St. John’s Vancouver Things happening in the life of our church and in our community December 22, 2019
What’s up at St. John’s LESSONS AND CAROLS // TODAY Join us this afternoon at 4:30 pm for this classic Christmas service. There will be scripture readings interspersed with carols sung together and by the choir. FINANCIAL UPDATE TO DECEMBER 15, 2019 We thank God for all of you who have generously donated to the ministries of St. John’s in 2019. Below is an offerings update: Total 2019 offering budget
$2,225,000
Offerings to December 15
$1,850,711
In order to reach our budget we will need to receive $374,289 by December 31. If you have any questions about your offerings or the St. John’s budget please contact either Krista Friebel, krista@sjvan.org, or our Treasurer, Christine Klukas, through the church office. WHAT’S NEW WITH THE 2020 OFFERING ENVELOPES Because of new forms of giving, there has been a marked decrease in demand for the traditional boxes of offering envelopes with individual giving codes stamped on each envelope. As a result, we have increasingly had to recycle untaken and unused boxes at the year-end. We felt this was neither a good use of our money nor good for the environment. For 2020 we have decided to do something different. If you are a regular donor and would like a boxed set of envelopes, they are available in the foyer. The difference is that we have ordered far fewer boxes and they don’t have pre-printed giving codes on the envelopes. If you use the envelopes and would like a charitable tax receipt for your donation, please put your name and address on each envelope, so your donation can be recorded accurately. If you have any questions about the change please contact Krista Friebel, krista@sjvan.org or 604-558-4400 ext. 233.
JOB OPENING: COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST Do you have proven experience in communications and graphic design and want to use your skills to advance the gospel of Christ? If so, you might be interested in applying for our fulltime job opening for a Communications Specialist. A complete job description is on our website at stjohnsvancouver.org/jobs. We will begin interviewing qualified applicants as we receive applications.
In our Community GIVE THE GIFT OF NOURISHMENT Crop failures caused by a blisteringly hot summer and late monsoon season have left many families in Helping Point’s communities struggling to feed their children this year. To offset the impact of this drought, Helping Point will be providing weekly meals to children who attend our Daycare Centres in the most affected regions of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh in India. Helping Point is aiming to raise one years worth of meal funding for our most affected Daycare Centres, to help the communities through this difficult time and beyond. We have a fundraising goal of $12,000. Please consider how you may be able to give this Christmas season. To find out more about giving visit helpingpoint.org/christmas-2019. CHRISTMAS CARDS FLOODING YOUR (LITERAL) MAILBOX? As the Christmas cards arrive this month consider saving the stamps to support ministers in training. The Arthur Turner Training School, in Iqaluit, Nunavut trains ministers for the Diocese of the Arctic and you can support them by donating used stamps on their trimmed envelopes, or small stamp collections. If you have donations or questions, connect with either Grace Turner, or Glenn Howell (778-840-1779).
Prayer Points This week we invite you to pray for our upcoming Christmas services: • Pray that newcomers would attend our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services and that they would feel welcomed at St. John’s. • Pray that visitors would hear the gospel clearly through the worship, liturgy, and preaching. •P ray that our staff and clergy would get the rest they need after this busy season. Get our weekly email with all events happening in our community by subscribing to the parish email list at sjvan.org
Calendar SUNDAY, DEC 29 John 3:1-16 8:00 am Holy Communion 10:00 am Family Service 6:00 pm Holy Communion Learn more at sjvan.org/calendar
Come Among Us Christmas Eve Services
5:00 pm Contemporary Carol Service – with the Evening Service band 8:00 pm Traditional Carol Service – with the choir and organ 10:00 pm Holy Communion – with the choir and organ
Christmas Day Service
10:00 am Holy Communion
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