The E-Postle December 9, 2018

The Second Sunday of Advent
E-postle
December 9, 2018

“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”

Upcoming Dates
Tuesday Dec 11 10:30-noon, Bible Study in the parish hall
Tuesday Dec 11 The Rev. Vivian Lam’s Induction – 7 pm with rehearsal at 6 pm.
Thursday Dec. 13 12:00p.m. ACW luncheon in the church hall
Monday Dec 24 Christmas Eve Service times are 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
Tuesday Dec 25 Christmas Day Service is at 10:00 a.m.

Rector’s Note
How has everyone’s Advent been so far? What have you been doing to make a little time and space for God in this hectic season? This is the first year that I have had an Advent wreath at home (thanks to our wreath workshop this past Sunday!) and it has been a wonderful reminder to slow down in this season and make some extra time for God each day. Every morning before my commute in to the office, I have been lighting the wreath for 5-10 minutes and reading through an Advent meditation – either an AdventWord facebook post or the Living the Edge booklet (often both). It’s been such a nice way to centre myself and get my day off to a less harried start. And I have something spiritual to chew on for the rest of the day too.

Thanks to everyone who has been contributing such wonderful meditations to our St. John’s Adventword calendar at www.facebook.com/StJohnAnglican, and also to all who have been reading, commenting, and offering their own reflections. We’re still looking for a few more people to adopt-a-word for future days, so if you’ve been inspired by the ones so far and considering being a contributor, I encourage you to go for it and sign up on Sunday!

Peace,
Vivian

Advent Learning Opportunities
Starting this Sunday Dec. 9, and continuing on Dec. 16 & 23, after the 8:30am and 10am services come gather to share our findings and discoveries about God through our AdventWords. Check out our St. John’s Adventword calendar at www.facebook.com/StJohnAnglican and the paper version in our parish hall. You can also view the global Advent calendar at https://www.adventword.org/, and sign up there for daily emailed meditations on each word.

The Tuesday 10:30am Bible study is continuing to discuss together on Dec. 11 and 18 the Living in the Edge program. From the program description: “How do we find our way when one thing is ending and another thing is beginning? In the great joys and sorrows of our lives, and in the economic, political and climatic changes of our world, how do we live in the in-between?” Read more about the program at http://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/diocesan-resources/2018-advent-resource, and scroll to the bottom of the page to sign up for daily emails (whether or not you can attend on Tuesdays).

Stewardship Reflection
From the Book “The Broken Body ‘ by Jean Vanier (1988, Paulist press)

Our brokenness is the wound through which the full power of God can penetrate our being and transfigured us in God. Loneliness is not something from which we must flee but the place from where we can cry out to God. Yes through our wounds the power of God can penetrate us and become like rivers of living water to irrigate the arid earth within us. Thus we may irrigate the arid earth of others so that hope and love are reborn.

Question: Where and how can you give hope and love to someone this week?

Food Bank Christmas Fundraiser
Each year at this time we ask parishioners for a donation of $20 towards a gift of boxed cookies to be given out to Food Bank families at Christmas. The remainder goes towards the Christmas dinner on Dec. 6 and the extra groceries given on Dec. 20. There will be a table set out at the back of the Church on Dec.2, Dec.9 and Dec. 16 to receive donations.

Reminder to Wear Name Tags
Now that Vivian has arrived as our new rector, let’s all wear our name tags for a while so that she can get used to everyone’s names.

ACW Pizza Lunch
The A.C.W. will be meeting on Thursday, Dec. 13th at 12 noon for a Pizza Lunch. We will also be packing goodie baskets for seniors after lunch, and collecting up home baked goods for the Mission To Seafarers. All ladies of the Parish are welcome to attend. Cost for the lunch is $10.

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 a member of the Altar Guild if you are interested in joining us.
STJA Website
We are continually monitoring and updating information on the website with the support of Amanda Mungal and Josh Pry of “Its Your Time”.
Should you see any information that’s incorrect or incomplete, please let Vivian (rector@stja.ca) or Ruby (peopleswarden@stja.ca) know.

Proteins needed for St. Johns Food Bank
Protein-rich foods are often the most expensive items for families to purchase when grocery shopping. People on limited budgets often cannot afford them, and make do with stodgy foods to fill stomachs. Please help those who need them by donating the following to St. Johns Food Bank in December:
• tinned salmon, tuna, chicken, beef (not all can eat pork products)
• shelf stable nut butters
• dried or tinned beans and peas
• powdered or shelf stable milks
• meaty stews or soups
• cans of vegetables
Bring your offerings on Sunday, drop off during the week Monday through Thursday 9:30 am to 1:30 pm, or give some money to this ministry towards the purchase of fresh products.

Brenda’s Volunteer Mission to Guyana 2019
I will be flying to Guyana on January 7th 2019, returning at the end of March 2019. This journey consists of 3 flights with an 18-hour overnight stopover in Toronto, resulting in a total travel time of 36 hours. What a journey this will be!

I will be dividing my volunteer time between St. Ann’s Orphanage and the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) of the local Georgetown government. My duties at the CPA are not defined as yet, but I have an idea of what they will be. Wish me luck! I will keep in touch with you all by continuing to send you updates of my mission.

3030 Gordon Avenue – Transition Housing
St. John’s is one of four local churches involved in the clothing donation ministry at the Gordon Shelter.
This winter, each church will again be targeting specific items for a drive before Christmas. From Nov. 17th until Dec. 15th, our church will be collecting donations of new or used sweat pants and/or hoodies. If you would like to donate, you can bring these items to the church and Mary Lou or Betty will take them to the shelter.
Thank you to all of you who have been donating clothing to the shelter!
We would still like to have more volunteers for this ministry. It is just 2 hours every 4 weeks.
Please connect with Marylou Kyle or Betty Moore if you are interested in giving a helping hand.
For info on the Gordon Shelter, please check them out at
http://www.raincityhousing.org/what-we-do/3030-gordon-project-coquitlam/
Prayer Cycle
The Anglican Church, the Diocese of New Westminster, Archbishop Melissa Skelton;

This week:
* The Anglican Canadian Asian Ministry (ACAM) Group
* The Deanery of Richmond-Delta – The Reverend Brian Vickers, Regional Dean
* Our partner Diocese of Northern Philippines, Bishop Brent Alawas, and especially the people of our twin church at St. John’s Mission, Bila, Mountain Province;
*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 and the Polish Evangelical Church.

Readings for December 9, 2018 – 2nd Sunday of Advent
Malachi 3:1-4; Canticle 19a; Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6

Readings for December 16, 2018 – 3rd Sunday of Advent
Zephaniah 3:14-20; Canticle 3 (Isaiah 12:2-6); Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18

Important Contact Information
Rector – The Rev. Vivian Lam rector@stja.ca or 604-936-7762
Parish Office- Kelly Million administrator@stja.ca or 604-936-7762: 9:30 am- 1:30 pm Mon. – Thurs.
Rector’s Warden- Geri Grigg rectorswarden@stja.ca
People’s Warden – Ruby Ng peopleswarden@stja.ca
Treasurer – Cedric Miller treasurer@stja.ca
Envelope Secretary – Sheila de Vaal envelopesecretary@stja.ca
Parish Council – Adelaine Miller, Secretary parishcouncilsecretary@stja.ca
Altar Guild – Brenda Binns altarguild@stja.ca
St. John Prayer Circle – Sue Elliott prayer@stja.ca
Pastoral Visiting Ministry – Joanne Walton/Alma Oldenburg pastoralvisits@stja.ca
Anglican Church Women (ACW) – Sue Hall 604-936-0176 ACW@stja.ca
Children Ministry /Godly Play – Christina Anchor children@stja.ca
Prayer Shawls – Rosa Weisensel shawls@stja.ca
Bible Study – Lynne Milner biblestudy@stja.ca
Food Bank – Lynne Milner foodbank@stja.ca