The E-postle December 22, 2019

Fourth Sunday of Advent

E-postle

December 22, 2019

 

“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”

 

Please note: There will be no E-postle next week (Dec. 29). We will resume again Jan. 5.

 

Upcoming Dates

Sunday, December 22             following both services – “What Can’t Wait” Advent art discussion group

Tuesday, December 24           Christmas Eve services

                                               7pm – Family Service with Eucharist; 10pm – Choral Eucharist

Wednesday, December 25    10am – Christmas Day Eucharist

Thursday, January 2               6 – 8pm – Parish All-Ages Movie Night

Tuesday, January 7                10:15am–12noon – Bible Study resumes (in the Parish Hall)

                                               (group will be on break Dec. 24 & Dec. 31)

Monday, January 27              7 – 9pm– Parish Council meeting

Sunday, February 9                 Annual Vestry Meeting

Sunday, February 16               Chinese New Year lunch

 

Stewardship Reflection

From Sunday by Sunday: Reflections on Stewardship:

Advent 4. Matthew 1: 18-25

God speaks to Joseph by means of a dream. Joseph pays attention to that dream and changes his own plans. The Bible often tells us of God speaking to individuals through dreams. As a faithful steward what do you do with your plans when God speaks to you in some way?

 

Christmas Worship Services

Christmas will be here in a few days, and we hope you will join us for any or all of our 3 worship services. Don’t forget to invite family and friends to come and be part of the celebration at St. John’s! Remember to bring a non-perishable donation for our Food Bank too.

• Tuesday, Dec. 24, 7pm – Christmas Eve Family Service – Join us for our fun and family-friendly Christmas Eve service! The young people of the parish join together in a retelling of the Christmas story, including singing of all your favourite Christmas carols and Christmas communion. Visitors are welcome to dress up and join in the fun too!

• Tuesday, Dec. 24, 10pm – Christmas Eve Choral Eucharist – Join us for our more formal Christmas Eve service, complete with Christmas communion, the singing of beautiful Christmas carols, and lovely music offered by our choir. Art supplies will be available for younger worshippers.

• Wednesday, Dec. 25, 10am – Christmas Day Worship Service – Join us after you’ve opened your presents for a festive Christmas Day service. We continue our celebration of Jesus’ birth with a relaxed service on Christmas morning – come to sing beautiful Christmas carols and take part in the joy of Christmas communion. Art supplies will be available for younger worshippers.

 

Window Replacement

A Bouquet of Thanks to:

Bob Kuhn for painting the replacement window which is no small feat, and to Amalia McGlashan & Alexander for supervising the installation.

Also to Deneys of Clear Look Windows for donating the cost of installation to St. John’s.

 

Office Christmas Break

Please note that the parish office will be closed from Dec. 25 through Jan. 1, reopening on Thursday, Jan. 2. During this time, for pastoral emergencies, please call Vivian on her cell, and for other urgent parish matters, please email Geri and Ruby at rectorswarden@stja.ca and peopleswarden@stja.ca, or Vivian at rector@stja.ca.

 

Financial Status

Statement of Income and Expenses as of November 2019:

	Nov. 2019 ACTUAL	Nov. 2019 BUDGETED	YEAR-TO-DATE Nov. 2019 ACTUAL	YEAR-TO-DATE Nov. 2019 BUDGETED
INCOME	$ 21,080	$ 21,200	$ 194,794	$ 199,233
EXPENSES	$ 19,341	$ 21,200	$ 200,116	$ 199,233
Surplus (-) Loss	$ 1,739	$0	-$ 5,322	$0

Notes:

Revenue was up for the month due to income from the bazaar.

However, expenses were also higher; main unbudgeted expenses were replacement of the window and the tree cutting and trimming around the property.

Although there is a surplus for the month of November, the year-to-date deficit remains and now stands at $5,322.  We trust we can bring it back to the black by year-end. Thank you all for your support.

 

All-Ages Parish Movie Night – January 2, 6-8pm

With all the craziness, fun, and excitement of the Christmas season, why not have a relaxing evening with family and friends with a MOVIE NIGHT!!!

Bring a blanket and your favorite stuffy. Get cozy in your PJ’s and come enjoy a family-friendly movie to start the New Year. There will be juice and popcorn available.

We will gather in the Parish Hall on Thursday, January 2, from 6-8pm. Movie starts at 6:30pm – come early to get a good spot!

For any questions and to RSVP, please connect with Amalia McGlashan at mcglashanad@outlook.com.

 

Save The Date: Chinese New Year Lunch

Please mark your calendars. Chinese New Year comes early in 2020. We will usher in the Year of the Rat in January 2020, and in St. John’s tradition, we will have a CNY lunch celebration on Sunday, February 16th after the 10am service. Watch this space!

 

Food Bank “Christmas (Re)Stocking”

The shelves at the Food Bank are starting to look a little bare and we don’t have any corporate donors coming forward this Christmas to help restock our shelves. During the rest of the month of December we will focus on one or two items needed. If you are able, we would appreciate a donation of these particular items on the following Sundays to help us fill up the shelves again:

      December 22: tins of salmon, tuna, chicken, or ham

      December 24/25: Christmas Wildcard – bring whatever non-perishable you like to celebrate Jesus’ birthday!

      December 29: pasta and pasta sauce

(Other non-perishable items are also welcome at any time. If an item is coming from your kitchen cupboard to our cupboards please check the expiry date before bringing to the Food Bank.)

Every little bit helps! Thank you for your generosity in supporting this important St. John’s ministry to our wider community.

 

Cold Wet Weather Mat Program – January 2020 at St. Laurence, Coquitlam

There is a sign-up sheet on the stage doors in the Parish Hall for anyone who would like to supply sandwiches during the time when the homeless will be welcomed to St. Laurence in Coquitlam. The guests will be provided with an evening meal and breakfast, and given a bag lunch with the sandwiches that are supplied to take with them.

The dates are January 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 13th.

If you would like to help by making up to 30 sandwiches, please either sign up on the sheet or send an email to Anne Anchor at deacon@stja.ca. The number of sandwiches needed will be confirmed a few days before the date you select; each day may vary depending on the weather.

 

care+share Advent 2019 Campaign – Urban Aboriginal Ministry

care + share has been helping to fund a wide variety of ministries in our diocese since 2011. The ministries are supported for a two-year period to help them to expand and strengthen their work.  Every two years Synod selects and affirms from one to three recipients of the care + share donations for the next two-year cycle.

The Urban Aboriginal Ministry (UAM) was chosen as the sole beneficiary of care + share for this 2020 – 2021 cycle to help UAM expand to meet the needs of more First Nations brothers and sisters. Towards that end the Mission and Ministry Development team of the diocese are launching a “mini-campaign” during the season of Advent 2019 to encourage the members of our diocese to support the care + share program. Although UAM will be the recipient during the next two-year funding cycle they hope that your participation now will contribute to a pattern of generosity that will enable future ministries from around the diocese to also flourish through care+share.

Donations to UAM through care + share may be made via your regular donation envelope or PAD. You may also visit https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/news/care-share-advent-campaign-for-2019 to learn about other ways to give and more information about UAM.

 

Blue Christmas at St. Timothy’s

You are invited to “The Longest Night” (also known as “Blue Christmas”) Service this Saturday, Dec. 21, 7pm at St. Timothy Anglican Church (4550 Kitchener Street, Burnaby). This is a service to celebrate Christmas, but especially geared for people who have difficulty with the holiday season. Many of us have lost loved ones or aren’t able to celebrate with those we’d like to, so the exuberance and joyfulness that often accompanies the Christmas season can be especially challenging. This service will give us the chance to celebrate Christmas in a much more subdued way, with candles, carols, silence, scripture, prayers, and some time and space to reflect—and the opportunity to light a candle of your own.

 

Proteins needed for St. John’s 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. John’s Food Bank.

• 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, arrange with the office to drop off during the week, or give some money to this ministry towards the purchase of fresh products.

 

Prayer Cycle

The Anglican Church of Canada – the Most Rev. Linda Nicholls, Primate, and the Most Rev. Mark MacDonald, National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop.

The Diocese of New Westminster – the Most Rev. Melissa Skelton, Archbishop, and Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of BC and Yukon.

And this week:

*        St. Stephen the Martyr, Burnaby – The Rev. Ruth Monette; St. Stephen, West Vancouver – The Rev. Cn. Jonathan Lloyd

*        St. John the Apostle, Port Moody – The Revs. Vivian Lam, Anne Anchor, Michael Chin, Lilian Elliott; St. John the Evangelist, North Vancouver – The Revs. Patrick Blaney, Juanita Clark; St. John the Divine, Maple Ridge – The Rev. Laurel Dahill; St. John the Divine, Squamish – The Rev. Cameron Gutjahr; St. John, Shaughnessy – The Revs. John Stephens, Liz Ruder-Celiz, Pitman Potter

*        Our partner Diocese of Northern Philippines, Bishop Brent Alawas, and especially the people of our twin church at St. John the Evangelist Mission, Balugan;

*        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

 

Readings for December 22, 2019 – 4^th Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 7:10-16; Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25

 

Readings for December 29, 2019 – 1^st Sunday after Christmas

Isaiah 63:7-9; Psalm 148; Hebrews 2:10-18; Matthew 2:13-23

 

Important Contact Information

Rector – The Rev. Vivian Lam – rector@stja.ca or 604-936-7762

Deacon – The Rev. Anne Anchor – deacon@stja.ca

Office Administrator – Jennifer Green (currently on leave)

Interim Office Administrator – Sarah Golding – administrator@stja.ca or 604-936-7762

(Office Hours during this interim time are Tues/Wed/Thurs, 9am-1:30pm & Fri, 9am-11:30am)

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 or ACW@stja.ca

Children’s Ministry /Godly Play – Christina Anchor – children@stja.ca

Prayer Shawls – Rosa Weisensel – administrator@stja.ca

Bible Study – Lynne Milner – biblestudy@stja.ca

Food Bank – Lynne Milner – foodbank@stja.ca

 

[Art at top of page is “Trust” by Hannah Garrity, © A Sanctified Art, and is used by permission.]