The E-postle October 4, 2020

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
E-Postle
October 4, 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, Stewardship Thank Yous, Community “Phone a Friend”
• Worship: St. Francis Animal Blessing – this Sunday Oct. 4
• Parish Matters: Drainage Repair Project Informational Meeting – Oct. 18, Call for New Leaders – Treasurer and Council Members, We have a Building Coordinator!!, Update on Community Ventures Society, Application for Partial Reopening of Parish Buildings, Financial Status for July & August 2020, Parish Giving, Ongoing Updates Pages, E-Postle Submissions
• Parish Ministries: Fall Bazaar, Anglican Church Women (A.C.W.) News, Food Bank Update
• Community News: Bishop Election, Spring Street Community Kitchen, 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, October 4                 8:30am & 10:00am – Sunday Morning Prayer

https://zoom.us/j/542312325?pwd=R3FKTnZ4WUU1YUFveCtzOUljM2FLZz09

Meeting ID: 542 312 325
Password: 010729

Sunday, October 4                 following 8:30am and 10:00am worship – Informal Virtual “Coffee Hour”
Tuesday, October 6                10:15am – 12:00pm – Bible Study
Tuesday, October 6                7:00pm – 8:00pm – Prayer Group
Sunday, October 18               following 10:00am worship – Drainage Repair Project Info Meeting

 

STEWARDSHIP

Stewardship Reflection

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

Matthew 21:33-46
Jesus hits the ranking priests and the Pharisees right between the eyes with this story. After all, they expect to inherit what they think is rightfully theirs. A faithful steward knows that in order to be given God’s domain they have to live a life which shows that they merit it.

 

Stewardship Thank Yous

I don’t think anyone of us could deny that this lingering separation from each other and our shared in-person worship has been difficult. We continue to remain apart so that when we meet again, no one will be missing, but meanwhile we are missing each other’s presence and our community time with God. Nevertheless, we of the stewardship committee are amazed and awed by the willingness of our whole community to strive to remain connected. The breathtaking speed with which everyone adjusted to the new Zoom format for worship and the numbers attending each week are truly heartwarming and surely a reflection of the depth of connectedness we share. In addition, we have the gift of LaRee ringing the church bell, playing the music, and singing for us each week. It is you, our beloved and dedicated friends and fellow members of St. John’s, who deserve our most heartfelt thanks.

“I can no other answer make but thanks, and thanks, and ever thanks.” William Shakespeare

-The Stewardship Team

 

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

St. Francis Animal Blessing – this Sunday Oct. 4

To mark the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, we will be having a special animal blessing at the beginning of both Zoom services this Sunday, October 4. We invite any pets (stuffed animal friends are welcome too!) to join us at that time. If your animal companion is fidgety or otherwise video-camera-shy, please bring a photo of them instead.

 

PARISH MATTERS

Drainage Repair Project Informational Meeting – Oct. 18

Parish Council invites everyone to an informational meeting about the drainage repair project directly following the 10am Zoom service on Sunday, October 18.

In response to persistent pooling water around the church buildings following rain, Parish Council retained a company to perform exploratory work to determine the extent of the problem. They have determined the drainage around the church building is in immediate need of replacement and confirmed that we are not currently connected to the City of Port Moody storm sewer system. They have also indicated there is no structural reason the drainage system cannot be connected to the storm sewer system once it is fully operational.

Parish Council has a quote for the repair. We hope to obtain two more quotes with timelines attached for the consideration of the parish.

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.

 

We Have a Building Coordinator!!

Thank you to Rich Thompson who has volunteered to be our Parish Building Coordinator, once again. We are very thankful that he is able to help out in spite of having a full-time job with “unsocial” hours.

 

Update on Community Ventures Society

Over the summer our parish had received permission from the diocese for a restricted opening of the Parish Hall, in order to host neighbouring non-profit Community Ventures Society (CVS). Due to increased staff-to-client ratios necessitated by the pandemic, CVS has less staff available and they are holding off for now on having an additional site on our premises.

 

Application for Partial Reopening of Parish Buildings

After prayerfully considering how best to balance our parish survey results and our ongoing ministry needs, Parish Council has decided to move ahead with an application to the Diocese to partially reopen the buildings at the diocesan Phase 3 level in the next several weeks.

Our application would not include use of our buildings for worship at this time, but would include the ability to welcome back community user groups, partial usage of our buildings for smaller group activities, as well as a limited reopening of our Parish Office. Any and all activity would abide by necessary social distancing, cleaning, contact tracing, and other protocols that are currently being worked out for this application, offering clear guidance to all.

If you are interested in helping to think through some of these protocols for now and/or future reopening stages, please connect with Vivian at rector@stja.ca.

 

Financial Status for July & August 2020

We append below the Parish financial status for your information.

Statement of Income and Expenses ending 31^st August 2020

	July Actual	August Actual	August Budget	August YTD Actual	August YTD Budget
Income	$15,060	$10,299.70	$19,083.33	$111,933.58	$152,666.64
Expenses	$12,384	$12,660.72	$19,089.80	$104,280.19	$152.641.90
Surplus (-) Loss	$2,076	-$2,361.02	-$5,81	$7,653.39	$24.74

 

	July Actual	August Actual	August Budget	August YTD Actual	August YTD Budget
Offering for General Funds	$10,016	$8,338	$15,408.33	$81,329.53	$123,266.64
Offering for Property	$1,494	$1,056.70	0	$10,202.60	0

Notes: Deficit in August is due mostly to lower donations and purchase of an online version of our membership and accounting database.

 

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

Fall Bazaar

As we prepare for our potential annual Fall Bazaar (this year envisioned to be a virtual online bazaar instead), we continue to search for parish members who may have items to contribute. If you sew, crochet, knit, craft, or otherwise create, please contact us with a brief description of your creation. Due to the constraints of online selling, we may not be able to sell all products. Please know that every contribution will be appreciated and would be available for sale at our next in person bazaar or tea. Please contact Alma Oldenburg at ACW@stja.ca or 604-788-2562 or Sue Hall at sbhcat@hotmail.com.

We are also looking for computer help to create our online ordering system. If you are willing to help with this task, please contact Kristin Kuhn at bobandkristinkuhn@gmail.com or 778-957-8987.

 

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

Layettes:
The A.C.W. are collecting baby items (newborn to 2 years) for the layette bundles for A.C.W. Place. Baby Layettes are a collection of items a family would need for a new baby, bundled up in a blanket, and sent to needy families in the North of B.C. and locally. If you would like to contribute to this outreach, please contact Ann Adair-Austin at: ACW@stja.ca for collection details. Items will need to be collected by October 17th.

Mission to Seafarers
The A.C.W. are also collecting items to send to the Mission to Seafarers for their Christmas-at-Sea event. If you would like to contribute to this outreach some of the suggested items to donate are: toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, soap, razors, small shower gel and shampoo, socks, gloves, toques (home made or bought), chocolate. (No scarfs as they are dangerous onboard). More information on this outreach can be found on the Mission to Seafarer’s website: https://www.flyingangel.ca/. There is also an option to make a financial contribution to this outreach through their website, if that is more preferable. Please contact Ann Adair-Austin (ACW@stja.ca) for collection details. Items will need to be collected by October 24th.

Calendars:
The 2021 Anglican Church Calendars will be available at the end of October. Cost: $7 each. If you would like to reserve a copy, please contact Antoinette at: toni.woodman@shaw.ca.

 

Food Bank Update

At our last meeting, the members of the Food Bank decided to not resume the Food Bank until it can operate in a way similar to how it had in the past. We will be looking for a new coordinator and discussing ways in which we can divide and/or share the duties. If anyone is interested in joining the group of Foodbank and/or Lunch volunteers your help would be very much appreciated. Please connect with us at foodbank@stja.ca.

-Mary Kyle

COMMUNITY NEWS

Bishop Election

Archbishop Melissa will be retiring at the end of February 2021 and our diocese will be electing her successor this Saturday, October 3.

The Electoral Synod opens with Eucharist at 9am, and balloting begins at 11am. The livestream of this event is open to the public – please visit  https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/news/episcopal-election-live-stream-link.

Information on the 5 nominees and the election process, as well as a video and transcript for the virtual “Town Hall” can be found at https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/collections/seeking-our-next-bishop.

Please hold the clergy and lay delegates and this election process in your prayers.

 

Spring Street Community Kitchen

Thanks to all who joined us at our Sept. 24 test run of the online Spring Street Community Kitchen, a partnership between St. John’s Anglican and Inlet United. We all enjoyed learning about “How to Make a Pumpkin Pie”, which can be viewed at https://youtu.be/qBsJJyWAIt8.

Thank you to everyone who gave toward the Thanksgiving Meal ministry of our neighbours at All Saints Catholic Parish – they have received enough funds to cover their program, so any additional money raised has been set aside for future charities that our Community Kitchen will support. You may give at any time via the ways outlined at https://www.stja.ca/supporting-st-johns/ – make sure to let us know that your donation is for “Community Kitchen”.

We continue to welcome volunteers for future kitchens – planning, hosting, moderating, and tech support are just some of the roles available. Please connect with Geri at rectorswarden@stja.ca or SpringStreetCommunityKitchen@gmail.com to learn more.

 

Sacred Teachings Podcast – Season 4

Season 4 of The Sacred Teachings podcast, entitled “Stolen”, takes 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. This series looks at what has been taken, who took it, and how can justice be served.

Episode 3 of the season, “Stolen Harvest”, includes a visit with Pauline Mitchell at the Kanaka Bar Band Community Garden in BC. This and other episodes 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 this week:

• The election of our diocese’s Coadjutor Bishop on October 3;
• St. Faith, Vancouver – The Reverend Adam Yates, The Reverend Melanie Calabrigo;
• Salal and Cedar Watershed Discipleship Community – The Reverend Laurel Dykstra;
• 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 October 4, 2020 – Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20; Psalm 19; Philippians 3:4b-14; Matthew 21:33-46

 

Readings for October 11, 2020 – Harvest Thanksgiving

Deuteronomy 8:7-18; Psalm 65; 2 Corinthians 9:6-15; Luke 17:11-19

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