The E-Postle, October 31, 2021

Twenty-Third Sunday After Pentecost
E-Postle
October 31, 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: Children’s Talk – this Sunday Oct. 31, Alternating Virtual-Only and Blended Services Starting November 7^th, Pre-Registration for In-Person Worship, Tech & Hospitality Volunteers Needed for Hybrid Worship, Flowers for the Altar, Ongoing Pastoral Care & Support
• Formation: Area Youth Group!
• Stewardship: Stewardship Reflection
• Parish Matters: Drainage Repairs Meeting Video, Current Parish Office & Buildings Status, Financial Status for August and September 2021, Parish Giving, Ongoing Updates Pages, E-Postle Submissions
• Parish Ministries: Anglican Church Women (“A.C.W.”) News, New Members for the Altar Guild, ReSponse News: N. Family Arrived + New Refugee Sponsorships, Food Bank Report
• Community News: Next Spring Street Community Kitchen – Nov. 25 – “Sharing Christmas Recipes”
• 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, October 31               8:30am & 10:00am – Holy Eucharist + 2^nd Stewardship Team Presentation + Children’s Talk (at 10am)
Services are in person (with pre-registration) + on Zoom

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

Sunday, October 31               following 8:30am and 10:00am worship – Informal Zoom “Coffee Hour”
Tuesday, November 2            10:15am – 12noon – Bible Study
Tuesday, November 2            7:00pm – 8:00pm – Prayer Group
Sunday, November 7              8:30am & 10:00am – ZOOM ONLY – Morning Prayer

 

WORSHIP & PRAYER

Children’s Talk – this Sunday Oct. 31

On the last Sundays of the month, we offer a Children’s Talk at the 10am service. Of course, young people will continue to be welcomed in regular Sunday worship each week, and we hope to find ways in which the children can be more actively involved in the service from time to time.

Alternating Virtual-Only and Blended Services Starting November 7^th

Beginning next week on November 7^th, services will alternate between virtual-only using Zoom and hybrid worship.

The parish has had the opportunity to experience an in-person worship for a month now and Council has reviewed the process.  There are a number of challenges we did not anticipate including the use of technology and availability of support, Vivian’s health status and most interestingly, the loss of community when we are split between in-person and virtual.

Beginning with a virtual service on November 7^th we will alternate between hybrid worship and virtual.

Pre-Registration for In-Person Worship

Note: The below registration instructions can be found also at https://www.stja.ca/2021/how-to-pre-register-for-in-person-worship/.

November 7 and 21 will be Zoom-only weeks. Please continue to use the same link to register to attend in-person for November 14 and 28 – https://bit.ly/394zwHt – this link will be “live” again beginning Sunday 5pm prior to weeks when we have hybrid services.

(If you are attending by Zoom, you do not need to pre-register. The Zoom link for worship remains the same, and can be found at https://www.stja.ca/2021/program-updates/.)

Please submit your registration by Wednesday at 5pm to help us in our planning. Everyone who has registered by Wednesday 5pm will be notified by Thursday afternoon if we can fit you in, or if you are on a “waitlist”. Waitlist people will be contacted by Friday 2pm if there are any cancellations.

If needed, you may submit a phone registration by calling and leaving a message at the parish office at 604-936-7762 (we need your name, phone number/email, who is in your household or bubble, and which service you are registering for). We encourage you to fill out the online form if you are able, to help lessen our administrative load.

Note that first priority for registration will be given to those who are scheduled to volunteer that day and their households/bubbles, and then to those who have not attended the previous week. Depending on the size of households/bubbles who are able to sit together without distancing, the number of people we can fit in the church will vary – it will be roughly 20-30 people per service. We will try our best to seat households/bubbles together, but may separate the group if needed.

You may see the current safety protocols for in-person worship at https://www.stja.ca/2021/updates-re-coronavirus/. As per provincial and diocesan recommendations, we also encourage everyone who attends to be fully vaccinated, as possible.

Tech & Hospitality Volunteers Needed for Hybrid Worship

We are looking for help with technical support aspects of both in-person and Zoom services, as well as people who could help online with hospitality and welcome for our Zoom participants. Training will be provided. If you or someone you know is interested, please connect with Vivian at rector@stja.ca to chat.

Zoom Hospitality includes:

• Welcoming everyone as they arrive in the Zoom meeting room.
• Greeting visitors and inviting them to provide contact information so we can follow up with them.
• (if available after the service) Serving as “host” for virtual coffee hour

Zoom Tech Support includes:

• Screen-sharing the bulletin and other documents during the service
• Muting and unmuting Zoom participants
• Conveying feedback to the In-Person Tech Support about any adjustments needed to sound or video
• Adding onscreen names for people who telephone in
• Recording a count of participants
• Following protocols for removing any Zoom bombers (hasn’t been needed to date!)

In-Person Tech Support includes:

• Setting up and taking down equipment, opening/closing software programs on main laptop
• Doing a sound-check of microphones pre-service
• Receiving feedback from the Zoom Tech Support before and during the service about any adjustments needed to sound or video for Zoom congregation
• Adjusting the sound levels as needed during the service
• Switching camera views during the service

Flowers for the Altar

The Altar Guild would like to draw your attention to the flower chart in the Narthex by the Chapel door. Please consider signing up to place flowers at the Altar in thanksgiving for something, or in loving memory of a family member, or friend.

A member of the Altar Guild will contact you the week before the date you have chosen to see what type of flowers you would like and also the wording for the Bulletin. Thank you.

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 Natasha (freefromfear101@gmail.com) 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

Area Youth Group!

Are you a member of our St. John’s community that is aged 14 to 19? There is a local youth group that meets to have fun together at St. Laurence Anglican Church regularly and is involved in all sorts of youth-related community and church projects! For more information or updated details about upcoming youth events, please feel free to contact Kristin Kuhn (bobandkristinkuhn@gmail.com).

 

STEWARDSHIP

Stewardship Reflection

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

Mark 12:28-34
Love God; love your neighbour; love yourself; a good steward knows how to live this out in the midst of all the demands life seems to make.

 

PARISH MATTERS

Drainage Repairs Meeting Video

For those who were unable to attend the Zoom meeting on October 17 regarding the drainage repairs, the meeting was recorded – please contact the Parish Office at administrator@stja.ca to request the link.

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/

WORSHIP
Protocols for in-person worship services can be found at https://www.stja.ca/2021/updates-re-coronavirus/. For additional information, please see the “Worship & Prayer” section of this epostle.

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
• 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
• staying home if feeling sick or having had any potential exposure to COVID

OUTSIDE USER GROUPS
The Port Moody Korean Presbyterian Church have resumed in-person worship in our space on Sunday afternoons. Two of our community 12-step groups are currently meeting in our space; the third has opted to hold off on meeting in-person for the time being. All groups are following strict safety protocols (see “Guidelines for User Groups” at https://www.stja.ca/2021/updates-re-coronavirus/).

Financial Status for August and September 2021

We append below the Parish financial status for your information.

Statement of Income and Expenses ending 30^th day of September 2021

	August 2021 Actual $	September 2021 Actual $	September 2021 Budget $	YTD September 2021 Actual $	YTD September 2021 Budget $
Income	11,927.70	13,519.70	18,620.82	140,513.64	167,587.38
Expenses	17,714.20	18,320.87	18,541.32	154,348.72	166,871.88
Surplus (-) Loss	(5,786.50)	(4,801.17)	79.50	(13,835.08)	715.50

	August 2021 Actual $	September 2021 Actual $	September 2021 Budget $	YTD September 2021 Actual $	YTD September 2021 Budget $
Offering for General Funds	8,361.00	10,543.00	15,333.33	88,283.00	137,999.97
Offering for Property	911.70	1,121.70	0	9,411.30	0

Treasurer’s Note: Contributions have increased with the opening of in-person worship, but we do still have a growing deficit. All contributions are greatly appreciated.

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/Links – https://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

Anglican Church Women (“A.C.W.”) News

Parish Fall Bazaar
Regrettably, the A.C.W. have decided that due to the restrictions of the Pandemic, and concerns over Covid, that we will not be organising the Parish Fall Bazaar again this year.

We gratefully request, that if it is within your means, that you consider making a donation to the parish to the value of what you might spend at the Bazaar in lieu of this event. You will, of course, be given a tax receipt for your donation.

Please make your donations directly to the Parish, with the notation ‘Fall Bazaar’ on your cheque or direct deposit. Thank you for your support of our Parish and the ACW outreach mission.

Canadian Church Calendars
The Canadian Church Calendars will soon be available for a cost of $7 each. Please contact Antoinette at: toni.woodman@shaw.ca to reserve a copy. More information will follow on where and when you will be able to receive your calendar.

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 Brenda Binns or any member of the Altar Guild if you are interested in joining us.

ReSponse News

(Submitted by Mary Kyle)
N.Family Arrived!
The Afghani family of 7 arrived safely in Canada last week!  They were able to go straight to the townhome that they will be living in.  They have been very appreciative of all the offers they have received for furniture.  Their place is small, so they have all the furniture they need at this time except for a computer so St. John’s parish council approved a motion to make a donation toward a new computer for the family.

Thanks for keeping them in your prayers.

New Refugee Sponsorships
I have heartwarming news! In the spring, our church was contacted by a resident in the neighbourhood regarding St. John’s potentially supporting a sponsorship of Syrian asylum seekers currently residing in Jordan. The resident and her husband were part of a Group of 5 Sponsorship in 2017, when a group of friends (5 households) privately sponsored a young Syrian family to come to Canada. After 3 years, the sponsored family is thriving in Maple Ridge and they are in the process of applying for Canadian citizenship!

The Group of Five has maintained a close relationship with this family and want to continue to help them lay their roots here in Canada. They now would like to sponsor two families (one couple and a couple with a child) that are related to the original sponsored family. They cannot go through the same route of private sponsorship that they did in 2017—now, in order to reunite them with their family, they need to be aligned with a local SAH (Sponsorship Agreement Holder) organization. Since they have sponsored before, they are very aware of all that is involved in terms of logistical, emotional, and financial support. They are committed to fully financing the sponsorships through their own contributions and fundraising activities.

We forwarded the request to the Deanery Re-Sponse Group, which has followed up with the Group of Five. The Re-Sponse Group is comfortable with the terms of this application and has recommended taking on the sponsorship, and getting an approval from our parish councils to become a constituent group for the Diocese. The Diocese would be the SAH organization, with at least one parish needed to serve as a constituent group.

At our July Parish Council meeting at St. John’s, the request to become a constituent group to sponsor these families was approved. We have informed the Rev. Pat Ratcliffe (chair of Re-Sponse) of our vote, and Re-Sponse will be sending the application to the Diocese for consideration for 2022 sponsorship. We hope other parishes will join us in the application in the next couple of months, as their parish councils reconvene after the summer to decide on the matter.

As a Re-Sponse representative from St. John’s, I am grateful for the positive and faithful way in which our parish council has responded to the request. Please pray for the safety of the families as they wait to be sponsored.

Food Bank Report

Parish Council decided to continue to support the SHARE Foodbank in 2021 with donations of $500 per month taken from the St. John’s Foodbank fund, 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

Next Spring Street Community Kitchen – Nov. 25 – “Sharing Christmas Recipes”

Save the date for our next online Spring Street Community Kitchen on Thursday, Nov. 25, 6-7pm. We will be sharing our favourite Christmas recipes. If you are interested in showcasing your own recipe, please let us know at SpringStreetCommunityKitchen@gmail.com so we can include you in the schedule!

Thanks to all who participated in our most recent kitchen, where Rose Samaniego of Kulinarya taught us how to make the traditional Filipino dish adobo, with a twist. The video and recipe will be available soon at https://www.facebook.com/SpringStreetCommunityKitchen.

Note that funds raised in support of our Spring Street Community Kitchen are being re-gifted to the communities we serve, through local charities. Funds raised for our October kitchen will be gifted to The Coquitlam Youth Parent Program, housed at CABE Secondary School, which provides an opportunity for pregnant and parenting youth to continue their education in a supportive and flexible environment. The program has both an education component and an on-site infant/toddler daycare. Donations can be given via https://www.stja.ca/supporting-st-johns/; please designate your gift to our Community Kitchen project.

We would love your participation and feedback! We welcome you to share your recipes with our wider community. Feel free to email your recipes to us at SpringStreetCommunityKitchen@gmail.com and we will share them on our Facebook page. We also welcome volunteers for future kitchens – planning, hosting, moderating, and tech support are just some of the roles available.

(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. Martin, North Vancouver – The Venerable Stephen Muir
• St. Catherine, North Vancouver – The Reverend Sharon Smith.
• St. Hilda, Sechelt – The Reverend Steve Black, The Venerable Bruce Morris
• Our partner Diocese of Northern Philippines, 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 31, 2021 – Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost

Ruth 1:1-18; Psalm 146; Hebrews 9:11-14; Mark 12:28-34

Readings for November 7, 2021 – All Saints’ Sunday

Isaiah 25:6-9; Psalm 24; Revelation 21:1-6a; John 11:32-44

 

IMPORTANT CONTACT INFORMATION

Rector	The Rev. Vivian Lam	rector@stja.ca	604-936-7762 (church voicemail)
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
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