Who we are:

St John's Vancouver 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.

 

News > 2008 Parish Life Notes > 08.02.03 Parish Life

Feb 3, 2008

Dear Friends,

The last of our scheduled town hall meetings is at 12:30 pm today. At these meetings we have met to discuss the offer of Adequate Episcopal Oversight (AEO) from Bishop Donald Harvey under the Presiding Bishop (Primate) of the Southern Cone, Archbishop Gregory Venables. This AEO will be provided through the Anglican Network in Canada. We are grateful to the congregation for their prayers and for coming to the meetings to offer their comments, questions and support.

Since 2002 St. John’s, and the other Anglican Communion in New Westminster (ACiNW) churches, have been in impaired communion with the Diocese of New Westminster, and we have lived in a kind of limbo as we sought solutions that would allow us to remain biblically faithful Anglicans connected to the worldwide Anglican Communion. During this time we have participated fully in all of the Anglican Communion processes that have been set before us, in all, seeking to be faithful to the gospel. God has blessed us in many ways throughout this process. He has truly enabled us to live “standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.” (Philippians 1:27)

The clergy, staff, trustees, and church committee welcome this offer of Episcopal oversight as it has come at a crucial time in the life of our church. The crisis has taken a toll on our ministry here at St. John’s. In our current alignment we are unable to hire clergy acceptable to the congregation. So instead of four clergy we have two. Our clergy have lived under constant threat of disciplinary action or dismissal, and even been threatened with removal of their pension and benefits plan. We have been unable to conduct confirmations, and oxygen has been redirected from the life of our ministry and our Christian witness. We have lived with this situation for five years, but it is not sustainable, and if we do nothing St. John’s, as we know it, is at risk of disintegrating.

The leadership are united in their belief that this offer of Episcopal oversight is the right offer to accept at the right time, despite the legal and financial risks and other potential consequences. It will allow us to move on with our ministry and bring us into full fellowship with the world-wide Anglican Communion. It is an offer of Episcopal oversight that we have been seeking and praying for, and it comes out of the generosity and grace of Archbishop Greg Venables and with the support of the majority of Global South Primates. It is an opportunity for St. John’s to move out of limbo, and to move forward in ministry. If we accept it, we can begin to replace clergy who have left, and can be assured that those who lead us will continue to be committed to teaching the gospel of Christ. With additional biblically faithful leaders in place our energies can then be directed to planning for the future, and for the work that God will call us to do. And, as we proclaim the salvation of Jesus Christ to the city of Vancouver, we will be supported by a global church that shares our vision.

The trustees want everyone to feel comfortable coming to the Vestry Meeting, and with the manner of voting on this offer, so we plan on conducting a private ballot during the meeting instead of the traditional “show of hands”. On Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 7:30 PM we ask that members of St. John’s come to our Annual Vestry Meeting and vote on this crucial issue.

Michael Bentley, Rector’s Warden
Krista Friebel, People’s Warden
Christine Klukas, Treasurer
David Ley, Church Committee Chair

Anglican Essentials Canada. Hot off the press are the next three issues in the Anglican Agenda Series. They will be on sale in the Trendell Lounge today after the 9 am service.

Ministry Need. A ministry of St. John’s is in need of a used laptop, 3 years old or newer. If you have a fairly new laptop which you could donate to this ministry, please contact Dan Gowe at 228-0326.

The Annual Vestry Meeting (the annual general meeting) of the Parish will take place on Wednesday, February 13th at 7:30 pm in the Church. Sign in will begin at 6:45 pm. You are considered to be a member of the parish if you have been baptized, are 16 years of age or older, attend Sunday services regularly, have had your name on the parish list for at least 3 months, and are not a member of any other Anglican parish in the Diocese of New Westminster.

Rides and Drivers to the Vestry Meeting. If you would like a ride to the Annual Vestry Meeting or could drive someone, please phone the church receptionist and leave your name.

Noon hour Bible study at St. John’s – (12-1:15 pm). What do you normally do at lunch-time on a Tuesday? Swimming or fitness training or eating and drinking at the club? In Room 100 at the church you can bring your healthy, meager lunch, enjoy friendship and fellowship while munching and engage in spiritual fitness training by considering God’s word and His purpose for our lives. This spring (February 19th, March 4th and 18th and April 1st, 15th and 29th) we will be exploring how Jesus made use of the Scriptures of His day (our Old Testament) and attempting to apply His approach in our own lives. If you would like more information, please contact Jan Hobbis at Jan@sjvan.org or phone ext. 28.

Spots open in Children’s Choir. The St. John’s Children’s Choir has spots available for children who wish to join. This choir is open to children aged 7 and older who are independent readers. We rehearse Monday afternoons from 4:30-5:30 pm. Contact Amber Salladin with any questions
and to register your child at amber.salladin@gmail.com or 319-6048.

Connections - Hospitality Ministry. Do you want to get to know other people at church? Are you finding it challenging to connect with new people at St. John's? Connections is a way to get to know new people or connect with old friends by sharing a light lunch with 6 or 8 others in a host-family's home. You will meet with them after the Sunday services on Feb. 24 and March 30. How do you get involved? We will have a registration table after the morning services next Sunday in the Trendell Lounge or call Jan at the church office (ext 28).

Living Waters Parent Support Group. A new session of the Parent’s Support Group for parents whose kids are struggling with or in the gay lifestyle will be beginning in February. It meets once a month and continues for 14 months. This Christ-centred group is facilitated by a Living Waters staff member and is open to all Christian parents in the greater Vancouver area. If interested contact the LW office at 301-1470 or at lwc@livingwaterscanada.org. If you have questions, please contact Manya Egerton at 261-7785 or megerton@telus.net.

Noon hour Bible study at St. John’s – (12-1:15 pm). What do you normally do at lunch-time on a Tuesday? Swimming or fitness training or eating and drinking at the club? In Room 100 at the church you can bring your healthy, meager lunch, enjoy friendship and fellowship while munching and engage in spiritual fitness training by considering God’s word and His purpose for our lives. This spring (February 19th, March 4th and 18th and April 1st, 15th and 29th) we will be exploring how Jesus made use of the Scriptures of His day (our Old Testament) and attempting to apply His approach in our own lives. If you would like more information, please contact Jan Hobbis at Jan@sjvan.org or phone ext. 28.

Spring-Break Camp. Families this year are invited to an Easter Celebration on Saturday afternoon, March 22nd. To prepare the drama, art and singing for the service, children from kindergarten through to grade 6 are invited to a camp on Wednesday, Thursday and Good Friday. The camp will be held in the afternoon with specific details being announced in a registration form next Sunday.

Employment Opportunity - Ministry Support Coordinator. If you are interested in applying for or want to encourage someone to apply for the following position please look at the full description on our website, under General Information/Employment Opportunities. Applicants should forward a resume and cover letter to employment@sjvan.org. The ministry support coordinator will have three primary responsibilities: Support Ministry Staff, Event Coordination, Donor Administration & Communication.