Men’s Breakfast
The next Men’s Breakfast will take place on Dec 5, 9:00 am -11:00 am in the Trendell Lounge. The talk will be titled “How Jesus Renovates and Restores Men’s Lives”. It will take the form of five testimonies from men who will share how Jesus has brought great change and restoration into their lives. Cost is $15.00 and you can register in person in the Trendell Lounge between the 9:00 am and 11:00 am services, or by calling the church office at 604.731.4966
November 29 - Advent Carol Service
This Sunday is the first Sunday in Advent and we will be holding our annual Advent Carol Service at 4:00 pm in the church.
Mission’s Lunch – Sunday, December 6
This past September Steven Friebel visited Cambodia with the Ratanak Foundation. Join us for lunch on Sunday, December 6 and hear the latest news from Steven about the projects and people that are bringing the love of Christ to Cambodia through Ratanak. Lunch will begin after the 11:00 am service. Please phone the church office at 604.731.4966, ext 0, if you are planning to come.
Upcoming Baptism Service
Sunday, December 13
We will be holding our next baptism service on Sun, Dec 13. If you are wanting baptism for your child, or yourself, please contact email Krista in the church office or call 604-731-4966 ext 19. The deadline for baptism applications is Nov 30.
Nominations for Church Committee
Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven people of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. Acts 6:3
Just as the early church had to quickly figure out how to care for the needs of the growing group of Christians, so do we at St. John’s, each year, need to identify leaders to help run the mission and ministry of the church. Please prayerfully consider whether you or someone you know would be willing to serve on church committee. To find out more, or to nominate someone, please contact the People’s Warden, Lesley Bentley at (604) 261-9495 or lesleybentley@mac.com or Trustee, David Ley at 604.266.3075 or dley@geog.ubc.ca. Nominations will close Tuesday, January 5, 2010.
Children’s Christmas Choir
The Sunday School Christmas plans are underway and we are excited about working towards something wonderful this year. We are starting rehearsals for the Christmas Choir (Kindergarten - youth) on Nov 29 at 10:30 am in room 100. These rehearsals will happen every week at 10:30 am. Further information about the Christmas play will be given in early December! If you have any questions please contact Lisa Nikkel at 604-731-4966 ext 27.
Donating Securities to St. John’s
We want to remind people that St. John’s is set up to receive donations of securities. If you hold securities and wish to include them as part of your giving, and receive the increased tax donation receipt, please contact Krista at the church office at 604.731.4966 ,ext 19, or Krista@sjvan.org
Expecting Emmanuel
A Special Advent Prayer Service
Mon, Dec 14 at 7:30 pm in the church
Are you already feeling wearied by the thought of the Christmas season?
Is there too much to do, and very little of it connected to the birth of Jesus?
Is there pain or loss in your life that makes it hard to think about celebrating this year?
Do you desire to spend some time in quiet prayer and meet Emmanuel, our God, who is truly with us?
Then come to this special “Keeping Company with God” Advent service. Please feel free to invite friends or neighbours.
Are you on the St. John’s Parish list?
The St. John’s Parish list is our primary way of communicating with members of the congregation. If you have recently moved, changed your email address, or are not sure if you are on the parish list please fill out one of the blue Welcome Cards located in the pew in front of you.
St. John’s Office Volunteers Needed
If you are available on Friday afternoons from 1:00 pm -3:00 pm and would like to join us in stuffing bulletins, eating donuts, and drinking coffee please contact Joanne McKinnon at 604.731.4966, ext 15 or email joanne.
Parish Family News
Flowers. The flowers today are given in gratitude to God for, and in loving memory of Alice Ellis, by her husband David and daughters Victoria Hathaway and Jocelyn Bartel.
Memorial Service. On Saturday, December 5 at 3 pm there will be a memorial service held for Peggy Andrew’s son, Bruce Andrews, who passed away in Australia on October 29.
Community News
Living Waters International Market and Silent Auction (The “Splash”)
This will be held at 10th Ave. Alliance Church (Ontario and 10th) on Nov 27 at 7:00 pm. There should be lots of good things to buy and it will be a lot of fun. The director of LW travels extensively and always brings back lovely things. This is an event that anyone would enjoy attending. Bring your neighbors and friends. Email Manya Egerton for more details.
Genesis Vancouver
Genesis is a ministry that offers a long-term recovery and reintegration program for sexually exploited women with children, who are seeking a way out of the sex trade. Two different opportunities in support of Genesis are currently available to you.
- Genesis’ Gift Catalogue- there are copies of this gift catalogue available at the church entrances. Please pick one up and consider purchasing a gift for someone on your Christmas list.
- Benefit concert – an evening of chamber music featuring Schubert will be held at Grace Vancouver church, 1696 W. 7th Ave on Saturday Dec. 12, 2009 at 8:00 pm. Admission by donation.
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Dear Friends,
Paul urged fellow Christians to welcome one another as Christ had welcomed them. He challenged the early believers to “pursue” hospitality; in fact, hospitality was a qualification for leadership in the early Christian communities. Indeed, Christian believers were to regard hospitality to strangers as a fundamental expression of the gospel.
Next year, Vancouver has the unique chance to welcome an expected 300,000 to the lower mainland. During the Olympics, as a congregation, there are a number of ways we will be pursuing hospitality. These include:
- Volunteering at warming stations strategically located around Vancouver. This would be a great opportunity for a home group to serve international visitors.
- Providing accommodation for the estimated 3000 Christian missionaries who will arrive in Vancouver to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.
- Participating in the ‘Home For The Games’ program which matches Olympic Games visitors with Metro Vancouver hosts for short-term home stays. This organization helps visitors find much-needed affordable accommodation, with 50% of the rental fee going directly to registered charities helping downtown Vancouver’s most vulnerable citizens.
- Running big screen viewing parties in our gym for special Olympic events such as the hockey finals (and perhaps curling, even though it still seems like a very odd sport to me).
As we get closer to the Olympics, more announcements will be made, but in the meantime check out the morethangold.ca website for more details, or contact me at aaron@sjvan.org.
Regards,
Aaron Roberts
St John’s – Pastoral Evangelist
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