The E-Postle

E-postle
The Last Sunday after Pentecost
November 25, 2018

“The Parish of St. John the Apostle is called to be
* A Spirited Community at the heart of Port Moody
* transformed through the experience of the presence of Christ
* and sent out to share God’s Love”

Upcoming Dates
Tuesday Nov 27 10:30-noon, Bible Study in the parish hall
Sunday Dec 2 Annual Advent Wreath Workshop
Sunday Dec. 9 PMC basement will be open for those wanting a last chance to purchase items
Tues Dec 11 The Rev. Vivian Lam’s Induction – 7 pm with rehearsal at 6 pm.
Thursday Dec. 13 12:00p.m. ACW luncheon in the church hall

Hello St. John’s family,
It is very exciting for me to finally be here, after so much time of anticipation and waiting! I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know each of you. As we look ahead to the season of Advent (beginning on Dec. 2), I can’t help but notice that is an especially appropriate time of year for this sort of thing – it’s the beginning of a new church year, and it’s all about anticipation and waiting for the arrival of Jesus in our midst in old and new ways. As we prepare to journey together toward Christmas, I am looking forward to immersing myself into this community’s traditions, and perhaps we will even begin to create some new ones together!

I would like to invite you to 2 opportunities for Advent learning together. One will be the AdventWord program on Sundays after both worship services, and the Living the Edge program on Tuesday mornings.

• The AdventWord program will run on Sundays Dec. 9, 16, and 23 – join me after the 8:30am and 10am services to gather to share our findings and discoveries about God through meditative words and images of the season. We will be creating our own St. John’s AdventWord calendar—both online via our Facebook page, and a physical calendar at the church—and I am hoping that everyone in our community will participate. There will be a chance for individuals and families to sign up to take the lead on reflecting on one day’s word. More details to come!

You can read more about the program (and a preview of the words) at https://www.buildfaith.org/adventword-2018/. Additionally, sign up to receive daily emails at https://www.adventword.org/sign-up-adventword2018/

• On Dec. 4, 11, and 18, the Tuesday 10:15am Bible study group will be exploring together the new diocesan Advent program, Living in the Edge. From the program description: “How do we find our way when one thing is ending and another thing is beginning? In the great joys and sorrows of our lives, and in the economic, political and climatic changes of our world, how do we live in the in-between?” I’m looking forward to deep reflection and rich discussion together!

You can read more about the program at http://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/diocesan-resources/2018-advent-resource. Scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up for daily emails (whether or not you can attend on Tuesdays). We will also have printed copies of the study guide available.

Please consider being part of one or both of these Advent opportunities. I hope that not only will I get to know all of you better, but we as a community will get to know each other more deeply and grow together in faith!

URGENTLY NEEDED
The Burnaby Costco will be providing St. Johns with donations for our Food Bank. We are looking for a volunteer or volunteers who have a van, pickup or SUV to pick up contents of the food bin when they are full. Please let Kelly in the office know if you are able to help with this.

Reminder to Wear Name Tags
Now that Vivian has arrived as our new rector, let’s all wear our name tags for a while so that she can get used to everyone’s names.

Annual Advent Wreath Workshop: Sunday December 2nd
All are welcome to join us for the Annual Advent Wreath Workshop following the 10:00am service in the Church Hall. A base container, greenery and embellishments will be provided. Please be sure to bring your own cutters and candles! For more information please see Ann Adair Austin.

ACW Pizza Lunch
The A.C.W. will be meeting on Thursday, Dec. 13th at 12 noon for a Pizza Lunch. We will also be packing goodie baskets for seniors after lunch, and collecting up home baked goods for the Mission To Seafarers. All ladies of the Parish are welcome to attend. Cost for the lunch is $10.

Revamping of the STJA Website
Thanks to everyone who has responded to the call for up-to-date information on Programs and Group Information.
You will notice at the end of this email that contact information has been updated to include a few more ministries with contact persons and new stja.ca email addresses. This is for a number of reasons.
1) Consistency and a united front that we are from the same place, the church.
2) The email address and all correspondence belong to the church and when someone retires from the role, or from the church, the communication stays and carries on.
3) This is to take off some of the correspondence/workload from Kelly whose prime responsibility is Liturgical Support. Those who previously had their inquiries directed to the office and then have the administrator redirect to the person-in-charge is not an ideal process. With this change, enquirers will go direct to the source and hopefully get a speedier response.
Stewardship Reflection
Philippians 2: 5,13
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus… for it is God who works in you to will and act according to his good purpose.”
Question. How will God work in you this week?

‘This Land, Acknowledging Territory in Port Moody’ Hosted by Tasha Faye Evans
This Saturday, November 25, 2018 at 10:30 – 12:30 at Noons Creek Hatchery.

As posted on the Noons Creek Hatchery Facebook Tasha Faye writes…
“Lets gather around an urban fire and talk Land Acknowledgment. Why do we do it? What are we saying? How can we participate in meaningful practises? How can Port Moody as a community create relationships based in mutual respect and equity? We cannot answer all of these questions in two hours, but lets begin the conversation. Bring walking shoes, kindness and a willingness to listen.”

The Coquitlam Chorale
The Coquitlam Chorale will be performing “There Shall a Star” at the Evergreen Cultural Centre on Saturday, December 1 @ 7:30 pm, and Sunday, December 2 @ 2:00. Tickets are available by clicking the link: https://evergreenculturalcentre.secure.force.com/ticket/#details_a0S1Q000008fZxtUAE

Proteins needed for St. Johns Food Bank
Protein-rich foods are often the most expensive items for families to purchase when grocery shopping. People on limited budgets often cannot afford them, and make do with stodgy foods to fill stomachs. Please help those who need them by donating the following to St. Johns Food Bank in December:
– tinned salmon, tuna, chicken, beef (not all can eat pork products)
– shelf stable nut butters
– dried or tinned beans and peas
– powdered or shelf stable milks
– meaty stews or soups
– cans of vegetables
Bring your offerings on Sunday, drop off during the week Monday through Thursday 9 am to 1 pm, or give some money to this ministry towards the purchase of fresh products.

3030 Gordon Avenue – Transition Housing
St. John’s is one of four local churches involved in the clothing donation ministry at the Gordon Shelter.
This winter, each church will again be targeting specific items for a drive before Christmas. From Nov. 17th until Dec. 15th, our church will be collecting donations of new or used sweat pants and/or hoodies. If you would like to donate, you can bring these items to the church and Mary Lou or Betty will take them to the shelter.
Thank you to all of you who have been donating clothing to the shelter!
We would still like to have more volunteers for this ministry. It is just 2 hours every 4 weeks.
Please connect with Marylou Kyle or Betty Moore if you are interested in giving a helping hand.
For info on the Gordon Shelter, please check them out at
http://www.raincityhousing.org/what-we-do/3030-gordon-project-coquitlam/
Prayer Cycle
The Anglican Church, the Diocese of New Westminster, Archbishop Melissa Skelton;

• St. Catherine of Alexandria, Port Coquitlam – The Reverend Patricia Ratcliffe
• Christ Church Cathedral, Vancouver -The Very Reverend Peter Elliott – Dean, The Reverend Helen
  Dunn Cathedral Vicar, The Reverend Marnie Peterson, The Reverend Ross Bliss, The Reverend Dixie
  Black, The Reverend Jeffrey Preiss, The Reverend Alisdair Smith
• Christ Church, Hope
• St. Andrew, Langley – The Reverend Andrew Halladay, The Reverend Helen Lingham

• our partner Diocese of Northern Philippines, Bishop Brent Alawas, and especially the people of our twin church at St. Johns Mission, Bila, Mountain Province;
  *The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada- National Bishop Susan Johnson, BC Synod Bishop Greg Mohr;
  *The brothers and sisters who share our worship space: The Port Moody Korean Presbyterian Church and the Polish Evangelical Church.

Readings for November 25, 2018 – The Last Sunday after Pentecost
2 Samuel 23: 1-7; Psalm 132: 1-19; Revelation 1: 4b-8: John 18: 33-37

Readings for December 2, 2018 – 1st Sunday of Advent
Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-9; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21: 25-36

Important Contact Information
Rector – The Rev. Vivian Lam rector@stja.ca 604-936-7762
Parish Office- Kelly Million administrator@stja.ca or 604-936-7762: 9:30 am- 1:30 pm Mon. – Thurs.
Rector’s Warden- Geri Grigg rectorswarden@stja.ca
People’s Warden – Ruby Ng peopleswarden@stja.ca
Treasurer – Cedric Miller treasurer@stja.ca
Envelope Secretary – Sheila de Vaal envelopesecretary@stja.ca
Parish Council – Adelaine Miller, Secretary parishcouncilsecretary@stja.ca
Altar Guild – Brenda Binns altarguild@stja.ca
St. John Prayer Circle – Sue Elliott prayer@stja.ca
Pastoral Visiting Ministry – Joanne Walton/Alma Oldenburg pastoralvisits@stja.ca
Anglican Church Women (ACW) – Sue Hall 604-936-0176 ACW@stja.ca
Children Ministry /Godly Play – Christina Anchor children@stja.ca
Prayer Shawls – Rosa Weisensel shawls@stja.ca
Bible Study – Lynne Milner biblestudy@stja.ca
Food Bank – Lynne Milner foodbank@stja.ca