Downtown Spark festival fizzles out due to lack of funding
"Lost Dogs Disco" by Sydney-based design studio ENESS in Sir Winston Churchill Square for Downtown Spark 2024. (Galen McDougall/CTV News Edmonton)
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Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
In ‘Youth Group' comic, evangelical kids sing silly songs about Jesus, fight demons
(RNS) — When he was a teenager in the 1990s, Jordan Morris was always up for a bit of mischief — as long as it didn't involve sex or drugs, two things he was sure would kill him. So he went to a megachurch youth group, which promised teenage shenanigans without much danger. The 'sanitized mischief,' as he describes it, was perfect for Morris, who grew up as a nerdy, nervous kid. 'Youth group was great for me,' Morris said. 'We can put on a show, we can sing little songs, we can do little skits. We can toilet paper the pastor's house and clean it up later. And I just don't have to worry that someone is going to try and pressure me into something that I'm scared of.' Now a Los Angeles-based comedy writer and podcaster, Morris has fond memories of his time in youth group. Those memories — and his love for horror movies like 'The Exorcist' — inspired him to write 'Youth Group,' a graphic novel about church teens who fight demons while singing silly songs about Jesus. ___ This content is written and produced by Religion News Service and distributed by The Associated Press. RNS and AP partner on some religion news content. RNS is solely responsible for this story. ___ Think 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' — the 1990s hit movie and later television series — goes to church. 'I thought it would be a fun challenge,' Morris, whose previous graphic novel, 'Bubble,' was nominated for an Eisner Award, told Religion News Service in an interview earlier this year. 'Can we do one of those religious horror stories, but make it kind of funny?' Morris also said he'd rarely seen stories set in the kind of youth group he'd grown up in. 'I've just never seen that little world written about in a way that I thought was like, accurate or, like, that got what it was about,' he said. Published last year by New York-based First Second Books, 'Youth Group' tells the story of Kay Radford, a theater kid who winds up joining the Stone Mission megachurch youth group after her parents split up. Her mom is a true believer but lonely. Kay is more skeptical but lonely as well and angry at her dad. 'Church might help with all this,' Kay's mom tells her early on. 'I think we both could use some community.' At the youth group, Kay is met by youth leader Meg Parks, a kind but sometimes over-the-top youth leader in pink; a bearded, hippy pastor who turns the 'Pina Colada song' — the Rupert Holmes hit 'Escape' — into a metaphor for spiritual seeking; and a band that churns out parodies like 'I Saw the Christ' sung to the melody of Ace of Base's 'The Sign.' Though fictional, the songs fit the kind of pop culture reference — sometimes known as a 'Jesus juke' — that youth groups can be known for. 'I always think there's something funny about that move, where you take a secular piece of entertainment, like a song that's in the zeitgeist, or a popular movie and try and give the hidden religious message,' Morris said. Kay eventually discovers the youth pastor and some of the older Stone Mission kids also fight demons. That fight becomes personal after one of the demons goes after her dad, and Kay decides to join the battle. Along the way, the Stone Mission kids team up with youth groups from other faiths — Temple Beth Israel, Immaculate Heart parish and the Polaris Coven — to fight off a demon invasion with the help of some training by an order of nuns. Morris said he and illustrator Bowen McCurdy wanted to tell a story that was more than just satire. And while he no longer embraces the faith of his youth, Morris still sees value in the lessons he learned, like the importance of loving your neighbor. 'We wanted to tell a story of people from a lot of different religions coming together with a common goal,' he said. Matthew Cressler, a religion scholar and creator of the webcomic series 'Bad Catholics, Good Trouble,' said comics with evangelical or denominational settings like 'Youth Group' are uncommon. Religion in comics, he said, is often seen as 'a marker of difference': for example, Kamala Khan, the Muslim-American hero known as Ms. Marvel, or Matt Murdock, better known as Daredevil, who is Irish-Catholic. In the 1960s, when Daredevil was created, Catholics were still seen as outsiders to the American mainstream, and many of the most popular heroes, like Batman, were seen as Mainline Protestants. While there were comics for evangelicals, they were often evangelistic, like the controversial Jack Chick tracts or the Christianized adventures of Archie and his friends, published by Spire Comics starting in the 1970s. And evangelicals have often downplayed the kind of sacramental imagery and architecture found in mainline or Catholic settings and try to avoid the kind of visuals needed for comics, said Cressler. Matthew Brake, founder and editor of online publication Pop Culture and Theology, said non-denominational churches often have a 'let's go to the mall aesthetic' and lack the visual clout of Catholicism. 'Nondenominational churches are sort of a cultural underdog,' he said. That may change, Brake said, as creators like Morris, who grew up in non-denominational settings, come of age. And those settings often contain surprises. Although they are most known for things like worship music and purity culture, megachurches also provide space to talk about things like social justice. Still, he wonders if many nondenominational Christians would be the kinds of fans that would enjoy a book like 'Youth Group' or 'Preacher,' a late-1990s comic about an evangelical pastor who ends up possessed by a supernatural being. David Canham, who reviews comics for the secular pop-culture website AIPT — short for 'Adventures in Poor Taste' — had mixed feelings about 'Youth Group.' 'First off, there's plenty of '90s nostalgia — a good-natured tongue-in-cheek look back at many of the silly and absurd things about '90s culture, with a focus on evangelical Christian culture,' he wrote when the book came out. ''Youth Group' delivers on this point.' But the book's take on pluralism — the idea that all religion is on the same side — turned him off as an evangelical Christian. 'I don't want to recommend a book that promotes a worldview that so strongly disagrees with my own beliefs,' he wrote. At first, Morris said he was worried the book might offend Christians and atheists alike. Some evangelicals might feel the book mocks their faith, while atheists might think the book overlooks the shortcomings of religious groups. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. Both those criticisms would be fair, he said. Religious groups get a lot of things wrong, and yet churches and other faith groups remain important to their members. Morris said he tried to walk a fine line of gently poking fun at faith while showing why it still has an impact on people's lives, and how the friendships made in youth groups may long endure. 'I didn't want the humor to be like, church is stupid, or say, 'look at this dumb church stuff,'' he said. 'I wanted it to be funny and familiar.' Morris said he wanted to capture the mixed feelings people have about the faiths in which they grew up. While he appreciated Bible teachings like caring for the needy, some of the politics and social messages, especially about LGBTQ+ folks, were a turnoff, he said. Religion, he said, is complicated. 'There are a lot of wonderful memories, and there's a lot of stuff that gives me the ick,' he said. 'I hope that's in the book. I hope you can see how a religious upbringing can be upsetting and wonderful — comforting but also makes you mad.'
Vancouver Sun
8 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Is JD Vance about to deport a Canadian-born fashion writer who is an undocumented U.S. immigrant?
An American-based Canadian men's fashion writer who shared his story of being an undocumented immigrant in the U.S. put himself in the crosshairs of conservative critics questioning his legal status to remain in the country, including perhaps U.S. Vice-President JD Vance. In response to the heated L.A. protests over Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in the city, Derek Guy, who works out of San Francisco, made a candid post on X detailing his experiences. I debated whether to share my story on here, but I guess I will. I think there's an idea out there that millions of violent criminals are pouring across the border, carrying machetes and drugs, looking to harm Americans. Certainly, while some people fall into that category, the… After the 1968 Tet Offensive in Vietnam and following an 'arduous journey,' his father and mother landed in Canada, where they found work as a janitor and secretary, respectively, and where Guy was born. Work eventually dried up, so his father went across the border to work with a sister in the U.S. 'He ended up staying in the US longer than he was supposed to — not knowing immigration laws — and asked my mom to come be with him. Of course, she went and carried me over the border while I was still a baby,' Guy wrote, noting he remains unclear about whether laws were broken when the trio crossed a border he considers to be still mostly 'porous.' 'But either way, since I came here without legal documentation, I eventually fell into the category of being an undocumented immigrant. Yet, I've been in the United States since I was a baby. My identity and roots are very much based in this country, no different from anyone else.' Many people commenting on his post felt differently, with several calling for his deportation. Eventually, X user @growing_daniel suggested Vance had 'the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever,' to which the VP reacted with a gif of actor Jack Nicholson nodding in a scene from The Departed. 'I think I can outrun you in these clothes,' Guy wrote, resharing Vance's post, accompanied by two photos of the vice-president. Guy, a freelancer who contributes to the likes of the New York Times and Esquire, has previously critiqued Vance's wardrobe choices on his X account, which has 1.3 million followers. Shortly after the former Ohio senator joined Trump's team last July, Guy opined that 'Vance's jackets don't hug him very well.' In summarizing a thread on tie choices during the vice-presidential debate with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz last fall, he wrote that Vance's 'was a distraction' and likened it to 'something you'd wear to summer garden parties.' At tonight's debate though, Vance's tie was a distraction, while Walz's tie helped viewers focus on his message. At something as serious as a national debate, Vance would have been better served by a conservative business tie, not something you'd wear to summer garden parties. In March, he responded to a user wondering why Vance's pants were so short, saying a bespoke tailor he spoke to suggested the pants 'are too slim, hence why they ride up on him like this.' i spoke to a bespoke tailor about this and he confirm: jd vance's pants are too slim, hence why they ride up on him like this In the remainder of his post about L.A., Guy said the best solution is 'systemic' and emphasized a necessity for citizenship paths for non-violent people such as himself and others, who 'are good, honest people.' 'Ultimately, I hope me sharing this story helps push back against the idea that all undocumented immigrants are MS-13 members. I know many people in my position and they are all like your neighbors.' Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Calgary Herald
8 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Three Calgary philanthropists receiving Alberta Order of Excellence
Three Calgary leaders will be inducted into the Alberta Order of Excellence later this year. Article content Geoff Cumming, Brian Felesky and Stephanie Felesky of Calgary have been named as part of the list of inductees for 2025. Article content Article content Cumming, a University of Calgary Alumnus and philanthropist, is well-known for his historic $100 million donation to the University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine. Article content Article content Brian and Stephanie Felesky have each contributed to the community through different initiatives and sitting on many boards in Calgary, where they've received many awards for their philanthropic efforts. Additionally, Brian served as a founding member for Awali, an Alberta-based initiative that worked with the Aga Khan Foundation to support teacher development in East Africa. Article content Also recieving the award is John Scott of Longview, south of Calgary. Scott has played a major role in placing southern Alberta on the radar for many big-budget movie and TV productions. He was also a Top 7 Over 70 winner in 2023, inducted into the Canadian Stunts Hall of fame in 2022, and was recognized by the Global Production Awards for Location of the Year. Article content Article content The ceremony will take place in Edmonton in October. With the new additions, this will bring the total members in the Alberta Order of Excellence to 229. Article content Article content Albertans also receiving honours include Sine Chadi, John Day and Doug Stollery of Edmonton, Nichole Neubauer of Medicine Hat, and Lyn Radford of Red Deer. Article content The order recognizes exceptional service and achievement in a variety of fields, and is part of the Canadian Honours System. It celebrates Albertans whose leadership, innovation and dedication have played a role in Alberta's identity and future. Article content Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, Salma Lakhani, said the Alberta Order of Excellence has recognized individuals who have been making transformative contributions to the province since 1979.
