Sixth Sunday of Easter

E-Postle

May 14, 2023

 

8:30am (in-person only) & 10:00am (in-person + Zoom) – Holy Eucharist

https://zoom.us/j/542312325?pwd=R3FKTnZ4WUU1YUFveCtzOUljM2FLZz09

Meeting ID: 542 312 325

Password: 010729

 

This Week’s Worship & Programs – https://www.stja.ca/2023/program-updates/ – current information on what’s going on at St. John’s, including Zoom links and the bulletin and scripture readings for Sunday worship.

 

Click here for contact info for parish ministries

 

There will be NO Coffee hour following the 10am service.

 

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS: 

Tues – May 16               10:15am – Bible Study on Zoom (see link above) / 7:00pm – Prayer group on Zoom (see link above)

Tues – May 16                Parish Council meeting

Thurs – May 18              1pm – ACW meeting in Parish Hall

Wed – May 24               9:30 – 11:30am – Wednesday Morning Prayer Space

 

Sun – Jun 4                      Blessing of blankets for National Indigenous Peoples Day ceremony

Sun – Jun 18                    Honouring National Indigenous Day of Prayer; Gift-Making @ Noons Creek Hatchery

Wed – Jun 21                  National Indigenous Peoples Day; Coast Salish Blessing Ceremony @ Rocky Point

 

NEW THIS WEEK:

Stewardship Reflection

John 14: 15-21 – Prepared by the Ven. Dr. Michael Pollesel

Jesus promises his disciples that he will go on living in and through them. A faithful steward hears this and allows her or himself to be used as a channel for Jesus in our own world. So, what characteristics of Jesus are going to be seen by what I do and say?

Celebrating Easter New Life at St. John’s: Buildings & Property (updated)

This week we celebrate our ministries relating to management and upkeep of our church buildings and property – Property Maintenance, Future Property Development and the upcoming Community Garden:

—Property Maintenance & Future Property Development – There is always much to do in terms of ensuring that all in the interior buildings and exterior property of St. John’s is kept in tip-top shape. We are grateful especially for the ministries of Buildings Coordinator Rich Thompson and Grounds Coordinator Tony Lee, and all the many other devoted volunteers who help with this integral work. The care of our property and buildings, and the planning for future development, might not be a ministry in the way that we usually think of it, but it reflects a lot of what we do in the church. Clearing weeds and making room for growth in the garden is sort of like focussing our thoughts and making room in our hearts for God’s love. Similarly we are stewards of all the gifts that God gives us, and we can think of our property in this way; we look after it, make the best use of it that we can, and make plans for the future, so that we can continue to do so in the future.

—Community Garden – We have been talking about having a community garden for some years and finally, our dream is becoming a reality. We have seen the landscape of Port Moody changing with more and more multi-family homes being built in the area around the church. These properties typically lack the space to have food gardens. The parish seeks to repurpose our front lawn to make available food garden plots. This will connect the community to our space while supporting food security. It also aligns with our hope to return areas around the garden beds to native BC plants which would help in recovering the land to a more natural habitat for birds, insects or animals, and advancing climate change efforts by replacing grass with food crops.

Easter is all about recognizing the risen Jesus among us, and so we are spending these 50 days of the Easter season lifting up where we see Jesus moving in ministries and programs at St. John’s, and where we sense God’s new life springing forth.

Each week we’re featuring different places at St. John’s where we see the risen Lord on the move, and we invite you to prayerfully discern if you might feel called to be involved… We will have a description of the ministry/program here in the E-postle, as well as some sharing at Sunday worship. 

Volunteering June 21 @ Indigenous Peoples Day Events

The Port Moody Ecological Society and the “In the Presence of Ancestors” Project are looking for enthusiastic people to volunteer on June 21 for the National Indigenous Peoples Day festivities at Rocky Point Park.

They are looking for people who can help them set up in the afternoon, and people who would help greet guests and serve them food during the free feast. They will also need people to help them clear the park at the end of the evening.

This is sure to be an amazing day, and a lot of fun for everyone involved! If you’d like to be involved, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Tracey Schaeffer at volunteer.pofaproject@gmail.com.

More festivities information can be found via the Noons Creek Hatchery Facebook and the Eventbrite page. 

Area Vacation Bible School – July 10-14 (updated with volunteer info)

St. Laurence Anglican and Good Shepherd Lutheran in Coquitlam are partnering to lead Vacation Bible School this year! Kids ages 4-11 are invited to journey with Daniel in ancient Babylon as we learn what it means to be courageous and have integrity in the face of difficulty…and have a whole lot of fun. VBS will be five mornings, July 10-14, from 9-12 noon at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1504 Sprice Ave., Coquitlam. Contact Jason Wood, St. Laurence’s Youth and Family Minister, at stlyouthandfam@gmail.com to register.

Also, if you would be interested in volunteering, they are looking for a variety of roles: leaders for small groups, crafts, drama, and games; and help in decorating and in the kitchen. Please connect with Jason above to offer your assistance. 

Diocesan Synod

This weekend on Friday and Saturday, delegates from St. John’s and other churches across the diocese are meeting at the biennial Diocesan Synod. Please hold everyone gathered at this meeting in prayer, and see the diocesan info page here for more info, including links to the livestream and to synod materials.

Bishop’s Reflection on Red Dress Day

Visit this page to read reflections from Bishop John re: May 5’s National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People, aka “Red Dress Day”. 

Beware Email Scams

A reminder to stay vigilant about email scams! Recently, several people received fraudulent emails claiming to be from Anne, asking for assistance with a money transfer. Other recent emails claiming to be from Vivian ask if you are busy or say that she needs a favour; they claim she is in a meeting and ask you to handle a request discreetly. When you reply, the person asks you to purchase a gift card (or something similar) to help someone in need. Note that Anne and Vivian would never ask you to assist them in these strange ways!

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 Anne (or email rector@stja.ca or deacon@stja.ca directly in a separate email) to confirm.

For further information, 2 government resources re: email fraud recommended by the Diocese are: The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and an article on Internet, email and telephone scams.

 

INFORMATION:

Anglican Church Women (ACW)

The next ACW meeting will be held this Thursday, May 18 at 1pm in the church hall. We will be dispersing our funds to our outreach mission during this meeting. The Spring Tea will also be discussed.

 

HOW YOU CAN SERVE THE WORLD AROUND US

Spring Street Community Kitchen

Thanks to all who participated in our most recent community kitchen on May 11. We enjoyed doing some bulk cooking of soups and sandwiches, with a portion of the food benefiting a local shelter run by Progressive Housing Society.

We’ll be posting photos soon at our Facebook page; follow the page to keep updated on future gatherings. If you have ideas for this ministry collaboration with Inlet United Church, would like to be more involved, or have any questions, connect with Geri at gerigrigg@gmail.com or Vivian at rector@stja.ca 

 

HOW YOU CAN HELP SUPPORT ST. JOHN’S

Join our 125^th Anniversary Planning Team

We are in the process of forming a planning team to ensure that our 125^th Anniversary celebrations next year will be as special as possible! Our first meeting will be in the next couple of weeks, so please connect with Vivian in-person or at rector@stja.ca if you’d like to help.

Flower Chart for 2023

is up at the Narthex (back of the church, by the chapel).  Should you wish to commemorate a birthday, anniversary or give in memory of a loved one, please consider signing up to donate flowers for the altar.

Parish Giving

Donations may be made by cheques, PADs or through e-transfer directly to the church account. Please contact Ruby at peopleswarden@stja.ca or Sheila at treasurer@stja.ca for more details. You may also give via PayPal/credit card via our website. 

 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR FORMATION AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH FOR ALL AGES

Indigenous Plant Walk @ Inlet United

Join Inlet United this Thurs. May 18, 6:30-8pm (rain or shine) for an easy-paced Indigenous Plant Walk around the IOCO neighborhood with Lori Snyder – Indigenous herbalist and educator of wild, edible, and medicinal plants. Meet at Inlet’s IOCO site – 1790 Ioco Rd. Register via office@inletunited.ca. Donations gratefully received.

Youth Retreat @ Camp Artaban

The Diocesan Youth Movement is leading a youth retreat at Camp Artaban on June 2-4, open to youth ages 11-19, in collaboration with PWRDF. The theme is “Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly”. Information and registration can be found here. 

Ongoing Learning

All are welcome at 2 of the weekly online groups that meet for spiritual learning. Zoom links here.

• Tuesdays, 10:15am-12noon – Zoom Bible Study. Explores the upcoming Sunday’s readings together. From time to time throughout the year, the group discusses a book, or has a special seasonal study.
• Tuesdays, 7-8pm – Zoom Prayer Group – explores different forms of contemplative prayer and meditation, and prays for those in our lives and in the wider world. 

 

Readings for May 14, 2023, Sixth Sunday of Easter

Acts 17:22-31; Psalm 66:7-18; 1 Peter 3:13-22; John 14:15-21 

Readings for May 21, 2023, Ascension Sunday

Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 93; Ephesians 1:15-23; Luke 24:44-53