Who we are:

St John's Vancouver Anglican Church, Vancouver is a community of Christians dedicated to the exposition and teaching of the Word of God, to the spreading of the good news of the Gospel at home and abroad, and to the application of God's purpose in our own lives and families.

 

News > 2009 Parish Life Notes > 09.09.20 Parish Life

September 20, 2009

Welcome Lunch

If you are new to St John’s, we would like to get to know you! Please join us for a free ‘Welcome lunch’ today after the 11 am service this Sunday in the Trendell Lounge. We look forward to seeing you there!

Evening Service Dessert Today

Are you new to St. John’s (or started coming over the summer) and thinking about making the Evening Service your church home? Then come to a “Welcome to the Evening Service Dessert and Coffee Time” after the Evening Service tonight. Make your way to the library, have some carrot cake, and find out how you can become involved. We look forward to meeting you.

Invite your friends to Bach Cantata 80, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.

Next Sunday, September 27, at 9 and 11 am we will be presenting Bach Cantata 80. Please pick up some invitations and pass them out to your friends, co-workers and neigbours, or leave them at coffee shops. And pray that God will fill the 9:00 and 11:00 am services with visitors, who God will draw close to Himself. 

We Are Still Looking for Sunday School Teachers

There are still some Sunday School classes that need teachers. If you think this might be a good fit with the gifts that God has entrusted to you, please contact Krista by email or ext 19.

Home Groups

Most of our home Bible study groups are starting up in the next few weeks. There are small groups in many areas of the city and lower mainland. If you are interested in being in a group or want to know more about small groups please see Jan Hobbis in the Narthex after the service, email, or call Jan at ext 28 at the church.

Senior’s Tea

St. John’s Seniors are all invited to our Thanksgiving Communion and Lunch on Tuesday, September 29. Communion will be in the chapel at 11 am with lunch to follow in the Trendell Lounge. We are delighted to have Marion Pocock speak to us on her life experiences. Do come and bring a friend for fun and fellowship. Please RSVP the church office, ext 0.

Volunteers Needed

Volunteers are urgently needed for driving and home-baking for our monthly seniors’ teas. If you can help please phone the church office and speak to Joanne McKinnon at ext 15.

Baptism

Our next baptism service will be held on Sunday, October 11. If you are wishing to be baptized, or to have your children baptized, please contact Krista at the church office before September 25 via email or ext 19.

Alpha Marriage Course

We are planning to run a seven-week Alpha Marriage course, beginning Monday, September 28. This is a very practical course giving any married couple the tools to build a strong and healthy marriage and is suitable for marriages of all ages and stages, whether you are newly weds or have been married for years. If you’d like further information or would like to register, (pre-registration is required) please call Jan at the church, ext 28 or email.

Catechism - Are you interested in learning about the basic doctrines of the Christian faith?

As well as running on Tuesday evenings, this course is also being offered on Thursday mornings for women, running parallel with Women@Ten, beginning on September 24 at 10 am.
In addition to the Bible, we will use the Creeds, the 39 Articles of Religion, and J.I. Packers’ “Concise Theology” as resources. Those new to the Christian faith, as well as long time Christians who want to be more clear on the fundamentals of belief in Jesus, will find this course helpful. Please call Jan Hobbis at the church office, ext 28 for further information. Cost for the course studies is $15.00.

LIVEWORD Women’s Conference – Pride and Prejudice – The Surprising Message of Jonah

Ladies, mark your calendars now and register for the women’s conference on Saturday Oct 17. We invite you and women from churches throughout the Lower Mainland to attend a day of Bible teaching and great music, as three speakers (Bev Greenwood, Lesley Bentley, and Polly Long) teach from Jonah and Matthew. Brochures will be available soon. For more details visit our women's conference page or contact Jan Hobbis at the church office, ext. 28 or via email.

Discovering Christ presents Christianity Explored - A course for the curious, a place to ask questions.

The Christianity Explored course meets Wednesday nights at 7 pm in the Trendell Lounge for a 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. Please register by emailing or by phoning the church office, ext 22. The next course begins October 7.

Church of the Ascension, Langley

Many of us know Bishop Ronald Ferris who retired early to Langley, joined the Anglican Network in Canada, and helped us enormously in the recent trial. For some time a group of believers has been meeting in Langley praying and planning to plant a new Anglican Church there. It’s a great joy to tell you that their first gathering for corporate worship was held last Sunday, September 13 at 11 am in the George Preston Recreation Centre, 20699 42nd Avenue Langley. From next Sunday, September 27, they will be meeting weekly. Please keep Church of the Ascension in your prayers as they get established. If you have friends or family in the Langley area, let them know.

Induction

Please keep Darren and Sarah Hindle in your prayers. They have recently moved back to Sydney, Australia, from Hong Kong in order for Darren to become the rector of All Souls Church, Leichhardt, South Sydney. The induction will be on September 24 at 7:30 pm. Darren was on staff here from 1997 to 1999 as the youth minister and then from 1999 to 2005 as the Director of Training for the Artizo Institute. They have three boys: Oscar, Felix, and Solly.

Parish Family News

Condolences
Please continue to pray for the Baldwin family. Marion and Norman’s 18 year old nephew, Henrique, died suddenly from bacterial meningitis in Brazil on September 14th and his funeral was held the next day. Please especially pray for Marion’s sister and brother-in-law, Henrique’s parents, as they deal with this tremendous loss.

Thank-you
The Baldwin family wish to express their gratitude to you, the staff and parishioners of St. John’s, for all your love and prayers during this time of loss. With thanks, Rita Baldwin and family.

 

 

   Dear Friends,

Welcome to St. John’s! If you have just joined us it’s a good time to come because today we are hosting a welcome lunch where you can find out a little more about our church and what it means to belong. Even if you have not booked, please feel free to come. Lunch starts in the Trendell Lounge, east of the church around 12:30 pm.

If you are new you may not know that as a congregation we are nearing the conclusion of a 7 year process which may mean we lose our church buildings. We have sought to make decisions carefully and prayerfully together, trying to follow Jesus and the question of our church properties is being decided by justice Stephen Kelleher of the BC Supreme Court. It is likely that our ‘judgment’ will be handed down during this Fall term, although the timing is uncertain.

On Wednesday this week the church committee looked together at ‘Plan B.’ In ‘Plan A’ the judge finds in our favour and we retain our property (although it may be appealed by the diocese). In ‘Plan B’ a group has developed options should the judgment go against us. This group has been working on the various possibilities of where we might meet should we have to move. Our aim has always been to remain together as a church family and while we pray for ‘Plan A’ you need to be aware that we are also preparing for ‘Plan B’.

The bottom line for us as Christians is that what God has given us in our faith is much more important than our buildings, despite their loveliness and usefulness, and the generosity of those who built and have maintained them. However, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead means that there is a much more important judgment by a much more important judge for which there is no court of appeal. Jesus’ death and resurrection mean that God has told us the result of his judgment, that although we are guilty and enslaved, through Christ we are clean and free. It is not just that we are forgiven and acquitted, but the judge himself delights in us, not because of our own beauty and goodness but because of Christ’s. This means we live to please him and we long for others to know his goodness and beauty as well. This is why we are here and this is what mission is. It is not coercion or manipulation or brainwashing or forcing anyone to believe something—it is bearing witness to the transforming truth of the power and goodness of Jesus Christ and what he has done for us.

The resurrection changes things: it makes moving buildings inconvenient but not catastrophic. It means the worst case scenario is not the loss of our property, nor is it even the loss of our own lives. It would be to lose Christ. It would be a terrible thing in our circumstances to win the judgment of the human court, remain in our buildings and become complacent and self righteous. This is to forget the judgment of Christ and it would be to miss what God is doing.

Whichever way the human court decides, our aim remains the same—to trust God, to bear witness to his heartbreaking goodness in Christ, and to draw on his truth and beauty to love one another and do good in this city in which God has placed us.

David.