the citygate team

STAFF

Tim Dickau

Director

Tim Dickau was the pastor of Grandview Church in Vancouver, BC for 30 years. During that time, Grandview Church went from being ready to dissolve to becoming re-established as a force for good in its neighbourhood. In the past three decades, the church has found creative ways to bear witness to the good news of God’s reconciling and restoring love through community living, welcome of the poor and the stranger, economic development through social enterprises, development of a 26 unit community housing project, assisting with the proliferation of the arts, and participating prophetic witness and deepening practices of confession and repentance. One way of describing this transition is to say they have moved from “going to church to being the church…in and for the neighbourhood.”

Tim is the author of Plunging into the Kingdom Way and Forming Christian Community in a Secular Age: Recovering Humility and Hope. In addition to his role as director of Citygate Vancouver, Tim is also an associate at the Center for Missional Leadership at St. Andrew’s Hall on the UBC campus where he leads the Certificate in Missional Leadership Program.

Tim is married to Mary, who serves as the Chaplain at Hopehill seniors residence. They have three adult sons, two daughter-in-laws and four beautiful grandchildren. They have lived with thirty-seven people over the last thirty years.

Amanda Mina

Associate

After more than 20 years working in a corporate environment, Amanda has shifted focus to work with non-profit groups and churches. In addtion to her work with Citygate, she works with Tim at the Centre for Missional Leadership focusing on communications and tech. Amanda serves on the Leadership Council with Reflector Project, a local non-profit that works to speak about Christian faith in a hopeful, non-divisive way. In addition, she is a producer and occasional voice on the podcast Rector’s Cupboard.

board members

AUDREY ANNE GUAY

Since moving to Vancouver in 2015, Audrey has called the Downtown Eastside-Strathcona neighbourhood home. She has interned with Servant Partners, volunteered with Jacob’s Well, and been a member of Strathcona Vineyard Church. Originally from Montreal, Audrey has lived in Mali, the UK, and the US, travelled five continents, and is now gratefully learning attachment to place on unceded Coast Salish territories. Audrey holds a Masters in Urban Studies from SFU where her research focused on affordable housing development on church-owned property. She is active with the Metro Vancouver Alliance organizing effort and now organizes with the BC Health Coalition. Audrey has a passion for active citizenship and believes in the power of faith in the public arena. She has found spiritual community in many expressions of the Christian tradition and has a deep appreciation for the diverse gifts congregations have to offer neighbourhoods and cities.

VANIA LEVANS

Vania is a pastor, spiritual director, teacher, musician, and faculty associate at Regent College. She enjoys working with, and learning from people of other cultures, socio-economic statuses, and ages. She currently serves as the Lead Pastor at Marineview Chapel Christian Community Church in Vancouver, B.C.

BRIE TARRAS

Brie Tarras was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta. She studied history at the University of Calgary, theology at Regent College, and is always looking for something new to learn. Brie has spent the majority of her working hours within the homebuilding industry, helping new homebuilders find efficiencies through technology and improved process. Over the past ten years, she has been part of the St. John’s Vancouver community and has enjoyed a myriad of volunteer roles. Most recently this has been leading young women as they navigate their faith and life in high school. Brie loves a good conversation and walk, meals with friends, and is still surprised that Vancouver is green year round.

JONATHAN EVANS

Jonathan leads community ministries of The Salvation Army in Vancouver and pastors Boundless Vancouver, a church plant spanning the neighbourhoods of DTES, False Creek Flats and Mount Pleasant. As an educator, he lead a discipleship and mission school in Vancouver’s DTES for 12 years and now is a sessional lecturer at Columbia Bible College for Urban Missions. He and his wife Carla have three children, Jed (15), Jael (13) & Zoë (11). Jon has a BSc from Waterloo, BEd from Western Ontario, MA Theology from Regent College and Grad Certificate in Professional Communications from Royal Roads. In 2012, he was rewarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for leading community development and outreach in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. He loves Pacific Poke, Juke chicken, DD Mau & Cafe Medina.

Sean Tan

Sean Tan has had a long-established career in the financial and management sectors in Canada and abroad. He has a BA from Northern Illinois University, MPA from Pennsylvania State University, MBA from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and GradDipCS and MA from Regent College. He is currently pursuing studies integrating Faith, Work, Economics, and Vocation. He hopes to help foster a closer connection between churches and the secular environment.