The E-postle September 15, 2019

14th Sunday after Pentecost

E-postle

September 15, 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

Tuesday, September 17          10:15am–12noon – Bible Study in the Parish Hall

Thursday, September 19        6pm – ACW Annual Pot Luck Dinner

Sunday, September 29            Orange Shirt Day Sunday

Monday, September 30          7–9pm – Parish Council Meeting

Saturday, October 19              All-Ages Parish Games Night

Saturday, November 2            10am–2:30pm – Parish Bazaar

 

Stewardship Reflection

From Sunday by Sunday. Reflections on Stewardship from Anglican Revised Lectionary:

Luke 15: 1- 10 – The Pharisees and the scribes (the “elite”) grumble and complain that Jesus welcomes and eats with “sinners”. How do we practice hospitality when someone different shows up at the Lord’s Table?

 

Fall Book Study

In October, we are excited to be reading together Barbara Brown Taylor’s new book, Holy Envy. We invite you to come join us as we explore together her story of encountering various other religions as an Episcopal priest and as a college religion professor, and how her own Christianity informed and shaped that journey. There will be time and space for us also to reflect and share about our own journeys, and to consider how we as individuals and as a community share our faith with others, how we might respectfully and lovingly engage with and learn about other faiths, all the while deepening and strengthening our own walks with Jesus as we move through our wide and diverse world.

One group will meet on Tuesday mornings at the church, and—if there is enough interest—we will also have a weeknight evening group meeting in parishioner homes. If you’re interested in participating and/or helping out with either of these programs, please connect with Vivian. Note: we plan to make a group order of the book (with the parish subsidizing part of the cost) – so please let her know too if you would like to be included in this order.

 

Summer Program and Godly Play

Thank-you to all who helped over the summer to provide a simple summer program for any children attending services. We had most of the teachers and helpers plus Sheila DeVaal and Kristin Kuhn which meant no one had to help for more than one Sunday over the summer. I am always amazed at the willingness of people of St. John’s to offer assistance for the children’s program. Not sure many other places could say they had a full summer Sunday program with no one having to do double coverage.

We are now blessed to have two young ones who are going to need a separate time from their older siblings in Godly Play. The plan is that these young ones will go downstairs and will have a Storybook read to them and do a related sticker sheet. After they have finished they will join in the Godly Play room for a shared time of play. What we would like is to have volunteers who, if a little one is in attendance, is willing to go downstairs for a short time. No preparation will be needed and at this stage we are not planning on setting up a schedule. So we are looking for people who on a Sunday morning would be willing to step in if asked.

If you could and are willing to help please contact Anne or Christina at children@stja.ca.

We may be small in number but I really believe we do well for our children. Thanks to all.

• Anne and Christina

 

A.C.W. Pot Luck Dinner

The A.C.W. will be hosting our annual Pot Luck Dinner in the Church Hall this Thursday September 19th at 6 pm. Please bring a contribution to the meal to share with everyone. There will be a short meeting following the dinner. For any further information, please talk to Sue Hall or Ann Adair-Austin.

 

Fall Bazaar

For those who do not know, Ferne has stepped down as coordinator for the Fall Bazaar. She has done an absolutely marvelous job coordinating this event over the years and we are all so thankful for her contributions. Thanks Ferne…for all your hard work, past and present.

If you do not know about our Fall Bazaar, this is a parish event and our biggest fund raiser. The event is held in November – this year on November 2.  We have a soup and sandwich lunch, prepared by our very own kitchen staff, headed by Ferne Malcolm. We have a bake table, which is filled with baking done by anyone and everyone in our parish who loves to bake (so get your baking pans ready), coordinated this year by Pronella Daniels. We have a craft table, which is filled with crafts and all kinds of handmade items contributed by people in our parish (feel free to contribute here too please), coordinated this year by Sue Elliott and Rosa Weisensel. We have a country store table, which is filled with preserves, relishes, jams, soup mixes, and many other homemade specialty items, coordinated by Sharon Cooper. We have a kid’s zone, coordinated by Ann Adair-Austin, with games for kids to play, a craft for kids, and an area for kids to hang out and colour while waiting for their parents to shop :). There is also a cake walk in this area (stay tuned if you are a baker and would like to bake a cake to donate for the cake walk this year)…always a hit!!! We have a white elephant sale (second hand items) in the PMC, coordinated by Debora Jones-Akiyama. We will soon once again be collecting items for sale…so if you missed cleaning out your cupboards and closets for the garage sale….you will get another chance). We also have a treasures table with jewelry, select treasures, and specialty items for everyone, coordinated by Joanne Walton. This year we are beginning with our environmentally-friendly focus where you can buy all your reusable bags, reusable produce bags, wax coated wraps, and much, much more. Limited this year…but our plans are hopeful to expand this idea.

We also have a raffle, coordinated by Ann Adair-Austin, Rosa Weisensel, and Sue Hall. This year there is a lovely quilt donated as a prize and they will make some gift baskets again to have as prizes. If you have something to donate for a prize, know of someone or somewhere that would like to donate a prize for our raffle, or would be willing to contribute an item yourself contact Rosa Weisensel, Ann Adair-Austin or Sue Hall. We are collecting items for the gift baskets and are looking for assistance with this at this time. Some suggested items you could contribute are: specialty/gourmet food items such as pickles, relish, crackers, cookies, jam, napkins (preferably reusable), and chocolates, (no alcohol please) and items for toiletry baskets, such as soaps, lotions, perfumed creams, colognes, etc. Raffle tickets will be available for sale soon after both services.

Our event cannot be a success without you. We need your ideas for things we could do in the future, we need you to attend and participate, we need you to contribute your time and talents, and most of all, we need you to want to come hang out with us and have a good time and help us forge some friendships with our neighbourhood folks who could come and enjoy some shopping and fun with us for a few hours on a Saturday morning in November. If you haven’t attended this event yet, please consider coming this year. If you have any time and want to participate…we have a use for every and any skill you might have. Talk to the coordinator of the area you are interested in…or come talk to Kristin Kuhn.

 

Orange Shirt Day

It is the time of year that we remember indigenous children who were taken from their homes to residential schools. Orange Shirt Day has become an annual opportunity to honour the survivors whose families and communities have been impacted by the residential school system. If you have an Orange shirt or blouse, please wear it to church on Sunday, September 29. For more info, please log onto:  http://www.orangeshirtday.org/. You can also buy a shirt from this site: http://www.orangeshirtday.org/shop–gifts.html

 

Thrifty Foods – Smile Card Fundraising Program

Most of you are aware that we received a grant from Thrifty Foods every year as a result of our participation in the Smile Card program.

5% of what we spent using the Smile Card is credited to our “Parish Grant” and we received amounts ranging from $1,000 to $2,000 each year.  We have used the Grant toward the purchase of the sound system, hand bells, and community kitchen utensils.

If you or your family members shop at Thrifty’s, and would like a Smile Card, please come and see Bonnie or Brenda Binns for more info on how the program works.

No credit checks and you will get a card instantaneously!

 

Tim Morgan Installation

Our warmest prayers of thanksgiving and congratulations go out to The Rev. Tim Morgan, who served as Interim Priest-in-Charge here at St. John’s last year. Tim was installed as Vicar of Christ Church, Hope, this past Monday, Sept. 9. A diocesan article and links to additional photos on Facebook can be found at https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/news/celebration-of-a-new-ministry-in-hope–10647

 

Deanery Fundraising Events

St. Laurence, Coquitlam (825 Saint Laurence St.) will be hosting a choir concert called – “Reflections – An Evening of Music” next Saturday, Sept. 21 at 7:30pm. Tickets are Adults $20/Youth $10/under 12 free. Benefits will go to support Talitha Koum (http://talithakoumsociety.org), local women’s recovery houses, and the St. Laurence music program. Please connect with them at https://www.saintlaurence.ca/ for more information.

St. Timothy’s, Burnaby (4550 Kitchener Street) will be holding a Pasta Night and Silent Auction fundraiser on Saturday, Oct. 5, 6-9pm. Tickets are $30, and $10 for children 10 years and under. A three-course dinner will be served including antipasto, lasagne, salad and tiramisu. All are invited! Please contact their office at office@sainttimothy.ca for more information.

 

PWRDF responds to Hurricane Dorian

Hurricane Dorian has devastated the Bahamas. News footage shows the areas around Freeport to be unrecognizable, completely submerged in water.

In response to the immediate and urgent needs on the ground, The Primate’s World Relief & Development Fund (PWRDF) is receiving donations and sending financial support to Episcopal Relief and Development of the Episcopal Church of the United States. ERD is working through the Anglican Alliance, of which PWRDF is also a member, to support a response as the Anglican Diocese of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos begins to evaluate and assess the needs of local communities in the diocese.

Visit https://pwrdf.org/pwrdf-responds-to-hurricane-dorian/ for more information and suggestions on ways you can support these efforts.

 

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 Bishop.

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. Matthew, Abbotsford – The Reverend Allen Doerksen

*        The Deanery of Yale – The Reverend Paul Bowie

*        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 September 15, 2019 – 14th Sunday after Pentecost

Jeremiah 4:11–12, 22–28; Psalm 14; 1 Timothy 1:12–17; Luke 15:1–10

 

Readings for September 22, 2019 – 15th Sunday after Pentecost

Jeremiah 8:18 – 9:1; Psalm 79:1–9; 1 Timothy 2:1–7; Luke 16:1–13

 

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 – administrator@stja.ca or 604-936-7762 (Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm – note that office is currently on reduced hours – please call ahead if stopping by)

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