The E-postle October 13, 2019

Harvest Thanksgiving

E-postle

October 13, 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

Sunday, October 13                Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday & 1^st Stewardship Presentation on “Giving”

Tuesday, October 15               10:15am–12noon – 1^st “Holy Envy” Book Study – in the Parish Hall

Thursday, October 17             7–8pm – A.C.W. meeting

Saturday, October 19              5–8pm – All-Ages Parish Games Night

Sunday, October 20                after the 10am service – Food Bank volunteer meeting

Sunday, October 27                Stewardship Pledge Sunday

Monday, October 28               7–9pm – Parish Council Meeting

Saturday, November 2            10am–2:30pm – Parish Bazaar

 

 

Rector’s Note

As we gather this weekend with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving, it is such an appropriate time of year to remind ourselves anew of the thankfulness that is woven into the core of a life of faith. As it says in 1 Thessalonians (5:16-18) – “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” We strive to give thanks in all circumstances, whether “good” or “bad”, because of the abiding joy that is a life growing into and living out a full, rich, and deep relationship with our loving Creator.

Thanksgiving is also a wonderfully fitting opening to our 3 Stewardship Sundays. Consider the thought-provoking invitation from our Stewardship Team this year, to prayerfully ponder how we might “lovingly share and creatively demonstrate our God-given gifts” here at our parish, and in the world around us. I pray that as we give unceasing thanks for all the gifts that God has blessed us with, that the Holy Spirit would grant us new and renewed insight and joy into how God might use these gifts – in each and every one of us – to love and serve God and neighbour in new and exciting ways in the upcoming year.

Peace, Vivian

 

Stewardship Reflection

Draw Near to God – by Glen Mitchell

Jesus taught us to put God’s priorities ahead of our own. This obviously involves an act of faith so I will look at us as a community of faith.

1. Why are so many of us sitting in this church today?

*many will say it’s because they were born Anglican.

*others will say they want to offer thanks and praise to God.

*some will say it’s the feeling of community.

 

2. All of us should answer this question from time to time.

*it will reveal that our own reasons are a powerful affirmation of our faith.

*it will help us to realize that coming to church is a necessary part of our lives.

*it will help us to see that the body of Christ is a living reality in our fellow parishioners.

 

3. How are the people of St. John’s living as a community of faith?

*we have people involved in the parish.

*there are volunteers ministering to the needs of the parish and our neighbourhood.

*many people attend weekly Eucharist.

*many are weekly envelope users providing a percent of the money needed to keep the parish open.

*we have a number of active ministries involved.

 

This is impressive evidence of putting God first in our parish. Not everyone though is active in this community. Many of us just haven’t thought about our responsibilities as parishioners. Others may think they don’t have anything to offer. Some feel they simply don’t have enough time. The good news is: our offer of ministry is not only deeply needed but deeply appreciated and helps our community grow.

 

A Note from the Stewardship Team

The Stewardship Team has prepared pledge packages, and these will be handed out this Sunday, October 13. These packages contain a stewardship letter, a pledge form for financial contributions, and a participation sheet. Please fill out these forms and place them in the envelope provided in your package. Then bring back them back to church on October 27, where they will be collected during the offertory that Sunday. These envelopes can also be mailed back to the church, if you are unable to attend on Sunday.

Also, please note that there will be speaker presentations beginning this Sunday, October 13. This week, Geri Grigg will be speaking on “giving” as it pertains to stewardship. We are pleased that she was willing to participate in this manner and we look forward to her insight and sharing on this topic. We hope you find these presentations helpful as we all consider our contribution and participation for the upcoming year at St. John’s.

• The Stewardship Team

“Lovingly sharing and creatively demonstrating our God-given gifts”

 

Thanksgiving Fruits and Vegetables 

The Altar Guild is planning to decorate the church for Thanksgiving this Saturday October 12th at 9.30 a.m. Donations of fruit and vegetables to display would be appreciated. Apples, oranges, potatoes, carrots, onions, squash, or pumpkins may be considered which will be distributed at the next Food Bank session. Soft fruits and vegetables with a ‘short shelf life’ are not recommended please. If you wish to do so you may make a donation to the Altar Guild through your envelope. Thank you.

 

Let’s Bag Hunger!

Join us in replenishing the shelves at our Food Bank by participating in the “Let’s Bag Hunger!” campaign. Remember to fill your bag with non-perishable items and bring them back to church this Sunday, Oct. 13, when we will bless these donations as part of our Harvest Thanksgiving worship service.

 

Guest Musician

We extend a warm welcome to Birgit Giesser, who will be serving as guest musician at worship this Sunday, October 13, while LaRee is away.

 

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. Contact us at altarguild@stja.ca.

 

Parish Council Message Re: Marriage at St. John’s

At our September 30 Parish Council meeting, following consideration of Archbishop Melissa Skelton’s pastoral letter of July 17, we had a strong, prayerful, and joyful consensus that we would like to make marriage between same-sex couples available at St. John’s, supporting our parish values of inclusivity and hospitality. We plan to move forward with this officially as of our November 25 Council meeting.

If you have questions about this, please see any Parish Council member (The Rev. Vivian Lam, The Rev. Anne Anchor, Geri Grigg, Ruby Ng, Cedric Miller, Mary Lou Kyle, Adelaine Miller, Tony Pellett, Sheila De Vaal, Rosa Wiesensel, or Brian McGlashan). If people feel the need and there is enough interest, we will consider further parish discussion on this matter.

 

Property Update

Parish Council is continuing to consider options for our property.

Along with creating value statements which will help guide discussions, members of Parish Council have had meetings with Mayor Rob Vagramov, Councillor Amy Lubik and City staff, MLA Rick Glumac and the Port Moody Foundation.  We are referencing data collected from the parish from past consultations.  We have heard that priorities include: parking and accessibility, daycare space, affordable housing and housing innovation as well as community inclusion space such as meeting rooms and performance venues.  We are attending a Diocesan event on October 16 on property development.

As we welcome a new Parish Council for 2020, it will be a priority to develop a specific plan for our property.

 

Financial Status

As requested, we append below the financial status up to 31st August, 2019.

Statement of Income and Expenses as of YTD to Aug 2019

	ACTUAL	BUDGETED
INCOME	$137,975	$141,833
EXPENSES	$144,694	$141,833
Surplus (-) Loss	-$6,719	$0

 

Offering for General Funds	$97,606	$116,134
Offering for Property	$14,529	$12,800

  

Fall Book Study

Our October/November book study on Barbara Brown Taylor’s new book, Holy Envy begins this Tuesday, Oct. 15, 10:15am-12noon! If you have ordered a book through the parish, keep an eye out for an emailed update in the next couple of days. If you can, please read the introduction to the book in preparation for the first session.

We invite you to come join us as we explore together Taylor’s story of encountering various other religions as an Episcopal priest and as a college religion professor, and how her own Christianity informed and shaped that journey. There will be time and space for us also to reflect and share about our own journeys, and to consider how we as individuals and as a community share our faith with others, how we might respectfully and lovingly engage with and learn about other faiths, all the while deepening and strengthening our own walks with Jesus as we move through our wide and diverse world.

We will meet on 5 Tuesdays (Oct. 15 through Nov. 12) from 10:15am-noon at the church. If you’re interested in a parallel evening group meeting in parishioner homes, or if you have any questions about this book study, please connect with Vivian in person or at rector@stja.ca.

 

Anglican Church Women (A.C.W)

The next meeting of St. John’s A.C.W. will be held this Thursday, October 17th at 7pm in the church hall. We will be discussing final arrangements for the upcoming Fall Bazaar. If you have any contributions to the raffle baskets, please bring them to the meeting.

 

Games Night

Having a hard time finding someone to play chess, cribbage, Sorry, Jenga, Monopoly, Scrabble, Battleship, Operation, Pop the Pig or other games? Always wanted to learn? Come join us for a St. John’s Games Night this Saturday Oct. 19, 5-8pm, downstairs in the church hall. We will have all sorts of card and board games for adults and kids of all ages, and lots of conversation and chances to get to know each other in a fun way!

We will provide refreshments and light supper food; bring a snack or dessert to share if you can. Stay for all 3 hours or just stop by for part of the time.

Please RSVP by this Sunday Oct. 13 at administrator@stja.ca to help us plan well for food and space. Any questions, please email administrator@stja.ca or speak with Amalia/Brian McGlashan or Amanda Mungal.

Let’s play!!

 

Fall Bazaar – Saturday, November 2, 2019

The fall bazaar sign up sheets are posted on the wall downstairs. Please feel free to sign up on these sheets. You can also speak directly to Rosa Weisensel, Pronella Daniels, Joanne Walton, Brenda Binns, Ann Adair-Austin, Sue Elliott, Sue Hall, Sharon Cooper, Debora Jones-Akiyama, or Kristin Kuhn and they will make sure your name gets added. We need volunteers at each of our tables, to serve lunch, to sell raffle tickets and lunch tickets, to collect food and/or cash donations for our food bank, to help in our Kid’s Zone, to bake cakes for our cake walk, to bake for our bake table, or to come and help wherever and whenever you can. There are also sign up sheets for setting up tables on Thursday, October 31, for setting up displays and receiving contributions of baking, crafts, and final contributions on Friday, November 1, and cleaning up after the 10 am service on Sunday, November 3, There is a place for everyone and we need your support to make this event a success!! Please consider volunteering for an hour or so, if possible, in some capacity. It will be a lot of fun.

If you have items hanging around that you no longer need, we are accepting donations for our white elephant sale. Please drop off donations during office hours at the PMC, or bring them with you on Sunday morning. PLEASE REMEMBER, NO CLOTHING FOR THIS SALE (save them for our annual garage sale!).

Raffle tickets are available after both services and are $2 per ticket. There are some great prizes. So make sure you get some tickets or ask for a book of tickets to take to sell to your friends, family, and neighbours.

We hope to see as many of you out as possible to this event. We have worked hard to make sure there is something for everyone. This year, we have a new environmentally friendly focus. If you have not come out to the bazaar before, please come this year. If you regularly attend this event, we are looking forward to seeing you again. Please invite your family, friends, and neighbours and come and join with us to celebrate our creativity and accept this presentation as our gift to our community and our neighbourhood. Thank you for saving the date and for your support!

 

Report from the Re-Sponse Committee

We have exciting news regarding our second refugee family.  We have learned that the family has received a phone call from International Organization for Migration who makes travel arrangements for refugees, advising that the family will be flying to Ankara on Oct 13th and they are expected to arrive in Vancouver on October 16th. They will stay in their brother’s home when they arrive.

Anyone who has questions about how you might get involved in helping the family get settled (maybe you would be able to take them to appointments, help them learn about our transit system, or have coffee with them so they can practice their English), please speak to Mary Kyle.

 

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.

• 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. Linda Nicholls, Primate, and the Most 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.

And this week:

*        The Diocesan Eco-Justice Unit – The Reverend Margaret Marquardt (Chair)

*        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

 

Readings for October 13, 2019 – Harvest Thanksgiving

Deuteronomy 26:1–11; Psalm 100; Philippians 4:4–9; John 6:25–35

 

Readings for October 20, 2019 – 19th Sunday after Pentecost

Jeremiah 31:27-34; Psalm 119:97-104; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Luke 18:1-8

 

Important Contact Information

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

Deacon – The Rev. Anne Anchor – deacon@stja.ca

Office Administrator – Jennifer Green (currently on leave)

Interim Office Administrator – Sarah Golding – administrator@stja.ca or 604-936-7762

            (Office Hours during this interim time are Tues/Wed/Thurs, 9am-1:30pm & Fri, 9am-11:30am)

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