newsletter€¦ · 12/6/2016 · bishop skelton recently moved ross bliss to the status of...
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NEWSLETTER
Week Commencing June 12th
Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
From your Rector
This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and it presents us with
some very powerful readings. Elijah challenges King Ahab over the murder
of Naboth. Psalm 5 pleads: “Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness,
because of those who lie in wait for me; make your way straight before
me.” In the letter to the Galatians, the author reminds his listeners: “I have
been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ
who lives in me.” And in the gospel we hear of Jesus proclaiming to a
woman, a known sinner, “Your faith has saved you, go in peace.”
There is so much to consider in all these readings this Sunday! But I want
to focus on something else in the gospel. It describes how Jesus went
through various cities and towns, proclaiming and bringing the good news
of the kingdom of God. With him were the twelve disciples but also a
group of women: Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susanna. The Bible tells us
that there were many others presumably women and men who provided
for Jesus out of their resources.
The first point is that this group supported the life and ministry of Jesus,
they offered their thanks to God with their resources, they gave of
themselves not only with time and energy but also with their money and
other resources. We give to God with every aspect of our lives. We give to
God out of thanksgiving for all that we have been given. Faith and
commitment are joined together in how we live in all aspects of life.
The second is that part of that group following Jesus was a number of
women who clearly offered him their love, support, kindness and faith.
Somehow in the life of the Church in the early years following Christ’s
resurrection and ascension, the role of women seems to have been lost or
hidden. We seemed to quickly forget that women were central to the
ministry of Jesus and certainly this continues to be true in this day and age.
I hope we have moved away from worrying about the gender of the
followers of Jesus and are much more interested in how Christ calls us to
life and light. Those women of the early church clearly gave leadership and
support and are an example for us as much as many others have been
down through the centuries. Women in the Church have clearly shown us
many examples of what it means to allow Christ to live through them. It is
good to recognize the role of women in the passage today.
Our faith calls us to response. To respond with our time, talents and
treasure to all that God has given to us throughout our life time. May we
recognize the numerous ways that God has blessed us in the past and is
calling to us in the future as we grow in being disciples and followers of
Jesus.
O God, who has called people in different times, different places, different genders,
different ages to live out a faith grounded in love and compassion, guide us in that
same path. Lead us to live generous and courageous lives that honour your light
within our hearts and live. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Fr John Stephens
Three Baptisms Coming Up!
On June 19 there will be three baptisms at the 10:00 service. Please keep
James, Tristan and Taylor in your prayers for this very special day for them
and for St. John’s.
In July there will be two more baptisms so this is a very special time in the
life of the parish.
Tuesday June 14 Celebration of New Ministry
At St. Mary’s Kerrisdale there will be a Celebration of New Ministry to
mark the start of the ministry of Mother Elizabeth Ruder-Celiz and the Rev.
Christine Rowe. The service will begin at 7:00pm and all are welcome to
support both Elizabeth and Christine.
Saturday June 18 Summer Ordinations Service
Bishop Skelton recently moved Ross Bliss to the status of Ordinand. Ross
has volunteered countless hours at SJS over the past few years, and is well-
loved by our parish. The Reverend Liz Hamel, our new curate, has been
moved to Postulant for the Priesthood and will be moved to the status of
Ordinand. The two-hour service will be held at Christ Church Cathedral,
and begins at 10:30am. All are welcome to support Ross, Mother Liz, and
the other new Ordinands.
Stewardship is about Joyful Acts of Thanksgiving
“Every time I make a step in the direction of generosity, I know that I
am moving from fear to love.” – Henri Nouwen
Have you signed up to give your monthly gift to God and to the work of St.
John’s Shaughnessy through Pre-Authorized Donations? We hope you
will! Currently there are about 25 people who give to St John’s in this way
and we hope that this number will double over the next few months.
Please consider signing up to give monthly Pre-Authorised Donations to
St John’s Shaughnessy. It’s…
Easy
Simple
Helping our parish income to
remain consistent
Allowing us to better predict our
income
Helping each one of us respond to the gifts God constantly gives to
our lives
A way to express our faith in how we spend our money and focus our
time
A great way to support this amazing parish!
Please fill in the form that you will find in the narthex.
Your Stewardship Committee
Atlanta Boy Choir last Sunday
A team of exceptional St John’s volunteers made this wonderful evening
possible. After the concert, the St John’s volunteers served all 70 members
of the choir a delicious turkey dinner. It was a long, late night for all, and
we appreciate their hard work. Even Fr John was working hard loading the
dishwasher late into the evening! The photo above shows our volunteers in
action in the Trendell Lounge kitchen. A big thank you to everyone who
helped, including the people who donated salads and rolls.
And the music was fantastic! Well worth the effort.
-photos by Peter Kidd and Michael Dirk
St John’s servers extraordinaire feeding a great bunch of talented young men
Musical Happenings at SJS
Sunday June 12, 3pm Brock House / Kerrisdale Choir concert
Tickets $10 at the door, children under 12 free.
Monday June 20, 2pm York House School Grade 6 band and Shaughnessy
Elementary grade 6/7 band perform a joint year end concert, free.
Sunday June 26, 2pm Opera at UBC: A Midsummer Night’s Dream - after the
great response to the VSO Last Night of the Proms - let's cheer on our star
tenor Spencer Britten in Benjamin Britten's operatic setting of Shakespeare.
Perhaps a lunch option after church en route to UBC? Group rate ticket just
$20. Email Michael Dirk at [email protected] for more information.
A Picnic of Parishes
We hope to have a good turnout of St John’s parishioners! St Mary's is
providing burgers, buns and condiments. St Augustine's and St Faith's are
providing desserts, salads and sides. Cameron from St Mary’s is handling
games, and Christine from St Faith’s is handling children's crafts. St John’s
will be bringing both desserts and salads. Please contact Louise Hadley or
the office if you are interested in attending, and let us know what you
would like to bring. Because parking might be a challenge at Maple Grove
Park, we encourage carpooling. If you can offer a ride, please let us know
how many passengers you have room for.
Garden Tools Wanted at SJS
If you have some old gardening tools that you don’t use any more and
would like to donate to SJS, please drop them off any time. Our volunteers
will put them to good use.
Volunteers Needed: coffee hour hosts & gardeners
St John’s has a large group of dedicated
volunteers in all areas of church life: readers,
greeters, chalice administrants, coffee hour
hosts, gardeners, and others. We are open to
more volunteers in all areas.
Over the next couple of months we are in
particular need of more coffee hour hosts.
Everyone works in pairs to lighten the load and make it more fun, and new
volunteers are teamed with experienced ones.
Gardeners do a variety of tasks. It’s okay if you don’t want to do any
digging or weeding. We need a team of people to water the flower beds
with the nozzle. Please talk to Peter Kidd or Robyn Woodward, or contact
the office for more information.
Strawberry Tea & Silent Auction at St Jude’s Anglican Home
On June 26th from 2:30 to 4:00, show your support for St Jude’s! There will
be delicious strawberry shortcake with whip cream, and lots of great items
to bid on such as: a weekend getaway to Port Renfrew, home-made
dinners, Lions Game tickets, and lots of themed baskets. 810 West 27th Ave.
Please call for more information: 604 874 3200.
St John’s Shaughnessy Anglican Church
1490 Nanton Ave. Vancouver, B.C. V6H 2E2
Telephone (604) 731-4966 (ex 11 for office)
email: [email protected] web: www.sjs.net
Office Hours: Monday to Thursday 9:00am to 4:00pm
Rector Venerable John Stephens
Curate as of July 1st Rev. Liz Hamel
Rector’s Warden Robyn Woodward
People’s Warden Louise Hadley
Treasurer Donald Wood
Vestry Clerk Karin Fulcher
Music Director Michael Dirk
Assistant Choirmaster Ann Chen
Children’s Ministry Spencer Britten
Parish Administrator Janet Hamilton
PWRDF Rep Doug Symons
Sacristan and MC Paul Bunnell
Sunday services
8:00am Holy Communion (BCP)
10:00am Sung Eucharist
Wednesday service
9:30am Holy Communion
Baptisms, Funerals, Weddings and Confessions are by appointment
with the Rector. Please contact us if you would like to have
our weekly newsletter emailed to you.
St John’s has a large group of dedicated volunteers in all areas of church life:
readers, greeters, chalice administrants, coffee hour hosts, gardeners, and
others. Please contact the office if you are interested in participating.
Cover: Christ at Simon the Pharisee by Peter Paul Rubens, 1618-1620