News > 2009 Parish Life Notes > 09.05.10 Parish Life

Family Meeting

Tomorrow, May 11th St. John’s will have a ‘family meeting’ open to anyone in the parish to attend. We will spend time discussing the trial and have time for questions and answers. We will also spend time in prayer and singing as we prepare as a family for the trial. The meeting will be held in the Gym at 7:30 pm, all are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Prayer Opportunity

There are a number of St. John’s people who desire to form a group who will commit to praying for the trial for an hour either at home or in the church. We want to have someone designated to pray for every hour that the trial is running (9am to 5pm everyday) as we need to keep constant prayer cover of the trial. Anyone who would like to volunteer or for more information, please contact Joanne M, ext 15 or email

Operation Baby Bottle

Happy Mother’s Day. Today, we at Crisis Pregnancy Centre are commencing our annual Baby Bottle Fund Raising Campaign. Please pick up your bottle(s) from Janice in the Trendell Lounge during the coffee-time in between the 9 am and 11 am services.

 2010 Olympics-More Than Gold

Parent lunch and prayer 24 May

On Sunday 24 May we will be having a simple lunch after morning church for all parents/families of CTC and Senior Youth and Ekklesia. This will be an opportunity to give thanks to God for the year we have had and also welcome the new grade 6 families into the youth ministry. Most important is that it is the day before St John’s court case and so is an appropriate time to meet and pray. The cost will be $5 for an individual or $10 for a family. Please RSVP to Julie Moser by email.

 Keeping Company with God

Keeping Company with God” usually meets on the second Monday of each month. But on Monday, May 11th, the service has been cancelled so that everyone can attend the “Family Meeting” which has been planned for that night. “Keeping Company with God” will be held again on Monday, May 25th.

 Baptisms

June 28th is the date of our next baptism services. If you are wishing to be baptized or to have your child baptized please contact Krista in the office by June 17th at ext 19.

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.

Lost and Found

Please claim items from the lost and found outside the library in the Church Hall. Unclaimed items will go to charity.

Used Stamps

Please bring your unwanted used stamps in for the Arctic Fellowship. Thank you to all those who already give. If you have any questions about this ministry, please contact Grace at 872.6031.

Parish Family News

Marriage Announcement
Congratulations to Sarah Tippett and David Poon who are getting married here on May 16th. Please keep this couple in your prayers.

Condolences
Please keep Esther Neudorf in your prayers as she grieves the death of her beloved grandmother this week.

Dear Friends,

On May 25th, the public court proceedings begin in which St. John’s trustees are seeking clarification on who the rightful trustees of the corporation are and who the property is held in trust for. Some of us have a deep knowledge of the history and path that brought us to this point, some a bit of knowledge, and for some this may be the first time you are hearing about it.

Regardless of your starting point, you may have concerns and questions. Or, since the proceedings are public and there will be press coverage, you may be asked questions when people understand you attend St. John’s. Questions, hearsay, opinions, speculations, and varied emotions will come up and that is to be expected and is okay. As always, the key for the Gospel will be in our understanding of God, ourselves, and how we respond. The reality is we are all broken in a way that we cannot fix; in fact it is an impossible situation for us. But Jesus gives us hope in Luke 18:27, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”

Our response to questions, hearsay, opinions, speculation, and different emotions needs to come out of clarity on three facts.

• We are broken – we are not deserving, entitled, better than anyone else or trying to win the argument that we are right.

• God is the only one that can save us and he alone justifies us.

• Christ won the battle through his death and resurrection. He reigns from a position of victory of which he has invited us to share.

We need to pray for each other and for those with whom we are in disagreement and we need to pray that God would aid us in our responses so that Christ would make himself known.

Tomorrow, May 11th, we will meet as a family at 7:30 pm to pray and bring our questions and concerns to Christ and each other. We will need to continue to do this as we move forward. To help with this there are plans to have a basic fact sheet available to answer some questions and there will be time for us to pray together. For ongoing updates, please check our website. www.stjohnsvancouver.org in the days ahead.

What is the best outcome? That God’s will may be done and his kingdom come.

Joanne L