The E-Postle February 10, 2019

The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

E-postle

February 10, 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”

 

Upcoming Dates

Monday, Feb 11          9:30am – A.C.W. Spring Cleaning of the church

Tuesday, Feb 12          10:15am-noon – Bible Study in the Parish Hall

Sunday, Feb 17            after the 10:00am service – Annual Vestry Meeting

Thursday, Feb 21        1:30pm – A.C.W. meeting

Sunday, Feb 24            12 noon – Chinese New Year celebration lunch

Monday, Feb 25          1:00pm – Senior’s Tea – Birthday Party

 

 

Stewardship Reflection

From Wikipedia:

“Grace in Christianity is the free and unmerited favour of God as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowing of blessings. Common Christian teaching is that grace is unmerited mercy (favour) that God gave to humanity by sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on a cross, thus securing man’s eternal salvation from sin. Bill Gothard, an American conservative Christian, has suggested ‘God’s grace gives us the desire and the power to do his will.’”

 

2 Corinthians 12:7-9

“Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, ‘my grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ So I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

 

Question: Where will God’s grace work in your life this week?

 

 

Annual Vestry

Annual Vestry Reports are ready and can be picked up in the Narthex. There are 3 reports: Vestry Reports, Financial Statements and last year’s Vestry minutes.

 

Also, everyone is invited to bring finger foods to share next Sunday, Feb. 17, during our meeting, which will help give us the energy to do the important work of reviewing and celebrating the year and looking ahead toward ministry in 2019!

 

 

 

Parish Council nominations

Nominations for Parish Council are now open. There are two vacancies to fill but as always positions on Parish Council are elected at Vestry. Please see Geri or Rosa if you are interested.

 

 

Office Administrator

The job posting for our Office Administrator (a 20 hrs/week position with benefits) is available now via our website www.stja.ca, with an application deadline of this Thursday, Feb. 14; please continue asking around in your networks for anyone who might feel called to join our ministry team in this role.

 

 

Guyana Mission Trip

Brenda Lou-Hing has sent us a detailed first update on her current mission trip in Guyana, which has been posted on the bulletin board in the Parish Hall. Everyone is invited to read more about her work there, and continue to keep her in your prayers.

 

 

New Members for the Altar Guild

St John’s Altar Guild are looking for some new members. We work in groups on a 4 week rotating schedule usually on a Saturday morning, arranging flowers, cleaning brass, setting up for the Eucharist and laundering linens. Please speak to a member of the Altar Guild if you are interested in joining us.

 

 

Birthday Party

The Senior’s Tea group is hosting a birthday party for parish members who have reached the marvelous age of 80 or over, with birthdays occurring January to March, 2019.

 

We will be meeting Monday, February 25th at 1:00pm for lunch and cake with time for visiting with friends.

If you have not received an invitation by February 11th and you are part of this select group please let Ferne Malcolm know. If you are a senior and wish to join us for lunch and to help your friends celebrate also let her know. You are most welcome but we do need to know numbers so that no one will go hungry.

 

RSVP to Ferne Malcolm by email at kmalcolm@telus.net or by phone 604 939 2807 by February 18th.

 

 

A.C.W. News

The next A.C.W. meeting will be held on Thursday, February 21st at 1.30 pm.  Please remember to bring in your United Thank Offering for our annual donation to the Diocesan A.C.W. outreach program.

 

We continue to collect clean and gently used clothing, bedding and towels to donate to the Bales To The North outreach through A.C.W. Place. If you have any items to donate please label them “For A.C.W.” and leave them outside of the corner storage cupboard in the Sunday School area. We also collect used stamps and eyeglasses, aluminum pull tabs, and sample size toiletries. The collection baskets for these items are located on the small shelving unit near the A.C.W. cabinet in the church hall.

 

The A.C.W. ladies are organizing a ‘Spring Cleaning’ of the church, rescheduled to Monday February 11th at 9.30 am. If anyone feels inclined to shake up a little dust or sweep clean with a new broom, you would be more than welcome to join us.

 

Food Bank Bread Help Needed

Help is needed! We are in need of more people to help to collect the bread for the Food Bank from Cobs Bakery on alternate Tuesday evenings at 8 pm and deliver it to the church. This takes approximately ½ to ¾ of an hour to complete depending on how much bread is to be collected. Ability to lift the bins, which are a moderate weight, is required. If you are interested in helping out, please talk to Teri Hazelton or Ann Adair-Austin.

 

 

General Synod Volunteers

The Diocese of New Westminster is very excited to host the 42nd General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada July 9 to 16, 2019, at the Sheraton Wall Centre in Vancouver, and are looking for people to join the General Synod volunteer team.

 

They are seeking people who are:

• outgoing and friendly,
• have experience in welcoming or greeting at church, or in other frequent capacities,
• and are interested in witnessing the wider Church in action.

 

Volunteers will be assigned in shifts to participate in areas such as meeting participants at the airport, on-site registration, providing local information and directions, etc.

 

Please see https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/diocesan-ministries/general-synod-2019 for more information.

 

 

The VITA Retreat

You are invited to take part in VITA, a diocesan spiritual formation retreat, rooted in Anglican spirituality, where the Holy Spirit can move to personally transform participants to more actively engage in Christian prayer life and mission.

 

The next VITA retreat will be held from Friday, Mar. 22 – Sunday, Mar. 24 at Loon Lake Retreat Centre in Maple Ridge. This two-night retreat is open to 25 people who desire spiritual growth and who want to explore their prayer lives. The $175 registration fee (bursaries available) includes accommodation, all meals/snacks, and materials. The facilities are modern cabins that include a common lounge, private showers and rooms with two beds; two people per room.

 

Retreat goals are:

• To support participants as they broaden and deepen their experience of prayer in their everyday lives and activities.
• To inspire the energy, creativity and commitment of the next generation of Anglicans as they engage the communities where God has placed them.

 

For more information and to register, visit https://conta.cc/2TC8HAV – registration deadline is Feb. 28.

 

 

Cold Weather Shelter volunteers needed

This March, St. Laurence, Coquitlam (with the Hope for Freedom Society) will host the Mat program at St. Laurence. The Mat Program provides shelter for up to 30 homeless persons each night. Volunteers are needed every day to provide a hot evening meal, breakfast, a bag lunch and clothing for shelter clients. Volunteers for shifts in the morning (5:30-7:30am) and evening (9-11pm), donations of goods, financial help, and prayers are all welcome. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Program coordinator Julie Chuter at julchu@shaw.ca or 604.939.2788.

 

Mary Lou from St. John’s is planning to volunteer for some evening shifts–maybe we could make a group from St John’s to take on some shifts. Even if you cannot volunteer for a shift, we will be needing helpers to make sandwiches for the bag lunches. If you are interested in helping out, please speak to Mary Lou or write an email to maryloukyle1234@gmail.com.

 

 

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 in February:

• 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, the Diocese of New Westminster, Archbishop Melissa Skelton;

 

This week:

*        The Deanery of North Vancouver – The Reverend Patrick Blaney, Regional Dean;

*        Our partner Diocese of Northern Philippines, Bishop Brent Alawas, and especially the people of our twin church at St. John’s 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 February 10, 2019 – Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

Isaiah 6:1–8; Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 15:1–11; Luke 5:1–11

 

Readings for February 17, 2019 – Sixth Sunday after Epiphany

Jeremiah 17:5–10; Psalm 1; 1 Corinthians 15:12–20 ; Luke 6:17–26

 

 

Important Contact Information

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

Parish Office – administrator@stja.ca or 604-936-7762

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 – shawls@stja.ca

Bible Study – Lynne Milner – biblestudy@stja.ca

Food Bank – Lynne Milner – foodbank@stja.ca