Once a year, St Paul’s Church in the West End of Vancouver celebrates the anniversary of Our House, falling this year on February 3rd, 2013. The unique Our House ministry is offered to drug and alcohol addicts by a community of recovering drug and alcohol addicts. It is a real example of the oppressed healing and freeing the oppressed.
For the past six years, the Our House community has made St Paul’s its spiritual home, becoming part of the wider worshipping community. The anniversary provided the opportunity for the smaller group to tell the larger group what has been going on over the past year. They told amazing stories of acceptance, repentance and love.
They told stories of staying clean of drugs for the past three years, of dealing with people whom no one else would deal with, of relinquishing control over others to exert control over oneself, of hearing someone say “I love you” when love had flown away.
The Reverend Lois Boxill presided at the Parish Eucharist that day. She read the hymn to love written by St Paul for the Corinthians. She contrasted that love, as described by St Paul and lived by Our House, with love as often understood by our contemporary society.
As Communion was served the St. Paul’s community sung “All are welcome in this place”.
(Our House is one of the five current recipients of funding from care+share the Diocese of New Westminster’s compassionate service initiative.
Donations given by individuals and parishes to care+share go 100 per cent to the groups supported.)
Images: Top: Andrew testifies at the Anniversary service as the "ghostly" image of their most recent rector is visible on the left. Below and Homegpage: Our House founder Norm Sharkey is preparing to cut the birthday cake while Cam and Conrad look on.