St. John’s Vancouver Things happening in the life of our church and in our community July 21, 2019
What’s up at St. John’s CONTACT INFORMATION
LOOKING FORWARD TO FAMILY SERVICES by Rev. Ben Roberts While travelling on holidays this summer my family and I had the opportunity to visit Christ the King Church, an ANiC congregation in the heart of Toronto led by Keith Ganzer. The church’s location is utterly unique: a tea shop with a window right onto a busy sidewalk on Spadina Ave. During worship, street cars go by and curious people peer in – weekly worship and witness happens right in the midst of busy urban life. The location is exciting, but there are also challenges. The space is tight and doesn’t allow for a separate children’s program. We were fairly anxious before attending. Would our kids melt down and embarrass us? Would people be annoyed or distracted by the noise and mess of three young kids? Imagine our relief when Christ the King Church embraced our family, along with our noise and mess and many whispered questions. I was personally reminded that the church is indeed the household of God, we are family in Christ, and we belong to Him, and each other. This is why I’m looking forward to our family services at St. John’s this August. These services remind us of our identity as Christ’s Body. Young and old, our beautiful diversity is on full display as we come to Christ together, each in the way that we are able. From a newborn’s wail to a stately snore, we are gathered as God’s people. Beyond a picture of the kingdom, however, these services are also a reminder. Christian worship is not about my personal preferences or comfort, but presents an opportunity for patience and forbearance as I look to the needs of others before my own. We are offered the privilege of bearing with one another in love, as we give up the easy and normal to embrace this glorious family reunion, with all our mess and noise. See you next week!
SUMMER READING LIST Looking for a good read this summer? We recommend the following: Andy Crouch, T he Tech-Wise Family* Timothy Keller, Prayer* Henri Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus* Susan Orlean, The Library Book* Louise Penny, any of the books in the Gamache series* Mark Sayers, D isappearing Church
*available at the Vancouver Public Library
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Has your contact information changed in the last couple of months? You can let us know by visiting our website – sjvan.org/ contact. At the bottom of the page is the button “Update my Contact Information.”
SUNDAE SUNDAY Join us for sundaes tonight after the 6:00 pm service.
In our Community Calendar
REGENT EVENING PUBLIC LECTURES Throughout the summer Regent College offers thoughtful lectures that engage with a range of challenging issues. Explore scripture, theology, and culture with Regent faculty and visiting lecturers. These are all free and can be attended in person or livestreamed. Lectures begin at 7:30 pm in the Regent College chapel. Monday, July 29 // Malcolm Guite Ordinary Saints
MONDAY, JULY 29 7:00 pm
Youth Hang Out @ Locarno Beach
WEDNESDAY, JULY 30
Wednesday, July 31 // Susan S. Phillips Walking the Spiritual Exercises: Praying with Scripture on the Pilgrim Trail
6:30 pm
Ekklesia (18 to 20-somethings)
SUNDAY, AUGUST 4 1 Kings 17: 1-16 8:00 am Holy Communion
SAVE THE DATE: LIFE EXPLORED INFORMATION/TRAINING SESSION Are you thinking of inviting a friend to our new Life Explored program in the Fall, but want to know more about it? Do you have friends or family that you want to introduce to the gospel, and are looking for a program that you could do together in your own home?
10:00 am
6:00 pm Evening Prayer LEARN MORE AT SJVAN.ORG/CALENDAR
Are you interested in helping to lead a Life Explored group? Please join us on Saturday, September 7 as Kevin Allen, from Christianity Explored takes us through the program. Details on time and location to follow shortly.
PRAYER POINTS 1. That the Holy Spirit would speak to our congregation through the upcoming “Days of Elijah” series in August. 2. For wisdom and guidance as St. Johns Hires new people. 3. Think of one person in your life, and pray that God would grant you opportunities to share the Gospel with them. Get our weekly email with all events happening in our community by subscribing to the parish email list at sjvan.org 15
Holy Communion (Family Service)
Prayer Stories In the Christian life, we know that prayer is an essential practice. Prayer keeps us connected to God, relying on him for every good thing. However, it is often difficult for many of us to keep prayer as a daily priority. Over the next few months, we will be sharing stories where prayer is the central theme. We hope they will encourage your prayer life and remind you of where you’ve seen God at work. This week’s story comes from Joanna Duyzer. Joanna served as the latest Administrative at St. Johns and recently resigned to pursue a new adventure - living in France with her husband, Steve and two daughters Nicola and Rebecca. “I’ve never really thought of myself as being very “good” at praying. I get distracted. I say weird things. Maybe I’m not even praying for the “right” things or for the “right” reasons. Until I really and truly needed God, until I needed Jesus, praying never really seemed like a great fit. And I am fairly certain I am not the only one who thinks this. My family and I are going through major transitions at the moment. We are in the process of moving to France for a year. I’m someone who loves to take on big adventures - when things get too quiet, I like to shake it up a bit. And in the midst of these shake ups, as I’m plotting and planning, as things don’t go as smoothly as I think they should, as quickly as I hope, I start to fret and worry. I’ve often thought that as soon as I have the answers that I need, I will feel better (though, of course, by that time I have yet more questions). Over the past few weeks, I have become a devoted midnight prayer! Nothing else seems to help me sleep. So when I wake up at night - I pray. They aren’t pretty or eloquent prayers but saying them helps. I ask God to take it all in his hands. I pray for patience. I pray that he will guide my family and me to where he wants us to be. What I’ve noticed is that the only time that I truly feel at peace - when I’m not striving, researching or plotting - is when I’ve been able to give things over to God. When I’ve been able to say “Hey - these unanswered questions are burying me God! How about I let you take care of it all?” It doesn’t mean that I have stopped planning crazy adventures (never!) it just means that, ultimately, no matter what happens, I know that it will all be okay because God is in control.” We’re confident that each of us have stories of prayers answered, and we’d love to share them. If you have one we can share please email Brie, brie@sjvan.org. We’re looking for stories between 250 and 300 words. 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