The E-postle April 18, 2021

Third Sunday of Easter
E-Postle
April 18, 2021

“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: Sermons Online, Ongoing Pastoral Care & Support
• Stewardship: Stewardship Reflection, Call for Stewardship Volunteers
• Parish Matters: Douglas Street Watermain Upgrade, Diocesan Reopening Guidelines Update, Limited Reopening of Parish Office & Buildings, Financial Status for January and February 2021, Parish Giving, Ongoing Updates Pages, E-Postle Submissions
• Parish Ministries: Anglican Church Women (“A.C.W”) News
• Community News: Tri-Cities Food Security Online Town Hall – this Thurs. April 22, Next Spring Street Community Kitchen, April 28 – “Mother’s Day Brunch”, Online Series on “Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion”, New Primate for Episcopal Church in the Philippines
• 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/2021/program-updates/ for connection information)

Sunday, April 18                     8:30am & 10:00am –Sunday Morning Prayer

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

Sunday, April 18                     following 8:30am and 10:00am worship – Informal Virtual “Coffee Hour”
Tuesday, April 20                   10:15am – 12:00pm – Bible Study
Tuesday, April 20                   7:00pm – 8:00pm – Prayer Group
Tuesday, April 20                   7:00 – 9:00pm – Parish Council meeting
Sunday, April 25                     after the 10am service – Parish Visiting Ministry meeting
Saturday, May 1                     Deadline for donations for the A.C.W. Spring Tea

WORSHIP & PRAYER

Sermons Online

Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday sermons are available for viewing online at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtYEbMPaN__K4WLhbR6ZP4Q/playlists.  We hope to be able to more regularly post sermons here going forward – please stay tuned!

Ongoing Pastoral Care & Support

A note from Vivian:

Please know that St. John’s is here for you as we continue to move through this pandemic. Now that I don’t see many of you as regularly, and with the limitations of virtual interactions, it is more challenging to know what everyone’s state of wellbeing and ongoing pastoral needs are. I invite and encourage you to reach out to me or to any of the other parish resources below, if and as you need.

Rector – Please contact me via rector@stja.ca or cell.  I am happy to connect via phone, email, text, Facetime or Zoom, and, during this pandemic, in-person in urgent situations. I am here for support in crisis times (i.e. emergencies, hospital stays) and if you would like prayer for an upcoming medical procedure or other major circumstance. I am also available for general spiritual support and encouragement, and can offer a listening ear and prayer in the moment.

Community “Phone a Friend” – our Stewardship Team has set up phone teams to call folks each week to “check in” and help lessen isolation and foster connection. Connect with Kristin (bobandkristinkuhn@gmail.com or 778-957-8987) or Natasha (freefromfear101@gmail.com or 604-961-6630) if you’d like to receive or help make these calls.

Sunday Prayers of the People – If you would like to be prayed for in our Sunday intercessions, please email Anne at deacon@stja.ca. You will be prayed for by first name, for whatever time period you indicate. If you are adding someone else, please be sure you have their OK to do so.

Prayer Circle – Please email Sue E. at prayer@stja.ca. This is a group of parishioners who commit to pray for prayer needs of parishioners and friends/families. All requests are kept confidential within the group, and you can let the group know as much or as little detail of the situation they’re praying for, as you wish. If you are requesting prayer for someone else, please be sure you have their OK to do so.

Parish Visiting Ministry – Members of this team focus on our parishioners who are homebound or living in care homes. During this pandemic time, they are praying for and connecting with these parishioners via phone, email, and mail. Please connect with Joanne W. or Alma at pastoralvisits@stja.ca with needs in this area.

STEWARDSHIP

Stewardship Reflection

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

Luke 24:36b-48
“You are witnesses to this,” says Jesus. A faithful steward is one who has experienced the story of Jesus in their own life, and is able to share it with others.

Call for Stewardship Volunteers

The Stewardship Team is looking for some willing volunteers to join our team as we ramp up to prepare this year’s fall campaign. No experience necessary, just a desire to help keep our church healthy, strong, and vital. If you think you might be interested in helping our team, please call Kristin Kuhn at 778-957-8987 or the church office.

 

PARISH MATTERS

Douglas Street Watermain Upgrade

Construction at the intersection of Douglas and Clarke started on 7th April and will last approximately 3 weeks. Access to St. John’s parking lot may be interrupted on Mondays to Fridays between 7am to 5pm.

Diocesan Reopening Guidelines Update

At Parish Council’s retreat on March 13, we began discussing potential timelines for reopening our buildings, once provincial and diocesan regulations allow that possibility. There was agreement to not move forward at the immediate time, but to continue to discuss and discern about the matter, including soliciting feedback from the wider congregation. We will keep the parish updated as this process unfolds.

For your general information, due to the recently updated provincial health guidelines, the Bishop is allowing churches in our diocese who wish to resume limited outdoor worship to do so, as long as they meet strict safety guidelines. As he writes in the letter, however, “Parishes and other places of worship are strongly encouraged to continue to offer online worship (Zoom, livestream, etc) for the rest of Lent and for Holy Week and Easter.”

As per Council’s decision above, our parish will continue to meet on Zoom for now.

For more information, you may read Bishop John’s pastoral letter at https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/news/pastoral-letter-regarding-worship-easter-2021

Limited Reopening of Parish Office & Buildings

The Parish Office is now open 3 partial days a week – generally on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 10am-2pm – but please note that this schedule may shift from time to time. For now, the office will not be open to walk-in visitors – anyone coming by the office for a necessary purpose will need to make an appointment beforehand and follow Covid safety protocols as directed.

Anyone planning to come inside the church buildings at this time must also check in beforehand with Deanna in the office at administrator@stja.ca – even if you plan to be here just for a brief period of time. This is to enable necessary contact tracing, notification to anyone else in the building at the same time, and to review safety protocols as needed.

We have recently welcomed back two of our community 12-step groups; other outside user groups have opted to hold off on meeting in-person for the time being. The 12-step groups are following strict safety protocols and are permitted to meet under the current provincial health order.

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/.

Financial Status for January and February 2021

We append below the Parish financial status for your information.

Statement of Income and Expenses ending 28^th day of February 2021

	January 2021 Actual $	February 2021 Actual $	February 2021 Budget $	YTD February 2021 Actual $	YTD February 2021 Budget $
Income	13,907.70	13,355.70	18,620.82	27,263.40	37,241.64
Expenses	15,230.76	14,352.45	18,541.32	29,583.21	37.082.64
Surplus (-) Loss	(1,323.06)	(996.75)	79.50	(2,319.81)	159.00

 

	January 2021 Actual $	February 2021 Actual $	February 2021 Budget $	YTD February 2021 Actual $	YTD February 2021 Budget $
Offering for General Funds	9,663.00	9,801.00	15,333.33	19,464.00	30,666.66
Offering for Property	1,089.70	999.70	0	2,089.40	0

Treasurer’s Notes:
With the new relief from the Diocese (no parish assessment payments for January to March 2021), we are still a little short for covering our expenses but luckily, we had a surplus from last year to help.

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/2021/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/2021/updates-re-coronavirus/ – a collection of all special correspondence from the Bishop 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

Anglican Church Women (“A.C.W.”) News

Spring Tea
Due to the current situation with the Covid 19 Pandemic, it will not be possible to organize the Annual Spring Tea again this year. This event usually generates funds that the A.C.W. uses to donate to various outreach charities (Covenant House, the Refugee Fund, St. Jude’s Care Home, VST Annual Fund, L’Arche, Coming Home Society, Tri City Women’s Shelter, Union Gospel Mission, and Mission to Seafarers.) that we support on behalf of St. John’s Church.

Last year we put out a request for parishioners to make a donation in lieu of what they might have spent if they had attended the Spring Tea, and we were overwhelmed with the contributions given following that request.

We would like to make that same request again this year, so that we will be able to support the charities that rely on our annual donations.  If you wish to make a donation again, and to ensure that you will receive a tax receipt, please either send a cheque payable to St. John’s Church, to the church address, or if you prefer, you can send the funds via e-transfer, to the St. John’s Treasurer. It is important that you indicate on the memo line of your cheque, or in the comment box of your e-transfer, “Spring Tea donations”, so that the funds can be transferred to the A.C.W. account. The deadline for all donations is May 1st as we disburse the funds to our charities at our May 20th meeting.

Please call Antoinette at 604-942-4765 if you have any questions.  We thank you in advance for considering making a donation to our outreach missions fund.

 

COMMUNITY NEWS

Tri-Cities Food Security Online Town Hall – this Thurs. April 22

Do you enjoy eating, growing and celebrating food? Are you curious about the Tri-Cities food system? Do you want to help create a vision for a more food secure Tri-Cities? If you were mayor for a day what would you do to support food security within the Tri-Cities?

You are invited to help develop the Tri-Cities Region Food Security Action Plan this Thursday, April 22, 6:30 – 8:00pm. This is a joint project with the Cities of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody; the Villages of Anmore and Belcarra; and the Tri-Cities Food Council to assess and identify opportunities to improve the food security of residents in the region. The Plan will rely heavily on input from the general public of the Tri-Cities Region and provide a road map for local governments to address challenges and seize opportunities to improve food security.

The online event will include a short presentation about the project’s process and provide an opportunity for attendees to offer their thoughts on the best ways for local government in the Tri-Cities Region to help support food security. Everyone in the Tri-Cities area is encouraged to join the discussion on shaping the vision for a food secure region.

For registration and more info, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/food-security-in-the-tri-cities-region-have-your-say-tickets-149934561309. Once you’ve registered for a ticket, details and a Zoom link will be emailed to you.

Next Spring Street Community Kitchen, April 28 – “Mother’s Day Brunch”

You’re invited to join us on Zoom on Wednesday, April 28, 6-7pm for the next online Spring Street Community Kitchen. We will have a live demonstration featuring recipes for a Mother’s Day Brunch, and 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.

Pre-registration for April 28 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.

Funds raised in support of our Spring Street Community Kitchen will be re-gifted to the communities we serve; the recipient for our upcoming event is the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society. Donations can be given via https://www.stja.ca/supporting-st-johns/ and be sure to designate your gift to our Community Kitchen project.

We welcome you to share your brunch 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.

(The Spring Street Community Kitchen is a partnership between St. John’s, Inlet United Church, and All Saints’ Catholic Parish – be sure to like and follow us at https://www.facebook.com/SpringStreetCommunityKitchen.)

Online Series on “Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion”

The Tri-Cities Local Immigration Partnership (TCLIP), chaired by S.U.C.C.E.S.S. and SHARE Family and Community Services is sponsoring an online series in May called “Dismantling Barriers & Fostering Belonging: An Anti-Racism Initiative”.

From their website: “Join us for three weeks of engaging activities as we learn together to deepen our understanding of the importance of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in our communities. From speakers, workshops and dialogues to exhibits and performances, these activities will provide opportunities for us to connect, empower and transform our communities to be stronger and more inclusive.”

More information and registration can be found at https://tricitieslip.ca/dismantling-barriers-fostering-belonging-an-anti-racism-initiative/

New Primate for Episcopal Church in the Philippines

Congratulations to and prayers for Bishop Brent Alawas of our companion diocese, the Diocese of Northern Philippines. He was just elected as the new primate of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines and will succeed the current primate in July 2021. For more information, please visit https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/news/bishop-brent-alawas-elected-prime-bishop and https://www.anglicannews.org/news/2021/04/the-episcopal-church-in-the-philippines-elects-bishop-alawas-as-next-prime-bishop.aspx

 

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 Province of BC and Yukon – The Most Rev. Lynne McNaughton, Metropolitan.

The Diocese of New Westminster – the Rt. Rev. John Stephens, Bishop.

And this week:

• St. Anselm, Vancouver – The Reverend Alexander Wilson;
• St. Oswald, Port Kells – The Reverend Gordon Shields;
• St. Helen, Surrey – The Reverend Stephen Laskey;
• Our partner Diocese of Northern Philippines, especially the people of our twin church at St. John the Evangelist Mission, Balugan; and Brent Alawas, their current Bishop and Prime Bishop-elect of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines.
• 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 April 18, 2021 – Third Sunday of Easter

Acts 3:12-19; Psalm 4; 1 John 3:1-7; Luke 24:36b-48

Readings for April 25, 2021 – Fourth Sunday of Easter

Acts 4:5-12; Psalm 23; 1 John 3:16-24; John 10:11-18

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	Deanna Lemke	administrator@stja.ca	604-936-7762
(No drop-in visitors at this time – please make an appointment to come in. General office hours are Tues/Thurs/Fri, 10am-2pm, but may occasionally change.)
Rector’s Warden	Rich Thompson	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	Geri Grigg,     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