News > 2009 Parish Life Notes > 09.02.08 Parish Life

Keeping Company with God

Are you feeling weary and heavy laden? Needing to come to God for his care and comfort? Then come to “Keeping Company with God” tomorrow, Monday Feb 9 at 7:30 pm in the sanctuary. Whatever your need: a quiet time with God at the end of your day, a place to receive prayer support for personal concerns, or a desire to hold up this congregation in prayer – this is a place of prayer care.” We meet every second and forth Mondays.

Mission Lunch

Jeremy Curry son of our Missions Committee Chairman Don Curry will be leaving soon to go to Kathmandu, Nepal to be a missionary ministering particularly to the Tibetan people of Nepal. All are welcome to come to a luncheon on Feb 15 at 12:45 pm to hear more about this ministry. The cost will be $5 per person and $10 per family. Please call the office to let them know that you are planning to attend.

Noon Bible Study (12:00-1:15 pm)

A lunchtime Bible study at the church will be meeting this Tuesday in Room 100, led by Olav Slaymaker, The series is entitled “The First Twenty Years of Christianity”. All are welcome to come and bring a bag lunch if you wish. For more information call or email Jan at the church at ext 28 or Jan@sjvan.org

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. 22 and March 29. How do you get involved? We will have a registration table today, and next Sunday, after the 9:00 am service in the Trendell Lounge and after the 11:00 am in the Narthex. For more information call Jan at the church office 604.731.4966 ext 28 or email jan

Bible Study Home Groups

We have a number of Home group Bible studies that meet around the lower mainland. It is a great encouragement to be involved with others in the congregation throughout the week, to study the word of God and pray together. If you are not presently in a small group and would like to be, or would like more information, please contact Jan Hobbis at 604.731.4966 ext 28 or email Jan

Are you looking to get involved at St. John’s? We have two opportunities.

1. Volunteer Receptionist: Being a volunteer receptionist is a great way to get involved in the life of the church and to meet new people. We are currently looking to fill the the following time slots: Monday afternoon, Tuesday morning, Thursday morning, and both morning and afternoon on Friday.

2. Bulletin Stuffers - join with other volunteers on Friday afternoon to help stuff the Sunday service bulletins.
It’s a good opportunity to serve and make new friends.
If you think either of these jobs might be for you please contact Krista at the church office.

Library

Hot off the press! The lastest titles in the Anglican Agenda Series are here. The titles are: Taking the Holy Spirit Seriously by J.I. Packer, Taking Worship Seriously by Archie Pell, and Taking Christian Disciplines Seriously by P. Klenner. Cost $3 for one book, $8 for three.

Vestry

The Annual Vestry Meeting (the annual general meeting) of the Parish will take place on Wednesday, Feb 18 at 7:30 pm in the Church. If you are a member of St. John’s, please plan to attend.

Divorce Care

Divorce Care begins on Monday, Apr 6 at 7:00 pm and will be held on a twice-weekly basis, concluding on May 21. If you or anyone you know is experiencing the pain of divorce or separation, this program is proven to be most helpful in moving towards recovery. For more information please contact Edie Rittinger or 604.731.4966 ext 24.

St. John’s Women’s Retreat

Ladies, mark your calendars! Our annual women’s retreat this year will be at Loon Lake Educational Centre on the weekend of Apr 24-26. The theme for the weekend is ‘From Fear to Joy ~ Meeting with the Risen Christ~ 3 talks on Luke 24’. Plan to come and be wonderfully fed both spiritually and bodily, and for great fun and fellowship with other women of St. John’s. There will be two different options for accommodation this year, for those who may like a little more privacy. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help organize this event, please contact Darrell Thomas at 604.269.9011 or email Darrell

Volunteer Opportunity

Genesis Vancouver is looking for a mature Christian woman who would be responsible for directing our housing unit. This is a volunteer position but room and board are provided (there is a self contained suite for your use). The position does not preclude outside employment during weekdays. Genesis is a long term recovery program for women who are exiting the sex trade and who have infants. This position requires the ability to set limits and to give unlimited grace. Please contact Marion at 604.709.3432 or email Marion  if you are interested in finding out more.

Employment opportunity

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. Applicants can email their resume and cover letter.

Ministry Support Coordinator – The ministry support coordinator will have three primary responsibilities: Support Ministry Staff, Event Coordination, donor Administration & Communication.

Friends,

One of the great gifts Jesus gives us is in the gospel of Luke is to speak about the terrible reality of sin and expose our tendency to ferocious self-justification. He comes from heaven as the friend of sinners, but we find the whole idea of sin too negative. He comes to seek and to save the lost but we are too busy to be found. He comes to call sinners to repentance, but we prefer to think of ourselves as victims.

Our greatest need is also Christ’s greatest gift.

Neither the language of medicine nor of law is an adequate substitute for the language of [sin]. Contrary to the medical model, we are not entirely at the mercy of our maladies. The choice is to enter into the process of repentance. Contrary to the legal model, the essence of sin is not [primarily] the violation of laws but a wrecked relationship with God, one another, and the whole created order. ‘All sins are an attempt to fill voids,’ wrote Simone Weil. Because we cannot stand the God-shaped hole inside us, we try stuffi ng it full of all sorts of things, but only God may fill [it].

Barbara Brown Taylor, Speaking of Sin: The Lost Language of Salvation (Cowley, 2000), p57-67.