The E-postle November 15, 2020

24^th Sunday after Pentecost
E-Postle
November 15, 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
• Worship & Prayer: Pledge Sunday – Nov. 15
• Stewardship: Stewardship Reflection, Stewardship Package, Community “Phone a Friend”
• Formation: Community Reading of the Gospel of Mark, Parish Advent Program – “Those Who Dream”, Diocesan Advent Email Devotions – “Tell Out My Soul”
• Parish Matters: Rector Away, Partial Reopening of Parish Buildings as of Oct. 20, Drainage Repair Project, Call for New Leaders – Treasurer and Council Members, Financial Status for August & September 2020, Parish Giving, Ongoing Updates Pages, E-Postle Submissions
• Parish Ministries: Virtual Bazaar, Anglican Church Women (A.C.W.) News
• Community News: Mickey Marshall’s 90^th Birthday, Next Spring Street Community Kitchen on Nov. 24 – “Soup and Beer Bread”, Lectio Divina Workshop, Sacred Teachings Podcast – Season 4
• 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, November 15               8:30am & 10:00am – Sunday Morning Prayer + Stewardship Pledge Sunday

https://zoom.us/j/542312325?pwd=R3FKTnZ4WUU1YUFveCtzOUljM2FLZz09
Meeting ID: 542 312 325
Password: 010729

Sunday, November 15           following 8:30am and 10:00am worship – Informal Virtual “Coffee Hour”
Tuesday, November 17          10:15am – 12:00pm – Bible Study – 1^st gathering for Community Reading of Gospel of Mark
Tuesday, November 17          7:00pm – 8:00pm – Prayer Group
Thursday, November 19        7:00pm – A.C.W. Meeting
Tuesday, November 24          6:00pm – 7:00pm – Spring Street Community Kitchen – “Soup & Beer Bread”
Thursday, November 26        7:00pm – 9:00pm – Parish Council meeting
Sunday, November 29           at 10:00am worship – Children’s Sunday Program

WORSHIP & PRAYER

Pledge Sunday – Nov. 15

This Sunday, November 15, is Pledge Sunday, which is the official close to this year’s Stewardship Campaign. We will have a special prayer and brief reflection at both the 8:30 and 10am services to mark our pledges to be part of God’s ministry at St. John’s through our offerings of time, talent, and treasure in the upcoming year.

You are invited to bring a copy of your completed pledge forms to the services. For those who are still finishing up your forms (or submitted them and didn’t make a printed copy), just jot down what you pledged or are planning to pledge on a separate piece of paper and bring that.

 

STEWARDSHIP

Stewardship Reflection

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

Matthew 25:14-30
There’s a lesson for each of us in the story Jesus tells. Whether we care to recognize them or not, each of us has been given one or more gifts (abilities, skills, talents). It seems to me that one of the points Jesus is trying to make here is that it’s what we do with our gifts that will determine how God deals with us. So, what are you doing with what you’ve been given?

Stewardship Package

Just a reminder for all to visit our webpage at https://www.stja.ca/2020/stewardship/ and get your stewardship package completed and sent in!

If you have an issue with getting this package, please call Kristin Kuhn (778-957-8987) or Natasha MacDonald (604-961-6630) and we will arrange for a package to be mailed out to you.  You can also find the stewardship presentation at the website page above. If you didn’t get a chance to see it, take a look!

This Sunday, November 15, we will be doing a virtual recognition of our pledge submissions for this year’s campaign. Thank you all for participating!

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

 

FORMATION

Community Reading of the Gospel of Mark

A new liturgical year is just around the corner, and this upcoming year features the Gospel of Mark. Mark is the shortest, and often considered the most action-packed, of the Gospel.

To ready ourselves for the reading of this Gospel over the next year at Sunday worship, our Tuesday morning Bible Study group (10:15am-12 noon on Zoom) will read the whole Gospel of Mark out loud over two Tuesdays beginning this week – Nov. 17 & 24. This will give us a chance to read and hear the Gospel in its entirety and to steep ourselves in Scripture in a different way – all within the context of community. Everyone is invited to join in!

Alternately, if you would be interested in doing this as part of an evening Zoom group, please be in touch immediately with Vivian at rector@stja.ca, and if there is enough interest we will set up a mutually-convenient time for all.

Parish Advent Program – “Those Who Dream”

Psalm 126 begins: “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.” This Advent at St. John’s, we’ll explore together, ‘What does it look like to live as those who dream?’ The prophets, the psalmists, John the Baptist, Mary, Elizabeth, Joseph, Simeon, Anna, the shepherds and the Magi—they were all dreamers. They received, discovered, and responded to God’s dreams for the world. This Advent, we will join them in stepping into the mystery and awe of God’s dreams and pray they shape our reality.

We will be using a daily devotional guide that offers Biblical commentary, poetry, visual art, written reflections, colouring pages, and journaling and Sabbath prompts. Our Sunday liturgies will weave together the “dreaming theme” with our scriptures for the day. There will be opportunities for sharing and discussion at Sunday coffee hours. Stay tuned for more information!

This program is for the dreamers in all of us—those who dream of a deeper connection with God and those who dream of a better world. Those who dream of comfort and those who have given up on their dreams. Those whose dreams have been crushed and those who show us that dreams take time. Join us this Advent at St. John’s as we dream alongside prophets and angels, Mary and the Magi. Join us as we seek and sow God’s dreams for our world.

Diocesan Advent Email Devotions – “Tell Out My Soul”

What do a comedian, a school founder, and a youth leader have in common? They are all parishioners in the Diocese offering personal stories for the diocesan daily Advent email calendar this year. People of all ages from the Sunshine Coast to Coquitlam are writing short stories about times when they discovered more about the character of God. Our very own Derek De Sa is one of this year’s contributors!

Visit https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/diocesan-resources/2020-advent to register to receive these emails, which will begin Nov. 29.

 

PARISH MATTERS

Rector Away

Vivian is on (virtual) spiritual retreat and then taking some vacation time from Monday, Nov. 16 through Monday, Nov. 23. Please connect with Ruby at peopleswarden@stja.ca or Geri at rectorswarden@stja.ca for routine parish matters during this time.

For pastoral emergencies, to be connected to the on-call priest, please call Geri.

We are grateful to the Rev. Michael Chin and the Rev. Anne Anchor who will be officiant and preacher, respectively, at Zoom worship services on Nov. 22.

Partial Reopening of Parish Buildings as of Oct. 20

As of Oct. 20, our buildings have been partially reopened at the diocesan Phase 3 level.

While our reopening does not include use of our buildings for worship at this time, it does include the ability to welcome back community user groups such as the 12 step programs, partial usage of our buildings for smaller group activities, as well as a limited reopening of our Parish Office. These activities are being gradually phased in over the next several weeks.

You may view the full reopening plan, the most recent guide for outside user groups, as well as diocesan updates at https://www.stja.ca/2020/updates-re-coronavirus/. In summary, any parish or outside group wishing to meet will need to abide by protocols including:

• obtaining prior approval to meet via the church office
• keeping a contact tracing list of people attending
• wearing a mask
• physical distancing of 2m/6ft
• keeping hands clean with soap and water or hand sanitizer
• disinfecting any touched surfaces as directed
• no sharing of food or drink
• using washrooms on an emergency-use-only basis
• staying home if feeling sick or having had any potential exposure to COVID

Drainage Repair Project

Thank you to all who attended our recent informational meeting. Parish Council is continuing to seek out further quotes and information based on the feedback and questions received at this meeting.

Your participation in this project is integral. Thank you to those who have shared their wisdom and expertise so far! In addition to general feedback, we continue to seek volunteers for this project (could be as simple as vetting the proposals or meeting contractors on site), input into the decision-making process, and fundraising to build up the Capital Improvement Fund.

If anyone has a company to recommend or to consider, please forward the contact information to rectorswarden@stja.ca. If you are interested in helping out with this project, please reach out to Geri.

Call for New Leaders – Treasurer and Council Members

While waiting to replace the role of Treasurer, Amalia McGlashan has graciously offered to hold the role remotely until we find a replacement.

With the departure of the McGlashans, Council is now down to a smaller group of 2 clergy and 5 lay members. We really need those of you who have the interest and/or skillset to come forward to assist in the management of your church, St. John’s.

Please speak to Ruby at peopleswarden@stja.ca or Geri at rectorswarden@stja.ca if you are interested or have any questions.

Financial Status for August & September 2020

We append below the Parish financial status for your information.

Statement of Income and Expenses ending 30^th September 2020

	August Actual $	September Actual $	September Budget $	September YTD Actual $	September YTD Budget $
Income	10,299.70	14,089	19,083	126,022	171,750
Expenses	12,660.72	15,197	19,090	119,477	171,732
Surplus (-) Loss	– 2,361.02	-1,108	-6	6546	18

 

	August Actual $	September Actual $	September Budget $	September YTD Actual $	September YTD Budget $
Offering for General Funds	8,338	10,742	15,408	92,071	138,675
Offering for Property	1,056.70	1,392	0	11,594	0

Notes: Thanks to slightly higher donations in September, the deficit is less than in August. If donations continue to increase (27% increase needed for September YTD Budget), we can meet our budgeted amount for the year.

Parish Giving

Thank you to all who have continued with your offerings via PADs and cheques. If you wish to e-transfer your contributions directly to the church account, please contact Ruby at peopleswarden@stja.ca or Amalia at treasurer@stja.ca for more details. There are also links on our website at https://www.stja.ca/supporting-st-johns/ if you would prefer to donate by PayPal or Credit Card.

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

Virtual Bazaar

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in this year’s Virtual Bazaar! Thanks to the producers/creators…thanks to all who looked at our virtual presentation…thanks to all who purchased something from our bazaar…and thanks to all who volunteered or participated in making this event happen!

This Friday, November 13 between 3:30pm and 7:00pm, we will have a drive through event where you will come to the church at your designated pick up time and pick up your order. This will be a “no contact” event and we will ask that no one but the few volunteers involved get out of their car or gather or linger anywhere around the event. We are under a public health order preventing gathering and we will be maintaining and following all the rules of that guideline and being as cautious as possible.

Please enter off Elgin onto Spring Street. There will be signs at Douglas and Spring Street reminding you not to enter from that side. As you come down Spring Street, there will be a queue that we will form and a greeter who will direct you into the parking lot one at a time to pick up your order. We will make it as fun as possible under the guidelines and we so look forward to seeing you from afar and waving and smiling and bringing some cheer as you drive through and pick up your order!

Thanks so much everyone for making our virtual event a success!!!!!

-Your Bazaar team

Anglican Church Women (A.C.W.) News

Next Meeting
The next A.C.W. meeting will be held on Thursday, November 19th at 7pm.

Please contact ACW@stja.ca for meeting connection details.

 

COMMUNITY NEWS

Mickey Marshall’s 90^th Birthday

The 90^th birthday of our dear friend Mickey Marshall is coming soon.  As we cannot celebrate in person with her due to the COVID pandemic, we would like to let her know how much she is missed.

If you have her e-mail or home address, please send her a birthday message.  If you do not have her contact information, one of our A.C.W. members has offered to pick up cards that are mailed to the church.

Should you wish to mail a card, please send it to:

Mickey Marshall
c/o St. Johns Church
2208 St. Johns Street
Port Moody, BC V3H 2A7

Let’s surprise her!

Next Spring Street Community Kitchen on Nov. 24 – “Soup and Beer Bread”

You’re invited to join us on Zoom on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 6-7 pm for an online cooking demonstration offered by the Spring Street Community Kitchen, a partnership between St. John’s Anglican Church, Inlet United Church, and All Saints’ Catholic Parish.

We will have a live demonstration featuring homemade soup and beer bread. There will be opportunities to ask questions and share conversation with others. Our guest chefs are members of the Spring Street Community Kitchen planning team, including our very own Geri for an encore appearance!

Funds raised in support of our Spring Street Community Kitchen will be re-gifted to the communities we serve. Funds raised this month will be gifted to the Share Food Bank to support their food hamper programs.

We would love your participation and feedback! We welcome you to share your soup and beer bread recipes with our wider community. Feel free to email your recipes to us at SpringStreetCommunityKitchen@gmail.com  and we will share them on our Facebook page. We are also looking for volunteers for future kitchens – planning, hosting, moderating, and tech support are just some of the roles available. Connect with Geri at rectorswarden@stja.ca if you’d like to take part!

Pre-registration for November 24th is required – please email your name and email address to SpringStreetCommunityKitchen@gmail.com to be included on the list to receive Zoom connection information or if you have any questions.

Lectio Divina Workshop

You are invited to join a Lectio Divina Workshop on Saturday, November 21, 9am – 3.30pm via Zoom.

Discover the “treasure hidden in a field” through praying the scriptures, and deepen your interpersonal relationship with God. Presented by Contemplative Outreach of Greater Vancouver with facilitators Kathy Renehan and Christine Kesans.

The classical practice of Lectio Divina can be divided into two forms: the monastic and the scholastic. The monastic method of Lectio Divina is a receptive form of praying the Scriptures. We will focus on the monastic method with teaching and practice.

To register for a zoom link, or further information, contact Christine chris.kesans@gmail.com or 604-944-7447.

Sacred Teachings Podcast – Season 4

Season 4 of The Sacred Teachings podcast, entitled “Stolen” has just wrapped up. This season took us on a series of investigations with guest host Peter Downie. So much has been stolen from Indigenous people for so many years – land, water, language, culture, and much more. The series looked at what has been taken, who took it, and how can justice be served.

If you didn’t get a chance to listen to all of the episodes, they, as well as ones from previous seasons, can be found at https://www.anglican.ca/im/podcasts/.

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.

 

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 the Rev. John Stephens, Bishop Coadjutor-Elect.

And this week:

• The feast day of St. Margaret of Scotland, November 16
• St. Hilda, Sechelt – The Venerable Bruce Morris;
• St. Clement, North Vancouver – The Reverend Andre Stephany, The Reverend Elizabeth Mathers, The Reverend Peggy Trendell-Jensen;
• The Deanery of Oakridge – The Reverend Marion Wong, Regional Dean;
• 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 November 15, 2020 – 24^th Sunday after Pentecost

Judges 4:1-7; Psalm 123; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30

Readings for November 22, 2020 – Reign of Christ

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24; Psalm 100; Ephesians 1:15-23; Matthew 25:31-46

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	Rich Thompson	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