Pioneer Spirit

The Seven Summits Learning Centre in Rossland, BC, Canada

This post will be about spiritual paths in Canada. I notice less flagrant religiosity than in the USA: no Jesus-themed tattoos, billboards, car decals, or hood ornaments. One of the games JG and I have played on this trip in the Northwest is: “Name the Denomination of that Church.” Square, brick, stolid, no cross, outskirts of town: LDS, or maybe Seventh Day Adventists. Fanciful, gingerbread, center of town , with iconography: Catholic. Without iconography: Presbyterian. “Name that Denomination” is almost as much road trip fun as “Name that Carcass,” which requires a different skill set. So Canada, in its stolid, prosperous, practical way, stumped us by combining denominations in 1925. United Church of Canada was formed by the union of the Methodist, Congregational, and a majority of the Presbyterian Churches. Later they were joined by another Protestant sect, the Evangelical United Brethren. Each denomination didn’t have enough separate congregants and needed to pool resources. According to Wikipedia, “congregations from Indigenous communities were an important factor in the effort toward church union.” The United Church of Canada defends Palestinian rights in Israel and is silent about the massacre of Rohingya Moslems or the persecution of Christians by Isis. But with 2 million adherents they may take a few wrong turns. The former church above was captained by a beloved Father Pat, to whom a statue is dedicated. Now it is a fancy non-denominational private school, Seven Summits Learning Centre, which competes in a league against the Catholic schools.

Now I need to describe an altruistic act I witnessed that put me in mind of faith-based action. In Hope, BC I was browsing in a small shop, looking for a cap. An older gentleman came in and asked if the proprietress had his size in jeans. She said she didn’t, but offered him a sandwich from a cooler behind the counter. Then she apologized for not having any cookies today. After he left with his egg salad sandwich, she told me the background story. Every morning she makes about 34 sandwiches: peanut butter and jam, ham and cheese, or egg salad. An 83 year old neighbor makes a tray of cookies every day, usually rice krispy treats. She gives them away to anyone who asks. JN: Are you a church? Shopkeeper: Ah no. We just do this, my husband and me. JN: Why do you give sandwiches out? Shopkeeper: Because people are hungry and the nearest food bank is in Chilliwack. (She points to two jars of change on the counter. One is labeled “For the Hungry” and one is labeled “Pay it Forward.”) The community supports us. Here is her shop:

Besides Hope was home to some lovely works of chainsaw art.

And not to be overlooked, there is a statue of Chip, a brave Mountie dog, who gave his life in the line of duty and saved his partner and friend, Constable Doug Lewis. Our daughter loved the stories about hero dogs, so here’s Chip: