December 8, 2013

201 East 23rd Street (2000)

North Shore Alliance Church
North Vancouver, B.C. Canada

"Our church began in Horseshoe Bay, a little over sixty years ago. And while a lot has changed in sixty years (our location, our music, our ministries), the foundation remains the same. Connie and Marjorie Pope had a passion for Jesus and a burden on their hearts for the people who lived around them.  Taking note that there was no evangelical church in the area, these two sisters along with their friend, Karen Chalmers, began to develop a vision that remains central to us today--moving out into the neighbourhood with the message that God loves people.

"Over the years, NSAC grew to the place where it needed a new, more permanent home. In 1988, the congregation moved into our current building at 201 East 23rd street. But God had more in mind than simply a new building for our church community; He had in mind multiple churches across the North Shore. In 2002, again in 2005, and once more in 2006, three new churches were launched: Cove Community Church in Deep Cove, The River Church in Squamish, and Simple Churches ( a network of house churches across Vancouver and North Vancouver).

"Today, North Shore Alliance is a church that meets in two gatherings on Sundays, and in over 30 small groups weekly around the city. North Shore Alliance is also a part of a larger network of churches called the Christian Missionary Alliance. (Link 1.)

Alliance Church, facing corner of St. Georges and East 23rd Street

(2013)

This distinctive modern church (built 1988) faces the North Shore mountains and is on the corner of St. Georges Avenue and East 23rd Street in the City of North Vancouver.  The cross is a predominant feature.  The open steeple (pictured above) of two molded cement spires reaching to the heavens protects a large wooden cross (Photo below). The cross is made up of several different kinds of wood.  Crosses are also the centerpieces of the windows on either side of the open steeple.

Wooden Cross Inside Open Steeple (2013)

A large wooden cross also is mounted at the side of the chancel in the sanctuary.  This cross is of cedar.  Both of these crosses were made by  Graham Schulz.  Additional seating for worship services is in the sanctuary balcony.

Sanctuary

The stained glass window to the right of the chancel and behind the baptismal pool was placed there in 1987.  It symbolizes the Alliance Church. 

"The term "fourfold gospel" describes the historic emphasis of the C&MA on the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is our Saviour, our Sanctifier, our Healer and our Coming King. These aspects of the ministry of Jesus are represented in the official C&MA logo or symbol. Each element of the logo visualizes one aspect." (Link 3.)

Symbols seen in the stained glass window below. (Link 3.)

Stained Glass Window

(to the right of the sanctuary chancel)

"The Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) is an evangelical Protestant denomination within Christianity.

"Founded by Rev. Albert Benjamin Simpson in 1887, the Christian & Missionary Alliance did not start off as a denomination, but rather began as two distinct parachurch organizations: The Christian Alliance which focused on the pursuit and promotion of the Higher Christian life and The Evangelical Missionary Alliance, which focused on mobilizing "consecrated" Christians in the work of foreign missionary efforts. These two groups amalgamated in 1897 to form The Christian and Missionary Alliance. It was only much later during the mid-20th century that an official denomination was formed

"In Canada, there are 440 churches,..." (Link 2.)

Thank you: To Dave Sattler, Outreach Pastor, for information about the church

                 building during my visit in 2015.

Photos: Top photo taken as part of the Year 2000 Photography Project, Our
                 House/Your Home by SW and on file at the North Vancouver 
                 Archives. Additional photos taken in 2013 by SW.  Interior photos
                 taken in 2015 by SW.
Link 1: http://www.nsac.bc.ca/
Link 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_and_Missionary_Alliance
Link 3: http://www.cmacan.org/logo

Prayer

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

Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe
Puerto Vallarata, Mexic0

"It dominates Puerto Vallarta's skyline in countless postcards, serving as the city’s most recognizable and endearing landmark all over the world. Year after year, it welcomes thousands of Catholics, particularly during an involved 12-day festival known as the Feast of Guadalupe every December. For many, it is a must-visit attraction in our city. For the privileged few who run the place on a day-to-day basis, the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe is undoubtedly our city's most precious monument, one that we should all endeavor to preserve.

Sanctuary

"To this date, the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, or Guadalupe Church, has been under the attentive supervision of eight parish priests. Father Salazar (2003 - present) came from Tepic's Immaculate Conception Parish, where he served for two and a half years. Along with him, there are four other priests at Guadalupe Church. On any given day, a number of services are offered, including an English service Saturdays at 5 pm, and a bilingual service on Sundays, 10 am. Jacques Landre, an English- and French-speaking Canadian priest has been spending his holiday in Puerto Vallarta for several years, performing Sunday mass.

Chancel Sculpture

"...The church bells are rung by the sextants 30 and 15 minutes prior to each service. During the peregrinaciones, or pilgrimages, for the 12-day Feast of Guadalupe, thousands of faithful from all over Puerto Vallarta and beyond walk to the church to pay tribute to the virgin as the bells joyfully welcome them. 

"When construction of the foundations of an early church began in Puerto Vallarta in 1903, there was already a small chapel dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe at the same location.... Existing foundations were strengthened, and by 1917 they were finished, along with the main pillars and walls. Construction continued and, in the following year, the work-in-progress was promoted from a chapel to a parish by the Mexican clergy, with new walls and scaffolding surrounding the original and still-functioning chapel.

"Construction continued at a brisk pace during the early 1920s, with the blessing of "La Eucaristía," the main church bell, but halted abruptly in 1926 when Mexico's struggle between church and state escalated into an armed conflict known as the Cristero War. On June 27 of that year, church bells rang in Mexico for the first time in almost three years.

"Once the conflict diminished to a safe level, construction of the church was resumed with the beginning of the dome in 1930. It wasn't until the 1940s, however, that the entire building was finished, with the exception of the two towers. The chancel was used for the first time, and a Hammond organ installed on December 12, 1951,... it wasn't finished until 1952.

Poster on Exterior Church Wall

"The original church crown was installed in 1963. It was made of concrete, and is said to be a replica of a crown worn by Carlota, mistress of the Emperor Maximilian in the 1860s. Finally, and under padre Ramírez's supervision, the façade and lateral towers were completed in 1987, resulting, for the most part, in the church as we know it today.

" The main building is considered to be neoclassic, while the crown reminds us of baroque Austrian temples. The lateral towers, due to their late completion, have an elegant, Renaissance feel.

"...early foundations along with the placement of the column groupings indicate that the original design may have intended to pay tribute to the original Basilica de Guadalupe, located in Mexico City's Zocalo. 

"The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe venerated at the church is an oil replica painted by Guadalajara artist Ignacio Ramirez in 1945. 

Our Lady of Guadalupe

"Due to inevitable damage caused by erosion and weather changes, the original crown installed in 1963 had to be restored in 1981. But on October 9, 1995, it was completely destroyed by a 7.5 Richter-scale earthquake. At the time, members of the public and private sectors recognized the importance of the crown as a universal symbol for our destination and agreed to commission a temporary replacement made of fiberglass. Regretfully, the material used to build it was not strong enough to withstand its own weight, so the crown's sections have deformed, altering its original profile and volume.

**************

".. the budget required to restore the crown to its glory is $800,000 USD." (Link 1.)

Photos: Taken in September 2013 by SW.
Link 1: http://virtualvallarta.com/puertovallarta/read/our-lady-of-guadalupe.shtml
(Also see Blog Post 12/1/19 with photos by Amy Wilson.)

Prayer

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

Inglesia de San Lucas

(1750 Church Bell on Right)

Inglesia de San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas
Mexico

Cross in Front of Church

"Cabo San Lucas  commonly called Cabo, is a city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula," (Link 2.)

Front Facade of Church

"The church interior blends simplicity with traditional iconography.

Sanctuary

Left Narthex Statue

Right Narthex Statue

Narthex

Originally built in 1730,  Iglesia de San Lucas dates to the earliest period of the Jesuit missions in Baja California Sur, when missionaries like Padre Nicolas Tamaral were seeking to convert the native inhabitants of the area, the Pericu Indians. Tamaral wasn’t terribly successful in his conversion efforts. The natives unceremoniously killed him in 1734, apparently unwilling to accept his ban against polygamy. But despite Tamaral’s untimely end, the Catholic churches in both Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo are testaments to the priest’s deep devotion and single-minded sense of purpose.

1750 Church Bell

Book Sculpture-in Front of Church

"...BELL     YOU SEE, WAS...ROM SPAIN IN 1750"

"The Jesuits were gone from Baja by 1768, and the Pericues were culturally extinct not long afterward. The church, however, has remained, and continues its legacy as the best attended house of worship in the city. It has a place of honor near the main square, Plaza Amelia Wilkes, and perhaps more than other tourist attraction in Cabo San Lucas, offers a window into the religious and cultural life of the city’s inhabitants. Mexico remains a very Catholic country, and the church is the headquarters for the local parish.

"The Iglesia de San Lucas is open to visitors on a daily basis, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with masses held every Saturday (7 p.m.) and Sunday (8:30 a.m., noon, and 7 p.m.). The noon mass on Sunday is performed in both English and Spanish. In addition to services, the church also plays an important role during festivals and religious holidays. The Iglesia is alternatively known as the Santuario de Guadalupe, and the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, held annually on December 12th, is an event of significant cultural importance locally, and indeed throughout Mexico." (Link 1.)

Photos: Taken in September 2013 by Sw.
Link 1: http://baja.com/cabo-san-lucas/cabo-catholic-church/
Link 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabo_San_Lucas

Prayer

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

Catedral De Puntarenas

Catedral De Puntarenas
Puntarenas, Costa Rica

"This church is most often referred to as Catedral Puntarenas. It's entrance faces east in Sagrado Corazon de Jesus urban park. It is a stone Gothic revival building, with a clock tower above the entrance. Although the building itself is about 100 years old, this is a young diocese, established in 1998 as part of the Archdiocese of San José de Costa Rica.

Altar

Sanctuary  Window

 Sanctuary Madonna-Right Front

Pews and Rear Doors of Sanctuary

"In 1902, the cornerstone of the Cathedral of Puntarenas was laid. This imposing Gothic work was built with stone blocks brought from Barranca and Esparza, held together with lime and sand mortar. The solid stone building has thus far been unaffected by the strong earthquakes that shake Puntarenas. Called the "Stone Church" to the locals, it is one of the architectural attractions of the province. It was declared a historical and architectural heritage site of Costa Rica. (Law No. 7555 of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, 2004)." (Link.)

Photos: Taken in September 2013 by SW.
Link :
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMD0N0_Catedral_Nuestra_Seora_del_Carmen_Puntarenas_Costa_Rica

Prayer

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

Iglesia de San Felipe Church

Iglesia de San Felip Church

Portobelo, Panama

"Portobelo is a port city in Colón Province, Panama. It is located on the northern part of the Isthmus of Panama and has a deep natural harbor. Today, Portobelo is a sleepy city with a population of fewer than 3,000. In 1980 the ruins of the Spanish colonial fortifications, along with nearby Fort San Lorenzo, were declared a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.

"Legend has it that Christopher Columbus originally named the port "Puerto Bello", meaning "Beautiful Port", in 1502.^[2]It is also said that after Francis Drake died of dysentery in 1596 at sea, he was buried in a lead coffin near Portobelo Bay." (Link 2.)

"The large white church at Portobelo is the Iglesia de San Felipe, which is still in use. It dates from 1814, but its tower wasn’t completed until 1945. It’s famous as the home of the life-sized effigy of the Nazareno of Portobelo, better known as the Black Christ. The effigy, depicting Christ carrying the cross, normally resides on a podium to the left of the altar, but it is brought out to the center of the church for the Black Christ Festival, by far Portobelo’s biggest event. The handsome altar of the church is adorned with gold images depicting various emblems of the crucifixion, including nails, instruments of torture, and the dice the Roman soldiers cast for Christ’s robe. Small wooden carvings ringing the walls depict the stages of the cross.

Altar

"Behind this church is the recently renovated Iglesia de San Juan de Dios, home to the new Museo del Cristo Negro de Portobelo, which now displays 63 of the robes donated by Panamanians for the festival, some of which are more than 100 years old. 

Iglesia de San Juan de Dios

"Since the 17th century, Portobelo has been the home of the Cristo Negro de Portobelo - the Black Christ of Portobelo. There are several explanations for the presence of this life size figure of a black Christ in the village. Each story has three parts - the arrival of the statue, the refusal of the statue to leave the village, and its veneration. Regardless of the version, however, all of the stories conclude that the statue is responsible for miraculous deeds in the lives of his devotees.

The Black Christ

(On left side of Chancel)

"Nobody knows exactly how or when the Black Christ (El Cristo Negro) arrived in the tiny community of Portobelo on Panama’s Caribbean coast. Some put the date at around 1658. But there are so many stories of miracles associated with the Black Christ, that tens of thousands of pilgrims visit the Church every October 21.

"The popular name, The Black Christ, is attributed to U.S. servicemen shortly after the Second World War. Some 500 arrived in a ship to celebrate the October festival. One witness of that particular day says that many of the U.S. visitors were so caught up in the emotional fervor that they began to shout “Viva El Cristo Negro!” The name stuck everywhere except in Portobelo. A more familiar name is simply The Saint. (Link 1.)

Nuestra Senora De La Merced

(At right side of Chancel)

Shrine 

(On left wall of Church)

Photos: Taken in October 2013 by SW. 

Link 1: http://www.coloncity.com/blackchrist.html
Link 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portobelo,_Col%C3%B3n

Prayer

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

(SW)

Beach Church
(Now the Post Office)

Beach Church,

Brittania Beach, B.C. Canada

"Britannia Beach is a small unincorporated community in the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District located approximately 55 kilometers north of Vancouver, British Columbia on the Sea-to-Sky Highway on Howe Sound. It has a population of about 300.

The community first developed between 1900 and 1904 as the residential area for the staff of the Britannia Mining and Smelting Company. The residential areas and the mining operation were physically interrelated, resulting in coincidental mining and community disasters through its history.

Today, the town is host to the Britannia Mine Museum, formerly known as the British Columbia Museum of Mining, on the grounds of the old Britannia Mines. The mine's old concentrator facilities, used to separate copper ore from its containing rock, are a National Historic Site of Canada. " (Link 1.)

Brittania Mine Museum

"On April 1, 1975 the BC Museum of Mining was opened to the public, and was designated as a National Historic Site in 1988. The following year, 1989, the Museum site was designated a British Columbia Historic Landmark. The Britannia site and its historic buildings, may be familiar to fans of the X-Files series as several episodes were filmed on the site. In conjunction with the opening of a major expansion project the museum was renamed the Britannia Mine Museum in 2010." (Link 1.)

One of the historic buildings on the site is the original  Beach Church. According to Bruce Ramsey in his book Britannia it was built in 1952 for $16,500. What was unique about this church is that one side was used for Catholic services and one side was used for Protestant services.  They were separated by a wall. Today one side is used as the post office and the other side as a meeting hall.  

The original dark wood beams of the church sanctuary can be seen in ceiling of the meeting hall.  A small dark wood cross haphazardly sitting in one of the corners of the rafters brings memories of the original church. 

.

Photos: Taken in 2010 and 2013 by SW. 
Reference 1: Britannia, by Bruce Ramsey
Reference 2: Demolition Mama blog post "Choo Choo Britannia", 2/6/10.
Link 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britannia_Beach,_British_Columbia

Link 2: http://www.jtc.sala.ubc.ca/britanniabeach/workshop1/assign4/green-newest.pdf (Note sketch of Post Office/Church.)
Link 3: http://www.memorybc.ca/britannia-beach-united-church-fonds;rad

Prayer

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

Celebrity Millennium Cruise Ship
San Diego Harbor

Celebrity Millennium Cruise Ship, Sunday Worship
September 22 to October 7, 2013
Panama Canal
San Diego, California to Fort Lauderdale Florida

The Policy of the September 22, 2013 Panama Cruise sailing of the Celebrity Millennium Cruise Ship was not to have a designated Chapel/Meditation Room. The Policy was not to hold any type of worship service at all.  However, when the Reverend Pastor Rankin from Nova Scotia persisted and offered to lead the service, a room was made available for 1/2 hour on Sunday morning for an interdenominational service.  That room was the Cosmos Lounge.

Cosmos Lounge of Celebrity Millennium

Sunday Worship Service Conducted by

Pastor Rankin

The Cosmos Lounge was on deck 11 at the rear of the ship.  At night it featured, a dance band, large dance floor, and lots of revilers.  But on the two Sunday mornings with the Reverend Pastor Rankin in charge and about 70 passengers who came to worship it became a reverent  space. And for those Sunday mornings  even the room echoed the reverence. 

At the entrance to Cosmos Lounge a large colorful 1979 LOVE statue welcomed the worshipers.  To them it announced "God's love".  The multi blue toned wave patterned carpet of the lounge reminded them of the Sea of Galilee.  And looking out the back widows of the lounge the mast on the ship's stern looked like the Cross.

1979 LOVE Sculpture

Carpet of Cosmos Lounge

Mast on Stern of  Cruise Ship

On the first Sunday of the cruise the theme of the sermon by Pastor Rankin was "The Gift of God is Eternal Life".  And if you look closely at the left hand pillar in the photo of Pastor Rankin preaching in the Cosmos Lounge, you can see a reflection that looks like a candle, a symbol of eternal life.

On the second Sunday of the cruise the theme was the "23rd Psalm" and Pastor Rankin made referenced to the sheep in New Zealand, where there are 4 of them for every person.  Pastor Rankin was ordained as a Baptist minster in 1958.  He has served as a Presbyterian minister for 55 years.

Thank you: To Pastor Rankin for arranging for leading us in worship the two Sundays of the Celebrity Millennium Panama Canal Cruise.
Photos: Taken September and October, 2013 by SW.
Link 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_(sculpture)

Prayer

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