The E-postle September 8, 2019

13th Sunday after Pentecost

E-postle

September 8, 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

Sunday, September 8              “Back to School and Church” Sunday with Parish Picnic (after the 10am service)

Tuesday, September 10          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

 

Rector’s Note

I pray that everyone’s summers have been full of the blessings of sabbath rest and renewal. Welcome back to a new school year and a new program year at St. John’s!

We have many things lined up for the fall to nurture our relationships with God and with each other, and I hope that you will consider taking part in many, if not all, of them! Whether it is our creative Stewardship Campaign (read more from the Stewardship Team below), to fun community building events – including an all-ages Games Night and Movie night, to an engaging Fall book study that will happen on Tuesday mornings at the church, as well as – if there is enough interest – an experimental weeknight evening in parishioner homes. If you’re interested in participating and/or helping out with any of these programs, please talk to me and I can connect you with all those who are planning for these wonderful spaces for spiritual growth and fellowship.

In other news, we are also excited to officially debut our “Parish Values” this week at Welcome Back Sunday. Parish Council worked hard these past few months on these statements, which articulate some of the “why” we do the things we do as a parish, and that will help clarify our parish decision-making going forward in this season. Note that these Parish Values are not meant to encompass everything that guides our parish – they are simply one way to express what we believe God is calling us to in this particular season of our parish’s life. Think of them also as markers that do also point to something deeper and more constant, and that reflect a way for us as a diverse community of people of many personalities, life experiences, and faith journeys to express what we hold in common in the midst of our diversity. These Parish Values are a living document that can invite us into further prayerful conversation and thought of who we are at St. John’s – with each other, with newcomers, and with others outside of this church community.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to give feedback on these statements, whether via placing check marks on the newsprints, or sending us a message via email or in person. We noted that there was a desire from some to express more about the spiritual underpinnings of these values, even beyond the first value “As followers of Christ…” that undergirds all of the Parish Values – I appreciated this invitation to dive deeper!   We can of course point to already-existing ways in which we express as a community the explicit things of our faith, whether it is the historic creeds of the larger Church, or the prayers and scripture and music that we worship with in our weekly liturgies. But in addition, I invite you this fall to think more about how would you describe to someone else how your faith explicitly intersects with who you are, and who we are as a parish community?

Again, welcome back to a new year at St. John’s. I pray that God would be with us and guide us as we continue to journey ahead together following Jesus.

Peace,

Vivian

 

Stewardship Reflection

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

Luke 14:25-33 – Jesus seems to talk about possessions a great deal. To be his disciple, to be a steward, requires saying good-bye to everything which we think belongs to us.

 

A Word from the Stewardship Team

The Stewardship Team has completed our “thank you’s” and will now be moving on to the next phase of our campaign. Please take time after church this Sunday at the picnic to look at the presentation boards that we have prepared. These boards present the many volunteer positions and outreach programs that our church already has and allow an opportunity for you to read about the programs and consider whether any of these areas are ways in which you are feeling called to participate in the ministries we already have going here. These boards will be presented several times through September and October. Next time the display is up, we will also offer other interactive opportunities for you to write down and share your ideas and suggestions with us. We will also be looking for speakers this year during October to share their own personal unique ideas about volunteering, giving, or creativity. If you are interested in sharing, please speak to one of the team, and do not be surprised if you get a call to participate. If you want to join our team, we welcome all volunteers!?            – The Stewardship Team

 

Parish Picnic on 8^th September

A day when we celebrate End of Summer and Back to School and Church. Please invite loved ones and friends to fellowship with your church family this Sunday September 8.

We will also be having the annual Purple Spoon Contest for the best home baked/made desserts.

Burgers/Dogs and buns will be provided. Please bring fruits and salad to share.

If you have not signed up, please email peopleswarden@stja.ca and let Ruby know how many are coming so that we have enough food for everyone.

 

New Members for the Altar Guild

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

 

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

 

Admin Assistance Needed

Jennifer our Office Administrator is away on sick leave and will be for a while. We could do with some help in the office, responding to emails and answering the phone. If you can spare a few hours in the weekday-mornings, please let Ruby know in person or at peopleswarden@stja.ca and she will arrange for a slot that is mutually convenient.

During this time, the office will be on reduced hours, so should you need to stop by without a prior appointment, please call ahead to confirm someone is here beforehand. Thank you!

 

A.C.W. Pot Luck Dinner

The A.C.W. will be hosting our annual Pot Luck Dinner in the Church Hall on 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.

 

Clothing and the Fall Bazaar

At the recent Garage Sale we asked for and received a great deal of good clothing.  Thank you! There has subsequently been the question asked – will we be selling clothing at the Fall Bazaar? We will not be selling clothing then as there just isn’t the space. However, it was a good effort at the garage sale and made over $400 at that time and is under consideration for next year. Thanks again for all who contributed and helped to display it.

– Bob and Kristin Kuhn

 

Garage Sale Photos on Diocesan Website

Our August Garage Sale was featured on the Diocesan Website with a link to the Facebook page.

Please click on the following links for more:

https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/news/an-august-garage-sale

Lots more photos with captions available in a photo album at Anglican Conversation, the Facebook page of the Diocese of New Westminster.

 

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.

 

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

 

Sponsored Child

St. John’s has for many years sponsored a child through the Christian Children’s Fund of Canada.  Currently, we are sponsoring Fakihatu who is from Ghana and is 11 years old.

Fakihatu has asked for a pen pal and Breanna L. has graciously accepted the invitation. She will make a poster to update the Parish with information on Fakihatu. Thank you so much Breanna. You rock!

 

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!

 

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:

*        Holy Cross Japanese Canadian Church, Vancouver

*        Synod Office Staff

*        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 8, 2019 – 13th Sunday after Pentecost

Jeremiah 18:1–11; Psalm 139:1–5, 12–17; Philemon 1–21; Luke 14:25–33

 

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

 

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