Third Sunday of Easter

E-Postle

April 23, 2023

 

8:30am (in-person only) & 10:00am (in-person + Zoom) – Holy Eucharist

https://zoom.us/j/542312325?pwd=R3FKTnZ4WUU1YUFveCtzOUljM2FLZz09

Meeting ID: 542 312 325

Password: 010729

 

This Week’s Worship & Programs – https://www.stja.ca/2023/program-updates/ – current information on what’s going on at St. John’s, including Zoom links and the bulletin and scripture readings for Sunday worship.

 

Click here for contact info for parish ministries

 

There WILL BE Coffee Hour following the 10am service.

 

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS:

Sat – Apr 22                     Clean-up of church grounds, to be deferred to the following Saturday if raining heavily

Tues – Apr 25                    10:15am – Bible Study on Zoom (see link above) / 7:00pm – Prayer group on Zoom (see link above)

Sun – Apr 30                     Companion Diocese Presentation

 

Sat – May 6                       Spring Tea

Thurs – May 11                 Spring Street Community Kitchen

 

Sun – Jun 4                        Blessing of blankets for National Indigenous Peoples Day ceremony (new date)

Sun – Jun 18                     Honoring National Indigenous Day of Prayer

Wed – Jun 21                    National Indigenous Peoples Day; Coast Salish Blessing Ceremony @ Rocky Point

 

NEW THIS WEEK:

Stewardship Reflection

Luke 24: 13-35 prepared by the Ven. Dr. Michael Pollesel:

Isn’t it interesting how these two disciples of Jesus don’t recognize him at first? They recognize him after he has “interpreted every passage of scripture” and then took bread, blessed and broke it, and started passing it to them. Jesus makes himself known to us in many ways, but a faithful steward will always look for their clues by referring to scripture and taking part in the Eucharist.

Clean-up of Church Grounds 

Saturday, 22 April, starting at 9am, even if there is slight drizzle. If there is heavy rain, we will defer this to the following Saturday.

Please bring your family along for a work-out in raking leaves & debris and trimming of plants & hedges. Grounds Coordinator will be working alongside you!

Financial Status – January to March 2023 

	January Actual $	February Actual $	March Actual $	March 31 YTD Actual	March 31 YTD Budget
Income	16,289.75	13,949.75	13,803.75	44,043.25	59,876.28
Expenses	18,508.17	19,473.12	18,432.51	56,413.80	59,876.16
Surplus (-) Loss	(2,218.42)	(5,523.37)	(4,628.76)	(12,370.55)	0.12
Offering for General Funds	11,188.75	9,258.75	10,033.75	30,481.25	46,455.00
Offering for Property	830.00	515.00	540.00	1,885.00	0

Wardens‘ Note 

We apologize for not bringing this to you for several months, but are reporting the results of the 1st quarter 2023. As you can see, our expenses exceed income and we are running at a deficit of >$12,000.

Brainstorming Ideas for Children & Youth Spiritual Learning

Do you have a heart for the spiritual formation of our younger ones? Check out these 2 opportunities to engage with like-minded others, and connect with Vivian in-person or via rector@stja.ca to chat further…

—We would like to gather folks soon to dream and vision about what God is calling our church to when it comes to nurturing the spiritual lives of children and/or youth in our church and in the wider community. We’re not limiting ourselves to the model of a weekly Sunday School, and are open to all sorts of other ideas and things to experiment with – the sky’s the limit!

—The 4 churches in our area are hoping to put together a deanery confirmation preparation class soon for youth. Please reach out if you have youth in your family who would be interested in participating, or if you feel called to help with planning and leading this effort.

Join our 125^th Anniversary Planning Team

We are in the process of forming a planning team to ensure that our 125^th Anniversary celebrations next year will be as special as possible! Our first meeting will be in the next couple of weeks, so please connect with Vivian in-person or at rector@stja.ca if you’d like to help.

Thanks to everyone who has written celebration ideas on the post-it notes on the newsprint in the Parish Hall – we’ll keep it up for a little longer so please keep the suggestions coming! 

Rector Away

Vivian will be away this week beginning Monday, Apr. 24 and returning on Saturday, Apr. 29. She will be attending the diocesan clergy conference in Whistler, followed by a couple of days of vacation. Please connect with Joanne at administrator@stja.ca, Ruby at peopleswarden@stja.ca, or Rich at rectorswarden@stja.ca for time-sensitive parish matters during this time.

For pastoral emergencies, to be connected to the on-call priest, please call Ruby on her cell phone. 

Parish Council April Meeting Summary

Parish Council had a great Zoom meeting last Tuesday, Apr. 18. Besides the regular time spent in prayer and spiritual reflection together, we continued fine-tuning our 2023 goals; rallied around next steps for our Community Garden project, future property development, and 125^th Anniversary; and committed financial support for this year’s National Indigenous Peoples Day activities, as well as for SHARE’s food bank for the rest of the year. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, May 16. 

Last Sunday’s Sermon Video

Apologies to our Zoom congregation last Sunday (April 16), for the tech difficulties during the sermon time. You may view the sermon video preached by Br. Curtis Almquist, SSJE, entitled “The Legacy of St. Thomas”, at https://vimeo.com/810664088

 

INFORMATION:

Property Development Online Course

The diocese has recommended a free online course for churches interested in better equipping themselves for future property development. The course covers everything from visioning and discernment about aligning mission and neighborhood needs, to legal and financial aspects of the process. You can see an introduction video here. There will be 8 sessions via Zoom on Tuesday/Wednesday afternoons from end of April through August.

St. John’s will have several members participating in the course. If you are interested in being part of our parish team attending, please connect ASAP with Rich at property@stja.ca.

Celebrating Easter New Life at St. John’s: Community Kitchen & ACW (updated)

Easter is all about recognizing the risen Jesus among us, and so we are spending these 50 days of the Easter season lifting up where we see Jesus moving in ministries and programs at St. John’s, and where we sense God’s new life springing forth.

Each week we’ll feature different places at St. John’s where we see the risen Lord on the move, and we invite you to prayerfully discern if you might feel called to be involved… We’ll have a description of the ministry/program here in the e-postle, as well as some sharing at Sunday worship.

This week we celebrate the Spring Street Community Kitchen and the Anglican Church Women (ACW).

—The Spring Street Community Kitchen is a partnership since 2020 between St. John’s and Inlet United Church. We aim to bring together people to celebrate the joy of community; share simple, healthy, and delicious recipes; and support local charity and nonprofit organizations and initiatives. During the bulk of the pandemic we offered Zoom-based kitchens and recently have transitioned to in-person kitchens—the next one will be here at St. John’s on May 11 (keep scrolling for more details).

See our Facebook page and speak to Geri at gerigrigg@gmail.com or Vivian at rector@stja.ca to learn how to join in the cooking and community fun!

—The ACW occupies an important place in parish life; in hospitality, fellowship and fundraising. You will see the women volunteering at almost every parish event, whether it is an ACW event or a parish-wide event… it is sometimes hard to tell!

The members of the ACW are the organizers behind our Fall Bazaar and Spring Tea. These events are strongly supported by members of the congregation and are wonderful fundraisers and times of fellowship. Most of the money raised is given to the church and a small portion is kept to fund various outreach programs such as the Mission to Seafarers, Bales to the North, Women’s Centre, to name a few. As well as a cash donation, the members also contribute shoeboxes of small gifts to the Seafarers at Christmas time.

Companion Diocese Presentation April 30

The Executive Archdeacon of our Diocese, the Ven. Philippa Pride, will speak at the 10am service next Sunday Apr. 30 about her recent journey to our Companion Diocese in the Northern Philippines, including sharing material re: our sister church, St. John’s in Balugan. She will stay after the service for a Q&A session. Please speak to Brenda Lou-Hing with any questions. 

Spring Tea

For our fundraising Spring Tea on May 6th, we will be serving PIE and BROWNIES with ice-cream, along with tea & coffee. Please mark your calendars!

We do have some volunteers to bake pies but more are always welcome. There will also be a Bake Table, Craft Table, Jewelry and Plants Tables. If you are able to help or contribute, please connect with Ferne or Ruby peopleswarden@stja.ca! 

Temporary Office Hours

Through April, the Parish Office will have temporary adjusted hours: Tuesday through Friday, 8am-11am.

 

HOW YOU CAN SERVE THE WORLD AROUND US 

Spring Street Community Kitchen

Registration required: please send your name and email address to SpringStreetCommunityKitchen@gmail.com.

Our next gathering will be at St. John’s on Thursday, May 11, 4-6pm, where we will come together for some bulk cooking of soups and sandwiches and have supper together afterward. A portion of this food will go to a local shelter run by Progressive Housing Society, and the rest will be for us to take home for ourselves and/or to share with those from our own networks.

Check out our Facebook page for photos and videos from past events, as well as to keep updated on future ones. If you have ideas for this ministry collaboration with Inlet United Church, would like to be more involved, or have any questions, please connect with Vivian in-person or at rector@stja.ca.

  

HOW YOU CAN HELP SUPPORT ST. JOHN’S

Flower Chart for 2023

is up at the Narthex (back of the church, by the chapel).  Should you wish to commemorate a birthday, anniversary or give in memory of a loved one, please consider signing up to donate flowers for the altar.

Parish Giving

Donations may be made by cheques, PADs or through e-transfer directly to the church account. Please contact Ruby at peopleswarden@stja.ca or Sheila at treasurer@stja.ca for more details. You may also give via PayPal/credit card via our website.

  

OPPORTUNITIES FOR FORMATION AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH

Ongoing Learning

All are welcome at 2 of the weekly online groups that meet for spiritual learning. Zoom links here.

• Tuesdays, 10:15am-12noon – Zoom Bible Study. Explores the upcoming Sunday’s readings together. From time to time throughout the year, the group discusses a book, or has a special seasonal study.
• Tuesdays, 7-8pm – Zoom Prayer Group – explores different forms of contemplative prayer and meditation, and prays for those in our lives and in the wider world. 

Sorrento Centre

For generations, Sorrento Centre has been a place where families and young people gather for fun, spiritual nurturing and growth. This Anglican retreat and conference center has a beautiful historic 24-acre main campus, with private waterfront on the Shuswap, hiking trails and nearby biking routes.

See the Sorrento Newsletter for more info on a youth May weekend event, 1-week adult summer courses, and summer youth jobs.

 

Readings for April 23, 2023, Third Sunday of Easter

Acts 2:14a, 36-41; Psalm 116:1-3, 10-17; 1 Peter 1:17-23; Luke 24:13-35 

Readings for April 30, 2023, Fourth Sunday of Easter

Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 23; 1 Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10