National Indigenous Day of Prayer
E-Postle
June 21, 2020

“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”

THIS ISSUE AT A GLANCE

• Upcoming Dates
• Stewardship: Stewardship Reflection, Community “Phone a Friend”
• Worship: National Indigenous Day of Prayer
• Parish Matters: Parish Nominee for the Order of the Diocese of New Westminster, Upkeep and Repairs of Church Property, Financial Status up to 30^th April 2020, From the Wardens – Parish Giving, Ongoing Updates Pages, E-Postle Submissions
• Parish Ministries: Vacation Bible School, Food Bank Temporary Suspension & Ongoing Support Needed
• Community News: Reflection on National indigenous Peoples Day, Sacred Teachings Podcast
• Weekly Devotions: Prayer Cycle, Scripture Readings
• Important Contact Information

UPCOMING DATES

***Note: All gatherings below take place online via Zoom unless otherwise indicated.***
(Visit https://www.stja.ca/2020/program-updates/ for connection information)

Sunday, June 21                     8:30am & 10:00am – Sunday Morning Prayer – National Indigenous Day of Prayer

Meeting ID: 542 312 325
Password: 010729

Sunday, June 21                   following 8:30am and 10:00am worship – Informal Virtual “Coffee Hour”
Tuesday, June 23                 10:15am – 12:00pm – Bible Study
Tuesday, June 23                   7:00pm – 8:00pm – Prayer Group
Tuesday, June 30                  7:00pm – 9:00pm – Parish Council meeting

 

STEWARDSHIP

Stewardship Reflection

From Sunday by Sunday: Reflections on Stewardship, prepared by the Ven. Dr. Michael Pollesel:

John 1: 1-18
John tells us very clearly that no one has ever seen God. He goes on to say that Jesus, who is nearest to God’s heart, has made God known to us. It is that a faithful steward would intentionally try to have a relationship with Jesus, so that s/he could know more about God. How’s my relationship with Jesus?

 

Community “Phone a Friend”

Your St. John’s Stewardship Team have set up a “phone a friend” service for us all to keep from feeling a bit disconnected during these days of physical distancing. We have set up phone teams to call each week to “check in” and help relieve some of the loneliness that is inevitable in the current circumstances.We would like to make sure no one out there is left out, so email or call Kristin (bobandkristinkuhn@gmail.com or 778-957-8987) or Natasha (freefromfear101@gmail.com or 604-961-6630) if you are not receiving a call and would like to, or if you are interested in helping to make these phone calls, and we will make sure you get hooked into the service.

We know that the caring community that is St. John’s will not leave any of its people feeling more separated than is absolutely necessary. “Distance means so little when people mean so much.”

-Your Stewardship Team

 

WORSHIP

National Indigenous Day of Prayer

We will be marking and celebrating National Indigenous Day of Prayer this Sunday, June 21. This is a Major Feast in the current liturgical calendar of the Anglican Church of Canada, and correlates with National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada on the same day, which celebrates the heritage, cultures, and achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis.

For more information on National Indigenous Day of Prayer, including a link to a national online video worship service to celebrate this year (service will be streamed at 11amPST on June 21, and will also be available for viewing afterward) please see https://www.anglican.ca/im/nidp/.

For more information on National Indigenous Peoples Day please visit https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100013248/1534872397533.

PARISH MATTERS

Parish Nominee for the Order of the Diocese of New Westminster

We are pleased to announce that St. John’s nominee for the 2020 Order of the Diocese of New Westminster (ODNW) is Sylvia Bradley. Congratulations Sylvia, on this well-deserved award!

The purpose of the ODNW is to honour and give special recognition to lay members of the Diocese who have given outstanding service over a significant period of time in their volunteer ministry. The Investiture Service is scheduled for November 7.

To see this year’s nominees from across the diocese, please visit https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/news/updated-odnw-nominees-for-2020, and for more information on the ODNW, please see https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/programs/the-odnw

 

Upkeep and Repairs of Church Property

Despite not being able to be open for worship and ministries, we still have to maintain the property in good stead. We are taking advantage of the shutdown to carry out repairs to the PMC and drain works around the church in the coming weeks.

The PMC back stairs, deck railings, and deck roof will be replaced. A full investigation into the perimeter drainage system will also be carried out, which will include the flushing of the downspout of the drainpipes (outside the kitchen window).

Huge thanks to Building Coordinator Brian McGlashan and Grounds Coordinator Tony Lee for continually taking such good care of the property, especially during these unusual times.

 

Financial Status up to 30th April 2020

We append below the Parish financial status for March and April for your information. We thank everyone for your continuing support for the church, as well as in our ministries to the larger community in a time when need is more keenly felt than ever.

Statement of Income and Expenses 30^th April 2020

	March Actual	March Budget	April Actual	April Budget	YTD Actual	YTD Budget
Income	$12,554	$ 19,083	$15,127	$19,083	$60,942	$76,333
Expenses	$ 18,291	$ 19,083	$3,347	$19,079	$ 67,320	$76,232
Surplus (-) Loss	$(5,737)	$ 0	$11,780	$4	$(6,378)	$101

 

FUNDS	March Actual	March Budget	April Actual	April Budget	YTD Actual	YTD Budget
General	$ 8,806	$ 15,408	10,984	15,408	$ 43,374	$61,633
Property	$1,073	$ 0	$1,473	$ 0	$ 5322	$ 0

Notes by Treasurer:
In February, some annual expenses such as insurance get paid, which may make it appear as though our expenses are far more than budgeted. There were also a few unbudgeted larger expenses that happened earlier this year, like snow removal. This resulted in a YTD deficit of $12,277 as of February 29^th.

March income took a dive as our last in-person worship was on 8^th March. Expenses remained close to our budgeted amounts.

April’s income improved as donations came in via PADs, cheques, and e-transfers. Expenses were reduced significantly as the Rector salary was paid for by the Diocese, as well as our Parish Assessment. These combine to a savings of $11,288, which will continue in May.

Those that share our space have also continued to contribute in these difficult and uncertain times.

Also worth mentioning is that we do not have an Administrator at the present time.

 

From the Wardens – Parish Giving

Thank you to all who have continued with your offerings via PADs and cheques. If you are interested to e-transfer your contributions directly to the church account, please contact Amalia treasurer@stja.ca or Ruby at peopleswarden@stja.ca for more details.

 

Ongoing Updates Pages

There are 2 important pages on our parish website which will be updated regularly as we have new information (links to both pages can also be found at the top of our homepage www.stja.ca):

1. Program & Worship Updates/Links – https://www.stja.ca/2020/program-updates/ – current information on programs, including Zoom meeting information and the bulletin and scripture readings for Sunday worship.
2. Updates on Covid-19 at St. John’s – https://www.stja.ca/2020/updates-re-coronavirus/ – a collection of all special correspondence from Archbishop Melissa and from our parish re: actions that St. John’s and our greater diocese are taking with the Covid-19 virus.

 

E-Postle Submissions

If you have submissions for the E-Postle, please email them to Kathy by Wednesday at 9:00pm at news@stja.ca.

 

PARISH MINISTRIES

Vacation Bible School

For 5 Sundays this summer – starting next Sun. June 28 and continuing through each Sunday in July – St. John’s will be sponsoring a Sunday morning virtual Vacation Bible School for all children of our deanery. We will begin at 9:30am and gather until approximately 9:50am on Zoom.

The theme of our VBS will be “Compassion Camp – Be Loved, Be Kind, Be You“, and during this time together the children will hear a bible story and have a discussion relating to the theme of the day, while doing some artwork with some musical accompaniment.

For more details and Zoom connection information please connect with Anne at deacon@stja.ca.

 

Food Bank Temporary Suspension & Ongoing Support Needed

The St. John’s Food Bank is not able to operate until further notice due to the COVID19 virus and the many restrictions that are in place for the safety of all our community and beyond. The Food Bank will resume when safe to do so and will continue to rely on the generosity of our parishioners.

Since this ministry to our community is a priority for St. John’s, Parish Council has decided at our March 31 meeting to use funds that would normally have gone into purchasing food for our own Food Bank to support others who are able to continue to serve our community in this time. We will be giving $1000/month for April-June to SHARE Food Bank. Please continue to give generously to our Food Bank ministry so that in this time of great need we can continue to support this important work for the most vulnerable among us.

In the meantime, we have been informed about 2 local food programs that are currently still operating if you are interested in inquiring about other ways to help.

1. SHARE Food Bank – https://sharesociety.ca/news/share-covid-19-update
2. Club Freedom, a meal program run by CityReach Care Society, Broadway Church, and Eagle Ridge Bible Fellowship – https://www.cityreach.org/clubfreedom. (To volunteer or donate food for Sun/Tues/Thurs contact Craig Savage at craigs@cityreach.org or 604-253-2700. To volunteer or donate food for Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat—contact Debbie Fell at debbiefell@shaw.ca or call 604-942-5622)

 

COMMUNITY NEWS

Reflection on National Indigenous Peoples Day

Read “A Reflection on National Indigenous Peoples Day, 2020” by Nii K’an Kwsdins (aka Jerry Adams), our diocesan Missioner for Indigenous Justice Ministries: https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/news/a-reflection-on-national-indigenous-peoples-day-2020

 

Sacred Teachings Podcast

Just a reminder to check out the Sacred Teachings podcast series if you haven’t already. The teachings, languages, traditions, and stories of the Ancestors are shared in this podcast, which is sponsored by the Anglican Church of Canada. Highly respected Indigenous speakers are featured in this series, with a different theme for each season, including the sacredness of Creation and finding meaning in a global crisis.

The most recent season had the theme “Path to the Stronghold“, and you can find these and other past episodes at https://www.anglican.ca/im/podcasts/.

 

WEEKLY DEVOTIONS

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. John the Baptist, Sardis – The Reverend Allan Carson, The Reverend Larry Adkins;
• 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 June 21, 2020 – National Indigenous Day of Prayer

Isaiah 40:25-31; Psalm 19; Philippians 4:4-9; John 1:1-18

 

Readings for June 28, 2020 – Fourth Sunday After Pentecost

Genesis 22:1-14; Psalm 13; Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42

 

IMPORTANT CONTACT INFORMATION

Rector	The Rev. Vivian Lam	rector@stja.ca	604-936-7762 (church voicemail) / 604-723-5029 (cell)
Deacon	The Rev. Anne Anchor	deacon@stja.ca
Parish Office		administrator@stja.ca	604-936-7762
(Office is closed at this time, but email and voice messages will be checked Tuesday – Friday)
Rector’s Warden	Geri Grigg	rectorswarden@stja.ca
People’s Warden	Ruby Ng	peopleswarden@stja.ca
Treasurer	Amalia McGlashan	treasurer@stja.ca
Envelope Secretary	Sheila De Vaal	envelopesecretary@stja.ca
Parish Council	Kristin Kuhn, Secretary	parishcouncilsecretary@stja.ca
Altar Guild	Brenda Binns	altarguild@stja.ca
Anglican Church Women	Alma Oldenburg	ACW@stja.ca	604-788-2562
Bible Study	Lynne Milner	biblestudy@stja.ca
Building Repairs / Maintenance	Brian McGlashan, Building Coordinator	property@stja.ca
Children’s Ministry/Godly Play	Christina Anchor	children@stja.ca
E-Postle	Kathy De Vaal	news@stja.ca
Food Bank		foodbank@stja.ca
Parish Visiting Ministry	Joanne Walton/Alma Oldenburg	pastoralvisits@stja.ca
Prayer Circle	Sue Elliott	prayer@stja.ca
Prayer Shawls	Rosa Weisensel	administrator@stja.ca