David Bray, Victoria

   Not busy enough this fall? Still looking for something to add to the calendar? Like church music? Searching for a greater understanding of faith? Look no further.
   The Iona community’s John Bell, one of the most influential voices in modern church music and worship, is back in Victoria in October while four area United Churches are teaming in October and November for a four-part series on Evolutionary Christianity.   
   Bell, hymn writer and one of the pillars of the Celtic-based Iona Community in Scotland, is scheduled for two sessions in Victoria as part of a North American tour. He’ll present Imagination as a Spiritual Resource at First Metropolitan United Church, Quadra at Balmoral, on Oct. 10 from 7-9 p.m. and follow that up the next morning, Oct. 11, with Ancient (Celtic) Gifts for These Times at Christ Church Cathedral, on Quadra Street from 9-11.30 a.m.

   Not busy enough this fall? Still looking for something to add to the calendar? Like church music? Searching for a greater understanding of faith? Look no further.
   The Iona community’s John Bell, one of the most influential voices in modern church music and worship, is back in Victoria in October while four area United Churches are teaming in October and November for a four-part series on Evolutionary Christianity.   
   Bell, hymn writer and one of the pillars of the Celtic-based Iona Community in Scotland, is scheduled for two sessions in Victoria as part of a North American tour. He’ll present Imagination as a Spiritual Resource at First Metropolitan United Church, Quadra at Balmoral, on Oct. 10 from 7-9 p.m. and follow that up the next morning, Oct. 11, with Ancient (Celtic) Gifts for These Times at Christ Church Cathedral, on Quadra Street from 9-11.30 a.m.
   Tickets are available from the First Met and Christ Church Cathedral offices. Advance purchase prices are $20 for one session and $30 for two. Prices at the door will be $30 for a single session and $50 for two.
   For registration information, check www.firstmetvictoria.com or www.christchurchcathedral.bc.ca. Telephone inquiries can be made for First Met at (250) 388-5188 and for the cathedral at (250) 383.2714.
   “I say that I’m a resource worker in areas of worship and spirituality,” the Glasgow-based Bell told the on-line magazine ReadtheSpirit in January 2012 at the beginning of his tour. “I see a lot of what we might call non-liturgical churches that now are interested in styles of music and worship … they are reaching out for more traditional forms. And, at the same time, I’m seeing some more liturgical churches that are trying to open up.”
   The Glasgow-based Bell, an ordained minister of the Church of Scotland also known for his signature red shoes, has produced numerous collections of original hymns and songs, some in collaboration with colleague Graham Maule, and two collections of songs for the world church. An author, lecturer and occasional broadcaster, he’s concerned with the renewal of congregational worship.
   Bell is no stranger to Victoria, having made past appearances at First Metropolitan's annual Epiphany Explorations conference. He concedes his work has an unmistakable and deliberate Celtic slant.
   “Spirituality must be localized and nurtured in the soil from which it has grown. I believe that for my work to have any authenticity, it has to be rooted in the place from which I come. All my own writing and composing is done in Scotland,” he told ReadtheSpirit. “I live in Scotland; I’m a person who is Scottish; my heritage draws on the experience of the Celtic church. These are my spiritual roots. These are what give me energy.”  
   And, he says, every church should reflect its own roots: “I would hate to see the church become so intermixed in traditions that we wind up with a sort of morass of grayness. If your gift in the church is lively song and a strong emphasis on social justice … that’s an important and distinctive gift to share with others. Orthodox and Catholic churches have gifts for exploring the mystery of God and those are true gifts. God made us different to represent the full spectrum of all colors within Christianity.”
    The series on Evolutionary Christianity, billed as “conversations at the leading edge of science and faith,” plans consecutive Tuesday evening sessions beginning Oct. 15 at St. Aidan’s United Church. Sessions will follow Oct. 22 at Cordova Bay United, Oct. 29 at First Met and Nov. 5 at Cadboro Bay United.
 Discussions in the series will be based on the book Thank God for Evolution by Michael Dowd. A similar series last year attracted about 160 people returning for four separate sessions.