The E-Postle, November 7, 2021

November 09, 2021

All Saints’ Sunday
E-Postle
November 7, 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: Daylight Savings Time Begins, Alternating Virtual-Only and Blended Services Starting November 7^th, Pre-Registration for In-Person Worship, Tech & Hospitality Volunteers Needed for Hybrid Worship, Flowers for the Altar, Ongoing Pastoral Care & Support
Formation: Area Youth Group!
Stewardship: Stewardship Reflection, Stewardship Presentation Videos
Parish Matters: Office Closed for Remembrance Day, 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: Next Spring Street Community Kitchen – Nov. 25 – “Holiday Recipe Share!”
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, November 7 8:30am & 10:00am –ZOOM ONLY– Morning Prayer – All Saints’ Sunday

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

Sunday, November 7             following 8:30am and 10:00am worship – Informal Zoom “Coffee Hour”
Tuesday, November 9            10:15am – 12noon – Bible Study
Tuesday, November 9            7:00pm – 8:00pm – Prayer Group
Sunday, November 14            8:30am & 10:00am – Zoom & In Person – Holy Eucharist – Remembrance Sunday
Thursday, November 18        7:00pm – ACW meeting
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

Daylight Savings Time Begins

A friendly reminder to turn your clocks back one hour this weekend for Daylight Savings Time, unless you would like to be very, very early for church this Sunday, Nov. 7… enjoy the extra hour of sleep!

Alternating Virtual-Only and Blended Services Starting November 7^th

Beginning this week on November 7^th, services will alternate between virtual-only using Zoom and hybrid worship.

The parish has had the opportunity to experience an in-person worship for a month now and Council has reviewed the process. There are a number of challenges we did not anticipate including the use of technology and availability of support, Vivian’s health status and most interestingly, the loss of community when we are split between in-person and virtual.

Beginning with a virtual service this Sunday we will alternate between hybrid worship and virtual.

Pre-Registration for In-Person Worship

Note: The below registration instructions can be found also at https://www.stja.ca/2021/how-to-pre-register-for-in-person-worship/.

November 7 and 21 will be Zoom-only weeks. Please continue to use the same link to register to attend in-person for November 14 and 28 – https://bit.ly/394zwHt – this link will be “live” again beginning Sunday 5pm prior to weeks when we have hybrid services.

(If you are attending by Zoom, you do not need to pre-register. The Zoom link for worship remains the same, and can be found at https://www.stja.ca/2021/program-updates/.)

Please submit your registration by Wednesday at 5pm to help us in our planning. Everyone who has registered by Wednesday 5pm will be notified by Thursday afternoon if we can fit you in, or if you are on a “waitlist”. Waitlist people will be contacted by Friday 2pm if there are any cancellations.

If needed, you may submit a phone registration by calling and leaving a message at the parish office at 604-936-7762 (we need your name, phone number/email, who is in your household or bubble, and which service you are registering for). We encourage you to fill out the online form if you are able, to help lessen our administrative load.

Note that first priority for registration will be given to those who are scheduled to volunteer that day and their households/bubbles, and then to those who have not attended the previous week. Depending on the size of households/bubbles who are able to sit together without distancing, the number of people we can fit in the church will vary – it will be roughly 20-30 people per service. We will try our best to seat households/bubbles together, but may separate the group if needed.

You may see the current safety protocols for in-person worship at https://www.stja.ca/2021/updates-re-coronavirus/. As per provincial and diocesan recommendations, we also encourage everyone who attends to be fully vaccinated, as possible.

Tech & Hospitality Volunteers Needed for Hybrid Worship

We are looking for help with technical support aspects of both in-person and Zoom 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

Flowers for the Altar

The Altar Guild would like to draw your attention to the flower chart in the Narthex by the Chapel door. Please consider signing up to place flowers at the Altar in thanksgiving for something, or in loving memory of a family member, or friend.

A member of the Altar Guild will contact you the week before the date you have chosen to see what type of flowers you would like and also the wording for the Bulletin. Thank you.

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 11:32-44
Jesus said: “I know that you always answer my prayers.” A faithful steward shows this same kind of attitude in how they live out their life.

Stewardship Presentation Videos

The 2 Stewardship presentation videos shown at Oct. 24 and Oct. 31 worship services are now available for viewing on our YouTube channel. For the 1^st “What Is Your Superpower?” video, see https://youtu.be/HCsRFdu8hUk. For the 2^nd video reflecting on the theme of “The Steadfast Love of the Lord Never Ceases”, see https://youtu.be/fdlZIKQPDzI.

PARISH MATTERS

Office Closed for Remembrance Day

The Parish Office will be closed this week on Thursday in observance of Remembrance Day. Adjusted hours this week will be Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday (Nov. 9, 10, 12), 10am – 2pm.

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
Protocols for in-person worship services can be found at https://www.stja.ca/2021/updates-re-coronavirus/. For additional information, please see the “Worship & Prayer” section of this epostle.

PARISH OFFICE
This week, the Parish Office will be open on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday (Nov. 9, 10, 12) due to Remembrance Day.

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. 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
The Canadian Church Calendars will soon be available for a cost of $7 each. Please contact Antoinette at: toni.woodman@shaw.ca to reserve a copy. More information will follow on where and when you will be able to receive your calendar.

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

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

Join us on Zoom on 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:

All Saints, Ladner – The Reverend Robin Ruder-Celiz.
All Saints, Burnaby – The Reverend Justin Cheng, The Reverend Leah Skuro, The Reverend Gordon Barrett.
All Saints, Mission, The Reverend Paul Bowie, The Reverend Connie Wilks.
All Saints, Agassiz, The Reverend Philip Barker.
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 7, 2021 – All Saints’ Sunday

Isaiah 25:6-9; Psalm 24; Revelation 21:1-6a; John 11:32-44

Readings for November 14, 2021 – Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost & Remembrance Sunday

1 Samuel 1:4-20; 1 Samuel 2:1-10 (as Canticle, in place of Psalm); Hebrews 10:11-18, 19-25; Mark 13:1-8

IMPORTANT CONTACT INFORMATION

Rector	The Rev. Vivian Lam	rector@stja.ca	604-936-7762 (church voicemail)
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
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