News > 2008 Parish Life Notes > 08.11.02 Parish Life

Bach Cantata – November 2nd

Come and bring a friend to hear the Gospel through Bach’s  first Cantata: “How Brightly Shines the Morning Star!” Jane Corrall (soprano) and Terry Penner (tenor) will sing accompanied by strings, woodwinds, and brass.

Parish Prayer

Please join us for prayer tomorrow, Monday evening in the Trendell Lounge at 7:30 pm to pray for St. John’s people and ministries and other ministries beyond our parish.

Discovering Christ presents ‘Big Questions’

At one time or another, we are all faced with life’s tough questions – questions about meaning, purpose and the divine, questions worth exploring, questions that really matter for finding our way in life. This short course provides a relaxed environment for those still investigating the Christian faith to explore Christian perspectives on God and spirituality, suffering and meaning. Over five Wednesday evenings, this course provides a place for you to think and discuss with others interested in similar things. We begin Nov 19 at 7:00 pm in Room 100. The course is free but we do ask for a small donation for the sumptuous dinner we provide at the beginning of each session. To register please call Aaron at the office, 604.731.4966 ext 22 or email him at dc@sjvan.org

Advent Quiet Day! Joy To The World The Lord has come!

Women please mark your calendar and plan to come to our Advent Quiet Day Nov 22 from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. This year Jan Hobbis and Judy Thurston will be leading us as we look at the meaning of Advent. The day will include wonderful music, good food, teaching and time to quietly reflect on both Christ’s coming to live with us here on earth and His coming as our King of Glory to take us to live with Him forever. Registration forms will be available on Nov 2. You may leave registrations at the front desk, mail them to St. John’s, or register in person on Nov 9 and 16 in the Trendell Lounge between the 9:00 am and 11:00 am services. For more information please email Marion Maxwell.

ANiC - Legal Defense Fund:

ANiC’s legal defense, which includes work on behalf of St. John’s (Shaughnessy), will be funded from designated givings only. For the legal defense to continue, it will need to be funded above and beyond current budgets and offerings. We ask you to consider your ability to participate in this. To give to the legal fund, please designate on your ANiC envelope the amount you are giving for the legal fund. If it is a portion of your total gift that portion will be set aside for the legal fund or you can make a cheque out directly to the legal fund by addressing the cheque to "ANiC - Legal Fund".

2009 Offertory Envelopes Orders:

We will be ordering our 2009 Offertory Envelopes very soon. If you would like to order ANiC- St. John’s Project Envelopes, please contact the office or see Nancy Williams at coffee hour after the 9:00 am service or in the narthex after the 11:00 am service.

ANiC – St. John’s Project Offering

ANiC – St. John’s Project can receive donations, as cheques, cash, or securities. To give via cheque or cash:

• Use the ANiC envelopes provided at the back of the church.
• Make cheques payable to "ANiC – St. John’s Project"

To identify yourself for a tax receipt please do one of the following:

• Write your name and address on the envelope
• Write your St. John’s (Shaughnessy) envelope number on the ANiC envelope.

To donate securites please contact the church office.

News from Rev Dr. Felix Orji

Felix is now the rector of St. Francis on the Hill church in Northwest El Paso, Texas (stfrancisonthehill.org). On October 20, 2008, his Vestry (church committee) voted, on behalf of the whole congregation, to leave the Episcopal Church, USA. His October 21st memo to the congregation (following the vote) is available on the Narthex and North Chapel tables.

Support Group for Men

Struggling with pornography? Many surveys show that this is a significant temptation for many Christians. You can find help and support in this confidential support group for Christian men. Call Dan Gowe at 604.228.0326

Operation Christmas Child

Now’s the time to fill a shoebox with gifts for a child living in a war-torn or impoverished country. Boxes and leaflets with gift ideas can be picked up this morning in the lower hall and should be returned by Sunday Nov 16. Please include a cheque for $7 to Samaritan’s Purse to cover transportation costs. You can return boxes any day up till Nov 16 – please stack all boxes behind the reception desk in the hall.
GIFT IDEAS
Things to include: school supplies (pens, pencils, sharpeners, crayons, writing pads), toys, toothbrushes, combs, T-shirts, socks, baseball caps, sunglasses, hair clips, watches.
Things NOT to include: toothpaste, food items, any liquid and war-related toys.
You will need to provide your own shoebox if you haven't picked on up from the hall yet.

Parish Announcements

Flowers. The flowers on the credence table are given to the glory of God and in memory of Marion Isabelle Harford,
Clifford Harford and Joan Harford McNeill from their loving family, Susan and Don Eyford.

Volunteers needed! We are looking for volunteer receptionists and bulletin stuffers. If you have a few hours a week to volunteer please contact Nancy Williams or Joanne McKinnon in the office.

Community News

Living Waters. Please pray for the 36 participants (including members of this congregation) in the 24-week program as the program begins. The men, who range in age from 25 to 52, come with a wide range of relational issues. Some of their particular areas of brokenness include the past experience of abuse and emotional trauma, emotional or sexual addiction, same-sex attraction, and failing or failed marriages. The women, who range in age from 26 to 64 have come with specific concerns such as fear of men because of experience of abuse, feeling disconnected to God’s love, foster home upbringing/ fractured relationships, and struggling with perfectionism and attraction to “father figures”. Emotional neglect and alcoholic parents are common themes. Please pray that they will come willing to be open to the work of God in the worship, teaching, and small group prayer time. Pray also for the leaders, five of whom are from St. John’s.

Marriage Refreshment Weekend. “TeamMates: A Celebration of Marriage” will be held at Barnabas Family Ministries on beautiful Keats Island on Nov 7-9. Come and learn things like: why men and women view life so differently, how to talk with, rather than at, each other, and in general how to keep the sizzle in your marriage. For more information contact David and Mary-Lynn Jacoby at 604.524.5849.

Light a Candle of Hope: An Evening to Celebrate Maurice McElrea. Union Gospel Mission’s President, Maurice McElrea will be retiring at the end of 2008. On Tuesday, Nov 4, at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre there will be a gala dinner, live Celtic entertainment, and testimonies of lives changed as well as fitting recognition for Maurice. Maurice and Lois will be so pleased if you are able to join us for this evening of celebration. For more information or to purchase tickets please go to www.ugm.ca or call 604.253.3323

Dear Friends,

The most fundamental question of philosophy is ‘Why is there something, rather than nothing?’ It’s not a question most of us spend time thinking about. A more common question is ‘Why is the lane I just changed into, moving slower than the one I just moved out of?’ or ‘Do the people on Jeopardy really write their name like that?’ These are all very good questions. When it comes to the Christian faith, I have met a number of people who said that they came from Churches where questions were not encouraged – ‘people of faith don’t ever question!’ That certainly is not the testimony of the Bible. A brief glance through the book of Psalms will reveal that God’s people have always been happy to ask questions – even the tough ones like ‘Why, O Lord, do you stand so far off?’ (Psalm 10).

At St Johns, we believe questions are a normal part of your faith journey. For those of you who are at the very beginning of the journey, perhaps still investigating Christianity with a healthy skepticism, please take note of a short course we are starting up in a few weeks called ‘Big Questions’. It’s a time for you to explore some of the most fundamental questions in life. Questions like ‘If the Christian God is supposed to be good, why is there so much pain in the world?’ For more information on this short course, please see the separate insert in the service sheet.

Regards,
Aaron Roberts