News > 2009 Parish Life Notes > 09.03.08 Parish Life

Day of Prayer

Appeal for Prayer: Bishop Don Harvey and the ANiC leadership have requested that we set aside Tuesday, March 10th as a day of prayer and fasting. There is heightened legal activity by some Anglican Church of Canada dioceses, which could result in serious personal hardship for some of our people. Please plan to gather with others at some time during the day for corporate intercession. At 5:30 pm we will be having Evensong as usual and you are warmly welcome to come and join with others in that service.

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 March 9th 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 fourth Mondays.

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(at)sjvan(dot)org

Congratulations

Congratulations to Canon Dr. J. I. Packer! Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, England has awarded him the Wycliffe Lifetime Achievement Award “for his noted works in theology”. He received the award at the Wycliffe Hall Winter Conference in Orlando, Florida, on February 13th. The Wycliffe news release states: “Dr. Packer is considered one of the most influential leaders of the evangelical movement in Christianity in the 20th century and authored the best-seller 'Knowing God'." We at St. John’s are grateful to God that Dr. Packer has ministered to us in this congregation since his arrival in Vancouver in 1979.

Discovering Christ presents Christianity Explored.

The Christianity Explored course meets on Wednesday nights at 7 pm in the Church Hall for a wonderful home cooked meal, short presentation and discussion. The course runs for 7 weeks and is designed for those who are curious about Christianity or are new to the Christian faith.

Christianity Explored provides a warm, pressure-free environment to explore questions of faith and life. It’s informal, fun and you can choose to be silent or say whatever you want. No question is too hostile or basic and no knowledge of faith is expected!

If you have any questions or wish to register please email Aaron or phone him at the church office on ext 22.

The course is free, but a small donation is asked to help cover the cost of the awesome food. The next Christianity Explored course begins this week, on March 11.

Interested in being in a Small Group Bible Study?

North Vancouver and Ladner – if you live in or around North Vancouver or Ladner, and would like to be in a small group, the groups that meet there would love you to join them.
Langley – we are thinking of starting a small group in the Langley area. If you live out that way and are interested,
let us know.

For more information about any of these groups please see Jan Hobbis in the Narthex after the 9 or 11 am services or call her at the church ext. 28 or email jan for further details.

Flowers

If anyone is interested in having flowers placed on the credence table, please contact Edith Winters for information at 604.322.6474

Office Volunteer Needed

We have had many people respond to the need for office volunteers. Thank you! We still have one opening on Thursday mornings for a receptionist from 9 am to 1 pm. If you can help please contact Krista at the church office ext 19.

Baptisms

Our next morning baptism service will be on April 19th. If you are interested please phone Krista in the office ext 19.

Concert

Music on Main is presenting parishioner, Brian Mix, at the Cellar Restaurant & Jazz Club ( 3611 West Broadway) on Tuesday, March 10. He will be performing a beautiful program of two of Bach’s Cello suites. Doors open at 6:30 pm; music begins around 8 pm. Tickets are $15.

‘Voice and Violin’ ~ a wonderful evening of classical music

Please plan to come to a benefit concert for ‘Genesis’, featuring violinist Karen Foster, with guest artist, soprano, Jane Corrall. They will be featuring the works of composers Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Sibelius, Grieg and Poulenc. The concert will be held on March 16, at 7:30 pm in the church, with admission by donation.

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

Lighthouse Harbour Ministries Spring Dinner

Lighthouse Mission to Seafarers is having a Dinner-Fund Raiser at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, April 24, 2009 at J.P. Fell Armoury in North Vancouver (freewill offering). A captivating video about the lives of Christian seafarers and the music of Michael Hart will be featured. Please call Paul Ratsoy @ 604.988.5084 or email: lhouse(at)beacom(dot)com to book your place.

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. 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.