Yesterday afternoon I ventured into that place where I seldom like to go – Vancouver.  Travel in that city by automobile is an exercise in patience at the best of times.  Some of the extraordinary behaviour of drivers also entertained me.

After a time of testing, I arrived at my destination, UBC Campus.  The University of British Columbia had changed a lot since the last time I was there – I was surprised a the profusion of condos all over the place.  I had to meet someone for my paper there, and I hadn’t been there since the Carey Institute was connected to Regent College, so I assumed that was still the case.

Instead I discovered this stunning building.  It’s the new Vancouver School of Theology.   Turns out it is about 2 blocks away from Regent College, so I hiked on over there, a little late.

But this isn’t about the UBC campus.  It’s about a great pastor and a great vision in a church in Whistler.

What a wealth of information.  I almost regretted having questions to ask, because he more than indulged my flights of fancy and gave me a great picture of the challenge and the blessing of working for the Lord in that town.

Whistler is an extraordinary town.  It is a resort town in the truest sense – it has no reason for existence except to indulge people in highs of adrenaline, if it is not from skiing or snowboarding, it is from mountain biking, hiking, or other extreme sports.  And those who are too old for such excitement are sitting in their million dollar log cabin retreats surrounded by some of the most pristine mountains and bluest lakes on the continent.

Enter into this God’s Kingdom.  Imagine the task of bringing the good news of salvation to people whose main reason for being in town is pleasure.  They are there seeking something – a thrill, or a break, a respite, or fulfilment, in something the world offers.  In Whistler, that is provided by creation.  But Jesus offers fulfilment provided by the creator.

These people think they have what they want, but the job of the church in Whistler is to demonstrate what is missing.  The driven individual seeking a high of achievement lacks the joy of life itself and the fellowship of community.  The pastor and his church are living a life dedicated to reflecting God’s joy and life in community.

I found his story and his vision to be quite inspiring, and commented as we spoke that really, the only difference between Whistler and Surrey (or the Greater Vancouver area in general) is that there are less poor people in Whistler.  Whistler represents a distilled, idealized Vancouver without the problems caused by those who have fallen to life’s vices.  Oh, I am sure that there are drug users in Whistler, alcoholics, and people suffering from all kinds of abuse.  It is as they succumb to the consequences of those issues that they leave Whistler though.  They gravitate back to the big city.

My point is that their approach makes a lot of sense.  As Christians, we know that hedonism does not fill the hole that is inside us – though so many people insist on wasting their lives proving this to be true.  It is Jesus that fills that hole.  The first five minutes of my morning walk with my dog, as I just thank God for another day and for his love and mercy as I look upon the first glimmerings of light along the silhouette of the mountains to the west are the most soul-satisfying of my day.  But conveying this in tangible ways is something that he is working hard at through his community of believers.    It is definitely making me think about what kind of community I want to try and build when we head out on our endeavour.