The E-postle April 4, 2021

Easter Sunday
E-Postle
April 4, 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
• Rector’s Note
• Worship & Prayer: Easter at St. John’s, Children’s Time on Easter Sunday, Sermons Online, Ongoing Pastoral Care & Support
• Stewardship: Stewardship Reflection
• Formation: Family Faith Formation at Home for Holy Week, Stations of the Cross Video Meditation
• Parish Matters: Office Easter Break, Diocesan Reopening Guidelines Update, Limited Reopening of Parish Office & Buildings, Financial Status for December 2020 & January 2021, Parish Giving, Ongoing Updates Pages, E-Postle Submissions
• Parish Ministries: Anglican Church Women (“A.C.W”) Meeting
• Community News: Cathedral Holy Week Services, Sacred Teachings Podcast, Season 6 – Suicide: The Other Pandemic, Spring Street Community Kitchen
• 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)

Friday, April 2                         12noon – Good Friday worship

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

Sunday, April 4                       8:30am & 10:00am – Easter Sunday Morning Prayer +
                                               (at 10am) Children’s Talk
Sunday, April 4                       following 8:30am and 10:00am worship – Informal Virtual “Coffee Hour”
Tuesday, April 6                     10:15am – 12:00pm – Bible Study
Tuesday, April 6                     7:00pm – 8:00pm – Prayer Group
Thursday, April 15                  7:00pm – Anglican Church Women (“A.C.W.”) Meeting

RECTOR’S NOTE

As we stand at the threshold of another Easter Sunday, it is worth pausing for a moment to reflect. Year after year, Holy Week has us recall the sweep of the dramatic story of our faith – from palm procession “Hosannas!”, to Jesus’ poignant Last Supper with his dearest friends, to his nighttime arrest and the shouts of “Crucify hims!”, to his brutal death on a cross, to his quick burial in a quiet tomb. Each year, we must go through all of these parts of the story before we can get to the grand finale – the Easter morning discovery of his empty tomb and his resurrection appearances!

Our faith is grounded in this unbelievable belief in and witnessing of a miraculous God of new life and resurrection who comes through again and again from impossible (and oftentimes traumatic) circumstances. This is a message that we can never have too many reminders of on this 2^nd Easter celebration in the midst of Covid. As we prepare our hearts to welcome again our risen Lord as a faith community this year, let us give thanks and hold on to the hope that this is the promise that awaits us through anything that life brings us. Whether it’s a worldwide pandemic, or personal trials and struggles, or a world awash in so many seemingly unsolvable problems… our God is the One who loved, still loves, and will forever love us with a love that is beyond all love. Our God is the One who walks with us through it all, and will conquer all, even death itself, to finally bring us to the other side into new Easter life!

Peace,
Vivian

WORSHIP & PRAYER

Easter at St. John’s

A virtual Easter is just around the corner, and we hope you’ll join your St. John’s family! All Zoom connection and other information can be found at https://www.stja.ca/2020/program-updates/

• Good Friday, April 2, 12noon – Zoom worship including a meditation on the Cross. We invite you to bring a midsized rock/stone (one that can fit into your hand) with you to this service. Those who participated in our Lenten book study may consider bringing the stone you used during this study.
• Easter Sunday, April 4, 8:30am & 10am – Zoom Morning Prayer. We encourage you to dress in your Easter best (however you define that in these unusual times!), and have something colourful to wave in the air each time we hear the word, “Alleluia!”. You are invited also to bring the same rock/stone from Good Friday, which we’ll use as part of a special Easter meditation.

Children’s Time on Easter Sunday

Younger friends are invited to join us this week at the 10am Easter Sunday service for some very special Easter storytelling by our Godly Play teachers!

We would also like to take a moment to say thank you to our youth who taught us each week of Lent about “The Mysteries of Easter”, and to Deacon Anne for organizing families in this project.

Sermons Online

The Palm Sunday sermon from last week is available for viewing online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEcCl4b9djo&list=PLaa-Y1d3xD_2Ue53dNGNH5ZwqZQrTchT7&ab. We hope to be able to more regularly post sermons going forward on our YouTube channel – 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:

Mark 16:1-8
“Jesus isn’t here,” says the messenger to the women.” Where is he?” we might join in asking. He’s to be found wherever there are faithful stewards.

FORMATION

Family Faith Formation at Home for Holy Week

The diocese has created a resource for brief and simple faith activities for families to do at home during Holy Week. These cards contain 3 tangible practices (washing feet/hands; making a Cross; Easter eggs) and reflection questions for easy and meaningful family discussion–no matter what the ages. Check it out at https://churchos-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/2021/02/23/11/04/11/3ae6899d-44b4-4ed9-b80e-5216afd066ee/Triduum_cards.pdf.

Stations of the Cross Video Meditation

Last year, we worked with the young people of St. John’s to create a wonderful meditation resource for Holy Week. In addition to their voices, the meditation features the beautiful stations hanging on the walls of our parish.

If you’d like to include this as a part of your prayers this year, please visit https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/news/meditation-on-the-stations-of-the-cross or https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=904236650006177.

 

PARISH MATTERS

Office Easter Break

Please note that the parish office will be closed on Good Friday, April 2, and reopen (as usual) on Tuesday, April 6. During this time, for pastoral emergencies, please call Vivian on her cell, and for other urgent parish matters, please email Ruby and Rich at peopleswarden@stja.ca and rectorswarden@stja.ca, or Vivian at rector@stja.ca.

The office will also have modified hours this coming week of April 5 – it will be open on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10am-2pm.

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 December 2020 & January 2021

We append below the Parish financial status for your information.

Statement of Income and Expenses ending 31^st day of January 2021

	December 2020 Actual $	January 2021 Actual $	January 2021 Budget $	YTD January 2021 Actual $	YTD January 2021 Budget $
Income	25,963.70	13,907.70	18,620.82	13,807.70	18,620.82
Expenses	18,026.57	15,230.76	18,541.32	15,230.76	18,541.32
Surplus (-) Loss	7,937.13	(1,323.06)	79.50	(1,323.06)	79.50

 

	December 2020 Actual $	January 2021 Actual $	January 2021 Budget $	YTD January 2021 Actual $	YTD January 2021 Budget $
Offering for General Funds	18,045.00	9,663.00	15,333.33	9,663.00	15,333.33
Offering for Property	2125.70	1,069.70	0	1,069.70	0

Treasurer’s Notes:
Offerings were down in January from December, which is to be expected. We did suffer a loss for the month, but I’m sure that things will improve as the year goes on. We are receiving a relief from the Diocese of the Parish Assessment for the first 3 months of the year which is also a great 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/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

Anglican Church Women (“A.C.W.”) Meeting

The next ACW meeting will be held on Thursday April 15th at 7pm via Zoom.

Please connect with ACW@stja.ca for Zoom connection information.

 

COMMUNITY NEWS

Cathedral Holy Week Services

For links to information (including recordings and bulletins) about the Cathedral’s worship services for Holy Week and Easter, please see https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/news/holy-week-liturgies-at-christ-church-cathedral.

There is also an article about the Chrism Mass which was held on Holy Tuesday at https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/news/chrism-mass-2021. This is the annual service where the bishop blesses holy oils to be used throughout the diocese during the year, and everyone gathers to renew their baptismal vows (and clergy their ordination vows).

Sacred Teachings Podcast, Season 6 – Suicide: The Other Pandemic

Season 6 of The Sacred Teachings podcast is entitled “Suicide: The Other Pandemic,” and can be listened to at https://www.anglican.ca/im/podcasts/. [Note: This season contains themes of suicide that may be harmful or triggering to some audiences. If you, or someone you know is struggling mentally or physically, please contact The Canada Suicide Prevention Service at 833-456-4566 or send a text to 45645.]

The season consists of eight episodes tackling this difficult topic, and features guest host Peter Downie as well as a wide range of Indigenous speakers whose personal and community lives have been impacted by this other pandemic.

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.

Spring Street Community Kitchen

Check out the video for our last Spring Street Community Kitchen on “One Pot Meals” at https://youtu.be/HfinDkc3Mhk. If you go to our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SpringStreetCommunityKitchen, you’ll also see links to the evening’s recipes as well as ones submitted by the wider community – feel free to add your own!

Funds raised in support of our Spring Street Community Kitchen are being re-gifted to the communities we serve, and for February’s kitchen, we will give to Crossroads Hospice Society, which provides compassionate care and support to people with life-limiting illnesses and their families. Donations can be given via https://www.stja.ca/supporting-st-johns/. Be sure to let us know that your donation is designated for our Community Kitchen project.

We would love your participation and feedback! We welcome you to send your one-pot recipes 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.)

 

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:

• The Mission of God in the Diocese of New Westminster
• 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 April 4, 2021 – Easter Sunday

Isaiah 25:6–9; Psalm 118: 1-2, 14-24; Acts 10: 34-43; Mark 16:1–8

Readings for April 11, 2021 – Second Sunday of Easter

Acts 4:32-35; Psalm 133; 1 John 1:1 – 2:2; John 20:19-31

 

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