Who we are:
St John's Shaughnessy Anglican Church, Vancouver 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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July 5, 2009
Parish Prayer Meeting –Monday July 6th, at 7:30 pm“There is nothing that tells the truth about us as Christian people so much as our prayer life. Everything we do in the Christian life is easier than prayer.” (Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Sermon on the Mount, Part 2, p 46). Dear friends, you are invited to join us at the parish prayer meeting on Monday, July 6th for two reasons: first, that you may be encouraged in your praying for St. John’s ministries as well as for those ministries that are beyond our walls; and secondly, to encourage fellow pray-ers. Give it a try; you may just want to come back.
Acts for All!As we look forward to studying Acts together this Fall, we are planning a parish day of teaching, led by our own David Short, on September 12. This day is a wonderful way to help prepare us for the sermon series, Sunday school and for small groups. We will have Bible studies available if your group would like to study Acts along with the sermon series. Save the date now…mark your calendars! Update on Legal GivingWhile we haven’t quite reached our final legal fundraising goal we are certainly getting close. The generosity of parishioners over the past few weeks has been extraordinary in so many ways. So much of this money has had to be raised over and above initial pledges to the legal fund, all of it has been raised on top of regular weekly giving which is used to run the programs of St. John’s, and all of it has been raised in an environment of uncomfortable uncertainty about the outcome of the case.We are grateful to God for our parishioners’ commitment in pulling together to get this job done. It is a testament to what we can do together when we work towards a common goal in prayer, always seeking God’s guidance. Cheques for the legal fund should be made payable to ANiC - St. John’s Project and please indicate in the memo line of the cheque that it is to be directed to the legal fund. Also, please indicate on your giving envelope that it is to be directed to the legal fund. Parish Family NewsBirth Parish Community NewsRegent Public Lectures
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Dear Friends, This week we celebrated the enactment of the British North America Act in 1867 when Canada became its own dominion. Although British Columbia did not join the Confederation until 1871, we still celebrate Canada day because that’s what it means to belong to something larger. Last week we celebrated the birth of a new Anglican Province in North America. For most Christians, our experience of the church comes through our belonging to our local church family. But as the creed says we believe in “one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic church,” which means we also belong to something larger. We are very conscious of this at St. John’s—of the love and care, of the sacrifice and prayers of so many brothers and sisters in the Anglican Communion, and we thank God for our fellowship in the gospel and that we belong to the biggest thing imaginable, the kingdom of God. This summer I encourage you to read something that will feed your soul alongside some of your other reading. There is a series of booklets called the Anglican Agenda Series which are edited by Jim Packer. They are all under 20 pages long and cover various issues. My favourite is “Taking Repentance Seriously” - worth reading twice. If you ask Janet Street in the library, she will help you find them. If you have not yet discovered Regent Bookstore (at Regent College on UBC campus) you are in for a treat. There is a terrific range of books from biography to reference, from fiction to commentary, and just about everything in between. Here are some books I highly recommend. • God’s Big Picture by Vaughan Roberts (the best and briefest bible overview I’ve read) • Vintage Jesus by Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears (a good book to read and give away) • The Reason For God by Tim Keller (dealing with common objections to Christian faith) • Faithfulness and Holiness: The Witness of J. C. Ryle by Jim Packer (Jim introduces us to one of Anglicans greatest bishops who deserves to be read and reread) Bishop J. C. Ryle wrote notes on the four gospels - originally to be used by fathers to read to their children to instruct them in the faith. Here is an example of what Ryle says about Jesus’ kindness to Peter when Peter denies him. “The love of Christ towards His people, is a deep well which has no bottom. Let us never measure it by comparison with any kind of love of man or woman. It exceeds all other love, as far as the sun exceeds the rush-light. There is about it a mine of compassion, and patience, and readiness to forgive sin, of whose riches we have but a faint conception. Let us not be afraid to trust that love, when we first feel our sins. Let us never be afraid to go on trusting it after we have once believed. No man need despair, however far he may have fallen, if he will only repent and turn to Christ.” And you will find it very helpful to read the book of Acts before September begins. David.
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