News > 2009 Parish Life Notes > 09.02.15 Parish Life

Vestry

The Annual Vestry Meeting (the annual general meeting) of the Parish will take place this Wednesday, February 18th at 7:30 pm in the Church. If you are a member of St. John’s, please plan to attend. Sign in will begin at 6:45 pm.

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.

Senior’s Tea

St. John’s Seniors are all invited to our monthly tea on Tuesday February 24th at 1:30 pm in the Trendell Lounge. Come and bring a friend to hear Professor Ed Mornin speak on “The Saints and the Arts.” Please RSVP to the church office.

Small Group Bible Studies

We have a number of small group Bible studies that meet in Vancouver, around the lower mainland and at the church. 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 see Jan Hobbis at the table in the Narthex after one of the morning services or contact her at ext. 28 or email jan

CTC (Christian Teens Club) Retreat

This weekend CTC is on their winter retreat at Camp Squeah near Hope. Please keep them in your prayers. Please also pray for the Sr. Youth who go on their retreat next weekend.

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.

Living Waters

Living Waters at St. John’s - There are 24 participants (evenly divided between men and women) in the 8 week introductory program of Living Waters (called Cross Current) this year. Several of the 9 people on the team are from St. John’s. Week 4 of 8 has just been completed and participants have been receptive and open. Daniel Komori, the coordinator of the program has 2 specific prayer requests:

1) There are quite a few participants who have quite a deep need of healing (most of whom are aware of how deep those needs are). Please pray that they would be able to meet Jesus in those deep places, and that they wouldn’t get overwhelmed when facing those areas of their lives. Also pray that they would have the grace to be able to see their journey as just that … a journey, and not to get impatient or angry when things don’t change quickly.

2) There are many leaders who will be teaching for the first time, including three from St. John’s. Please pray for their preparation: Feb. 19 - How Jesus Bears Our Wounds Feb. 26 - Becoming Secure in the Father’s Love March. 5 - Loving Others March. 12 - Beyond Brokenness

All those involved in Cross Current would really value your prayers. As we read in our Parish Life Notes last week, “the essence of sin is not (primarily) the violation of laws but a wrecked relationship with God, one another, and the whole created order”. Please pray that God will use this program to bring healing and restore relationships, with himself and others.

Accommodation needed for the Martins

Rev. Sean Martin, his wife Natalie, and two young daughters (3 years old and newborn) , are planning to move to Vancouver on April 1st. Sean is an ordained Anglican minister and has been doing university ministry as well as working with a church plant in Dublin for the past few years. They are moving to Vancouver for Sean to work with the Navigators at UBC. They would like to live within cycling distance of UBC, so preferably on the West side. Do you know of a 3 to 4 bedroom house or apartment that they might rent? If so, please phone Ruth Matheson, Ext 12.

Save the Date! - March 16th

Plan to come to “Voice and Violin”: a wonderful evening of classical music and a benefit concert for “Genesis”, featuring violinist Karen Foster, with guest artist Jane Corrall. Watch for more details to come soon.

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

Ash Wednesday Service

There will be an Ash Wednesday service on Feb 25 at 7:30 pm. All are encouraged to attend.

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.

Last Sunday I had the privilege of attending the Chinese ANiC Church of The Good Shepherd in Vancouver as they celebrated the purchase of a new church building. Good Shepherd has walked with us over the past decade and the story of the purchase is remarkable. Despite the fact that they had already raised $2 million (which the diocese is contesting), despite the fact that they are a smaller congregation than St. John’s, despite the fact that the economy is in bad shape, since September 2008 they have raised $3.6 million in pledges to purchase their new property. The celebration was a beautiful acknowledgement of the goodness of God.

Last Sunday the congregation of St. Mary’s Nanoose Bay on Vancouver Island voted overwhelmingly to join us in the Anglican Network in Canada, and come under the oversight of Bishop Donald Harvey. This
is a courageous move, under the leadership of Rev. Guy Bellerby who is well known to us at St. John’s. Guy has requested an amicable arrangement with the diocese for a mediated process. St. Mary’s becomes the 27th congregation in Canada to join the Network. We thank God for their fellowship, we send them our greetings in Christ, and we pray for the Holy Spirit to continue to bless them and make them a blessing to the Island.

Warmly,
David Short