Knowing that the Vancouver Olympic Games produced so many different opinions and emotions, rather than push one particular viewpoint, we wanted to help our students become better interpreters of what was happening around them.

For five days we looked at the following themes:

Celebrating Culture / Celebrating Hospitality / Celebrating Repentance / Celebrating Creation Care / Celebrating Greatness


Every morning we wrestled with what Jesus, Culture and the Olympics said about each of those themes and took the afternoon to engage in an activity that helped us go deeper.  Through varied experiences like doing a scavenger hunt in the midst of Olympic craziness downtown, participating in a peaceful demonstration at UBC, doing actual creation care at a local park and volunteering at a local mission, our students had a rich and varied experience.

I was particularly pleased with some of the ‘extra-curricular’ activities students and staff chose to participate in that were surprisingly powerful experiences.  It was evidence that we weren’t just running a program but creating a context for students to actively engage in and make their own.  In addition to all this, I felt that my staff did an excellent job planning and running this extremely involved project.

Thank you for all your prayers and support during the lead up to this event!

i have to admit, i was not looking forward to the olympics, but now that the games have arrived it is hard not to be caught up in buzz and excitement surrounding the city. mike and i even had a chance to see some sporting events and explore our transformed downtown.




though we have enjoyed the games, we are torn in thinking about how the olympics has affected those on the margins. groups like streams of justice have set up a tent village on hastings protesting the lack of low-income housing in our city. while the city has invested millions into hosting the olympics, the promises to provide affordable housing for the poor have been forgotten.


i find the older i get the less i want to wrestle with the difficult questions. the lure to live a comfortable and secure life grows with each white hair on my head (mike can attest there are lots). when i used to live in the inner city of washington, dc a part of me looked down on the suburban christians living in nice homes isolated from poverty, homelessness and injustice..now i find that i am one of those people. this christian journey sure is a complex one.


you got to love the evil versions of the olympic mascots.