Church address:
5350 Baillie Street
Vancouver, BC
(on 37th Ave between Cambie and Oak)
Church office address:
2325 Burrard Street
Vancouver, BC V6J 3J2
604.558.4400
St John's Vancouver Anglican Church is a community of Christians dedicated to the exposition and teaching of the Word of God, to the spreading of the good news of the Gospel at home and abroad, and to the application of God's purpose in our own lives and families.
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2011.07.03
Friends,
This week the Pope wrote a message on Twitter for the first time. He announced the launch of the new Vatican website and gave praise to Jesus. This may not be the most eminent thing the Pope has done, nor the key legacy for which he will be remembered, but it does signal the willingness of the Roman Church to embrace change through the use of social media (Vatican Facebook, Vatican YouTube, Vatican blog etc.) There has been no change in the central message of the Catholic Church, just the use of new and different means for disseminating the message.
As a congregation, we too are facing a time of change. After a 10 year process of participation with others around the world, seeking to repair the torn fabric of the Anglican communion, our appeal has been dismissed. As we believe it is more important to submit to the authority of God in his word than the institutional authority of a wayward Church, it means we will have to move from our current buildings. Nothing has changed in our commitments, what has changed is our structural alignment and now our physical location.
This brings grief and relief. Grief at the Canadian church which is walking away from the Anglican Communion; grief at losing these wonderful buildings, with all our memories and hopes for them. And relief at moving from the posture of contending for the faith, to one of proclaiming, rejoicing and growing in that faith. We move forward in unity with many in Vancouver and around the world who confess Jesus Christ as Lord.
This is a very important opportunity for us: to show that we are more committed to Jesus Christ and his teaching than to our own comfort and ease; to testify to the reality of our faith in the grace, guidance and provision of our heavenly Father. The book of Romans has been crucial for us at this time.
So our guiding vision for the next stage of our lives together is this: To show the surpassing worth of Jesus Christ
We’ll do this in 3 primary ways:
- By honouring and holding one another in love and unity. We will need patience, flexibility and care for each other. It is a difficult thing to move. We must give no opportunity to the devil by our anxieties, anger, or personal agendas.
- By blessing those who take custody of our buildings after we leave.God has blessed us, and it is time for us to take concrete steps to bless the Diocese and those who come after us. Our struggle is not with flesh and blood, and we follow in the footsteps of the Messiah who when he was mistreated, did not retaliate, and when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. (1 Peter 2:23)
- By bearing witness to the glory of God in all we do.The gospel of Christ’s death and resurrection fills us with hope and joy in believing. It is the same Jesus Christ who adds people to his church. It is not a coincidence that today we commission 2 mission teams: one to India, the other to Malawi, to serve and proclaim Christ in fellowship with the local Christians. Pray that God would shine the light of his love and truth, not just on us, but through us to others in this time, as we seek to show the surpassing worth of Jesus Christ above everything else.
Warmly,
David Short
