The E-Postle, November 21, 2021

November 23, 2021

Last Sunday After Pentecost: The Reign of Christ
E-Postle
November 21, 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

Prayer for Those Affected By the Storms, Floods & Landslides
Upcoming Dates
Worship & Prayer: Return to Zoom-Only Worship through December, Flowers for the Altar, Tech & Hospitality Volunteers Needed for Worship, Ongoing Pastoral Care & Support
Formation: Area Youth Group!
Stewardship: Stewardship Reflection
Parish Matters: Rector Away, Beware Email Scams, Drainage Update, Current Parish Office & Buildings Status, Financial Status for August and September 2021, Parish Giving, Ongoing Updates Pages, E-Postle Submissions
Parish Ministries: Anglican Church Women (“A.C.W.”) News, New Members for the Altar Guild, ReSponse News, Food Bank Report
Community News: Mickey M’s 91^st Birthday, Advent Service of Light – Friday, Dec. 3, Next Spring Street Community Kitchen – Nov. 25 – “Holiday Recipe Share!”
Weekly Devotions: Prayer Cycle, Scripture Readings
Important Contact Information

PRAYER FOR THOSE AFFECTED BY THE STORMS, FLOODS & LANDSLIDES

We join The Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of B.C. Yukon in prayer for those who have been affected by the storms, floods and landslides this week:

God of compassion, we pray for all who have suffered losses and trauma because of this storm. We pray for those stranded or evacuated, and for those who have lost homes and livelihood. Bless and strengthen those providing food, shelter, and care; and all first responders and crews still working to rescue people and animals.

We give thanks for the courage and generosity of those responding to the crisis, for all the acts of neighborliness and kindness.

God of Life, give courage and healing to all who have been affected. Give all leaders and responders endurance and resourcefulness. May we each find ways to bring your comfort, hope and calm in the midst of this anxious time.

Strengthen our resolve to make the changes necessary to care for your Earth.

In the name of Christ our healer.
Amen.

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, November 21 8:30am & 10:00am – ZOOM ONLY – Morning Prayer

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

Sunday, November 21           following 8:30am and 10:00am worship – Informal Zoom “Coffee Hour”
Tuesday, November 23          10:15am – 12noon – Bible Study
Tuesday, November 23          7:00pm – 8:00pm – Prayer Group
Thursday, November 25        6:00pm-7:00pm – Spring Street Community Kitchen, “Holiday Recipe Share!”
Tuesday, November 30          7:00pm – 9:00pm – Parish Council meeting

WORSHIP & PRAYER

Return to Zoom-Only Worship through December

In light of the realities of Vivian’s continuing medical treatment, Council has decided to return to Zoom-only worship through to the end of the year. This will offer maximum flexibility for adjustments to worship as needed, as well as continued stability and nurturing of community for Sunday services. Council will be discussing ideas for worship at Christmas at our November meeting and will update as soon as we have a plan.

Flowers for the Altar

Due to services being held via Zoom until the end of the year, we ask that anyone who has signed up to have flowers at the Altar choose an alternative date once in-person services are resumed. Please speak to Brenda Binns or any member of the Altar Guild.

Tech & Hospitality Volunteers Needed for Worship

We are continuing to look for help with technical support aspects of both Zoom services and (future) in-person services, as well as people who could help online with hospitality and welcome for our Zoom participants. Training will be provided. If you or someone you know is interested, please connect with Vivian at rector@stja.ca to chat.

Zoom Hospitality includes:

Welcoming everyone as they arrive in the Zoom meeting room.
Greeting visitors and inviting them to provide contact information so we can follow up with them.
(if available after the service) Serving as “host” for virtual coffee hour

Zoom Tech Support includes:

Screen-sharing the bulletin and other documents during the service
Muting and unmuting Zoom participants
Conveying feedback to the In-Person Tech Support about any adjustments needed to sound or video
Adding onscreen names for people who telephone in
Recording a count of participants
Following protocols for removing any Zoom bombers (hasn’t been needed to date!)

In-Person Tech Support includes:

Setting up and taking down equipment, opening/closing software programs on main laptop
Doing a sound-check of microphones pre-service
Receiving feedback from the Zoom Tech Support before and during the service about any adjustments needed to sound or video for Zoom congregation
Adjusting the sound levels as needed during the service
Switching camera views during the service

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

Area Youth Group!

Are you a member of our St. John’s community that is aged 14 to 19? There is a local youth group that meets to have fun together at St. Laurence Anglican Church regularly and is involved in all sorts of youth-related community and church projects! For more information or updated details about upcoming youth events, please feel free to contact Kristin Kuhn (778-957-8987 and/or bobandkristinkuhn@gmail.com).

STEWARDSHIP

Stewardship Reflection

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

John 18:33-37
“So you are a king!” said Pilate. A faithful steward recognizes that the sovereignty of Jesus goes beyond any earthly boundaries.

PARISH MATTERS

Rector Away

Vivian is currently taking time away for (virtual) spiritual retreat and vacation, and will return on Tuesday, Nov. 23. Please connect with Ruby at peopleswarden@stja.ca or Rich at rectorswarden@stja.ca for time-sensitive parish matters during this time.

For pastoral emergencies, to be connected to the on-call priest, please call Ruby.

We are grateful to the Rev. Anne Anchor and the Rev. Michael Chin who will be officiant and preacher, respectively, at Zoom worship services this Sunday Nov. 21.

Beware Email Scams

Please continue to stay vigilant about email scams, especially as the holiday season approaches. In the past, fraudulent emails claiming to be from Vivian ask if you are busy or say that she needs a favour; other messages have claimed she is in a meeting and emailing to ask you to handle a request discreetly. When you reply, the person asks you to purchase a gift card (or something similar) so that she can help someone in need. Please note that Vivian would never ask for help in this manner!

You can often tell that a message is fake if you look carefully at the originating email address, if the tone/wording seems strange, and if the request asks you to give money in an odd way. If you ever have any doubt about an email’s authenticity, please feel free to call Vivian (or email rector@stja.ca directly in a separate email) to confirm.

For further information, here are 2 government resources re: email fraud recommended by the diocese: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/protect-fraud/internet-email-telephone.html and https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm

Drainage Update

(Submitted by Rich Thompson)
As we had planned, our contracted company attended the church and vacuumed out the catch basin in the parking lot and hydro-jetted the two lines extending from the catch basin. The line extending east from the parking lot (toward the church) is too severely infiltrated with roots to be hydro-jetted. The previous company had attempted to use a roto rooter on this line last year at their initial assessment, and were also unsuccessful in clearing it. This line will need to be excavated and at least partially replaced. The line from the catch basin north to Spring Street was cleared of a large amount of decomposing vegetation, roots and sludge. After this material was removed, the hydro-jet and vacuum began encountering crushed gravel, such as would be used to backfill around the pipe. This suggests that the pipe is broken at this point. Our contracted company had to stop removing gravel from the line, since continuing to remove material of that type carries the risk of creating a sinkhole either in our parking lot, or on Spring Street.

The next step is to determine the location of the gravel blockage in this line. Our course of action will be determined by the location of the break relative to the property line. We (or our contractors) are not able to do any work on city property. We will also have to get quotes for the excavation, replacement and pavement repairs related to the east line that is blocked. One company has been recommended. I expect to have their estimator out next week, and will find other companies to provide quotes as well.

Further updates will be available in the E-postle as work progresses. If there are any questions or ideas, please drop me a note at property@stja.ca.

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/

WORSHIP
Zoom-only services will be in effect through the end of December. For additional information, please see the “Worship & Prayer” section of this epostle.

PARISH OFFICE
The Parish Office is usually 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
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
staying home if feeling sick or having had any potential exposure to COVID

OUTSIDE USER GROUPS
The Port Moody Korean Presbyterian Church have resumed in-person worship in our space on Sunday afternoons. Two of our community 12-step groups are currently meeting in our space; the third has opted to hold off on meeting in-person for the time being. All groups are following strict safety protocols (see “Guidelines for User Groups” at https://www.stja.ca/2021/updates-re-coronavirus/).

Financial Status for August and September 2021

We append below the Parish financial status for your information.

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

	August 2021 Actual $	September 2021 Actual $	September 2021 Budget $	YTD September 2021 Actual $	YTD September 2021 Budget $
Income	11,927.70	13,519.70	18,620.82	140,513.64	167,587.38
Expenses	17,714.20	18,320.87	18,541.32	154,348.72	166,871.88
Surplus (-) Loss	(5,786.50)	(4,801.17)	79.50	(13,835.08)	715.50

	August 2021 Actual $	September 2021 Actual $	September 2021 Budget $	YTD September 2021 Actual $	YTD September 2021 Budget $
Offering for General Funds	8,361.00	10,543.00	15,333.33	88,283.00	137,999.97
Offering for Property	911.70	1,121.70	0	9,411.30	0

Treasurer’s Note: Contributions have increased with the opening of in-person worship, but we do still have a growing deficit. All contributions are greatly appreciated.

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):

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.
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

Parish Fall Bazaar
Regrettably, the A.C.W. have decided that due to the restrictions of the Pandemic, and concerns over Covid, that we will not be organising the Parish Fall Bazaar again this year.

We gratefully request, that if it is within your means, that you consider making a donation to the parish to the value of what you might spend at the Bazaar in lieu of this event. The cut off date for making donations will be December 5^th. You will, of course, be given a tax receipt for your donation.

Please make your donations directly to the Parish, with the notation ‘Fall Bazaar’ on your cheque or direct deposit. Thank you for your support of our Parish and the ACW outreach mission.

Canadian Church Calendars
We still have 9 Canada Church Calendars available for a cost of $7 each. If you would like to purchase one, please contact Antoinette at: toni.woodman@shaw.ca .

New Members for the Altar Guild

The members of St. John’s Altar Guild are looking for some new members to join us. We work in groups on a 4-week rotating schedule, usually on a Saturday morning, arranging flowers, cleaning the brass, setting up for the Eucharist and laundering the altar linens. Please speak to Brenda Binns or any member of the Altar Guild if you are interested in joining us.

ReSponse News

(Submitted by Mary Kyle)
The S. Family
Please pray for the S. family in Turkey (originally from Afghanistan). There seemed to have been some progress made with their application to come to Canada, but now there are complications. The Diocese is asking for help from various organizations to work out the problem. Please keep this family in your prayers, especially the adult son, M. Thank you.

The N. Family
The N. Family is settling in well! The children are all in school now and the father is working on getting a B.C. drivers license. The Deanery ReSponse group has donated a new computer for the family which has recently been installed.

Food Bank Report

Parish Council decided to continue to support the SHARE Foodbank in 2021 with donations of $500 per month taken from the St. John’s Foodbank fund, 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

Mickey M’s 91^st Birthday

Mickey’s birthday is on November 21. If you wish, you can send a message for her to Ferne Malcolm’s email and Ferne will collect and read them to her. Her vision is such that she would be unable to read them herself but hopefully it will make for a pleasant afternoon to share your wishes with her.

Advent Service of Light – Friday, Dec. 3

The ACAM (Anglican Canadian-Asian Ministries) of our Diocese welcome you to an Advent Service of Light, featuring the Holden evensong with lots of beautiful music. You are invited to join in-person or via Zoom on Friday, December 3rd – 6:30pm.

Please contact administrator@stja.ca for Zoom connection information.

St. Titus Anglican Church, 680 West 49th Ave., Vancouver (@Tisdall St., between Cambie and Oak). Refreshments to follow the service.

Next Spring Street Community Kitchen – Nov. 25 – “Holiday Recipe Share!”

Join us on Zoom this Thursday, Nov. 25, 6-7pm for the next online Spring Street Community Kitchen – a “Holiday Recipe Share!”.

As we wrap up the year with our last kitchen for 2021, we are changing things up. We are inviting all who are interested to share a favourite recipe along with a picture of the item or an actual visual presentation of the item. Your recipe can be a dessert, appetizer, side, entrée or cocktail – there are no limits! With the holiday season fast approaching, we can all use some new ideas for entertaining. Of course we welcome and encourage story telling along with recipe sharing! As always, there will be opportunities to ask questions and share conversation with others.

Pre-registration is required for this free event – please email your name and email address to SpringStreetCommunityKitchen@gmail.com to be included on the list to receive Zoom connection information. Please also indicate if you will be participating in our “show and tell” event with one of your own creations and, if possible, please provide us with your recipe(s) and picture(s) when you register.

Donations raised in support of our Spring Street Community Kitchen are being re-gifted to the communities we serve. Funds raised for this gathering will be gifted to the Phoenix Society, a multi-service agency dedicated to providing accessible services and opportunities to people who face barriers related to addiction, mental health, housing, education, criminal justice involvement and/or employment.

We always welcome 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 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. Catherine of Alexandria, Coquitlam – The Rev. Eric Mason, The Rev. Patricia Ratcliffe.
St. Clement, North Vancouver – The Rev. Helen Dunn, The Rev. Elizabeth Mathers, The Rev. Peggy Trendell-Jensen.
Our partner Diocese of Northern Philippines, 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 November 21, 2021 – Last Sunday after Pentecost: Reign of Christ

2 Samuel 23:1-7; Psalm 132:1-19; Revelation 1:4b-8; John 18:33-37

Readings for November 28, 2021 – First Sunday of Advent

Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-9; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36

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

CONTACT US