News > 2009 Parish Life Notes > 09.04.26 Parish Life

Legal Fund - Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC)

On May 25, 2009 we are seeking clarification from the courts regarding the ownership of our property. We continue to encourage people to donate to the ANiC legal fund in order cover the costs associated with these legal proceedings. Cheques should be made payable to The Anglican Network in Canada - St. John’s Project , and they should be marked as being designated for the legal fund. Donations may be placed in the offering plate, or delivered to the church office. For more information contact Krista Friebel at the church office, 604.731.4966 ext 19.

Seniors’ Tea

St. John’s Seniors’ Tea will be held this Tuesday, April 28th at 1:30 pm in the Trendell Lounge. David Short will be the speaker. He will update folks on current events, answer questions, and talk about where we’re at now at St. John’s. Please come for fellowship and bring a friend with you. If you need a ride, please phone the church office, 604.731.4966 ext 0.

Retirement

After 25 years of faithfully keeping St. John’s clean & crumb-free, Edward (Bix) Crommelin is retiring. We thank Bix for his faithful service and patience in keeping us tidy. We pray for God’s continued blessing in his life and look
forward to continuing our relationship with him in a different way.

Job Opportunities

There are two positions posted to cover maternity leaves
• Music Ministry Assistant (Part-time)
• Assistant Children’s Minister (Full-time)

For more information please click here

If you are interested or think of somebody that should apply please have them call Joanne Lawrie at ext 18 or email

Opportunity to attend Christianity Explored! A course for the curious, a place to ask questions

The Christianity Explored 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!

Wednesday nights ~ for all: This course will meet at 7:00 pm in the Church Hall for a wonderful home cooked meal,
short presentation and discussion. The course is free, but a small donation is asked to help cover the cost of the awesome food. The next course begins in May. If you have any questions or wish to register please email or phone Aaron at the church office, 604.731.4966 ext 22.

Keeping Company With God

“Keeping Company with God” is a one hour service of prayer, music, a short reflection on a Bible passage and
times of silence. The service is held every second and fourth Monday of the month, at 7:30 pm in the sanctuary.

Each evening is centered on a theme from the Scripture passage, usually taken from the Psalms. Some of these
have been “The Unfailing Love of God”, “Hope in the Lord” and “Strengthened in the Lord”.

Who is this service for?
• anyone, men as well as women
• not just members of St. John’s but anyone else who would like to attend
• those who have had a busy day and want a quiet time with God
• any who are feeling burdened
• those who want to lay hold of God’s promises
• any who want to pray for loved ones or the church family
• any who want to slip in and out of a service of prayer without talking to anyone
• as well as any who want individual prayer.

There is a period of 15 minutes in the middle of the service when you can listen quietly to music, pray on your own or go to two or three prayer stations where you can pray with a member of the St. John’s prayer team.

The next service will be this Monday Apr 27.

Parish Family News

Flowers. The flowers on the credance table are given to the glory of God and in loving memory of Don Andrews from his wife, Peggy, and family.

Condolences. Our condolences to Larry Pulfer, whose mother died on April 17th in Barrie, Ontario. Her funeral was held on April 21st. Please pray for Larry, Heather and Jason as they grieve the loss of a dear mother and grandmother.

This past week, with the help of our lawyers, I finished my affidavit in preparation for the May/June court case with the diocese. With exhibits, the document comes to 175 pages! It is the story of our journey for the last 10 years, and on the surface it describes many of the most difficult decisions we have had to make and why we made them. But if you look deeper it is clearly the story of God’s goodness and faithfulness, not only to me but also to us and to those who have done so much for us.

I cannot see or tell what the hand of God is doing on a particular day or in a particular circumstance, but as I look back it is very evident that God’s good purposes for us are usually different than the hopes and goals we set for ourselves and ask him to bless. It is clear God does not think much of our ease. He calls us to stake all on the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to trust him, even when we cannot see the outcome. This is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have seen something of his extravagant love through the care of the poor in Africa for us. The constant prayers and encouragements from around the globe, particularly from those who are physically persecuted, is one of the most moving and tangible gifts of the last 10 years. There is no human explanation for our unity and for the power which holds us together apart from the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and the prayers of our brothers and sisters. We must pray for them with deeper care.

In writing the affidavit I was reminded again and again that our Christian faith is a revealed faith and that it is focused on redemption and transformation through Christ Jesus. This is a very different thing than mere acceptance, approval or affirmation. It is the way of the cross. It is the way of the resurrection.

As we move toward the trial there are many uncertainties. It becomes more important for us to consider one another and to continue to push beyond the fringe. As we learned from Ephesians, the church is us, his people, being built together into a dwelling place for God in the Spirit. So we need to grow up, into Christ, and grow together as his body—and we need to hold together as a church. I want to invite you to a special evening of prayer and sharing on Monday, May 11 at 7:30, where we will take shelter in Christ together. It will be an opportunity for us to share our anxieties and to cast our cares on God who cares for us. Over the next weeks I want to give more information on the shape of plans for our future and how we might take this opportunity which God is giving us in a way which will bring credit to him. May God enable us to increasingly lift our deepest trust from all those things in our lives which we can see, and place it on him.

David.