The page proceeded to spell it out the real history of Lee “evicting the seniors, saying he’d change it out to a youth that is international
Mennonite Church of B.C. frontrunner recalls stepping in to mediate ‘unusual’ dispute in Chinatown congregation eight years back. The Chinatown Peace Church since it is at 375 East Pender St. in Vancouver today. PNG
Content articles
State of Grace, role 2: Seniors property owner broke ties with church after home dispute back once again to video.also after retiring while the Vancouver Chinese Mennonite Church’s pastor in 2001, Rev. Stephen Sai Fung Lee stayed an influential figure during the Chinatown congregation throughout the decade that is next. He proceeded to act as a pastor here, along with his spouse led the church choir. But, by 2012, a dispute over Lee’s managing of the church-owned seniors house generated controversy that is internal an ultimate rift when you look at the church, along with his departure as a result.
Lee discovered himself when you look at the news in April of the 12 months whenever Postmedia Information stated that intends to offer Grace Seniors Residence, the Chinatown seniors house he operated, were producing fear among seniors eviction that is seemingly facing. B.C. Housing stepped directly into choose the building to preserve it as affordable housing for Chinese seniors.
Lee had a complex and often contentious reputation for home dealings well before this season.
A residential property at 485 Dunlevy St., next to the Vancouver Chinese Mennonite Church, originated in the mid-1990s into Chinese seniors’ housing. When Janice Abbott, CEO of non-profit housing provider Atira, first came across Lee in 2012, the building ended up being vacant, she recalled recently. The 2 began Atira that is discussing possibly the home.
Those speaks had been abruptly halted, however, by Vancouver Chinese Mennonite Church leadership, whom shared with her Lee failed to acquire the building nor had the authority to rent it away.
Sooner datingperfect.net/dating-sites/footfetishdating-com-reviews-comparison or later, Atira finished up renting and soon after buying 485 Dunlevy from the owner, the Mennonite Church of B.C., plus the building happens to be social housing for senior females. Today, Abbott stated, Atira enjoys a relationship that is excellent the present leadership for the church, now referred to as Chinatown Peace Church.
Abbott’s tale is corroborated by internal communication from 2012 and 2013, involving the Vancouver Chinese Mennonite Church leadership council plus the Mennonite Church of B.C., the provincial company of this denomination.
In December 2012, the executive minister associated with the church in B.C., Garry Janzen, published a page towards the Vancouver church’s deacon board.
A unique general conference had been called when it comes to after thirty days, Janzen published, to upgrade the congregation on which took place “from the full time that Stephen Lee started performing on changing the seniors house to something different.”
The letter proceeded to describe the real history of Lee “evicting the seniors, saying he’d change it out to a youth that is international, then initiating a discussion to lease it to Atira for senior ladies, and (church leadership) jumping in and saying he’s got no authority to complete some of this since he does not possess the property.”
The Mennonite Church of B.C., or MCBC, had conducted an “extensive” overview of things pertaining to the Dunlevy seniors home, Janzen composed, which produced “some anomalies into the tale which have held MCBC on our feet all of the time, made plenty of additional work for people, and caused us to question … several of Stephen Lee’s actions.”
The initial anomaly, Janzen had written, had been “a failure to respect that MCBC holds name, and Stephen Lee running as if he has got the freedom to accomplish as he wants, particularly after making an understanding to operate together.”
A page from Lee’s attorney towards the MCBC at that time acknowledged that Lee and his charity Residence Mutual help community had arranged to rent the premises to Atira, but during the eleventh hour, the MCBC told Lee “he had no authority to signal the rent and that (the MCBC) would not consent to the proposed rent. The reason behind your rejection is unknown to your customer.”
