Who we are:

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.

 

News > 2008 Parish Life Notes > 08.02.10 Parish Life

Feb 10, 2008

Dear Friends,

As we’ve been working through Exodus, we’ve seen that God has rescued his people for the purpose of dwelling among them. One of the wonderful things that happened after the Lord had brought them to himself was that Moses and several elders shared a meal in his presence on Mt. Sinai. Sharing food, while getting to know each other is a lovely way to start to feel a part of the church family. It’s often difficult though to get to know others here Sunday by Sunday and many still feel like strangers within our large congregation.

One easy and fun way to start to get to know some others, without a long-term commitment, is through the Connections Lunches. You need only come to two Sunday lunches, one on Feb. 24th and the other on March 30th. For more details, ask Jan or Doris at the sign-up table today after the 9 am service in the Trendell Lounge and after the 11 am in the Narthex.

Here’s some encouraging testimonies from people who have been blessed by participating in this ministry:

‘When we joined St. John’s, we had just left a church where we had worshipped for 18 years, and knew nearly everybody. It seemed hard to get to know people, as coffee time was noisy and seemed full of people who already knew each other. Connections Lunches was a brilliant idea, and we have made 37 new friends in the lunches we have attended or hosted, following the example of early Christians in Acts who “broke bread together in their homes”. We now feel much more part of our Church family.’

‘We have been involved in several Connection Lunches, both hosting the lunches in our home and attending in other’s. It is an excellent way of meeting people, making new friends and also getting to know people one sees in the pew Sunday after Sunday and never having the chance to meet and talk together. The friends we have made have enhanced our community fellowship at St. John’s.’

At the Town Hall Meeting last Sunday, David told us that we must “pull together” at this difficult time in our church’s history. How much easier is it to do that when we know each other better. Why not consider signing up to be placed in a Connections group today… a most comfortable and pleasant way to ‘pull together’!

Doris Horan
Jan Hobbis

Announcements

La familia Searle returned from Costa Rica this week and would like to say “Muchas gracias” for your prayers. God’s presence was so clear as He bestowed many blessings on us and kept us safe. We look forward to sharing our experiences with you soon.

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.

Birth. Congratulations to Jon Austin and Kayla Nelson on the birth of a baby boy, Carlito James Austin, born Friday, January 25th. First grandchild for Isobel Austin.

Parish Activities

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.

Annual Reports. Please pick up your Annual Reports for the Vestry Meeting at the back of the church before you leave today. Happy reading.

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(at)sjvan(dot)org or phone ext. 28.

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).

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(at)sjvan(dot)org or phone ext. 28.

Easter Spring-Break Camp. Children in kindergarten up to grade 6 are invited to come to our spring break camp from Wednesday to Good Friday, March 19th to 21st from 3 to 5 pm and finishing with the Easter Family celebration at 5pm on Saturday, March 22nd. The purpose of the camp is to have fun together while preparing drama and singing and artwork for the Easter Family Celebration. Registration begins next Sunday during coffee hour.

Helpers for Easter Spring Camp. Interested in helping at our Spring Camp with serving snacks, assisting
with art, telling stories, directing dramas? Please email Ruth Flannigan at ruthf(at)stjohnsshaughnessy(dot)org.

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(at)sjvan(dot)org. The ministry support coordinator will have three primary responsibilities: Support Ministry Staff, Event Coordination, Donor Administration & Communication.

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(at)livingwaterscanada(dot)org. If you have questions, please contact Manya Egerton at 261-7785 or megerton(at)telus(dot)net.

Sidespeople are urgently needed to serve at the 7:30 a.m. service. If you already attend this service, and would be willing to serve once every 4 – 6 weeks, please contact Harold Linnington at 602-9941.

Anglican Events

Pacific Coast Anglican Awakening – Sunday, March 2nd at 7 pm
The Common Cause Partners (of which the Anglican Network in Canada is one) of BC and the northwest USA are planning a special service to celebrate unity of orthodox Anglicans in the Lord Jesus Christ. The service will be held at Fraserview Mennonite Brethren Church, 11295 Mellis Drive, Richmond, BC. The preacher will be Bp Bill Murdoch, suffragan bishop of All Saints Cathedral Diocese in Nairobi, Kenya and dean of the New England Convocation of the Anglican Communion Network.

St. John’s part – billeting: We have been asked to provide billets for out of town guests, including, bishops and leaders representing faithful Anglicans from the USA and other parts of the world. Could you host one or more people in your home from March 1st to 4th? Please phone the church receptionist and leave your name, phone number, and the number of people you could billet.