1/25/15

420 Seymour River Place

(Kenneth Gordon School)

St. Simon's Anglican Church/Anglican Coalition in Canada
North Vancouver, B.C. Canada

"The first group of Anglicans met in 1940 in the back of a grocery store on Gallant Avenue." (Reference.)  This store later became the Bike Shop and most recently Deep Cove Outdoors. The property is now being proposed for development.  "This evening service consisted of 12 people, seven of them belonging to the Rawlings family.  When the community hall was built in 1940, the congregation moved there... Mr. Naughton, a real estate agent in the Cove, donated the property on Deep Cove Rd. (1384) for St. Simon's Anglican Church... The congregation members literally got out and dug the foundations for their building.  This consisted of one floor... But the building was too small, so the congregation once again got busy and dug out a basement so a lower floor could be added." (Reference.) 

"Based on the first kept records of Sunday attendance,  we date the official beginning of St. Simon's from October  1945.  As such we are celebrating  our 70th Anniversary this coming Harvest Thanksgiving 2015." (Rev. Ed Hird) 

The people of Deep Cove worshiped in the Deep Cove Anglican Church named St. Simon's until the year 2004.

1384 Deep Cove Road

"The parish was formerly named St. Simon’s Deep Cove. Its priest and several members of the congregation left the Anglican Church of Canada in 2004 over the issue of same sex blessings. The next year they turned the building over to diocesan officials and have set up shop in a school outside the Deep Cove neighbourhood. However they kept the name “St. Simon’s,” which caused a great deal of confusion in the local community." (REF Blog Post 1.)  The name of the little blue church was changed to St. Clara-in-the-Cove Anglican Church.  

In January of 2014 St. Clara-in-the-Cove Anglican Church was sold to "The Bridge", the Baptist church which originally met in Delbrook in North Vancouver. (REF Blog Post 2.) The little blue church is now serving as their office building.  Their Sunday worship service is held in the theater at Capilano University.

St. Simon's Church sign at 420 Seymour Place

(2014)

For the last 10 years (2004-2014) the congregation of St. Simon's under the leadership of Rev. Ed Hird has met in the gym at Maplewood/Kenneth Gordon School for Sunday worship services.  Bible study, the young adult group, the worship project, women's group, and men's group meet in alternate venues.

Church Greeting Display at
420 Seymour Place 
(2014)

To get ready for each Sunday's worship service the Kenneth Gordon School gym is transformed into the Sanctuary of St. Simon's Anglican Church.  The gym floor is covered in a tarp; the cross from the Deep Cove church is erected;

the altar is centered; electronics are installed for music; a red carpet sets off the chancel; and chairs are set for the congregation.  

Sanctuary in school gym

(2014)

To prepare for Christmas celebrations a Christmas banner stitched by congregation members is hung in front of the alter.  The purchased Biblical scene was enhanced with stitching, wool, beads, and even straw by congregation members by Genevieve Tobin, Donna Hoffman, and Megan Allsopp.

Christmas Banner in Sanctuary

(2014)

The backlit wooden Cross that now hangs in the Sanctuary during Sunday worship originally hung in the Sanctuary in the Deep Cove church.  When The Bridge Church purchased the Deep Cove church on early 2014 they returned it to the St. Simon's congregation.  They also returned the offertory plate, music, and communion items including the chalice, altar cloths.  The music for choir anthems was used for the 2014 Christmas Cantata.

Original Sanctuary Cross

originally at church on Deep Cove Rd. 

now at church meeting at Seymour River Place

Rev. Dr. Ed Hird is an author and recently published the book Restoring Health, Body, Mind and Spirit.

Photos: Taken on Christmas day 2014 by SW.
Link 1: http://www.stsimonschurch.ca/
Reference Blog Post 1: 4/3/11 regarding St. Clara-in-the-Cove/St. Simon's 
                Anglican Church.
Reference Blog Post 2: 11/2/14 regarding The Bridge.
Link 3: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_Mission_in_the_Americas
Link 4: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_Coalition_in_Canada

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

 

Strasbourg Cathedral's west façade, viewed

(Photo-Link)

Strasbourg Cathedral
Strasbourg, Germany

Steeple Detail

"Strasbourg, a dual-cultured city  is perched on the border of France and Germany." (AC)

Front Double Door Entrance

Lower part of the West façade, (Caption-Link)

 "This Gothic beauty, situated at the centre of the city, is a mixture of filigree stonework and lacy spires, leering gargoyles and flying buttresses.  Victor Hugo said of this cathedral 'The true triumph of the cathedral is the spire.  It is a veritable tiara of stone with its crown and its cross.  It is a gigantic and delicate marvel.' " (Guide book.)              

Side Doors

"Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg, German: Liebfrauenmünster zu Straßburg), also known as Strasbourg Minster, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Strasbourg, Alsace, France. Although considerable parts of it are still in Romanesque architecture, it is widely consideredto be among the finest examples of high, or late, Gothic architecture. Erwin von Steinbach is credited for major contributions from 1277 to his death in 1318.

Rose Window

"At 142 metres (466 feet), it was the world's tallest building from 1647 to 1874 (227 years), when it was surpassed by St. Nikolai's Church, Hamburg. Today it is the sixth-tallest church in the world and the highest extant structure built entirely in the Middle Ages.

Sanctuary  

(Photo-Link)

"Described by Victor Hugo as a "gigantic and delicate marvel",and by Goethe as a "sublimely towering, wide-spreading tree of God",the cathedral is visible far across the plains of Alsace and can be seen from as far off as the Vosges Mountains or the Black Forest on the other side of the Rhine. Sandstone from the Vosges used in construction gives the cathedral its characteristic pink hue." (Link)

Photos: Taken in August 2014 by friend Arne Carlson while on a Rhine
                 River Cruise.
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strasbourg_Cathedral

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

• 

                  The cathedral from south                            (Photo-Link)
                  
 

Koler Dom,
Cologne, Germany

Twin Steeples

Exterior Detail

"Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) (Latin: Ecclesia Cathedralis Sanctorum Petri et Mariae, officially Hohe Domkirche St. Petrus, English: High Cathedral of St. Peter) is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site. It is Germany's most visited landmark, attracting an average of 20,000 people a day.

The Crucifix of Bishop Gero, 10th century, the oldest known large crucifix 

(Caption-Link)

The five windows on the South side were given by Ludwig I of Bavaria. 
(Caption-Link)


Sanctuary Statues

"Construction of Cologne Cathedral commenced in 1248 and was halted in 1473, leaving it unfinished. Work restarted in the 19th century and was completed, to the original plan, in 1880. It is 144.5 metres (474 ft) long, 86.5 m (284 ft) wide and its towers are approximately 157 m (515 ft) tall. The cathedral is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe and has the second-tallest spires (after Ulm Minster. See info-box below.) Its two huge spires give it the largest façade of any church in the world. The choir has the largest height to width ratio, 3.6:1, of any medieval church. (Link.)

"In 1996, the cathedral was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List of culturally important sites. In 2004 it was placed on the "World Heritage in Danger" list, as the only Western site in danger, due to plans to construct a high-rise building nearby, which would have visually impacted the site. The cathedral was removed from the List of In Danger Sites in 2006, following the authorities' decision to limit the heights of buildings constructed near and around the cathedral.

"As a World Heritage Site, and with its convenient position on tourist routes, Cologne Cathedral is a major tourist attraction, the visitors including many who travel there as a Christian pilgrimage.

"Visitors can climb 509 stone steps of the spiral staircase to a viewing platform about 98 m (322 ft) above the ground. The platform gives a scenic view over the Rhine.

"On 18 August 2005, Pope Benedict XVI visited the cathedral during his apostolic visit to Germany, as part of World Youth Day 2005 festivities." (Link.)

Photos: Taken in August 2014 by friend Arne Carlson while on a Rhine River Cruise.
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cologne_Cathedral

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)

More Russian Nesting Dolls

featuring Russian churches

(From newspaper "SonntagasZeitung",

sent to me by son RW living in Switzerland.)

(See Blog Post 12/28/14)

The Year 2015

The Blog Churches On Sundays has published a Post each Sunday for the last four years.  Starting in 2015 Blog Posts will feature photos from guest submissions, visits to other local churches, and my travels, only as they come available.

The churches buildings in North Vancouver City, the District of North Vancouver, and adjacent Native Lands have been included in Blog Posts so far. A Blog Post has been completed on each one.  Hard copies of these will be assembled and bound in booklets and will be on file at the North Vancouver Archives.  They included:

                                                                                      

                                 Posthumous Churches of North Vancouver City

                                 Posthumous Churches of the District of North Vancouver  

                                 North Vancouver Churches 

                                 The District of North Vancouver Churches  

                                 Churches on Native Lands Adjacent to North Vancouver
                                  Past and Present Churches of Lynn Valley
                                 Past and Present  Churches of Deep Cove

Other booklets that include some of the church in other areas  that will be sent to local archives or historical societies include:

                    

                                 Churches of Spokane, Washington

                                 Churches of Blaine, Washington

                                 Churches of Downey, California

                                 Churches on Palm Springs, California

                                 Churches of Switzerland

                                 Churches of Courtenay, B.C. Canada

                                 Churches on the Ucluelet, Tofino, area in B.C. Canada

                                 Churches of Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada

Booklets that will be sent to individual entities include:

          

                                The Chapel of the Costa Cruise Ship

                                The Chapel of the Celebrity Cruise Ship 

                                The Vancouver, B.C. Canada Airport Chapel

                                The Houston, Texas Airport Chapel
                                Lion's Gate Hospital Chapel, North Vancouver, B.C.

                                St. Paul's Hospital Chapel, Vancouver, B.C. Canada
                                St. Vincent Hospital Chapel, Vancouver, B.C. Canada
                                Vancouver General Hospital Chapel, Vancouver, B.C. Canada 

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen (SW.)