The E-postle August 8, 2021

Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost
E-Postle
August 8, 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: Noonday Psalms & Prayers August Sabbath, Ongoing Pastoral Care & Support
• Formation: Indigenous Truth & Reconciliation Online Book Study, Education for Ministry (EfM), Area Youth Group!
• Stewardship: Stewardship Reflection
• Parish Matters: Hand Sanitizer Donations, Reopening for In-Person Worship Planned for Sept. 19, Current Parish Office & Buildings Status, Bishop’s July 5 Letter on Current Diocesan COVID Guidelines, Financial Status for May and June 2021, Parish Giving, Ongoing Updates Pages, E-Postle Submissions
• Parish Ministries: New Refugee Sponsorships, Food Bank Report
• Community News: Summer Offering – Morning Prayer, Sacred Teachings Podcast – The Season of Ginny – “Ginny the Preacher”, 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/2021/program-updates/ for connection information)

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

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

Sunday, August 8                    following 8:30am and 10:00am worship – Informal Virtual “Coffee Hour”
Tuesday, August 10                10:15am – 12noon – Bible Study
Tuesday, August 10                7:00pm – 8:00pm – Prayer Group

WORSHIP & PRAYER

Noonday Psalms & Prayers August Sabbath

Our Noonday Psalms & Prayers leaders are taking a sabbath during the month of August so that we can have some rest and rejuvenation, and take some time to evaluate the program. We are showcasing some previous videos on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/StJohnAnglican during this time – we hope that you’ll continue to join us each day at noon, and be blessed by an old favourite prayer, or a new one that you had missed earlier!

We would love to hear your feedback, especially about whether or not we should continue with this ministry post-pandemic. Please let Vivian know at rector@stja.ca how these psalms and prayers have impacted your faith life, and if you have any other comments or ideas for us.

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.

 

FORMATION

Indigenous Truth & Reconciliation Online Book Study

Our 4-week online weekly book study on the intersection of our faith and our journey toward Indigenous Truth & Reconciliation has come to a close this past week. Thank you to all who participated in our learning together – whether in the small group discussion or by reading In This Together alongside us!

If you are interested in receiving the additional resources that were shared with the small groups, please connect with Vivian at rector@stja.ca.

Education for Ministry (EfM)

We have just completed the 20th year of EfM groups held at St. John’s, and our three graduates are Heather Esposito (St. Laurence), Lois Holmlund (St. Stephen) and Connie Keen (St. Laurence). They were honoured at an on-line graduation service with Bishop John. Congratulations to all three!

A key component to EfM is Theological Reflection that gives you tools by which to reflect on your life, your faith, your personal belief, and your actions. This year this will be from the perspective of “Living Faithfully in Your World”. Through this lens we will study scripture, church history and evolving theologies. Year One is the Hebrew scriptures; Year Two is the Christian Testament; Year Three is the history of Christianity, and Year Four is deepening our understanding of Christian theology. Your commitment is for one year at a time.

The EfM program meets on Wednesday evenings from Sept. to May with mentors Anne Anchor and Debora Jones-Akiyama and fellow journeyers from different parishes. We have had it confirmed that EfM will meet via Zoom in September. The fee is $350.00 per annum.

Please contact Anne at deacon@stja.ca for more information or if you would like to register.

Area Youth Group!

Are you a member of our St. John’s community that is aged 14 to 19, or are you entering grade 7 this year? If so, that means you are the perfect age to participate in the exciting youth activities happening right now, over the summer, and continuing next year!

The local youth group that meets at St. Laurence Anglican Church meets regularly to have fun together and is involved in all sorts of youth-related community and church projects. There are also lots of chances to participate in the youth movement to support youth in our churches at large, or to add a youth perspective to the work of the church. If you are interested in youth activities and would like to connect with our local youth group, please contact Kristin Kuhn at bobandkristinkuhn@gmail.com or connect with the Parish Office and we will help build that connection with you!

STEWARDSHIP

Stewardship Reflection

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

John 6:35, 41-51
Want to live forever? That’s what Jesus offers to those who accept him into their lives. A good steward not only knows this, but is able to share it with other “hungry” people.

PARISH MATTERS

Hand Sanitizer Donations

We are very grateful for some recent generous donations of hand sanitizer to our parish, which will support our efforts to keep our church and wider community safe as we carefully begin to move out of this pandemic.

We thank the Port Moody Foundation for donating multiple boxes of large gel pumps and individual small bottles of sanitizer. We also thank owners of Pasta D’Angelo (and fellow Anglicans) Vern & Angeline Seel for their donation of boxes of individual tubes of sanitizer.

Reopening for In-Person Worship Planned for Sept. 19

As of our July 27 meeting, Parish Council has decided to plan for a reopening of our buildings for in-person worship on Sunday, Sept. 19. There are still many details to be worked out in order to ensure a safe environment for all, and to allow for ways to connect online to worship. We will communicate these details to the parish in the next several weeks as they are decided.

In the meantime, our current safety protocols for parish small groups, outside user groups, and the Parish Office will continue. Please see “Current Parish Office & Buildings Status” below.

Results from our recent Parish Survey are being compiled into an Executive Summary, and will be distributed by the end of this week – please keep an eye out for this email. Thanks again to all who participated and provided this important information for Council decision-making.

Current Parish Office & Buildings Status

Note: You may view our original reopening plan, the guide for user groups, as well as diocesan updates at https://www.stja.ca/2021/updates-re-coronavirus/

PARISH OFFICE
The Parish Office is open 3 partial days a week – generally on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 10am-2pm – but 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.

SMALL GROUPS
Parish small groups who wish to meet for ministry gatherings may do so, provided they 1) contact the Parish Office to book time through Deanna, and 2) follow all COVID protocols (see “Guidelines for User Groups” at https://www.stja.ca/2021/updates-re-coronavirus/).

The main protocols for small groups include:

• 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

OUTSIDE USER GROUPS
Two of our community 12-step groups are currently meeting in our space; 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 (see “Guidelines for User Groups” at https://www.stja.ca/2021/updates-re-coronavirus/).

Bishop’s July 5 Letter on Current Diocesan COVID Guidelines
In response to the July 1 lifting of provincial restrictions for worship gatherings and services, Bishop John issued a pastoral letter outlining diocesan guidelines, effective July 5. Parishes have been asked to determine the policies that work best for their unique context, using these diocesan guidelines (along with provincial guidelines) as a framework.

The Bishop’s letter can be found at https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/news/bishops-pastoral-letter-on-re-opening-july-5-2021

Financial Status for May and June 2021

We append below the Parish financial status for your information.

Statement of Income and Expenses ending 30^th day of June 2021

	May 2021 Actual $	June 2021 Actual $	June 2021 Budget $	YTD June 2021 Actual $	YTD June 2021 Budget $
Income	27,296.04	12,914.70	18,620.82	97,273.54	111,724.92
Expenses	16,481.08	18,155.72	18,541.32	96,265.72	111,247.92
Surplus (-) Loss	10,814.96	(5,241.02)	79.50	1,007.82	477.00

 

	May 2021 Actual $	June 2021 Actual $	June 2021 Budget $	YTD June 2021 Actual $	YTD June 2021 Budget $
Offering for General Funds	10,295.00	9,438.00	15,333.33	60,363.00	91,999.98
Offering for Property	1,111.70	921.70	0	6,456.20	0

Treasurer’s Note: We had a large deficit in June, but overall, we have a small surplus for the year. Our expenses are within budget. However, contributions are well below what is needed to cover all of our costs.

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

New Refugee Sponsorships

(Submitted by Mary Kyle)

I have heartwarming news! In the spring, our church was contacted by a resident in the neighbourhood regarding St. John’s potentially supporting a sponsorship of Syrian asylum seekers currently residing in Jordan. The resident and her husband were part of a Group of 5 Sponsorship in 2017, when a group of friends (5 households) privately sponsored a young Syrian family to come to Canada. After 3 years, the sponsored family is thriving in Maple Ridge and they are in the process of applying for Canadian citizenship!

The Group of Five has maintained a close relationship with this family and want to continue to help them lay their roots here in Canada. They now would like to sponsor two families (one couple and a couple with a child) that are related to the original sponsored family. They cannot go through the same route of private sponsorship that they did in 2017—now, in order to reunite them with their family, they need to be aligned with a local SAH (Sponsorship Agreement Holder) organization. Since they have sponsored before, they are very aware of all that is involved in terms of logistical, emotional, and financial support. They are committed to fully financing the sponsorships through their own contributions and fundraising activities.

We forwarded the request to the Deanery Re-Sponse Group, which has followed up with the Group of Five. The Re-Sponse Group is comfortable with the terms of this application and has recommended taking on the sponsorship, and getting an approval from our parish councils to become a constituent group for the Diocese. The Diocese would be the SAH organization, with at least one parish needed to serve as a constituent group.

At our July Parish Council meeting at St. John’s, the request to become a constituent group to sponsor these families was approved. We have informed the Rev. Pat Ratcliffe (chair of Re-Sponse) of our vote, and Re-Sponse will be sending the application to the Diocese for consideration for 2022 sponsorship. We hope other parishes will join us in the application in the next couple of months, as their parish councils reconvene after the summer to decide on the matter.

As a Re-Sponse representative from St. John’s, I am grateful for the positive and faithful way in which our parish council has responded to the request. Please pray for the safety of the families as they wait to be sponsored.

Food Bank Report

At our April meeting, Parish Council decided to continue to support the SHARE Foodbank with donations of $500 per month taken from the St. John’s Foodbank fund (retroactive to January 2021), since our own Foodbank does not have immediate plans to resume in the near future. Thank you to those of you who have continued to support the Foodbank financially. Your contributions will still be helping those in need in our community.

And thank you to those who had supported the St. John’s Foodbank with donations of food while we were still meeting in person. The food has been sorted by date, and items close to their “Best Before” date have been taken to the SHARE Foodbank every month during the pandemic–so food donations have not been wasted!

Thank you again, Mary Kyle

 

COMMUNITY NEWS

Summer Offering – Morning Prayer

You are invited to join a drop-in morning prayer group every Wednesday at 6am, continuing until August 25^th. Each session will include silent meditation and a liturgy of prayer from Philip Newell’s Praying with the Earth – Prayers for Peace.

This group is hosted by Contemplative Outreach of Greater Vancouver. For further information and the Zoom link, contact Christine Kesans at chris.kesans@gmail.com or 604-944-7447.

Sacred Teachings Podcast – The Season of Ginny – “Ginny the Preacher”

“The Season of Ginny,” the seventh season of the Sacred Teachings podcast, is in honour of the Rev. Canon Ginny Doctor, who recently died from COVID. Ginny was Executive Producer and the heart and soul of the Sacred Teachings series, and was an important figure in the world of Indigenous advocacy and human rights.

The seventh episode of Season 7 is “Ginny the Preacher”. (This and new episodes can be found at https://www.anglican.ca/im/podcasts/.) The episode features the sermon she delivered in 2018 to the congregation of Christ Memorial Church in Oshawa, Ontario.

The season of 8 podcasts will continue to explore Ginny’s work fighting racism, battling the pandemic of suicide in Indigenous communities, and helping to blaze a trail of self-determination for the Indigenous Anglican Church. We will hear about her writing and poetry and peek into the very soul of this deeply ar tistic and spiritual Mohawk woman.

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

The Spring Street Community Kitchen is currently on summer break, and we will resume in the fall with a kitchen featuring a local chef from GRIT café on September 23. Thanks to all who participated in our June kitchen “Family Cooking with Pasta Polo’s Fred Soofi”. The video is available at https://youtu.be/iN5D62U_6cI, and the recipe at https://www.facebook.com/SpringStreetCommunityKitchen/posts/309000887600806.

Note that funds raised in support of our Spring Street Community Kitchen are being re-gifted to the communities we serve, through local charities. Donations can be given via https://www.stja.ca/supporting-st-johns/; please designate your gift to our Community Kitchen project.

We also welcome volunteers for future kitchens – planning, hosting, moderating, and tech support are just some of the roles available. Email us at SpringStreetCommunityKitchen@gmail.com.

(The Spring Street Community Kitchen is a partnership between St. John’s and Inlet United Church – 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:

• St. Laurence, Coquitlam – The Reverend Eric Mason. The Reverend Patricia Ratcliffe, The Reverend Carla McGhie.
• Mission to Seafarers – The Reverend Peter Smyth.
• Vancouver General Hospital – The Reverend Bryan Rivers, The Reverend Juanita Clark.
• Our partner Diocese of Northern Philippines, especially the people of our twin church at St. John the Evangelist Mission, Balugan; and Brent Alawas, their former Bishop and new Prime Bishop 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 August 8, 2021 – Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33; Psalm 130; Ephesians 4:25-5:2; John 6:35, 41-51

 

Readings for August 15, 2021 – St. Mary the Virgin

Isaiah 7:10-15; Psalm 132:6-10, 13-14; Galatians 4:4-7; Luke 1:46-55

 

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