NEWSLETTER

Week Commencing October 7, 2018

Harvest Thanksgiving

Rector’s Reflections

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about

your life, what you will eat or what you will

drink, or about your body, what you will

wear. Is not life more than food, and the

body more than clothing?

For the fruit of all creation,

Thanks be to God;

Gifts bestowed on every nation,|

Thanks be to God.

This Sunday is Thanksgiving Sunday as we celebrate the bounty of the

harvest and celebrate the many gifts that we have received from God. We

think about all things for which we are grateful and thankful and the list is

very long. We think about close relationships of family and friends. We

think about the peace we enjoy here in Canada. We think about the

plenteousness of food for most people in this country. We think about the

things that we enjoy and that feed our soul. We think about the freedoms we

have to worship, pray and praise. We think about so many in our world who

suffer as a result of natural disaster, illness drought or war. It is a day and a

weekend to focus more on thanksgiving and appreciation of the abundance

that we enjoy rather than focusing on scarcity and the things we wish we had.

We celebrate all that God has given to us.

Thanksgiving weekend emphasizes so much of what should be central

to our lives but does not always reach this favourable position. We

remember with gratitude that we have so much to celebrate. We realize that

we do not spend nearly enough time offer thanks and too much time

worrying about the things that we do not have. We consider that indeed

there is much that is central to our lives that we enjoy and most other things

are not nearly as important but take up too much of our time.

Thanksgiving and the beauty of this time of year make it one of my

favourite times on the calendar. It is a weekend dedicated to slowing down,

counting our blessings, offering thanks, and responding to God’s

graciousness. All the things that I try to preach about on a regular basis! So I

encourage you to find the time over this weekend to consider that for which

you are most grateful. What is central to who you are a person and how you

live out your faith in Jesus Christ?

The Stewardship Campaign this year has the motto, Giving in

Gratitude emphasizing the need for all of us to spend a lot more time

celebrating rather than comparing. We are urging everyone in the parish

think about how they give back to God in gratitude for all that they have

received. It is a great exercise to do!

For the harvest of the Spirit,

Thanks be to God.

For the good we all inherit|

Thanks be to God.

May God bless you and yours this Thanksgiving Weekend!

Blessings,

Father John

Thanksgiving Decorations for next Sunday Oct 7

You are invited to bring donations of non-perishable food items for The

Community Pastoral Resource Centre Food Cupboard at St Faith’s Anglican

Church. Most needed are canned soup, meals in a tin (e.g. stew, beans, chili),

dried pasta, pasta sauce, peanut butter, jam, canned fish/meat, canned

vegetables and fruit, mac & cheese. A volunteer from St Faith’s will pick up

our donations.

We can also use flowers and greens from home gardens, and perhaps

some squash, pumpkins or small plants from your local grocery store. Many

thanks! Contact the office or Maggie Sanders if you would like to help

decorate the church at 10am on Saturday, Oct 6th.

Thanks to the Gardeners!!

If you have not already done so, have a look at our gardens here at St.

John’s for they are wonderful! The care and attention that our gardeners put

into the beautiful flower beds is so inspiring and truly feeds the soul. Have a

look at the amazing new Memorial Garden, it looks stunning! Look at all the

beds around the church, they are so beautiful and lush and thriving!

Thank you to all the gardeners who have participated in caring for all

of our gardens over the Spring, Summer and now the Fall, we are all so very

grateful!

Special Synod for our Diocese Oct 13

On October 13 there is a special Synod planned for our Diocese as we

seek to change the Canons of the Diocese in regards to the election of a new

Bishop. We as a Diocese are doing this at a time when there is not an election

to ensure that the rules are clear well in advance. Don’t worry Archbishop

Melissa is not retiring any time soon! Our Synod Delegates: Louise Hadley,

Maggie Sanders and Matthew Stephens (along with the clergy) will be

representing St. John’s Shaughnessy at the Synod.

Archbishop Melissa’s Visit Oct 14

Archbishop Melissa will be the preacher and

presider at our Sunday morning Eucharists on October

14. I urge you to come out and hear her, see her and be

with her. She is very much looking forward to being

with us and we are looking forward to it as well. There

will be an opportunity to speak to her at coffee time as

well. Maggie Sanders will be confirmed at the 10:00

mass. The Church Committee will meet with her over

lunch after coffee time. It will be a great morning.

Farewell to Mother Liz

Last Sunday we said good bye to Mother Liz and celebrated her time

with us. There is still time if you would like to contribute to a “purse” for

Mother Liz, a financial gift that we will offer her, please send cheques or cash

in a very clearly labeled envelope. We cannot give a tax receipt for these

gifts as they are for an individual, not the church.

Every blessing to Liz as she moves to be Priest-in-Charge at All Saints

in Ladner and every blessing to us as we move forward giving thanks for her

time with us! Photos by Michael Dirk and Alberta Rudolf

Blessing of the Animals Service Sept 30

The service on Sunday afternoon was a great success with Fr John and

Summer making it to Global News once again this year. We had more

attendees than at any other Blessing of the Animals Service here at SJS. It was

also nice to see our friends at VOKRA back with some lovely kittens for

everyone to visit with. Photos by Michael Dirk

Volunteers wanted to bring milk & cream on Sunday mornings

We are looking for another volunteer(s) to bring

milk & cream on Sundays. If your local store has

good dates (like Costco does) then once every two

weeks is fine. This will lighten the load for our

hospitality volunteers, some of whom find it

challenging to bring milk/cream on the bus. Just

save the receipts for reimbursement or for a tax

receipt. Even if you can just commit to once a

month it would be a big help!

Please help us spread the word that we are looking for a new

Sunday School Teacher/Coordinator

Hours: 4 hours per week, which includes preparation time and classes on

Sunday mornings, 9:30 ~ 11:30. This is a permanent part-time position.

Goals and Objectives:

To provide a Sunday School program for children and youth, which

nurtures their Christian faith

To help them grow in their relationship to God

To have fun and provide an alternate experience to the adult style of

worship and learning

Qualifications:

Good communication skills with both children and adults

Ability to manage a small group of children of diverse ages

Cheerful, warm disposition, with strong leadership skills

Preferably, experience teaching Sunday School

Preferably, experience with the Godly Play curriculum and method

(but if not, a willingness to be trained)

Available every Sunday

Submission of a current Criminal Record Check

with Vulnerable Sector Check obtained within

the last 12 months is required.

Compensation:

$21/hour

Resume and letter of application to:

The Ven. John Stephens

email: john.stephens@sjs.net

Benefit Concert - Homelessness Action Week

Sunday, October 14 at 5 o’clock, St. Philip, Dunbar

In commemoration of Homelessness Action Week in Vancouver, the

Neighbourhood Ministry will host a concert at St. Philip’s Dunbar (3737 W.

27th Ave) on Sunday October 14 at 5:00-6:30 pm with reception to follow.

The concert will feature Rebecca Jenkins and Joel Bakan, a well-known duo

on the Vancouver Jazz scene, and will also hear from Deacon Pitman’s Pro

Bono Publicum and friends. All proceeds go to the Neighbourhood Ministry.

This event offers a wonderful chance to learn more about the

Neighbourhood Ministry. Bring a friend. All are welcome. Attendance by

itself would be terrific. But please also consider volunteering to help at

the welcome table or one of the information tables at the event and/or

bringing an appetizer to share at the reception. Please let Vicki Potter

(vbpotter@hotmail.com) know of your plans to attend.

Westside Ministry collecting items for chilly & rainy nights

It's getting to be that time of year when we ask parishioners to donate

clean, lightly used items that will help our homeless neighbours. Please leave

your donations in the Narthex on the new silver shelving unit.

Of most use are:

sleeping bags & blankets

tarps & thermal sleeping pads

waterproof shoes & boots: men's sizes 9-15

men's raincoats & sweaters & toques & gloves

New SJS Cribbage Group

We have two parishioners who are keen to play Crib here in the church

on Monday or Thursday late mornings or early afternoons. Training and Crib

boards are provided. Why not give it a try? Please contact the office for more

information, and let us know which dates/times work best for you.

Flu Clinic at SJS Sunday October 21st during coffee hour

Everyone is invited to get their flu shot after

church on Oct 21st. The flu shots that are free are

provided by the province for BC residents with a

valid CareCard who meet "high risk" criteria for

the flu. Most people at SJS do qualify, but for

more details please visit

https://immunizebc.ca/influenza

In the event that there is someone who does

not meet the criteria for a free shot or if they do

not have a BC CareCard, the vaccine costs $20.

Jennifer Mai, Pharmacy Manager, Shoppers Drug

Mart #202, 888 Granville Street. Phone: 604-738-3107 Ex. 33

Sharing Stories – Thursday evenings October 11th to November 1st

7:30 pm at the Synod Office, 1410 Nanton

Sharing stories is about what we can learn from each other in a good way,

and how we can get to know each other better.

1. Shelley Joseph, October 11th, 2018

Shelley Joseph will share with us what she has learned in her 25 years of

work promoting spiritual, physical, mental and emotional well-being for

families and communities. She will also talk about Truth and Reconciliation,

and share her passion for continuing to move forward the legacy of her

father, Chief Bobby Joseph, founder of Reconciliation Canada.

2. Nicole Bird and Fr. Matthew Johnson, October 18th 2018

We will hear stories about the Downtown Eastside Community and its

Aboriginal population from Fr. Matthew Johnson, Diocesan Street Outreach

Priest working out of St. James’ Church, and Nicole Bird from the

Haida Nation, who works for Carnegie Community Centre in the Downtown

Eastside.

3. Lynda Gray – ‘First Nations 101’, October 25th 2018

Lynda Gray from the Ts'msyen Nation, author of “First Nations 101”, will

share a wealth of information on the current reality for Canadian Indigenous

Peoples. Since writing her book Lynda has realized there is more she wants

to share, and she is looking forward to receiving your questions and

engaging in discussion. Her website is http://www.firstnations101.com/ ,

and her book will be available that evening.

4. Melissa Adams and Keane Tait, November 1st 2018

Keane Tait –cultural knowledge, dance, and language teacher (from the

Nisga’a Nation), and Melissa Adams, archivist for the Union of B.C. Indian

Chiefs (also from the Nisga’a Nation), will help us look at the way Aboriginal

culture is being shared today with non-Aboriginal culture, and what happens

as our cultures work toward understanding and communicating with each

other. We will learn about some of our Aboriginal history, some current

situations, about language used in books, and information that is important

to Aboriginal people but not acknowledged in the current educational

system and other institutions.

We will be asking for a small donation of any amount at the door. Tea and

coffee will be served as well. We hope you will join us for this chance to learn

and grow together! Nii K'an Kwsdins, Nisga’a Nation

Thank you Doug Symons for representing SJS at the Ride for

Refuge! Thank you to everyone who supported Doug!

On September 29, cyclists gathered at 8am in Richmond to take part in

the annual Ride For Refuge fundraising ride. Riders this year were: Jane

Dittrich (Christ Church Cathedral), the Rev. Dr. Lynne McNaughton (Rector,

St. Clement’s), Liz Macdonald (All Saints, Ladner), Betty Boland (St. Faith’s),

Laurel Fahrni (St. Faith’s) and Douglas Symons (St. John’s Shaughnessy). The

prayers for good weather were answered as it was a rain free day and the

perfect climate for cycling. The routes were all within Richmond, and

participants enjoyed seeing herons, llamas, ducks, pumpkin farms and

beautiful riverside views along the way. Team PWRDF Vancouver raised an

amazing total of $6,720.00 this year. Thank you to everyone who generously

made pledges for the team and/or its riders! Jane Dittrich

Upcoming SJS Events

Please contact the office regarding knitting, Scrabble and garden groups.

Dates and times can vary with weather and everyone’s busy schedules.

Oct 8 Gardening Group 10am

8 Knitting Group 10am

10 Scrabble Group 1pm

13 Special Synod at SJS

14 Archbishop Melissa preaching & presiding at SJS

21 SJS Annual Flu Clinic during coffee hour

St John’s Shaughnessy Anglican Church 1490 Nanton Ave. Vancouver, B.C. V6H 2E2

Telephone (604) 731-4966 (ex 11 for office)

email: church@sjs.net web: www.sjs.net Office Hours: Monday to Thursday 8:00am to 3:00pm

CCLI License # 143069. Copyright © 2004 by the General Synod of the Anglican Church of

Canada. All rights reserved. Reproduced under license from ABC Publishing, Anglican Book

Centre, a ministry of the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada, from Anglican

Liturgical Library.

Rector The Venerable John Stephens

john.stephens@sjs.net

Deacon The Reverend Dr. Pitman Potter

pbpotter@live.ca

Pastoral Care Team Coordinator Helen Kline

Rector’s Warden Judith Downes

People’s Warden Maggie Sanders

Treasurer Donald Wood

Property Trustee Peter Kidd

Vestry Clerk The Reverend Karin Fulcher

Music Director Michael Dirk organist@sjs.net

Choir Director Ann Chen

Children’s Ministry Vacant

Parish Administrator Janet Hamilton

PWRDF Rep Doug Symons

Sacristan and MC Paul Bunnell (on sick leave)

Verger/caretaker Amy Thorogood

Sunday services

8:00am Holy Communion (BCP)

10:00am Sung Eucharist

Wednesday service

9:30am Holy Communion

Cover photo: Stanley Park Seawall by Onur Kurtic (Flickr)