The E-Postle May12, 2019

Fourth Sunday of Easter

E-postle

May 12, 2019

  “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

Saturday, May 11        2–4pm – ACW Annual Spring Tea

Tuesday, May 14         10:15am–12noon – Bible Study in the Parish Hall

Thursday, May 16       7pm – ACW meeting

Fri- Sat, May 24-25      (at Italian Cultural Centre) Diocesan Synod

Monday, May 27         7–9pm – Parish Council meeting

 

Stewardship Reflection

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.  Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9

Question:  What does this mean to you?

 

Prayer Circle

Please note that Sue Elliott will be away from May 7^th  to 14^th. In Sue’s absence, please contact Joan Scott with any prayer requests or send an email to prayer@stja.ca.

 

Last Call for ACW Annual Spring Tea

The ACW Annual Spring Tea takes place on Saturday, May 11th between 2:00 and 4:00 pm. Donations of baking and plants for the bake table and the plant table will be much appreciated and can be dropped off at the hall after 11:00 am on the day of the sale, or you can bring them in, between 1:30 and 2:00 pm when the sale starts.  As usual we are mentioning that our baked goods table is extremely popular and everything sells out very quickly so we count on the generosity of our great bakers.  Pies are in great demand as well as loaf cakes, cookies and squares or anything that is your specialty.  Please be sure to identify any baking and, particularly, label the plants that you bring in so we can identify them.  This year we are also adding a jewelry table. Thank you for your generosity.  Hope to see you there!

 

Napier Street Building Update

Napier Street has sold!  The former rectory of St. Margaret of Scotland, which was a rental property for several years, has been sold.  Following approval from the Vestry in 2018 and from the Diocese and also following lots of administrative work by your Parish Council, Housing Committee and the Diocesan staff, the property was listed.  Parish Council accepted a clean offer.  The new owner is intending to renovate the house and live in it.  The Housing Committee has begun the process of looking for a new property, closer to the church.

ACW General News

The next A.C.W. meeting will be on Thursday May 16th at 7pm. The discussion of disbursements of our finances to outreach will be on the agenda for this meeting.

 

Grounds, Painting, and Building Coordinators

As announced at Annual Vestry this year, we are grateful to Rich Thompson for his dedicated ministry as Property Coordinator for the parish. As Rich transitions out of the position, we have reworked it into 3 roles: 1) Grounds Coordinator, 2) Painting Coordinator, and 3) Building Coordinator.

A big thank you to Tony Lee for serving as our new Grounds Coordinator, and to Bob Kuhn for serving as our new Painting Coordinator. We are still recruiting for Building Coordinator (overseeing maintenance and repairs of our building) so if you have gifts in this area, please prayerfully consider it, and connect with Ruby or Vivian if you would be willing to serve or otherwise have any questions.

Also, if you are interested in helping out in any of the 3 areas in the future, please connect with the appropriate Coordinator.

Finally, with more people in the mix, we are moving to a more centralized coordination of parish maintenance needs – please contact Jennifer in the Parish Office with any repair requests/concerns, and she will make sure they are forwarded to the right person.

 

Request from the “Gardener”

If anyone has a weed trimmer/edger to spare or they no longer need, and would like to donate to the church, please connect with Tony Lee. You will have the privilege of a front pew for a whole year! (Editorial note: for the record, this particular “church indulgence” not endorsed by the Rector…)

 

Diocesan Ministry Contacts

We are seeking parishioners who would be interested in serving as diocesan contact persons this year for various ministry areas. Currently, we have openings for contacts for: Eco-Justice, Ecumenical/Multi-Faith Ministry, Evangelism, Primate’s World Relief & Development (PWRDF), Youth Ministry, and Young Adult Ministry.

Volunteers should (obviously!) have some interest in the particular area of ministry, and your main responsibility would be simply to receive periodic emails and/or mailings from the diocese re: relevant news and programs, and disseminating this information to parish leadership and the wider congregation. We are looking for people to serve from now until our next Annual Vestry (in Feb. 2020). Please speak to Vivian if you are interested in volunteering or in learning more about it.

 

Diocesan Annual Synod

The theme for Diocesan Synod 2019 is “Love One Another: Christ’s Body, the Church”, and it will take place on Friday and Saturday, May 24-25 at the Italian Cultural Centre in Vancouver. Laypersons elected at our Annual Vestry meeting as well as our clergy attend as delegates – please keep them and delegates from other parishes across the diocese in your prayers as we gather for this biennial governance meeting.

See https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/diocesan-ministries/synods for more information on synod, including some informational videos and documents for the meeting.

 

Prayer for our Neighbours

We were very sorry to hear of the death this past week of the Rev. Tom Cheung in a vehicle crash at the Peace Arch border. Pastor Cheung was the lead pastor of Pacific Grace Mennonite Brethren Church, our neighbours on St. John Street. Please pray for Pastor Cheung’s wife Athens, their three children, and all of our brothers and sisters at Pacific Grace in this difficult time. A fundraising page for the family has been set up at https://www.gofundme.com/tomcheung.

 

 Knitted Blankets Needed for “Stakw – Water is Life” Closing Event

We have been asked by Tasha Faye Evans if we would please supply three blankets to be presented to the Elders at the final Ceremony for the Welcome Post project for this year on June 21^st, National Indigenous People’s Day. We already have one volunteer knitter and would like two more. For more details about the blankets and to say you would be willing to knit a blanket, please contact Anne Anchor at deacon@stja.ca.

This final celebration will be at Rocky Point on Friday, June 21, 6:30-9:30pm, and will include a water blessing ceremony for the Burrard Inlet. We will hear different songs and witness the traditional ocean-going canoes from neighbouring First Nations, share in a Community Feast, and enjoy live entertainment and a Give Away.

 

Welcome Post Project’s Coast Salish cultural events

Join us as we embark on the Welcome Post Project’s second year of Coast Salish Cultural events. This year’s project is “Stakw – Water is Life” and is all about Water and the significance of water in Coast Salish culture and the way of life for all of our relations. Please see below for the next couple of events and visit www.noonscreek.org for more information.

 

Thursday, May 16 – Archaeology and Ethnohistory of Port Moody Foreshore Parks 

7pm, Noons Creek Hatchery

Slideshow and presentation on the archaeology and ethnohistory of the Port Moody Foreshore with Dr. Stan Copp.

 

Sunday, May 26 – Gathering Medicines and Tea Making Workshop 

1pm, Noons Creek Hatchery

An exciting guided nature walk and tea making workshop with Cease Wyss. Note: Pre-registration is required at Eventbrite (link will be available soon via www.noonscreek.org).

 

Sunday, June 2 – People of the Inlet: A History of Tsleil Waututh Nation 

1:30 – 3:30pm, Inlet Theatre, 300 Ioco Rd, Port Moody (beside the library and City Hall)

Listen to Carleen Thomas share slides and family stories about her Nation’s history located here in the Burrard Inlet.  Further your understanding of what it means to be residents of Port Moody and joining the legacy of ancestors sharing the sacred responsibility to care for these Coast Salish Lands and Waters.

 

Proteins needed for St. John’s 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. John’s Food Bank in May:

• 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, arrange with the office to drop off during the week, or give some money to this ministry towards the purchase of fresh products.

 

Prayer Cycle

The Anglican Church of Canada – the Most Rev. Fred Hiltz, Primate, and the Rt. Rev. Mark MacDonald, National Indigenous Bishop.

The Diocese of New Westminster – the Most Rev. Melissa Skelton, Archbishop, and Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of BC and Yukon.

 

This week:

*       St. Matthias & St. Luke, Vancouver – The Reverend Marion Wong;

*        Our partner Diocese of Northern Philippines, Bishop Brent Alawas, and 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 and the Polish Evangelical Church.

 

Readings for May 12, 2019 – Fourth Sunday of Easter

Acts: 9:36-43; Psalm 23; Revelation 7:9-17; John 10:22-30

Readings for May 19, 2019 – Fifth Sunday of Easter

Acts: 11:1-18; Psalm 148; Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35

  

Important Contact Information

Rector – The Rev. Vivian Lam – rector@stja.ca or 604-936-7762

Office Administrator – Jennifer Green – administrator@stja.ca or 604-936-7762 (Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm)

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 or ACW@stja.ca

Children’s Ministry /Godly Play – Christina Anchor – children@stja.ca

Prayer Shawls – Rosa Weisensel – administrator@stja.ca

Bible Study – Lynne Milner – biblestudy@stja.ca

Food Bank – Lynne Milner – foodbank@stja.ca