St. John’s Call MemoriesI can’t believe we handled events with a big pot be"y furnace...

Clara BottomleySo wasn’t it a great Christmas!

2006 Christmas now has gone down to memory. Our church was beautiful, all the special activities and sermons were wonderful, and the choir and the anthems were just lovely. It was all such a happy

time.As I sat in church I couldn’t

help but think of the progress that has come every year or so. When you really think about it you can’t see how life can keep going ahead so much more.

Cont’d on page 2

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Well here we are, more or less finished with the cold weather (hopefully) and ready to welcome the coming Spring season. We hope that you have been free from the usual Winter ailments and are looking forward to April and the Holy Week of Easter that is on the near horizon.

Elizabeth’s EpistleAs I write this letter the day

is gloomy, it has been raining and the forecasters are predicting more rain. It’s very common for us to be influenced by the lack of sun; some people become quite depressed and require light therapy. “Snowbirds” go south in search of the sun - the warmth, the colour, the brightness. We look forward to more days of sunshine and light. It is no wonder then, that light imagery is used for the Word made human, the Light that came into the world.

In my mind’s eye I see that first Easter Day as one full of sunlight, shadows dancing in the garden. What a symbol of the great contrast between the somber mood of Good Friday and the joy of the Resurrection.

Cont’d on page 2

This is the first Newsletter after our Vestry meeting in February. As a start, we would like to pass on our sincere thanks to all of you who have volunteered your services in so many ways to work for the benefit of our church family this coming year. Cont’d on page 3

WORDS FROM YOUR WARDENS • Ev DeHart and Alan Harris

When I was a young girl, the choir would come in with their hats and coats on and sit in the north-east pews of the church. There weren’t any stairs to go down to the Sunday School hall, so the choir had to go around and come up from outside, rain or shine, even when they were robed in Rev. Harvey’s time.

When I think of it now, I can’t believe we handled special events

in the Sunday School hall with a big pot belly furnace in the middle. We only had a cook stove to get lit before we could even get tea ready. No plumbing - just outside conveniences in a big shed to the west of the driveway. I never saw a light in there, but maybe there was one somewhere.

Life was so different in the olden days. In some cases it was maybe better, but I don’t know. We managed shopping easier, and it seemed O.K. Nobody had a car. The milkman brought the milk early every morning, the Canada Bread came four times a week

with bread, cake, etc., the butcher came on your side of the street twice a week, and you grew all your vegetables in the garden for winter and summer - potatoes, turnips, carrots, squash, onions, parsnips, etc. Every Friday

morning a grocery clerk would come down to get your order, and a boy would bring it down Saturday morning. You would run a bill and pay at the end of the month. Goldring’s Post Office and store was across the road also. We didn’t have a fruit and green vegetable counter in stores then. When I was young we only got an orange for Christmas. We had lots of apples and pears though.

I could go on and on about the church and how things used to be in the olden days, and wonder what it will be like ahead. We had to wear hats, and if I forgot mine

someone would tie a big handkerchief over my head, as I couldn’t go into church without a hat. Now no one wears a hat.

My memories go back to about 1925, and I see so many changes in life. I can’t help but wonder what the next few years

will bring, and then these years will be called the olden days. In my memories I can see the Rector riding his bicycle with his fur hat and long coat. He would ride his bicycle to visit sick people at the Oshawa Hospital. He came over to see me once. Traffic wasn’t so bad then. The Rectory was on Dufferin Street just east of our property.

Many wonderful people attended St. John’s through the years I remember, and I can still see them in my thoughts of St. John’s memories. ✙

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Elizabeth’s Epistle cont’d #om page 1The message in Mark’s gospel says “He

has risen, he is not here”- victorious words- all the events of the past week are put into perspective. The Cross is part of God’s glorious plan of salvation. All the things Jesus promised, new life, right relationship with God, the Kingdom of Heaven, are brought to fruition.

We look into the tomb with the women, after the soul searching work of Lent, and we

find not fear and amazement, instead we find conviction, love, power and joy that we are set free from sin for life in God’s service. A life full of the Light of God!Celebrating with you ,Elizabeth +

RECENT AND UPCOMING EVENTSIt seems that Christmas has just passed and in a

wink of an eye it is Lent and then Easter. The church continues its mission to proclaim the love of God through the life, death and resurrection of His son Jesus Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Our annual Vestry meeting was held Feb. 4th, followed closely by our Shrove Tuesday pancake and sausages dinner on Feb 20th. Our thanks to Janis Mitchell and her cast of helpers and cooks for a delicious meal, and fun word games and terrific fellowship. Our Lenten journey began on Ash Wed. the next night though only a few began the journey with us. I hope and pray for all

your souls that many more join us along the way. I wish to give thanks to our leaders and

hosts as St. John’s Bible Discovery group began in March, with 17 participants in three groups learning together as we watch and dialogue with the program Living the Questions. One of the Lenten disciplines is to set aside more time for God and His Word; if you have not signed up for this session of Bible Discovery then I look forward to seeing many more of you for the next. I will leave the math to you!Looking forward to celebrating with you at our Holy Week and Easter services. ✙Elizabeth

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Also, we gratefully acknowledge the efforts of those members of our congregation who are stepping down after yeoman years of past efforts on our behalf.

As some of you were unable to attend the Vestry last month, we would like to summarize and give an update on some of the key aspects that we presented at the meeting. The overall Income requirements for our General Account will amount to $127,245..... or put another way, our operating costs for 2007 will average out to $10,600 per month! This represents an approximate increase of 3% over 2006 Budget but an increase of about 9% over last year Income. The following suggestions and comments were offered to assist us in reaching this target:

‣Church membership ~ please continue to promote our Church among your friends and neighbours. As Wardens we will try to coordinate

programs that contribute to this

objective. (Update: we have welcomed some newcomers to our church

services who have commented favourably on the reception they received and the wonderful atmosphere at Saint John’s).

‣Pre-Authorized Receipts (PAR Program) ~ we strongly recommend that as many folks as possible enroll for this program which does ensure a constant revenue stream for the whole year. Also it

has the flexibility of you being able to adjust your offering at any time. (Update: one or two folks have signed up.....more would be nice) Forms are available at the back of the church, together with forms for those of you who may

wish to increase your existing PAR offering.‣Personal Offerings ~ it is an unpleasant fact

to report but we do need to increase our income (which includes our offerings). The table on page 8 provides a Diocese Guide as to how much of annual net income could be allocated to our Church. A

WORDS FROM YOUR WARDENS cont’d #om page 1

“We would like to summarize and give an update on some of the key aspects that we presented at the Vestry meeting”

participate. If you can’t make it to an event please consider making a contribution to the cost (e.g. buying a ticket, etc). (Update: we are hoping for folks to come forward and volunteer to coordinate a future event or two. Please contact ‘Ev‘ or Alan. We do have a Theatre Evening in the works for

April...more on this later.Also, our annual Yard Sale is always popular. We also reported at Vestry that the Federal Government had provided incentives in their last budget for donations/bequests made to registered charitable organizations (like Saint John’s). If this is something that might be of interest to you please review it with your Financial Advisor.

Many of you will have experienced the chilly Sunday last month as a result of our two 26 year–old furnaces being condemned...actually the two heat exchangers were both cracked! We’re pleased to report that our new high efficiency furnaces are

working well although we did experience one or two problems with the thermostat and the wiring, that had to be replaced. Thanks to John Mansfield and to Janis Mitchell for providing some room heaters that did help to keep both the church and the hall from totally freezing up.Several of you have inquired about the status of

the garbage dumped into our parking lot. At the time of writing this

report, and despite our best efforts, we have been unable to find a volunteer contractor to haul it away for us. Accordingly, we have begun to request estimates to have it removed and will ‘bite the bullet’ to spend the money and get it done very shortly.

Finally, we thank you all for your support and suggestions which are so important to us. ✙

WORDS FROM YOUR WARDENS cont’d

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realistic target is said to be between 2% and 3%. We stress that this is a guideline only for your information and we recognize that all situations are different. (Update: so far our weekly offerings appear to be slightly ahead from this time last year.)

‣Looney ‘Tooney‘ program ~ this is a new initiative intended to replace the Deficit–Prevention Fund. Two hundred containers will be available for our approximately one–hundred and ten families to take home. A ‘Tooney‘ per week into the container(s) would bring in $10,000 towards our church funds! By indicating your envelope number or name when you return the container(s) for Sunday collection you will ensure that you receive a tax receipt! (Update: so far about 80 containers have been taken by members of our congregation and a couple of filled ones ($50 each) have been returned already...Thank You! Also, as a fun thing...when you return your container(s) be sure to include a short note as to how you allocated your ‘Toonies‘ (e.g.. a cup of coffee per week, cut down on my smokes, put it into the container instead of my money box, etc.). At the end of the year we will have a random draw for a couple of Wardens Prizes. Containers will be available at the rear of the church or during coffee time after our 10:30 am service.

As a departure from our usual practice there is no Fun(d) raising Coordinator(s) specifically identified for 2007. It is a heavy burden for any person(s) to carry for the whole year. We are going to try a different approach whereby anyone (or a group) can volunteer to coordinate one or two specific Fund Raising events and be responsible for that particular function(s). The Wardens will coordinate this activity and we hope that as many people as possible will

SUNDAY SCHOOL REPORT • Jennifer WalkerWe are grateful that we have had many new

families join us in the past few months. They have brought us some wonderful children that we have welcomed into our Sunday School. The day Ben and Danielle joined us we were rehearsing the Christmas Pageant. It just so happened we needed a Mary and Joseph! We figured the Spirit couldn’t have lead them through our doors at a better time.This year our Sunday School program follows the Seasons of the Spirit curriculum. It is a lectionary-based

resource that includes each week, a scripture reading, a lesson based on the scripture, and several activity choices relating to the lesson. The curriculum also comes with colourful posters and a music CD that we can incorporate into the lessons if we wish. The curriculum that we have caters to children from ages 5-12, but we have younger children that seem to enjoy and participate in the lessons as well. Although there is quite a range in the ages of the children, the older ones often help the younger children along, and enjoy doing so.It can be quite satisfying after we read the children a story and they respond with challenging, well thought out questions. That’s when we think, “Wow, they really were listening!”Cathy MacPherson, Jill Holliday, Caroline Morris and I are enjoying teaching the children. We couldn’t do it without the dedicated help of Valerie Maggs, Janet Stephenson and Summer Danakis. We can always use extra helpers and teachers. If you feel you would like to join our Church School team, please let us know. ✙

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KIDS IN CHURCH3-year-old Reese: “Our Father, Who does art in heaven, Harold is His name. Amen.”

A little boy was overheard praying: “Lord, if you can’t make me a better boy, don’t worry about it. I’m having a real good time like I am.”

After the christening of his baby brother in church, Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father asked him three times what was wrong. Finally, the boy replied, “That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, and I wanted to stay with you guys.”

One particular four-year-old prayed, “And forgive us our trash baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets.”

A Sunday school teacher asked her children as they were on the way to church service, “And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?” One bright little girl replied, “Because people are sleeping.”

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. “If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.’ Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus!”

A wife invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said, “Would you like to say the blessing?” “I wouldn’t know what to say,” the girl replied. “Just say what you hear Mommy say,” the wife answered. The daughter bowed her head and said, “Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?” ✙

TREASURER’S REPORT • John McIntyre

From a financial perspective, 2007 has begun on both a high and low note. After finishing 2006 with the first surplus in many years, we have managed to slip (but only slightly) behind our budget projections over the first two months of 2007. Receipted donations are about $1,300 behind last year’s pace, although we have to remember that we’ve had one less Sunday this year over the same time frame. In addition, fundraising is experiencing its typically slow start to the year.

On the plus side, all other receipt and expenditure lines are continuing to run close to or showing a favourable variance from budget. Unfortunately, this will change in March, as we pay for our new furnaces. Recovering from this significant expenditure will be a challenge that I am confident we, as a congregation, will be able to rise above and recapture

this cost over the remainder of the year.Pre-Authorized Giving (or Receipts) (“PAG” of

“PAR”) continues to be an alternative method to ensure that your contributions are received by the

church on a regular basis, with no ongoing effort required on your behalf. For those interested in joining this hassle-free method of ensuring that your contributions are consistent each and every month, please find a sign-up brochure at the back of the church, or ask an usher for assistance. If you are already a PAR contributor, please remember to

consider increasing your monthly contribution at least once per year.

Keep up the great work, and hopefully St. John’s can create a second straight surplus in 2007. ✙

MUSICAL NOTES • Mary-Ruth RoadhouseOur choir is busy preparing

several anthems to enrich the worship experience of the people at St. John’s during the Lenten and Easter Season. We have changed out weekly practice from Thursday evening to Sundays directly following the 10:30 service. We were hoping that more of the congregation would join us at this more convenient time.

New members are always welcome and your contribution would be greatly appreciated. So if you feel called to this ministry please speak to Mary-Ruth or any of the choir members.

Upcoming Events:The Durham Philharmonic

Choir presents Mendelssohn’s ‘Elijah’ at St. George’s Anglican Church in Oshawa on Good Friday, April 6 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the door or from Mary-Ruth.“SHE SINGS!” under the

direction of Mary-Ruth Roadhouse present their final concert for the season on Saturday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m. at St. John’s. Tickets are $10 for adults and are available at the door.

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V

PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY • Linda Treanor Our Prayer Shawl

Ministry carries on with the help of a number of talented individuals. The shawls are crafted by members of the congregation, and distributed in the community to Denise House Destiny Manor and Hospice. Many needy recipients have expressed their appreciation for our work. Recently a shawl was sent to Texas, and last year one was taken to the Northwest Territories! Additional knitters are always welcome. ✙

HOSPITALITY / COFFEE HOUR • Barbara MacPherson, Joan Mi"s, and Linda Treanor

You can’t buy fellowship, but we know where you can get some. It comes with the package of “doing coffee hour”!

Joan, Linda, and Barbara are trying to take the mystique out of doing coffee hour. So what is the big deal? The tea, coffee, sugar, and sweetener are already at church. You just bring milk and juice and cookies.

What do you do? Get to church a little earlier and put on the small coffee urn - 30 cups will be plenty. Also fill two kettles for later, then go up to the service. After you have communion (it is prudent to sit near the front) you sneak downstairs and continue with your preparations. Check the coffee; heat the kettles; set out cups, glasses, milk and sugar and sweetener and cookies; and wait for the crowd.

After you have accepted the compliments for your great coffee it’s time to clean up. The coffee pot and the cups have to be washed and put away. Make sure you leave the kitchen as neat as you found it (or neater), and that all electrical services are turned off.

That’s not so hard, is it? Pick up your free fellowship by signing up for coffee hour. The sheets are downstairs! ✙

SNOWFLAKE BAZAAR WINNERS • Mary Pipher

The winners of the Raffle Draw at the 2006 Snowflake Bazaar were:

Quilt - Don StevensAfghan & Pillow - Helen LeydenBear - Tristan FieldsMary-K Draw - Marg TrowbridgeCongratulations to all the winners!

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CalendarEASTER SERVICES and EVENTS

SUNDAY APRIL 1 ■ Passion/Palm Sunday

9:00 am ■ Holy Eucharist and Blessing of Palms

10:30 am ■ Choral Eucharist, Palm Progression and Blessing of Palms.

As we begin Holy Week, come and participate in the great drama of

Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the experience the

Passion of Christ in the words of the Gospel of Luke.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 4

1:30 pm ■ Afternoon Eucharist and Tea

THURSDAY APRIL 5 ■ Maundy Thursday

7:30 pm ■ Institution of the Eucharist and Stripping of the altar

FRIDAY APRIL 6 ■ Good Friday

10:30 am ■ The Celebration of the Lord's Passion

A time to reflect on our complicity in Jesus' death in word,

music and prayer.

SUNDAY APRIL 8 ■ Easter Day

9:00 am ■ Choral Eucharist

11:00 am ■ Choral Eucharist

A joyous celebration of the Resurrection.

SUNDAY MAY 27 ■ The Day of Pentecost

9:00 am ■ Holy Eucharist

10:30 am ■ Choral Eucharist

The Birthday of the Church

St. John’s Ca" The Newsletter of St. John’s Anglican Church150 Victoria St E, Whitby, ON L1N 9L8(905) 668-1822http://www.durham.net/~stjohnIncumbent: Rev. Elizabeth Hopkins ehopkinsstj@hotmail.comEditor: Stephen Hunt stephen.hunt@rogers.com

ANNUAL FIRST PORTION GUIDEThis is a guide to returning the first portion of your treasure to the Lord.

Net Family Income 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 10%

$10,000 $100 $200 $300 $400 $500 $1,000

$20,000 $200 $400 $600 $800 $1,000 $2,000

$30,000 $300 $600 $900 $1,200 $1,500 $3,000

$40,000 $400 $800 $1,200 $1,600 $2,000 $4,000

$50,000 $500 $1,000 $1,500 $2,000 $2,500 $5,000

$60,000 $600 $1,200 $1,800 $2,400 $3,000 $6,000

$70,000 $700 $1,400 $2,100 $2,800 $3,500 $7,000

$80,000 $800 $1,600 $2,400 $3,200 $4,000 $8,000

$90,000 $900 $1,800 $2,700 $3,600 $4,500 $9,000

$100,000 $1,000 $2,000 $3,000 $4,000 $5,000 $10,000

$125,000 $1,250 $2,500 $3,750 $5,000 $6,250 $12,500

$150,000 $1,500 $3,000 $4,500 $6,000 $7,500 $15,000

$200,000 $2,000 $4,000 $6,000 $8,000 $10,000 $20,000

Revised #om “A Plan for Stewardship Education and Development Through the Year”, David W. Gordon, 2000

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