The E-Postle

Home » News » The E-PostlePage 38

The E-postle – April 9, 2017

  Everyone on the parish e-list will be receiving a weekly update of notices and coming events instead of an insert in the Sunday bulletin.  Physical copies of this email will be available on Sundays for those who do not have email or prefer a paper version.  If you know of an event of interest to the parish, please send details to the parish office.  A Safe Community On Saturday April 1, members of the St. John’s community who work with vulnerable persons gathered for a training workshop on the diocesan sexual misconduct policy.  We are called to grapple with this sensitive topic because, as Bishop Melissa Skelton reminds us: “All Christians- lay and ordained- are called to be signs and agents of God’s love in the world.  The church must therefore be a place of welcome, respect, and safety for all people.  No one entering our community should ever have cause to fear for their well-being or the betrayal of their trust… You are helping to ensure that our church remains a place of safety and dignity where all may know the forgiveness and peace of God”.   Some simple and important guidelines: Ask before you give a hug. When you see or experience inappropriate behaviour ask that it be stopped. Do not be alone with a child. If an unusual or inappropriate encounter occurs, tell someone. All of us have a responsibility for maintaining a safe environment. If your ministry involves working with the elderly, children, or vulnerable persons, or you are in a position of authority within the Church and have not taken this workshop in the last five years, speak to me about future workshops.  As part of our commitment to each other in faith, position descriptions for volunteers in the church which outline responsibilities and...

Read More


Read More
April 05, 2017 -
by
in E-Postle

The E-postle – April 2, 2017

The E-postle Pilot Edition April 2, 2017   Dear friends in Christ, Welcome to an experiment in better communications from the parish of St. John the Apostle, Port Moody.  You are receiving this email because you are on the parish e-list.   At the parish council retreat on March 25, communication was listed as a top priority for this year of transition, with clear channels for parishioners to receive and convey information and ideas.  As a result, everyone on the parish e-list will be receiving a weekly update of notices and coming events instead of an insert in the Sunday bulletin.  Physical copies of this email will be available on Sundays for those who do not have email or prefer a paper version.   If you know of an event of interest to the parish, please continue to send details to the parish office.  All pertinent information will be shared.  Our hope is that you will feel more connected to the life of the community and be able to engage in our continuing process of transformation.   Where are We? A Word on the Interim Process St. John’s is now at the 3 month mark since I joined the parish as Interim Priest-in-Charge on January 1, 2017.  The first couple of months have been spent meeting with the leadership and individuals and groups in the parish and developing an understanding of who does what and how.  I have appreciated that there have been many emotions at play in this time of change for the parish, and tried to offer a non-anxious and supportive role for the ongoing work of ministry.  Through the Lenten series on sources of transformation, the leadership has begun to elicit some of the stories, concerns, and hopes of the community.   The next step is for the wardens...

Read More


Read More
March 29, 2017 -
by
in E-Postle

Fall Apostle

The Apostle September 2015 Dear Friends in Christ: This summer I began a new chapter in my life as I became the Director of Anglican Formation at the Vancouver School of Theology (VST), University of British Columbia. I am considered faculty, and I have an office on the third floor of the new VST building on campus. People of the parish have been very congratulatory, supportive and encouraging, which has been a blessing. I was touched that so many expressed relief that I am not departing. I will continue as Rector of St John’s and I will be here most Sundays. I will be at VST Tuesdays and Thursdays, and my typical office hours at St John’s will be Monday and Wednesday mornings (which is not that different than what I was doing). This is a new lease on life for me, as I enter into a teaching and mentoring role with people in the process of discerning and training for their future in ministry. Having been a university chaplain many years ago, I know what an exciting and stimulating place a university environment is. I also know that I will bring that enthusiasm, and new insights and experiences, into the life of St John’s as a result. It is also a new lease on life for the parish, as we seek and find a person to become part of the ministry team. This person, who will work at 1/3 time, will bring a new set of gifts and interests and experiences, that will be enriching to the parish as a whole. We are still in the process of figuring out exactly what the role will look like, but we have had interest expressed in the position, so I hope we will be announcing this new staff person sometime soon,...

Read More


Read More
September 28, 2015 -
by
in E-Postle
%d bloggers like this: