So God spoke to us a lot over the 24/7 thing about the theme of justice. His heart beats for us to be a people that are bringing the good news of justice and hope to the world around us. It seems like our hearts are getting this and beginning to respond as we dream and inact mission in our local churches.

The thought behind these three nights is simply to add "Fuel to the Fire." We're inviting Dave Deiwert - speaker/teacher/justice bearer to come and instruct us on what the scriptures and the life of Jesus has to say about this whole theme.

From what I understand... I think we should prepare to have our lives shaken a little. This is a good thing.

*** Update... check out the attached poster for more info. It will be held at St. Agnes church just off of Grand Blvd. in North Vancouver 530 E. 12th St. The church seets 120 and we are sharing this event with Cove Community Church and The River Church in Squamnish. So it'll be tight but we'll make it work.

Child care will not be provided - so we'll need to take care of that on our own end. It's going to be a significant three days together.

About our Presenter - Dave Deiwert

On the surface, Diewert’s life hardly appears simple. He resides in and dedicates his time to Vancouver’s eastside, notorious for its network of complex social issues ranging from prostitution to mental illness to homelessness. However, for the former full-time professor at Regent College, the connection between academics and social action did not come naturally. Recognized for his research in biblical languages, Diewert’s Greek reader was standard fare for many first-year language students. But a year in Israel changed his entire life.

Studying on a scholarship from 1988-1989, Diewert’s time abroad corresponded with the Palestinian uprising. What he saw alarmed him: Palestinians and Israelis fought, suffered and died as he researched. Diewert says that it was then that he discovered that his life of scholarship was completely detached from pain and struggle. The experience, he said, was “an existential shock.”
Returning to Vancouver, Diewert and his wife volunteered in the eastside until 1995, when the couple decided to leave their Richmond home and live in the eastside. They bought a house with a group of others and intentionally partnered with other homes in the neighbourhood to live communally.
Monday through Thursday they open their home for a shared meal for anyone who might stop by. The people who sleep under the porch on any given day are not strangers but friends who Diewert “knows and cares and struggles with.” Diewert classifies his lifestyle, both economically and socially, not as “simple,” but as “generous.”

In 2000, Diewert left his full-time professorship to teach part-time, a position he maintains only to “feed his other habits.” His focus has shifted from research for the sake of academic advancement to research for the sake of truth, “breaking down existing social and political structures.”