St. John’s Vancouver Things happening in the life of our church and in our community March 31, 2019
What’s up at St. John’s QUARTERLY PRAYER MEETING // APRIL 8
LEARNERS’ EXCHANGE
In Colossians 4, Paul exhorts his audience to ‘continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving,’ specifically so that the gospel of Christ might go forward. As a response to this exhortation, we’re meeting again for an evening of prayer.
Every Sunday in the Café Room at 9:00 am, Learners’ Exchange offers stimulating speakers and engaging discussions.
Coffee and tea will be provided. Please bring a snack if you are able.
March 31 // Bill Reimer Murdoch’s Toronto: Toronto the Good?
SOUP SUNDAY // LIVING THEOLOGICALLY For Soup Sunday on April 7, we will eat soup (of course) and hear a 10 minute reflection from Kathy Ross on the role of our physical bodies within the body of Christ. Trying to move away from the ancient Greek idea of our souls as separate from or more important than our bodies, Kathy will ask important questions such as: How should we understand our bodies in light of the biblical view of creation and incarnation? And how do we use this biblical perspective to understand our bodies as ‘good’ even when they are not well? We’ll be downstairs after the Evening Service and will wrap up around 8:30 pm, but feel free to leave when you would like. Hope to see you there!
FLOWERS The flowers given today are to the glory of God and in celebration of what would have been Edith Martin’s 100th birthday, the 29 of March. Her family and friends are thankful for her life and what she meant to each one of us. She is deeply loved and missed. Diane Martin
If you want to get involved you can email Katy, katy@sjvan.org. UPDATE FROM THE REFUGEE COMMITTEE We’ve had the great news that the family we are sponsoring – Farhad, Homa, Marve, and Arsham – have a confirmed date of arrival in Canada. We look forward to welcoming them to Vancouver at the end of April. As we prepare for their arrival, we are raising funds to support them through their first year in Canada. If you would like to help financially you can: (1) give through the website by clicking on the Refugee Fund button on the giving page, or (2) put a cheque in the offering plate with “Refugee Fund” marked on the cheque or envelope.
GET OUR WEEKLY EMAIL WITH ALL EVENTS HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITY BY SUBSCRIBING TO THE PARISH EMAIL LIST AT SJVAN.ORG
In our Community SPRING LUNCHEON // MAY 11 Lighthouse Harbour Ministries, one of the ministries we support at St. John’s, is hosting their 2019 Spring Luncheon on May 11 at noon. All are welcome to attend to hear about the ministry to seafarers in North Vancouver and the Fraser Surrey Docks. The event will take place at Bethany Baptist Church, 22680 Westminster Hwy, Richmond. Please reserve your place by contacting Paul at 604-988-5084 or info@sealight.org. A freewill offering will be taken. PRACTICUM COUNSELLING STUDENS NEED CLIENTS! Practicum Students from Trinity Western University’s ACT’s Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Counselling programme are available to see clients for fees of $20/hour session. Students are supervised by a professor and registered counsellor. For more information call Burnaby Counselling Group, (604) 430-1303. THE PRACTICES OF FAITH IN THE WORLD OF WORK Work occupies a big chunk of life. But amid meetings, house chores, and traffic jams, it’s easy to become disconnected from God and the true work of God in the world. This two-day symposium is designed for managers, professionals, tradespeople, pastoral staff, and home-makers who seek to see how God works through the work of their hands. Regent College is hosting The Practices of Faith in the World of Work, taking place from June 14 to 15, 2019. Join us for a rich weekend learning alongside people who seek the same seamless life that you do. For more information visit www.regent-college.edu/lifelonglearning/conferences CAPILANO UNIVERSITY CONCERT // APRIL 13 & 14 The beloved classic, Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, is the focus of the April 13 (8:00 pm) and 14 (3:00 pm) concerts by the 110 voices of Capilano University Choirs and the Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra. They will also be performing Mozart, Vaughan-Williams, and Glinka. At BlueShore Centre at Capilano University. Tickets: 604-990-7810 or online at capilanou.ca/centre
Calendar MONDAY, APR 1 10:45 am Little Years WEDNESDAY, APR 3 7:20 am
Men’s Breakfast Bible Study
6:30 pm
Ekklesia (18 to 20-somethings)
THURSDAY, APR 4 10:00 am
Welcome to Worship
7:30 pm Choir Practice FRIDAY, APRIL 5 6:00 pm
Youth (grades 7-12)
SUNDAY, APRIL 7 Matthew 16:1-20 7:30 am Holy Communion 9:00 am Holy Communion 11:00 am Holy Communion 6:00 pm Evening Prayer 7:00 pm Soup Sunday LEARN MORE AT SJVAN.ORG/CALENDAR
We need to be confident in presenting the gospel to others, and have decided at St. John’s to use Life Explored as a tool for doing this well. WHAT IS LIFE EXPLORED? Life Explored (LE) is a seven-session series featuring a combination of short films – shot around the world – and Bible interaction. The series was developed by Rico Tice and Barry Cooper at All Souls Church, Langham Place, England. Currently over 1000 churches in North America are using it. WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA OF LE is an exposé of the little gods that promise us LIFE EXPLORED? happiness, yet deliver so little. It shows how our deepest desires for happiness can only be satisfied in one person, Jesus Christ. WHO’S IT INTENDED FOR? Christians and Non-Christians. LE has been designed primarily to speak powerfully to those who don’t consider themselves to be religious but also provokes good discussions among those who know Jesus. WHAT’S THE PLAN FOR We need confidence in the gospel, but also, we need LIFE EXPLORED AT to have confidence in how we present the gospel. This ST. JOHN’S? is why we are strongly encouraging each small group to run LE after Easter, but without any expectation to invite non-believers to your group. Later this year, in the Fall, we will run LE at church with a focus on inviting outsiders. DOES MY SMALL GROUP Ideally, we want most groups to go through it. But, no, HAVE TO RUN IT? you don’t have to. We would ask that you prayerfully consider running it with your group. WHAT DO I NEED TO RUN LIFE EXPLORED?
We will provide you with handbooks and access codes to download the videos.
I’D LIKE TO KNOW A Life Explored is sending their US trainer to help us run BIT MORE the program. Small group leaders, those interested in being ‘table leaders’ in the Fall, and anyone else wanting to know more should come to the training on April 13. Go to the St. John’s Vancouver website for more details and to register before April 5.
St. John’s Vancouver Offices: 2325 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6J 3J2 | Phone: 604.558.4400 | stjohnsvancouver.org Stay informed: facebook.com/stjohnsvancouver | Engage with each other: facebook.com/groups/stjohnsvancouver