The E-postle January 3, 2021

The E-postle January 3, 2021

The Epiphany of the Lord
E-Postle
January 3, 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: Epiphany Worship – Bring Your Treasures, Ongoing Pastoral Care & Support
  • Stewardship: Stewardship Reflection, Community “Phone a Friend”
  • Formation: Looking for “Stars Leading the Way….” Reflections
  • Parish Matters: Limited Reopening of Parish Office & Buildings, Financial Status for October & November 2020, Parish Giving, Ongoing Updates Pages, E-Postle Submissions
  • Parish Ministries: Anglican Church Women (“A.C.W.”) News, Food Bank Update
  • Community News: Next Spring Street Community Kitchen – Chickpeas Challenge!, Sacred Teachings Podcast, Season 5 – Stories of Hope & Light
  • 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, January 3                  8:30am & 10:00am – Sunday Morning Prayer – Epiphany

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

Sunday, January 3                  following 8:30am and 10:00am worship – Informal Virtual “Coffee Hour”
Tuesday, January 5                 10:15am – 12:00pm – Bible Study – final Advent/Christmas Discussion
Tuesday, January 5                7:00pm – 8:00pm – Prayer Group
Thursday, January 14             6:00pm – 7:00pm – “Chickpeas Challenge” Spring Street Community Kitchen
Thursday, January 21             7:00pm – A.C.W. Annual General Meeting


RECTOR’S NOTE

Congratulations everyone – we’ve finally made it past 2020, this so very unforgettable year! As we turn toward 2021, we give thanks for God’s steady and faithful presence with us through all that we and the world have experienced – the good, the bad, and all the in-between. We pray in this new year for health, security, a sense of abiding joy, and most of all, our ever-deepening growth as a community of followers of Christ on our journey together.

All through Advent, we meditated together on what it means to be “those who dream”—who keep awake, who prepare the way, who sow joy, and who are not alone in this work of helping God’s dreams for us and the world come alive. At Christmas we celebrated the culmination of God’s ultimate dreams for us in the form of Jesus. And now as we enter into Epiphany season, we celebrate our ongoing, persevering journey of moving toward that dream, and all the ways in which God is revealed over and over on this journey to all who seek.

I’ll leave you with a prayer for this season as we continue to journey together:

God of the Milky Way,
We, like the Magi, are walking toward you.
One foot in front of the other, we are walking toward you.
It is our very prayer to move your way.
So if you can, leave the light on and the front door unlocked.
Leave a fire in the hearth and food on the stove.
And when we start to get lost or doubt our dreams,
Give us the will to persevere.
We are walking toward you, O God.
So like the parent that throws open the door,
Open the door to us. Amen.

A blessed New Year to all.

Peace,
Vivian

[The above prayer is adapted from one by Sarah Are, A Sanctified Art LLC – sanctifiedart.org]

 

WORSHIP & PRAYER

Epiphany Worship – Bring Your Treasures

We will be celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany this coming Sunday, Jan. 3. Everyone is invited to bring an object that represents “something that you treasure” to our Zoom services. We will be reflecting on these objects during the services, and for those who stay for coffee hour, we will have the chance to share the stories behind these treasures.

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 the 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:

Matthew 2:1-12
Imagine the difficulties these people went through on their journey to Jesus! And yet, even after all the difficulties, they still offer very costly gifts. To what lengths would you go to show how you feel about Jesus?

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

 

FORMATION

Looking for “Stars Leading the Way…” Reflections

You may recall that in the past couple of years we have distributed “Epiphany stars,” each of which has a different word to reflect on for the coming year. This Epiphany season, we would like to invite members of the St. John’s family to participate in a virtual sharing of these reflections with the wider community through our Epiphany program “Stars Leading the Way…”

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 (January 6 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

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 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 30th 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/Linkshttps://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.”) News

Calendars:
Thank you to everyone who has supported the sale of the 2021 Anglican Church Calendar. There are three still available for purchase. Cost: $7 each. If you would like to receive a copy, please contact Antoinette at: toni.woodman@shaw.ca or 604-942-4765.

Annual General Meeting
The A.C.W. Annual General Meeting will be held on January 21st at 7pm via Zoom.

Please email ACW@stja.ca for connection details for this Zoom meeting.

We will be conducting our executive elections, and we will be discussing the upcoming events for the 2021 year.

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

Next Spring Street Community Kitchen – Chickpeas Challenge!

Save the date for our next online Spring Street Community Kitchen, “Chickpeas Challenge!”  You’re invited to join us on Zoom on Thursday, January 14th, 6-7pm where we will have a live demonstration featuring everything chickpeas (fast creamy hummus, eggless meringue, and cheesy chickpea melts). 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.

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. (November/December donations are going to SHARE food hamper programs.) 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.

Pre-registration for January 14th 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.

(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.)

Sacred Teachings Podcast, Season 5 – Stories of Hope & Light

Be sure to check out Season 5 of The Sacred Teachings podcast, entitled “Stories of Hope and Light,” at https://www.anglican.ca/im/podcasts/.

In the final episode of the season, “An Angel’s Visit”, the Rev. Norman Meade shares his journey of a lifetime of service. Other episodes feature Lori Calkins, an Anglican priest and a traditional Birth Supporter in Alberta; Mary Louis Bernard, a M’ikmaq elder and traditional storyteller from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; and Josephine Malemute and Mike Mickelson from Alaska talking about Dancing with the Spirit, and sharing some beautiful music!

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 the Rev. John Stephens, Bishop Coadjutor-Elect.

And this week:

  • Church of the Epiphany, Surrey – The Reverend Stephen Rowe;
  • Christ the Redeemer, Surrey – The Venerable Luisito Engnan;
  • 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 3, 2021 – Epiphany

Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12

Readings for January 10, 2021 – The Baptism of the Lord

Genesis 1:1-5; Psalms 29; Acts 19:1-7; Mark 1:4-11


IMPORTANT CONTACT INFORMATION

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

 

[Artwork at top of page is “Another Road” by Hannah Garrity (inspired by Matthew 2:1-12) © A Sanctified Art. Used by permission.]

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