising late turn—toward the circus! As someone who’s spent much of my adult life absorbing beautiful spiritual truths in gritty entertainment venues, I can definitely relate.” - Shad, Rapper, Host of documentary series Hip-Hop Evolution

"A loving achievement and a riveting story of spirit meets body. With splendid pace and wit, Carolyn Whitney-Brown drops the words of Henri Nouwen’s flights of thought before us. Then, she arranges to gorgeously catch them. A singular spiritual tale written with tender-hearted eloquence from two arresting minds.” - Kathryn Bond Stockton, Author of Gender(s), Distinguished Professor of English, University of Utah

“In this book, I see Henri in the audience, smiling straight at me, clapping his hands above his head, enjoying our performance success as much as we did. This one is for you, my friend.” - Rodleigh Stevens, Founder of the Flying Rodleighs and former trainer with Cirque du Soleil

"Anyone who knew Henri, either through his writing or in person, will immediately recognise how beautifully he’s been brought to life in this book – his willingness to write so vulnerably about human relationships and feelings as a means to discovering our purpose in life, and a sense of the divine.” - Gary Donohoe, Professor & Chair of Psychology, National University of Ireland, Galway

“Flying, Falling, Catching is far beyond religious belief or affiliation. It is a universal tale of mind-body connection and disconnection. While undoubtedly an account of a spiritual journey, Carolyn Whitney-Brown nimbly explores the corporeal inner life of Henri Nouwen as he literally swings through the air. It is brilliant!” - Ruth Rakoff, Author of When My World Was Very Small

"For Henri Nouwen, a flying trapeze performance was like a Russian icon, drawing him into a spiritual world. This endearing true story about living and dying carefully brings together all of Nouwen's thinking on the Flying Rodleighs and the circus. Like the act itself, sheer elegance.” - Michael Ford, Author of Wounded Prophet and Lonely Mystic.

This is our third offering of this highly popular anti-racism series. Capacity is limited to 30ppl/session. Register early.

Intersections: A Dialogue Series is an opportunity to engage with Challenging Racist ‘British Columbia’: 150 Years and Counting (CRBC). Produced as part of the commemorations of 150 years since BC joined Canada, this open-access, multimedia resources documents how the recent cycle of anti-racist activism in this province is part of a broader history of Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities challenging white supremacy for over 150 years. In this seven-week series brings people together in intentional conversations to:

encounter our collective past
locate ourselves as participants in the ongoing story of this place
explore how to respond faithfully to the truths we find together

...so we can participate with God in restoring creation and affirming the dignity of all people.

A team of trained moderators will offer will offer each of the seven sessions which are based on the information covered in the CRBC project, using video, song, prayer, self-refection exercises, readings and group discussions.

SERIES OUTLINE

Session 1: Introduction. Introduces pedagogy and content for the series.

Session 2: Land, language, treaty. Highlights the interconnection of land, language and the treaties that were signed, or not, in the process of colonization.

Session 3: Residential ‘school’ System. Explores the legacy of residential ‘schools’ and the implications for us today.

Session 4: Restrictive immigration. Unpacks the ways in which the provincial government restricted immigration from racial groups other than white European and engages some contemporary statistics for reflection.

Session 5: Japanese internment. Revisits the response from Canadian authorities to Japanese Canadians during WWII and anti-Asian racism as it is experienced today.

Session 6: Black experiences. In the shadow of the Black Lives Matter movement, this session seeks to expose the experience of Black people in the province, both historically and in contemporary BC.

Session 7: Where to from here?, This session will complete the series, but it is also the beginning of our next steps on this journey.

Bridging Cultural Divides: Better Ways to Tell our Stories

Now, more than ever our words matter. Storytelling is an art. How and what stories we tell can either hurt or heal the world. If you are entrusted with the responsibility of communicating the Gospel by the telling the story of God's people, past, present or future you join us for this transformative event.

This convention for religion communicators across North America is sponsored by the Associated Church Press, Canadian Christian Communicators Association (of which the diocese of Islands and Inlets is a member), Religion Communicators Council and Anabaptist Communicators, will take place online.

“As religion communicators, we know we mostly come from certain racial and identity groups,” said convention organizer and ACP executive director Gregg Brekke. “If we are to fully represent the wide scope of life in Canada and the U.S. today, we need to find better and more diverse ways of telling stories, and of engaging new story tellers.”

Speakers include Dr. Bay-ling Sha of California State University, whose primary research examines the intersection of identity and public relations; Kristin Nicole Henning of Georgetown Law School, who specializes in identifying and addressing racial bias; and Osheta Moore, author of the book Dear White Peacemaker.

In addition to the speakers, the convention will feature workshops and panels on editorial, marketing and technology issues such as Solutions Journalism—or how to cover stories in constructive and non-polarizing ways; developing a social media personality for your publication or organization; and strategic communication management for marketing and public relations.

Cost of the convention is $95.00 and group discounts are available. For more information, and to register, go to rcconvention.org.