The E-postle August 1, 2021

The E-postle August 1, 2021

Tenth Sunday After Pentecost
E-Postle
August 1, 2021

“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”

 

THIS ISSUE AT A GLANCE

  • Upcoming Dates
  • Worship & Prayer: Guest Musician, Noonday Psalms & Prayers August Sabbath, New Prime Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines, Ongoing Pastoral Care & Support
  • Formation: July/August Indigenous Truth & Reconciliation Online Book Study, Education for Ministry (EfM), Area Youth Group!
  • Stewardship: Stewardship Reflection
  • Parish Matters: Reopening for In-Person Worship Planned for Sept. 19, Current Parish Office & Buildings Status, Bishop’s July 5 Letter on Current Diocesan COVID Guidelines, Financial Status for April and May 2021, Parish Giving, Ongoing Updates Pages, E-Postle Submissions
  • Parish Ministries: Food Bank Report
  • Community News: Summer Offering – Morning Prayer, Sacred Teachings Podcast – The Season of Ginny – “A Love Letter to Her People”, Spring Street Community Kitchen
  • Weekly Devotions: Prayer Cycle, Scripture Readings
  • Important Contact Information

 
UPCOMING DATES

***Note: All gatherings below take place online via Zoom unless otherwise indicated.***
(Visit https://www.stja.ca/2021/program-updates/ for connection information)

Sunday, August 1                   8:30am & 10:00am – Sunday Morning Prayer

https://zoom.us/j/542312325?pwd=R3FKTnZ4WUU1YUFveCtzOUljM2FLZz09
Meeting ID: 542 312 325
Password: 010729

Sunday, August 1                   following 8:30am and 10:00am worship – Informal Virtual “Coffee Hour”
Tuesday, August 3                  10:15am – 12noon – 4th Tues AM Truth & Reconciliation Book Study
Tuesday, August 3                  7:00pm – 8:00pm – Prayer Group
Wednesday, August 4            7:30pm – 9:00pm – 4th Wed Eve Truth & Reconciliation Book Study

WORSHIP & PRAYER

Guest Musician

We extend a warm welcome to Susan Summers, who is serving as guest musician at our 10am Zoom worship this Sunday, August 1, while LaRee is away.

Noonday Psalms & Prayers August Sabbath

Our Noonday Psalms & Prayers leaders will be taking a sabbath during the month of August so that we can have some rest and rejuvenation, and take some time to evaluate the program. We will be showcasing some previous videos on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/StJohnAnglican during this time – we hope that you’ll continue to join us each day at noon, and be blessed by an old favourite prayer, or a new one that you had missed earlier!

We would love to hear your feedback, especially about whether or not we should continue with this ministry post-pandemic. Please let Vivian know at rector@stja.ca how these psalms and prayers have impacted your faith life, and if you have any other comments or ideas for us.

New Prime Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines

We offer prayers of thanksgiving for Archbishop Brent Alawas’ installation on July 30 as the 7th Prime Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines. He was most recently the Bishop of our partner Diocese of Northern Philippines; we pray also for their diocese in this transition time.

Ongoing Pastoral Care & Support

A note from Vivian:

Please know that St. John’s is here for you as we continue to move through this pandemic. Now that I don’t see many of you as regularly, and with the limitations of virtual interactions, it is more challenging to know what everyone’s state of wellbeing and ongoing pastoral needs are. I invite and encourage you to reach out to me or to any of the other parish resources below, if and as you need.

Rector – Please contact me via rector@stja.ca or cell.  I am happy to connect via phone, email, text, Facetime or Zoom, and, during this pandemic, in-person in urgent situations. I am here for support in crisis times (i.e. emergencies, hospital stays) and if you would like prayer for an upcoming medical procedure or other major circumstance. I am also available for general spiritual support and encouragement, and can offer a listening ear and prayer in the moment.

Community “Phone a Friend” – our Stewardship Team has set up phone teams to call folks each week to “check in” and help lessen isolation and foster connection. Connect with Kristin (bobandkristinkuhn@gmail.com or 778-957-8987) or Natasha (freefromfear101@gmail.com or 604-961-6630) if you’d like to receive or help make these calls.

Sunday Prayers of the People – If you would like to be prayed for in our Sunday intercessions, please email Anne at deacon@stja.ca. You will be prayed for by first name, for whatever time period you indicate. If you are adding someone else, please be sure you have their OK to do so.

Prayer Circle – Please email Sue E. at prayer@stja.ca. This is a group of parishioners who commit to pray for prayer needs of parishioners and friends/families. All requests are kept confidential within the group, and you can let the group know as much or as little detail of the situation they’re praying for, as you wish. If you are requesting prayer for someone else, please be sure you have their OK to do so.

Parish Visiting Ministry – Members of this team focus on our parishioners who are homebound or living in care homes. During this pandemic time, they are praying for and connecting with these parishioners via phone, email, and mail. Please connect with Joanne W. or Alma at pastoralvisits@stja.ca with needs in this area.

FORMATION

July/August Indigenous Truth & Reconciliation Online Book Study

Our 4-week online weekly book study on the intersection of our faith and our journey toward Indigenous Truth & Reconciliation has 2 groups, each covering the same material:

1 – Tuesday mornings (10:15am-12noon) – last session is August 3.
2 – Wednesday evenings (7:30 – 9:00pm) – last session is August 4.

Please visit https://www.stja.ca/2021/program-updates/ for the Zoom link for each session.

Week 4 Reading –  Walking Together
For Session #4 (August 3/4), please read the stories below in In This Together before the session. Pray and think about what it means for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples to walk forward together into truth, justice, and reconciliation, and what unique gifts and challenges we bring to this work as Christians.

(Page numbers refer to the paper book – the electronic version’s page numbers will depend on how big you have the font!)

  • Story 1 – The Importance of Rivers – p. 11
  • Story 5 – This Many-Storied Land – p. 53
  • Story 8 – Two-Step – p. 87

As we finish up this study, we encourage you also to consider what your personal “next step” might be on this journey, as well as what could be our parish’s “next step” – we will make some space to share these with one another at our session.

Education for Ministry (EfM)

We have just completed the 20th year of EfM groups held at St. John’s, and our three graduates are Heather Esposito (St. Laurence), Lois Holmlund (St. Stephen) and Connie Keen (St. Laurence). They were honoured at an on-line graduation service with Bishop John. Congratulations to all three!

A key component to EfM is Theological Reflection that gives you tools by which to reflect on your life, your faith, your personal belief, and your actions. This year this will be from the perspective of “Living Faithfully in Your World”. Through this lens we will study scripture, church history and evolving theologies. Year One is the Hebrew scriptures; Year Two is the Christian Testament; Year Three is the history of Christianity, and Year Four is deepening our understanding of Christian theology. Your commitment is for one year at a time.

The EfM program meets on Wednesday evenings from Sept. to May with mentors Anne Anchor and Debora Jones-Akiyama and fellow journeyers from different parishes. We have had it confirmed that EfM will meet via Zoom in September. The fee is $350.00 per annum.

Please contact Anne at deacon@stja.ca for more information or if you would like to register.

Area Youth Group!

Are you a member of our St. John’s community that is aged 14 to 19, or are you entering grade 7 this year? If so, that means you are the perfect age to participate in the exciting youth activities happening right now, over the summer, and continuing next year!

The local youth group that meets at St. Laurence Anglican Church meets regularly to have fun together and is involved in all sorts of youth-related community and church projects. There are also lots of chances to participate in the youth movement to support youth in our churches at large, or to add a youth perspective to the work of the church. If you are interested in youth activities and would like to connect with our local youth group, please contact Kristin Kuhn at bobandkristinkuhn@gmail.com or connect with the Parish Office and we will help build that connection with you!

STEWARDSHIP

Stewardship Reflection

From Sunday by Sunday: Reflections on Stewardship, prepared by the Ven. Dr. Michael Pollesel:

John 6:24-35
Jesus talks about satisfying individuals’ hunger and thirst. Sorry Coke; sorry McDonald’s — a faithful steward knows WHO can truly satisfy!

PARISH MATTERS

Reopening for In-Person Worship Planned for Sept. 19

As of our July 27 meeting, Parish Council has decided to plan for a reopening of our buildings for in-person worship on Sunday, Sept. 19. There are still many details to be worked out in order to ensure a safe environment for all, and to allow for ways to connect online to worship. We will communicate these details to the parish in the next several weeks as they are decided.

In the meantime, our current safety protocols for parish small groups, outside user groups, and the Parish Office will continue. Please see “Current Parish Office & Buildings Status” below.

Results from our recent Parish Survey are being compiled into an Executive Summary, and will be distributed by the end of this coming week – please keep an eye out for this email. Thanks again to all who participated and provided this important information for Council decision-making.

Current Parish Office & Buildings Status

Note: You may view our original reopening plan, the guide for user groups, as well as diocesan updates at https://www.stja.ca/2021/updates-re-coronavirus/

PARISH OFFICE
The Parish Office is open 3 partial days a week – generally on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 10am-2pm – but this schedule may shift from time to time. For now, the office will not be open to walk-in visitors – anyone coming by the office for a necessary purpose will need to make an appointment beforehand and follow Covid safety protocols as directed.

Anyone planning to come inside the church buildings at this time must also check in beforehand with Deanna in the office at administrator@stja.ca – even if you plan to be here just for a brief period of time. This is to enable necessary contact tracing, notification to anyone else in the building at the same time, and to review safety protocols as needed.

SMALL GROUPS
Parish small groups who wish to meet for ministry gatherings may do so, provided they 1) contact the Parish Office to book time through Deanna, and 2) follow all COVID protocols (see “Guidelines for User Groups” at https://www.stja.ca/2021/updates-re-coronavirus/).

The main protocols for small groups include:

  • obtaining prior approval to meet via the church office
  • keeping a contact tracing list of people attending
  • wearing a mask
  • physical distancing of 2m/6ft
  • keeping hands clean with soap and water or hand sanitizer
  • disinfecting any touched surfaces as directed
  • no sharing of food or drink
  • using washrooms on an emergency-use-only basis
  • staying home if feeling sick or having had any potential exposure to COVID

OUTSIDE USER GROUPS
Two of our community 12-step groups are currently meeting in our space; other outside user groups have opted to hold off on meeting in-person for the time being. The 12-step groups are following strict safety protocols (see “Guidelines for User Groups” at https://www.stja.ca/2021/updates-re-coronavirus/).

Bishop’s July 5 Letter on Current Diocesan COVID Guidelines

In response to the July 1 lifting of provincial restrictions for worship gatherings and services, Bishop John issued a pastoral letter outlining diocesan guidelines, effective July 5. Parishes have been asked to determine the policies that work best for their unique context, using these diocesan guidelines (along with provincial guidelines) as a framework.

The Bishop’s letter can be found at https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/news/bishops-pastoral-letter-on-re-opening-july-5-2021

Financial Status for April and May 2021

We append below the Parish financial status for your information.

Statement of Income and Expenses ending 31st day of May, 2021

  April 2021 Actual $ May 2021 Actual $ May
2021 Budget $
YTD May 2021 Actual $ YTD May 2021 Budget $
Income  14,497.70  27,296.04 18,620.82 84,358.84 93,104.10
Expenses 18,582.86  16,481.08  18,541.32  78,110.00 92,706.60
Surplus
(-) Loss
(4,085.16) 10,814.96  79.50 6,248.84  397.50

 

April 2021 Actual $ May 2021
Actual $
May 2021 Budget $ YTD May 2021 Actual $ YTD May 2021 Budget $
Offering for General Funds 10,811.00 10,295.00 15,333.33 50,925.00 76,666.65
Offering for Property 1,111.70 1,111.70 0 5,534.50 0

Treasurer’s Note: We have a surplus in May but only because of the financial relief that we received from the Government of Canada. Our expenses were consistent with most months since we stopped in-person worship.

We received an email from the Diocese in May that contained great news. We qualified for some financial relief in the form of Canada Wage Subsidy from the Canada Revenue agency in the amount of $13,983.34 (for periods from Nov 22, 2020, to May 8, 2021), which is reflected in the May financials.

Parish Giving

Thank you to all who have continued with your offerings via PADs and cheques. If you wish to e-transfer your contributions directly to the church account, please contact Ruby at peopleswarden@stja.ca or Amalia at treasurer@stja.ca for more details. There are also links on our website at https://www.stja.ca/supporting-st-johns/ if you would prefer to donate by PayPal or Credit Card.

Ongoing Updates Pages

There are 2 important pages on our parish website which will be updated regularly as we have new information (links to both pages can also be found at the top of our homepage www.stja.ca):

  1. Program & Worship Updates/Linkshttps://www.stja.ca/2021/program-updates/ – current information on programs, including Zoom meeting information and the bulletin and scripture readings for Sunday worship.
  2. Updates on Covid-19 at St. John’s –  https://www.stja.ca/2021/updates-re-coronavirus/ – a collection of all special correspondence from the Bishop and from our parish re: actions that St. John’s and our greater diocese are taking with the Covid-19 virus.

E-Postle Submissions

If you have submissions for the E-Postle, please email them to Kathy by Wednesday at 9:00pm at news@stja.ca.

 

PARISH MINISTRIES

Food Bank Report

At our April meeting, Parish Council decided to continue to support the SHARE Foodbank with donations of $500 per month taken from the St. John’s Foodbank fund (retroactive to January 2021), since our own Foodbank does not have immediate plans to resume in the near future. Thank you to those of you who have continued to support the Foodbank financially. Your contributions will still be helping those in need in our community.

And thank you to those who had supported the St. John’s Foodbank with donations of food while we were still meeting in person. The food has been sorted by date, and items close to their “Best Before” date have been taken to the SHARE Foodbank every month during the pandemic–so food donations have not been wasted!

Thank you again,
Mary Kyle

 

COMMUNITY NEWS

Summer Offering – Morning Prayer

You are invited to join a drop-in morning prayer group every Wednesday at 6am, continuing until August 25th. Each session will include silent meditation and a liturgy of prayer from Philip Newell’s Praying with the Earth – Prayers for Peace.

This group is hosted by Contemplative Outreach of Greater Vancouver. For further information and the Zoom link, contact Christine Kesans at chris.kesans@gmail.com or 604-944-7447.

Sacred Teachings Podcast – The Season of Ginny – “A Love Letter to Her People”

“The Season of Ginny,” the new seventh season of the Sacred Teachings podcast, is in honour of the Rev. Canon Ginny Doctor, who recently died from COVID. Ginny was Executive Producer and the heart and soul of the Sacred Teachings series, and was an important figure in the world of Indigenous advocacy and human rights.

The sixth episode of Season 7 is “A Love Letter to Her People”. (This and new episodes can be found at https://www.anglican.ca/im/podcasts/.) Ginny’s deep commitment to her Anglican faith and to the self-determining Indigenous Anglican Church is explored, and the episode also features interviews with Archbishop Mark MacDonald and Donna Bomberry.

The season of 8 podcasts will continue to explore Ginny’s work fighting racism, battling the pandemic of suicide in Indigenous communities, and helping to blaze a trail of self-determination for the Indigenous Anglican Church. We will hear about her writing and poetry and peek into the very soul of this deeply ar tistic and spiritual Mohawk woman.

The teachings, languages, traditions and stories of the Ancestors are shared in this podcast, which is sponsored by the Anglican Church of Canada. Highly respected Indigenous speakers are featured in this series, with a different theme for each season, including the sacredness of Creation and finding meaning in a global crisis.

Spring Street Community Kitchen

Thanks to all who participated in our most recent Spring Street Community Kitchen “Family Cooking with Pasta Polo’s Fred Soofi”. The video is available at https://youtu.be/iN5D62U_6cI, and the recipe at https://www.facebook.com/SpringStreetCommunityKitchen/posts/309000887600806.

Note that funds raised in support of our Spring Street Community Kitchen are being re-gifted to the communities we serve, through local charities. Donations can be given via https://www.stja.ca/supporting-st-johns/; please designate your gift to our Community Kitchen project.

We also welcome volunteers for future kitchens – planning, hosting, moderating, and tech support are just some of the roles available. Email us at SpringStreetCommunityKitchen@gmail.com.

(The Spring Street Community Kitchen is a partnership between St. John’s and Inlet United Church – be sure to like and follow us at https://www.facebook.com/SpringStreetCommunityKitchen.)

 

WEEKLY DEVOTIONS

Prayer Cycle

The Anglican Church of Canada – the Most Rev. Linda Nicholls, Primate, and the Most Rev. Mark MacDonald, National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop.

The Province of BC and Yukon – The Most Rev. Lynne McNaughton, Metropolitan.

The Diocese of New Westminster – the Rt. Rev. John Stephens, Bishop.

And this week:

  • St. Stephen the Martyr, Burnaby – The Reverend Ruth Monette.
  • St. Stephen, West Vancouver – The Reverend Ken Vinal.
  • The Archdeaconry of Fraser – The Venerable Luisito Engnan, Regional Archdeacon.
  • Our partner Diocese of Northern Philippines, especially the people of our twin church at St. John the Evangelist Mission, Balugan; and Brent Alawas, their former Bishop and new Prime Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines.
  • 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 August 1, 2021 – Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

2 Samuel 11:26—12:13a; Psalm 51:1-13; Ephesians 4:1-16; John 6:24-35

Readings for August 8, 2021 – Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33; Psalm 130; Ephesians 4:25-5:2; John 6:35, 41-51

 

IMPORTANT CONTACT INFORMATION

Rector The Rev. Vivian Lam rector@stja.ca 604-936-7762 (church voicemail) / 604-723-5029 (cell)
Deacon The Rev. Anne Anchor deacon@stja.ca
Parish Office Deanna Lemke administrator@stja.ca 604-936-7762
(No drop-in visitors at this time – please make an appointment to come in.
General office hours are Tues/Thurs/Fri, 10am-2pm, but may occasionally change.)
Rector’s Warden Rich Thompson rectorswarden@stja.ca
People’s Warden Ruby Ng peopleswarden@stja.ca
Treasurer Amalia McGlashan treasurer@stja.ca
Envelope Secretary Sheila De Vaal envelopesecretary@stja.ca
Parish Council Geri Grigg,     Secretary parishcouncilsecretary@stja.ca
Altar Guild Brenda Binns altarguild@stja.ca
Anglican Church Women Alma Oldenburg ACW@stja.ca 604-788-2562
Bible Study Lynne Milner biblestudy@stja.ca
Building Repairs / Maintenance Rich Thompson property@stja.ca
Children’s Ministry/Godly Play Christina Anchor children@stja.ca
E-Postle Kathy De Vaal news@stja.ca
Food Bank foodbank@stja.ca
Parish Visiting Ministry Joanne Walton/Alma Oldenburg pastoralvisits@stja.ca
Prayer Circle Sue Elliott prayer@stja.ca
Prayer Shawls Rosa Weisensel administrator@stja.ca

 

share

%d bloggers like this: