Gospel Transformation In An At Risk Neighbourhood

May 15, 2024 by Kevin Rogers in Canada, Christianity, Housing, Kevin Rogers, Kevin Saunders, Mental Health, New Song Church, PAOC, Religion & Spirituality, Street Ministry Worker, Substance Abuse, Urban Ministry, Windsor Ontario, Elizabeth Anderson, Paula Saunders, Community Gardening, Assisted Living

For 10 years, New Song Church has been alongside one of Windsor’s more challenging neighbourhoods of social housing. What we affectionately call the Glengarry neighbourhood is a series of four high rise apartments, several rows of townhouses and an assisted living facility. It experiences the most tragic of life experiences as well as a quieter majority that are just trying to survive.

Through collaboration initially with The Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative and partnership with Windsor Essex Community Housing Corporation, we run a 4 day per week drop in centre, a community garden, the cafeteria contract in the assisted living facility along with a weekly Bible study and prayer meeting for residents with spiritual desire.

In this episode, Kevin Rogers interviews Kevin and Paula Saunders as well as Elizabeth Anderson.

Restoring Women At Risk (Julie Hunter Interview)

December 01, 2023 by Kevin Rogers in Julie Hunter, Canada, Christianity, Intentional Community, Kevin Rogers, Mental Health, Religion & Spirituality, Substance Abuse, Urban Ministry, Windsor Ontario

Julie Hunter is the executive director for Windsor Life Centre, a residential, faith-based treatment centre for women recovering from drug and alcohol addictions. The Centre began 10 years ago on the property of Windsor Christian Fellowship under the vision and leadership of Cathy Ciaramitaro.

Windsor Life Centre aims to provide healing to the whole person, giving them tools to live out lasting recovery.

Grounded in compassion, we are designed to empower every woman to reach lifelong sobriety. We help women with their physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social wellbeing so they can live healthier lifestyles after graduating from the program.

Windsor Life Centre understands addiction is complicated and unique for each individual. We provide customized treatment plans as a key feature of our program by examining each woman’s strengths, treatment needs, and coping abilities. Upon admission to Windsor Life Centre and throughout the treatment stay, our team evaluates their progress and adjusts the treatment plan as necessary. We also offer 12 step facilitation, social activities, life skills training, and multiple forms of therapy.

Link:

https://windsorlifecentre.com/

Vancouver Downtown East Side (Aaron White interview)

October 15, 2023 by Kevin Rogers in Aaron White, At Risk Youth, Canada, Christianity, Intentional Community, Kevin Rogers, Mental Health, Religion & Spirituality, Street Ministry Worker, Substance Abuse, Urban Ministry, Vancouver

Today on the podcast we are taking a virtual walk on the sidewalks of Vancouver’s Downtown East Side and having a conversation with Aaron White.

Aaron is a pastor, justice worker and prayer instigator in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver for the past 20 years, where he lives with his wife and four children in a community home. He’s part of the team at Jacob’s Well, an ecumenical Christian centre of hospitality where his job description is resident theologian.

He is the co-author of Revolution and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Kingdom of God; co-creator of The Creative Way Down discipleship resource; and author of his newest book Recovering: From Brokenness and Addiction to Blessedness and Community.

Along with one of my previous guests Dave Carrol (Captain Kindness), he co-hosts the Two Wise Fools podcast, a light-hearted and sometimes emphatically, truthful conversation about all things sacred and profane.

Links:

Recovering Book

https://bakeracademic.com/p/Recovering-Aaron-White/41667

Jacob’s Well

https://www.jacobswell.ca/

Two Wise Fools Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/two-wise-fools/id1547557549

From Fentanyl To The Soup Shack (Bobby Reaume interview)

September 15, 2023 by Kevin Rogers in At Risk Youth, Canada, Christianity, Corrections Canada, Feeding Windsor-Essex, Hamilton Ontario, Housing, Kevin Rogers, Mental Health, New Song Church, Religion & Spirituality, Substance Abuse, Street Ministry Worker, Urban Ministry, Windsor Ontario

Three years ago, Bobby Reaume walked into my office and said, “Hey remember me?” It took me awhile before I would remember that he and his wife Grace attended the church briefly a few years prior. When Bobby walked in, he had been released from prison, returned to addiction, and was living in tent city. He came to see me with John Button the founder of Launch Pad Recovery Centre as he was entering into a Christian recovery program.

Today Bobby is working full-time, sober, spirit-filled and serving the homeless population in our city of Windsor with the Soup Shack, a trailer set up to distribute food and basic supplies to people on the street.

Links:

Soup Shack organized by Feeding Windsor-Essex

https://www.feedingwindsoressex.ca/

Launch Pad Recovery Center

https://launchpadrecovery.org/

Healed Of Schizophrenia (Josh Tamblyn interview)

August 15, 2023 by Kevin Rogers in Josh Tamblyn, Canada, Christianity, Kevin Rogers, Mental Health, Mission Canada, PAOC, Religion & Spirituality, Serve Campus Network, Substance Abuse, Urban Ministry, Burnaby BC

When it comes to medical conditions and healing, Christians hold a range of views from the intervention of doctors and medicine, alternative practices and healing that comes from God. I am not a doctor, so I would never give medical advice but would always encourage people to take a threefold approach to getting help.

First, we ask God for help in all things. Secondly, we investigate and utilize good medicine and thirdly we look at alternative methods when the first two are not yielding a result. Some will try alternative before mainstream and that’s their choice.

I bring this up today as we consider that the spiritual life of a person may be affected by physical and mental conditions. I believe that God heals, and today’s guest passes the test in my mind for a verifiable miracle from God.

Josh Tamblyn was healed of schizophrenia. We’re going to hear his story and also learn about his present involvement in ministry.

Links:

Mission Canada Profile Page

https://paoc.org/donate/joshtamblyn

University Christian Ministries

https://www.joinucm.org/

Serve Campus Network

https://paoc.org/serve-campus

Ministry Spotlight

https://youtu.be/LtTXs724Fpw

Mental Health In Ministry (Sath Arulvarathan)

June 15, 2023 by Kevin Rogers in Sath Arulvarathan, Canada, Christianity, Religion & Spirituality, Urban Ministry, Mental Health

Sath Arulvarathan is a Registered Social Worker who has experience working in community and hospital mental health organizations. He is also involved in church planting.

Sath is skilled in supporting individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, substance use, trauma, life transitions and relationship breakdown.

He believes that the relationship between the therapist and client is the foundation for any intervention to be effective, and works from a trauma-informed, strengths-based, and anti-oppressive perspective. A firm believer in the benefits of short-term counselling, Sath aims to support clients to develop the skills and self-understanding they need to live better.

Links:

Sath’s blog posts for Trinity Life Church, Scarborough

https://www.trinitylife.ca/people/sath-arulvarathan/

Toronto Church Planting Video:

https://vimeo.com/77222798