The E-postle January 24, 2021

Third Sunday after the Epiphany
E-Postle
January 24, 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: Consecration and Ordination of Coadjutor-Bishop, Next Children’s Sunday – Jan. 31, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity videos, New Noonday Psalms & Prayer Volunteers, Ongoing Pastoral Care & Support
• Stewardship: Stewardship Reflection, Community “Phone a Friend”
• Formation: Looking for “Stars Leading the Way…” Reflections
• Parish Matters: Seeking New Parish Council Members, Limited Reopening of Parish Office & Buildings, Financial Status for October & November 2020, Parish Giving, Ongoing Updates Pages, E-Postle Submissions
• Parish Ministries: Food Bank Update
• Community News: 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)

Saturday, January 23              (livestreamed from the Cathedral)
                                                11:00am – 12:30pm – Consecration and Ordination of the Rev. John Stephens as Coadjutor-Bishop of our Diocese
Sunday, January 24                8:30am & 10:00am – Sunday Morning Prayer

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

Sunday, January 24                following 8:30am and 10:00am worship – Informal Virtual “Coffee Hour”
Tuesday, January 26               10:15am – 12:00pm – Bible Study
Tuesday, January 26              7:00pm – 8:00pm – Prayer Group
Thursday, January 28             7:00pm – 9:00pm – Parish Council
Sunday, January 31                at 10:00am service – Children’s Sunday
Sunday, February 28              (livestreamed from the Cathedral)
                                                Installation of the Rt. Rev. John Stephens as the 10^th Bishop of our Diocese

WORSHIP & PRAYER

Consecration and Ordination of Coadjutor-Bishop

Please hold in your prayers, and participate virtually if you can, as the Rev. John Stephens, our Coadjutor-Bishop-elect, will be ordained a bishop this weekend on Saturday, Jan. 23, 11am. The liturgy will be livestreamed from Christ Church Cathedral and can be viewed at https://youtu.be/TAfenT2cBxI. As Archbishop Melissa Skelton retires, John will be seated as our diocese’s new Bishop on Sunday, Feb. 28.

The Rt. Rev. Lynne McNaughton, (formerly a priest in our diocese) and Bishop of the Diocese of Kootenay will be the preacher for Jan. 23. Additional details about the service and other links to view are at https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/events/consecration-and-ordination-of-a-bishop/2021-01-23.

Next Children’s Sunday – Jan. 31

Sunday January 31st there will be a lesson/social time for the children during the 10:00am service. We look forward to having them join us at the beginning of the service for the Children’s talk before they go to their time together.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity videos

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Jan. 18-25) is an annual ecumenical celebration. Christians around the world are invited each year to: pray for the unity of all Christians; reflect on scripture together; participate in jointly-organized ecumenical services; and share fellowship. The 2021 theme—Abide in my love and you shall bear much fruit (John 15:5-9)—calls us to pray and to work for reconciliation and unity in the church, with our human family and with all of creation.

We hope you joined—from your home—with people around the world praying for Christian unity this past week. This year, the Anglican Church of Canada—led by our Primate and joined by the Sisters of the Church, the Order of the Holy Cross, and the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine—created a special five-part video service for the week. Videos are available for viewing at http://www.anglican.ca/weekofprayer.

New Noonday Psalms & Prayer Volunteers

We’re looking for a few new people (of any age) to help lead our Noonday Psalms & Prayers on Facebook! You would read (out loud) a pre-selected psalm, and share a personal prayer focusing on something or someone in the world around us. You can sign up to lead these prayers as frequently as you’d like, and instructions and training will be provided. Please contact Vivian at rector@stja.ca if you’re interested.

For the past several months, we have been holding some sacred space in this way for scripture and prayer each day – we see it as a small spiritual gift for our wider community during this pandemic time. Check out our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/StJohnAnglican to see past videos.

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 1:14-20
Do you hear Jesus calling you? Where does he want you to be? What does he want you to do? As one who wants to be a faithful steward, how do you respond?

Community “Phone a Friend”

The Stewardship Team is looking for volunteers to keep the phone a friend program going. If you have time to make a few calls once a week to help keep our community connected, please call Kristin (778-957-8987) or email bobandkristinkuhn@gmail.com. Thanks to all the volunteers who have been so kind as to offer their assistance with this project so far. You have been appreciated greatly!

-Your Stewardship Team

 

FORMATION

Looking for “Stars Leading the Way…” Reflections

We hope you’ll read, pray with, “like”, and comment on the Epiphany star reflections written by members of the St. John’s family, which are now being posted every morning, Mon-Fri, on our Facebook page  www.facebook.com/StJohnAnglican. (For those not on Facebook you can also view the reflections at https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/tri-cities-north-burnaby/st-john-the-apostle/pages/stars-leading-the-way.)

We’re still looking for a few more people to contribute! All you need to do to participate in this fun experiment is:

• Let Vivian know right away at rector@stja.ca
• You will be given a star word at random, and assigned a day in Epiphany (through February 14)
• Write a brief reflection on “how this Epiphany star word helps lead me to God.”
• This reflection will be posted on our Facebook page so others can reflect on it too.

(And if you’d just like an Epiphany star word to reflect on individually, please connect with Vivian and she would be glad to draw one out randomly for you.)

 

PARISH MATTERS

Seeking New Parish Council Members

As we move into a new year and come up on our next Annual Vestry meeting, we are looking for several new folks to stand for election to Parish Council. Thanks to those who have said yes already!

You may be wondering, what is Parish Council and what would it look like to serve? First, being on Council doesn’t mean you will be expected to do everything at the church! One of our parish values is “We strive to be a spirited and courageous family, valuing all people—laity and clergy—in their ministries.” Here at St. John’s, responsibilities are shared and everyone has a role to play, whether on Council or in another capacity.

Council members spent some time at our last 2 meetings clarifying what we see as some of the KEY ROLES of Parish Council:

• Praying together while recognizing and seeking God’s guidance in parish decisions
• Responding efficiently to our church’s needs – making decisions, recruiting others, delegating work
• Listening to and hearing the needs and wants of the congregation, and representing those voices at the table
• Identifying the gifts of people in the parish
• Visioning for and with the congregation
• Being fiduciary overseers
• Being a bridge/liaison to our diocese and to the outside world

When we reflected on the HIGHLIGHTS of being on Parish Council this year, a few things we came up with:

• Getting lots of stuff done
• Lots of laughs!
• Spiritual reflection time at the beginning of meetings
• Knowing what’s going on in the church and being able to participate in it
• Being able to help out, give back to our church, and make a difference
• The satisfaction of helping things run (like running a business)
• (For Lay Delegates) being part of diocesan synod meetings
• Efficiency and ease of Zoom meetings

Do any of these descriptions of Parish Council resonate with you? We hope you will prayerfully consider whether you may be called to serve this year – please talk to Ruby or Geri (peopleswarden@stja.ca or rectorswarden@stja.ca) if you are interested.

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 one 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 group is following strict safety protocols and is 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 October & November 2020

We append below the Parish financial status for your information.

Statement of Income and Expenses ending 30^th day of November 2020

	October Actual $	November Actual $	November Budget $	November YTD Actual $	November YTD Budget $
Income	15,679	15,913.20	19,083.33	157,615.12	209,916.63
Expenses	14,477	14,170.73	19,089.60	148,124.93	209,910.70
Surplus (-) Loss	1,202	1,742.47	-6.27	9490.19	5.93

 

	October Actual $	November Actual $	November Budget $	November YTD Actual $	November YTD Budget $
Offering for General Funds	11,903	10,063	15,408.33	114,037.47	169,491.63
Offering for Property	1,261	1,121.70	0	13,977.70	0

Notes:
We continue to be able to fulfill our obligations thanks to your contributions. With an increase in donations, we have a slight surplus for the month of November.

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

Food Bank Update

It looks like the St. John’s Food Bank will not be reopening in the near future, given the Covid-19 situation. However, our church continues to help needy people in our community through our support of the SHARE Food Bank. At our October Parish Council meeting, we carried a motion to donate $2000 to the SHARE Food Bank in November to help with their Christmas hampers. Thank you to all the parishioners at St. John’s who have made contributions to the Food Bank fund. We couldn’t do it without you!

We are still looking for a member of our congregation to take on the role of Food Bank coordinator. If you are interested, please send an email to foodbank@stja.ca.

 

COMMUNITY NEWS

Spring Street Community Kitchen

Thanks to all who joined us for our recent “Chickpeas Challenge!” online kitchen – a link to the cooking portion of the evening is at https://www.facebook.com/SpringStreetCommunityKitchen. Feel free to like and follow the page to stay updated on future kitchens!

Funds raised in support of our Spring Street Community Kitchen are being re-gifted to the communities we serve, and for January, we will give to Joy’s Place, a transition house that provides temporary safe shelter and support for adult women and their dependent children. 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 share your chickpea 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.)

 

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 Rt. Rev. John Stephens, Bishop Coadjutor.

And this week:

• St. Agnes, North Vancouver – The Venerable Stephen Muir, The Reverend Lizz Lindsay;
• St. Paul, Vancouver, and St. Paul’s Advocacy Office – The Reverend Philip Cochrane;
• St. Titus, Oakridge – The Reverend Marion Wong;
• St. Timothy, Brentwood – The Reverend James Duckett;
• 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 January 24, 2021 – Third Sunday after the Epiphany

Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Psalm 62:6-14; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20

Readings for January 31, 2021 – Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalm 111; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Mark 1:21-28

 

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	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