The E-Postle, February 27, 2022

Last Sunday after the Epiphany
E-Postle
February 27, 2022

“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

*New or updated announcement this week

• Upcoming Dates
• Worship & Prayer:
  • *Pastoral Message – Ginny Harbour
  • Ash Wednesday—March 2
  • Children’s Talks Throughout Lent
  • Zoom Worship Continues
  • Flowers for the Altar
  • Tech & Hospitality Volunteers Needed for Worship
  • Ongoing Pastoral Care & Support
• Formation:
  • Lenten Program: Ecological Grief and Creational Hope
  • Area Youth Group!
• Stewardship:
  • *Stewardship Reflection
• Parish Matters:
  • *Annual Vestry Meeting – This Sunday Feb. 27
  • *Thrifty’s Smile Card
  • Current Parish Office & Buildings Status
  • Financial Status for November & December 2021
  • Parish Giving
  • Ongoing Updates Pages
  • E-Postle Submissions
• Parish Ministries:
  • Anglican Church Women (“A.C.W.”) News – World Day of Prayer
  • *Companion Diocese Parish Representative Found
  • New Members for the Altar Guild
  • ReSponse News
  • Food Bank Report
• Community News:
  • *Spring Street Community Kitchen
  • Video from Ecumenical Evening of Taize
• 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/2022/program-updates/ for connection information)

Sunday, February 27              8:30am & 10:00am – ZOOM ONLY – Morning Prayer

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

Sunday, February 27              following 8:30am worship – Informal “Coffee Hour”
                                              following 10:00am worship – Annual Vestry meeting
Tuesday, March 1                   10:15am – 12noon – Bible Study
Tuesday, March 1                   7:00pm – 8:00pm – Prayer Group
Tuesday, March 1                   7:00pm – special Parish Council meeting
Wednesday, March 2             10:00am (spoken) and 7:00pm (with music) – Ash Wednesday services
Friday, March 4                      1:00pm – World Day of Prayer service

WORSHIP & PRAYER

*Pastoral Message – Ginny Harbour

We offer our deepest condolences and prayers to parishioner Ginny Harbour and family as she travels this week for the funeral of her brother Patrick. Patrick was tragically struck and killed by a vehicle in December, and leaves behind his wife, two daughters, five grandchildren, his mother, as well as his one brother and five sisters. As Ginny relates, he was a very kind man and will be missed by many people. Sympathy cards may be sent to the office to be passed on to Ginny. We pray that Patrick may rest in God’s peace.

Ash Wednesday—March 2

Everyone is invited to begin the season of Lent together as a community. There will be two opportunities to observe Ash Wednesday on Zoom with your St. John’s family: a morning service (spoken) at 10am and an evening service (with music) at 7pm. All ages are welcome. Use the Zoom link for Sunday morning worship to connect to the services.

Children’s Talks Throughout Lent

Beginning on Mar. 6 and continuing through the 5 Sundays of Lent, we look forward to having a Children’s Talk each week at our 10am worship.

Zoom Worship Continues

At the Parish Council meeting on January 18, there was discussion surrounding a suitable timeframe for a return to in-person or hybrid worship. It was decided that at that time, it was not possible to even suggest a date for return to hybrid worship. The main factors are of course the impact of the Omicron variant of the Covid virus, current public health orders, and Vivian’s ongoing medical treatments. It is expected that by early March we will be in a better position to assess the public health considerations, as well as Vivian’s well-being and energy levels.

Given this, it was decided to continue with Zoom-only worship through the end of February. The annual Vestry meeting is on February 27th, and the new Parish Council will meet shortly thereafter to consider this matter and decide how best to proceed in a way that will safely meet the needs of the parish.

Flowers for the Altar

Due to services being held via Zoom, 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. Descriptions of the roles can be found at http://www.stja.ca/2022/e-postle-ongoing-announcements#techsupport.

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 described at http://www.stja.ca/2022/e-postle-ongoing-announcements#pastoralcare, if and as you need.

FORMATION

Lenten Program: Ecological Grief and Creational Hope

This Lent, we will use a program developed by the Diocese of Toronto to explore what it means to have Biblical hope in the face of the climate crisis. Beginning March 8 and going for 5 weeks until April 5, we will be meeting during our Tuesday morning Bible study time (10:15am-12noon) to discuss, share, and learn together.

If you would be interested in having a group meet at another time, e.g. an evening or Sunday after worship, please let Vivian (rector@stja.ca) or Anne (deacon@stja.ca) know your time preferences ASAP, so that we can determine if there is enough critical mass to gather an additional group.

The program guide that we will be using can be downloaded from https://www.toronto.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/LentCurriculum2022.pdf. It includes additional resources and activities for use during the week. If you would like a printed copy mailed to you, please contact Deanna in the office at administrator@stja.ca – donations are welcome to offset printing and mailing costs.

From the program introduction: The world as we know it seems to be changing irreversibly. Loss of biodiversity, unbearable heat, flash floods and forest fires have started to bring home the reality of the climate crisis. For many, this has created both deep grief, as we mourn the loss of the beautiful and diverse world we grew up with, and deep anxiety, as we worry about the world that will be our future home. For many, this grief and anxiety has made it di­fficult to imagine a hopeful future. What if we allowed the Bible to provide some guidance in our struggles, recognizing that the Biblical text is acquainted with our griefs and our anxieties? The Bible is a book with stories about climate crisis, creational breakdown, and the challenge of hope in bleak times. This curriculum seeks to draw on that ancient wisdom and re-engage with our love for God’s creation and all of God’s creatures.

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.

Luke 9:28-36
Peter wants to set up tents, maybe so that he and the others can somehow physically hold on to the ‘‘high’’ they have just experienced. But being a steward demands that we, as did Jesus, come down from the mountain top and deal with the everyday challenges of life.

PARISH MATTERS

*Annual Vestry Meeting – this Sunday Feb. 27

Annual Vestry will be held virtually on Zoom this Sunday, Feb. 27, directly following the 10am service. The Annual Vestry Reports and Financial Reports have been sent out via email (and postal mail for those without email addresses on file).

In addition to our regular routine agenda items, we will also have some time set aside for parishioners to give feedback to Council on the schedule for reopening the buildings for worship and other parish programs. Please feel free to bring any questions and suggestions on the topic.

You may also want to have your lunch or snacks handy, in order to keep up your energy during the meeting – just remember to mute yourself while chewing!

*Thrifty’s Smile Card

Thrifty’s has changed the dynamics of their fundraising projects, therefore St. John’s is no longer receiving benefits from their Smile Card program. Any card that has a cash balance is still valid, but you will no longer be able to reload the card. We may visit some of their other fundraising projects at a later date.

Current Parish Office & Buildings Status

Please read the current status of Worship, Parish Office, Small Groups, and Outside User Groups at http://www.stja.ca/2022/e-postle-ongoing-announcements#buildingstatus

Financial Status for November and December 2021

Please see the Parish financial status as of Dec. 31 at http://www.stja.ca/2022/e-postle-ongoing-announcements#financialstatus.

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/2022/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/2022/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 – World Day of Prayer

World Day of Prayer:

The ACW will be gathering via Zoom to celebrate the Annual World Day of Prayer this Friday, March 4th at 1 pm. The featured countries this year are England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This is an open invitation to participate to all members of the Parish.

Please contact ACW@stja.ca for the Zoom Link to this event.

*Companion Diocese Parish Representative Found

Our own Diocese of New Westminster and the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Philippines has enjoyed a companion diocese relationship since 2016. You may have noticed that we pray each Sunday for our twin church at St. John the Evangelist Mission, Balugan.

Thank you to Brenda Lou-Hing who has answered the invitation to serve as a parish liaison for this companion diocese relationship. The first step will be to establish contact with our twin church, with the hope, over time, of the 2 churches building a mutual relationship of prayer for, learning from, and support of each other.

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

Please visit http://www.stja.ca/2022/e-postle-ongoing-announcements#response for current information on the ReSponse refugee ministry.

Food Bank Report

Please visit http://www.stja.ca/2022/e-postle-ongoing-announcements#foodbank for current information on the Food Bank.

 
COMMUNITY NEWS

*Spring Street Community Kitchen

Thanks to all those who participated in our most recent kitchen, where Jenn and Julie made a “One-Pot Creamy Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo” and “Lemon Chicken & Pear Salad”. The video and recipes will be available soon at https://www.facebook.com/SpringStreetCommunityKitchen.

Please save the date for our next kitchen Thursday, Mar. 24, 6-7pm on Zoom. More information coming soon.

Donations in support of our Spring Street Community Kitchen are being re-gifted to the communities we serve. Funds raised for February’s gathering will be gifted to Rain City Housing Support Society for 3030 Gordon Avenue. 3030 Gordon Avenue is a purpose-built shelter in Coquitlam that provides an emergency shelter and transitional housing for people who are homeless in the Tri-Cities. Donations can be given via https://www.stja.ca/supporting-st-johns/; please designate your gift to our Community Kitchen project.

(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.)

Video from Ecumenical Evening of Taize

As you may recall, St. John’s was invited to join with St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Port Moody, in an evening of Taize worship together at St. Joseph’s Church a few weeks ago. The event was organized as part of the annual ecumenical celebration of a “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity” to promote Christian unity and interfaith understanding.

For those who were not able to attend, there is a video recording of the service at https://youtu.be/dR50owCNQPA

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. Chad, Vancouver – The Rev. Bill Mok.
• St. David, Delta – The Rev. Simbarashe Basvi.
• 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 Kathy Martin.
• The brothers and sisters who share our worship space: The Port Moody Korean Presbyterian Church.

*Readings for February 27, 2022 – Last Sunday after the Epiphany

Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2; Luke 9:28-36

*Readings for March 6, 2022 – First Sunday in Lent

Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16; Romans 10:8b-13; Luke 4:1-13

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