St. John’s Vancouver Things happening in the life of our church and in our community September 22, 2019
What’s up at St. John’s CATECHISM // STARTS SEPT 29
LEARNERS’ EXCHANGE
Catechism seeks to grow and mature us in Christ. It teaches us who God is (doctrine), forms us in His way of living (duty), and nourishes our ability to love and relate to God (delight). This fall at St. John’s, we will be offering three streams of catechism, at three different times. For more information and to register visit the events page online.
Every Sunday in the Café Room at 9:00 am, Learners’ Exchange offers stimulating speakers and engaging discussions.
9:00 am overview Covering each section of the ACNA Catechism in 15 weeks, over the length of the year. Like the view from 30,000 feet, it will highlight the key landmarks and give a solid, big-picture view of the Christian life. 11:00 am seminar This stream will move more slowly, covering the whole Catechism in two years. This course gets a closer look by allowing more time for questions and exploration. This fall it will begin by covering the Apostles’ Creed. 5:00 pm catechism and application Slowest of the three, we’ll camp out on each of the Ten Commandments for two weeks. In the first week we’ll unpack the meaning of the commandment. On the following week we’ll discuss how that Commandment plays out in our lives and in our city. DIVORCECARE // STARTS SEPTEMBER 26 For people going through separation or divorce we run DivorceCare. This is a 13-week group that is open to anyone. If you know someone who would benefit from it, please invite them to consider participating. DivorceCare will happen Thursday nights at 7:00 pm, starting on Sept 26. The cost is $20 to cover the cost of the book. To take part, register online (sjvan.org/events). If you have questions, contact Margaret, margaret@sjvan.org, or 778-838-7400. MEN STUDYING MATTHEW // STARTS SEPTEMBER 24 All men are welcome to register for the fall term of Bible study on Tuesday evenings at the church. We will learn, share our lives, and grow in Christ together in small groups as we study the same passages from the Gospel of Matthew as our sermon series. The term begins on Tuesday, September 24 at 7:30 pm. You are warmly invited to join us. Please register on the St. John’s men’s ministry page. ESL DISCUSSION GROUP // STARTS SEPTEMBER 27 We have a friendship group for ESL learners that provides a great opportunity to practice speaking English while learning about Canadian culture and Christianity. Please invite your friends and neighbours to our meeting on Friday, September 27 at 10:30 am. We will meet every second Friday. Dates can be found on the St. John’s website calendar. For more information contact Sandra Leskewich sandralesk@telus.net or (604) 418-7885.
Sept 22 // Lyn Unger Grief Sept 29 // David Falk Egypt in the Eyes of an Egyptologist SUNDAY SCHOOL PARENTING SERIES Join us for a three-part series led by registered social worker and parent consultant Rebecca Janke. The workshops are grounded in developmental and attachement theory as well as neuroscience. They will happen on Oct 27, Nov 24, and Jan 26. For more information and to register visit the events page online. KEEPING COMPANY WITH GOD // SEPTEMBER 23 Do you need a place to rest as the busyness of the fall season begins? Join us for Keeping Company with God: rest, reflection, and restoration at the end of the day on Monday, September 23 at 7:30 pm. The service includes music, a short reflection on a Bible passage, prayers from across the centuries and around the world, and if you so desire, an opportunity to be prayed with by a member of our prayer team. If you have questions, please contact Manya Egerton megerton@telus.net.
Calendar GRIEF GROUP // STARTS OCTOBER 1 When dealing with the loss of a loved one, there are often many questions that arise. The journey of healing, recovery, and integration is a painful yet promising one requiring patience, support, intention, and the work of the Holy Spirit. We will be facilitating a group that meets for nine sessions, to support people through their painful loss, using the Psalms To participate register on our website (sjvan.org/events). The cost is $15 to cover the cost of the book. If you have any questions contact Lyn, lyn@sjvan.org.
In our Community SUPPORT MINISTERS IN TRAINING The Arthur Turner Training School, in Iqaluit, Nunavut trains ministers for the Diocese of the Arctic. To support this ministry you can donate used stamps on their trimmed envelopes, or small stamp collections. We’re also looking for volunteers who can help a few hours a week trimming and sorting stamps for auction. No stamp collection knowledge needed. If you have questions, donations, or would like to volunteer, connect with either Grace Turner, or Glenn Howell (778-840-1779).
MONDAY, SEPT 23 Little Years @ 10:45 am Marpole-Oakridge Community Centre 7:30 pm
Keeping Company with God
WEDNESDAY, SEPT 25 7:20 am Men’s Bible Study 6:30 pm
Ekklesia (18 to late 30s)
THURSDAY, SEPT 26 7:00 pm DivorceCare FRIDAY, SEPT 27 10:30 am
ESL Discussion Group
6:00 pm Youth (grades 7-12) SUNDAY, SEPT 29 Matthew 17:14-27 7:30 am Holy Communion
RIDE FOR REFUGE Each year members of our congregation participate in the Ride for Refuge which supports our partners in refugee assistance, Kinbrace Refugee Housing and Journey Home. You can support the teams by either donating money or participating in the ride on the morning of Saturday, October 5. Andrew Baylis is leading our team fundraising for Kinbrace and Laura Brook is leading our team fundraising for Journey Home. Your generous support makes possible expert, thoughtful, and strategic assistance provided to as many as possible of the over 2500 displaced people arriving in Metro Vancouver each year. As partners of St. John’s Vancouver, these two faith-based organizations introduce our members to displaced individuals and families that we come to know and help.
9:00 am Morning Prayer 11:00 am Morning Prayer 6:00 pm Holy Communion LEARN MORE AT SJVAN.ORG/CALENDAR
CONTACT INFORMATION Has your contact information changed in the last couple of months? Let us know by visiting our website – sjvan.org/contact. At the bottom of the page click the button “Update my Contact Information.”
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LIFE EXPLO RED
Have you been so caught up in a good story that you didn’t want it to end? A good movie can pull us into a story in a way that we hear echos of our own life within the characters – catching glimpses of who we are or who we want to be. Realizing the power of stories, Life Explored has created seven unique short films to spark conversation. Using these, combined with studies of scripture, Life Explored guides a conversation about who God is. Life Explored is a seven-week course that will happen at the church on Tuesday nights, starting on October 8. Each night will begin with a shared meal that we will provide followed by a couple of videos and conversation around our tables. The course is geared towards people who are asking questions about Christianity and those who are new Christians. There are a few ways you can get involved:
1. invite If you have friends who are interested in Christianity or have questions about faith we hope you’ll invite them. If they decide to come we encourage you to attend with them.
2. volunteer We need volunteers on Tuesday nights to help: • set-up (the hall and AV) before the event • prepare dinner with a team • clean-up the hall at the end of the event If you can help, please contact Joel (joel@sjvan.org) and let him know which weeks you can help and what you would like to do.
3. pray We realize that we are completely reliant on God to transform hearts and minds. Would you pray that God would bring new people into a relationship with him through Life Explored; pray that we would have the courage to invite our friends to attend; and that God would transform all who attend Life Explored to increasingly know and love him.
If you want to know more there will be a table in the foyer after the service with more information and someone who can answer any questions you have. If you’d like to take part in life explored please registration online, sjvan.org/events. 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