ANNUAL REPORT
Issued February 23rd, 2022 | 2325 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6J 3J2 | Phone: 604-558-4400
CONTENTS PART 1 (2021) Rector’s report Trustees’ report Ministry reports Children’s Ministry Youth Ministry Ekklesia Small groups Evangelism Women Men’s Ministry Pastoral Care Senior-ish Missions Refugees Catechism Artizo Production Staff list Baptisms, weddings, deaths Financial report Treasurer’s report 2021 Financial report Summary of Fund Accounts
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PART 2 (2022) Highlights for newcomers Church planting Formation flow 2022 What your financial gifts support 2022 Budget
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God has shown himself to be our strength and helper in ways we could not have seen two years ago. Despite the difficulties of a second year in the pandemic, our numbers have now stabilized – though the number of those who regularly give to St. John’s has fallen off somewhat. At the start of the pandemic we began praying that the Lord would make us ready for when we came out of it. But what has God been doing during this last 12 months? It has been a very full year. God has brought new members to St. John’s and the various ministries have continued to enable the gospel to move forward with grace and effectiveness. Please read this report to track some of this good news. The invisible work of our production crew has made such a great difference for all who were not able to meet in person. We have become adept at live streaming, and many smaller groups are using various platforms to see each other, pray and read God’s word together. The time is coming soon when we will need to encourage each other to come in person, and the work of production will continue to help us communicate the gospel more effectively. Our fall term was permeated by two key realities. The first is that we celebrated our 10th year of losing the Shaughnessy property with a discernment process regarding purchasing a new property. We felt the edge of this difficulty at Christmas by having to move our services to Kerrisdale. We were warmly welcomed by the Kerrisdale Presbyterian Church. The other key reality was the election of Dan Gifford as our new bishop. This is a very good thing for the Anglican Network in Canada, and we want to give Dan and his family a good send off on Sunday April 3rd. Less obvious was the addition of Chris and Melissa Ley to our team, as well as our first full time women’s ministry director Lorna Ashworth from the UK. 6
JOB. JOB. JOB. JOB. JOB.
WHAT WE PREACHED
We have been swimming in the deep in our sermon and Bible study series during 2021. We have lamented the vanity of life with the preacher from Ecclesiastes. We have sat with Job in sackcloth and ashes. We have traced the bitterness and joy of Naomi, in the quiet steadfast love of God through the book of Ruth. And we have seen heaven and earth come together in the person of Jesus Christ, who tells us to “fear not” in Luke’s gospel because it is God the Father’s pleasure to give us the kingdom. We finished the year in the first chapter of John’s gospel: impossibly beautiful, captivating, simple and unfathomable, as we are invited to come and see the Word made flesh, full of grace and truth.
ril Ap
21 20 4,
1 , 202 e 13 Jun
THOUGH HE SLAY ME, I WILL HOPE IN HIM!
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After several false starts, it seems that the public restrictions to control COVID-19 are being withdrawn. This is very important for us as a church. God has made us for face to face fellowship with himself and with one another. Gathering to worship him with each other is constitutional of what it means to be a church. The different staff teams have been looking ahead to creating simple pathways for drawing people into our fellowship, for building people up in discipleship, and equipping us to live for Christ in our city and beyond. The second part of our report gives a picture of what this will look like. As we regather, we need to give thanks to God for being the same Lord and God who made all things and is bringing us to himself through the death and resurrection of Christ. We need to thank him for his many mercies during the pandemic. It is important that we recommit ourselves to seeking and serving the lost. Some of those who were with us at the start of the pandemic will need special encouragement to return. And many of the ministries at St. John’s had to entirely close down due to the restrictions as we found alternative ways of doing things. As we come out of the pandemic, we need to consider how we serve Christ by serving one another. This will take time, care and the love of Christ. And we need to repent and seek the face of Christ together in prayer. Our cultural moment is more divided and polarized than it has ever been. After vestry we will study the book of Philippians – an injection of the joy of Christ and his gospel into our polarized and politicized society. It’s hard to imagine a better tonic for us as we come out from under COVID-19 restrictions, where we learn what it looks like CANON DAVID SHORT to count others better than ourselves.
RECTOR
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The trustees give thanks to God as we look back on 2021, reflecting on where he has led us, stretched us, and held us together as his body. Our hearts are full of thanksgiving that we could safely re-open to gather for Sunday worship together as Christ’s family once again and provide parallel online access.
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Trustees are responsible for overseeing the overall direction of the church and this past year we spent time reviewing our overall vision and strategy. Part of that effort involved re-affirming our vision’s three pillars and setting four areas of priority for Trustee oversight. In 2021 the following progress was made on Trustee priorities: 1. Evangelism: We welcomed Chris Ley as our Director of Evangelism and Outreach. Chris’ role is to make St. John’s a welcoming place for newcomers to “Come and See” who Jesus is. Evangelism at St. John’s will also take the form of church planting, beginning with an initiative that will be led by Jeremy Graham and Joel Strecker over the next 18 months as they seek to grow the church beyond the current borders of St. John’s. 2. Congregational composition: We identified the need to expand the composition of our congregation by prioritizing initiatives that will grow the 20s to 40s age group.
PEOPLE’S WARDEN
JOANNE SAWATZKY, ON BEHALF OF THE TRUSTEES OF
ST. JOHN’S VANCOUVER ANGLICAN CHURCH
3. Community life: Building a stronger community in the midst of COVID-19 has been challenging. One area where we have seen real growth in our sense of community is through the week-day services of morning prayer and compline. The trustees spent time during the year updating our succession planning process, especially given the changes that will result from Dan Gifford’s appointment as bishop. 4. Property search: This past year we spent significant time and effort deliberating and discerning the way forward for ownership of a church property. We considered very seriously a specific opportunity and ultimately decided not to pursue it. Despite this, we are very encouraged by the level of congregational engagement in the process and the vision that God has given us to renew our property search, and we look forward to continuing engagement in 2022. Finally, we are so thankful for the faithful commitment to St. John’s that is made evident in your generosity towards the gospel work that God is leading us into. We give praise to God for the ways he has worked among us to provide for St. John’s needs financially in 2021. As we have in the past, we put our trust in God’s ever-faithful and gracious hands as we look forward to where he is leading us in 2022. Blessings
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CHILDREN WILL GRAY
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The St. John’s children’s ministry works to help children meet Jesus and grow in their knowledge and love of God by learning their place in the biblical story. Our highlight was the ability to meet in person for most of 2021. In spring, we met with small groups of children and families for outdoor services on Sunday afternoons. In summer, we were able to transition back to larger indoor gatherings and held a two-day Bible camp called Lost and Found, followed by a series of family services on Jesus’ parables. Our little Bible camp was such a joy, especially following a year where we were often not able to meet in person. In the fall, Melissa Ley joined our team as the Early Childhood Coordinator. This faithful work is an invaluable gift to the life, worship, and mission of our church. Please join us in praying that more children will come to know the gospel and grow in the love and grace of God in 2022.
YOUTH
STEVEN MCDOUGALD
The vision of St. John’s youth is to make lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ through scripture, prayer and community. Starting in September, we were able to resume many of the things we lost the previous year and a half. We kicked off the year with an amazing party led by Amy Tippet. Our check-in system you see on Sundays also got off the ground with help from Darrell Thomas. We have our regular youth meetings and are blessed to have added Ethan Wilke, Joel Saylor, Sarah Wardlaw, Tim Carter and Ryah Rondolo as new leaders. Junior Youth and Ekklesia were able to have a retreat at Keats Camp with a lot of help from Willie, Sophie, Kevin, Noah and everyone taking COVID-19 tests at home. On Sundays, we began youth confirmation classes with a stellar team of volunteers, and junior youth Sunday school including Robin Logan as a teacher. Although our senior retreat was cancelled due to the November floods, we are excited to reschedule at Kawkawa for February 25-27. We are looking forward to baptisms, confirmation with Bishop Dan and our All-In where we can welcome the upcoming class.
EKKLESIA
WILLIE SHAIN-ROSS/KATHY SHAIN-ROSS
In the summer of 2021, Kathy and I took over the role of Ekklesia leaders. In our short time of leadership, there are three highlights. First, we’ve moved to a new location for our weekly meals and Bible studies. Grace Vancouver Church has opened up their beautiful sanctuary to us, and the aesthetics and warm atmosphere of the church has helped us facilitate meaningful connections and thoughtful Bible studies. Second, we partnered with our youth ministry to have a fall retreat at Keats Camps. This was a fantastic time for the members of Ekklesia to come together and build some lifelong friendships to start the year. Third, Brianna Willard joined our leadership team. Ekklesia has truly been a blessing to the young adults of our church.
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SMALL GROUPS
St. John’s community groups strive to be a primary context in our congregational life JOEL STRECKER where we grow to maturity in Christ. We do this by taking scripture to heart, learning to live it out in an environment of loving accountability. Highlights from this last year include the deep commitment that groups have made – and continue to make – to each other, despite the continually shifting situation of our current pandemic. Zoom fatigue and blustery weather aside, groups are not neglecting to meet together. Thanks be to God! Second, mature and servanthearted group leaders who have led their groups through difficult pastoral situations, particularly because differing approaches to COVID-19 remain one of the most divisive issues in our society. Without these leaders this ministry would not be possible, and I am so thankful for the ways in which they are using their gifts to build us up in Christ. Third, the formation of several new groups throughout the last year, due both to newcomers, and to new people stepping into leadership roles. It has been a real blessing to oversee and support this ministry this year.
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A 45-minute meeting, mid 2021 was the highlight of my year. It was during one of the newcomer sessions. We committed an entire session to listening to the testimonies of the 15 people in attendance. The diversity and creativity by which God called each person to faith in Christ was astonishing and humbling. Each testimony was a story of a personal miracle of how God had turned a heart of stone into a heart of flesh. Another highlight was Chris Ley joining our staff in October to oversee our outreach and evangelism ministries. Chris has grown up in Vancouver. He has a love of Christ and a deep knowledge of the city, the culture and our church. His work seeks to develop pathways to reach out and share the gospel to our unchurched neighbours and friends, and develop new ministries to integrate newcomers into the life of our church. We are delighted to have Chris on board, and for the AARON ROBERTS search committee’s work in this process.
EVANGELISM
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The vision of Women’s Small Groups is to disciple women through Bible study, prayer and fellowship – enabling them to know, love, trust, and serve Christ in all of life. Even through this second full year of pandemic shutdowns we have experienced the Lord’s blessing in these areas. Our small groups have remained committed to meeting regularly, and to caring for each other. The highlight this year was the process of seeing the Lord’s leading in bringing Lorna Ashworth and her family to us from England to fill the position of Director of Women’s Ministry. She arrived in early 2022 to take up the position and we are delighted to welcome her and help her assimilate into the life of St. John’s.
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WOMEN JAN HOBBIS
Men at St. John’s meet in small groups four times each week to study God’s word, (following the sermon series), pray, and know one another deeper as brothers in Christ. The goal of our times together is to grow in Christ and be strengthened as ministers that represent Jesus as we serve him in our families, places of work, our church and in our circle of friends. There are about 25 men that meet in three small groups on Zoom and in person on Tuesday nights. On Wednesday mornings from 8-9am a group of 20-25 men meet on Zoom to share with one another, go through the Bible studies, and pray for the needs of that group. Their care for one another is a real strength in this group. In a similar way, a group of seven dads of school-aged children meets on Wednesday mornings from 7am-8am. On Thursday evening eight to 12 men meet to go over the previous Sunday’s sermon, share and spend significant time praying together. This means that week by week there are 60 or more men at St. John’s who meet in small groups that are centered on God’s word. In the year to come our hope is to have in-person Saturday men’s breakfast events where these men of all ages at St. John’s gather to hear a speaker and enjoy DANIEL GIFFORD fellowship in the Lord with each other.
MEN
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We’ve cared for one another a second year of the pandemic in tried and true but also new ways. Our gifts of grace to one another in meeting needs are fruit of the gospel of our Lord’s mercy. Here are some but not all the ways you cared for one another this past year. • Grief Care – a small but motivated group met to mutually support one another, putting themselves at the mercy of the gospel according to the psalmist instead of the mercy of their grief. • Baptism – we prepared and witnessed both infants and adults for the sign of repentance and belief in Jesus Christ as the candidates became members of Christ’s church. • The Marriage Course – twice we helped give practical and biblical skills to marriages of two and 40 years to keep growing in their Christlikeness, with the leadership of Artizo Josh Dury and wife Sarah. • Divorce Care – this ministry of hope and healing is a significant means of reaching out to individuals beyond our congregation. • To Be Told – members grew to understand and relate the story of the Lord’s grace in their life with one member saying, “This was the highlight of my year.” • Anger: God’s, Mine and Others – for the first time a group joined together to grow in understanding their experience and expression of frustration and fury. • One-to-one – the brilliance of the biblical ministry at SJV shows forth in the compassion that comes through every day in Bible studies, morning prayer, compline and personal relationships. • Prayer – prayer chain, Sunday service intercessions, quarterly congregational gatherings and margins of life as one person says to another, “Can I pray for you?”
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PASTORAL CARE JAMES WAGNER, MARGARET WILSON
SENIOR-ISH
This ministry serves a broad range and ages of adults – which is why we’ve begun calling MARGARET WILSON it ‘Senior-ish’. This ministry meets on the third Monday of every month to encourage and disciple faith by the integration of personal testimony and biblical teaching. All of our meetings were over Zoom and while most of the speakers were staff members a few came like wisemen / women from afar. For example Antje Chan (formerly Carrel) joined from Oxford on “The Word, The Incarnate Word and Life Pilgrimage in Oxford.” Sarah Austin came from Edinburgh on “Peace and Lamentation.” It is not a small miracle to finish the race that is set before us and hear the words of our Lord as we cross saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Senior-ish ministry mutually encourages all ages to that goal, prize and end.
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MISSIONS IRENE CANTON
The gospel is unstoppable and the second year of the pandemic would not hinder it. • In Cambodia, Ratanak supported over 200 men and women to return to Cambodia after being trafficked into slavery. Ratanak staff persevered through COVID-19 quarantines and travel restrictions to care for survivors. • In India, Helping Point celebrated 20 years of delivering quality education to children of Dalit and marginalized communities. At St. Simon’s School, a new classroom block and the third floor of the dormitory were completed, all cyclone proof. The school and daycare centers slowly reopened after pandemic shut downs. • For Malawi, we continued to pray with our Malawian brothers and sisters as they waited patiently for a resolution of the leadership crisis in the Diocese of the Upper Shire. Priests remain faithful to gospel ministry despite difficult circumstances.
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St. John’s hosted two virtual missions lunches for our launching missionaries. The first featured Andrew Buchanan, who moved to South Carolina to pursue further theological studies as he waits for a visa to Japan. The second featured Habib, who returned to the Middle East and North Africa region. He has connected to a disciplemaking movement and is seeing God move powerfully in the region. In 2021, the gospel was proclaimed through translating the Bible, discipling students, building schools, freeing the oppressed, and feeding the hungry. From Vancouver to Paraguay to West Africa, Nepal and beyond, may God’s kingdom come and will be done in every corner of the earth.
REFUGEES JONATHAN BAYLIS
The St. John’s Vancouver Refugee Committee works within the vision of the church as a community of contrast gripped by the gospel of God’s grace. We are guided by God’s commandment to love one another, and will wherever possible seek to invite and include refugees within the family of our church. In 2021, the Refugee Welcome Team and many members of our congregation were involved in supporting refugee claimant families in Greater Vancouver as well as our first sponsored family – the Abdul Satars. We continued with the ongoing planning for future sponsorships including the imminent arrival of Madelyn and Adam whom we look forward to welcoming as our second sponsorship family in the first half of 2022. There are two other sponsorship families living in Africa and the Mideast whom the church has generously committed to; we expect them to arrive in two or three years’ time. Led by Jonathan Baylis, the Refugee Welcome Team continued to expand in 2021, and is now up to 86 members who are involved in a wide variety of ways including prayer, donations, personal support, advocacy, and childcare. Finally, the Refugee Committee continues to support our partners Kinbrace Refugee Housing and Support and Journey Home Community through annual donations.
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As Dr. Packer once put it, “Catechesis teaches truth to live by, and the way to live by it.” This year the catechism team worked hard to teach both adults and youth exactly that. Our group of 30 adults met on Zoom as they finished learning about Anglican distinctives and the ten commandments, marking the end of a three year cycle. This curriculum will be condensed to form the backbone of our ongoing annual course. We are thankful to the lay catechists that aided in this work, and that it was received with joy despite being delivered online. In the fall, a new team was formed to write and run a youth confirmation course. 15-20 youth have gathered weekly to learn the basics of the Christian faith and life in preparation for either baptism or confirmation. This curriculum is biblicallybased, and draws from our catechism as well. We look forward to the fruit of this fantastic time of formation and learning in their spring confirmation. It’s been fantastic to recognize that there is a real hunger in our congregation for systematic and sustained teaching in Christian doctrine, prayer, and life. Not only do people grow in catechism, they actually deeply enjoy it! Our team has worked hard to make our curriculum both robust and engaging, a source of deep formation and real fellowship. We look forward to making catechism more accessible to both newcomers and long-term members in a renewed annual cycle of teaching.
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CATECHISM BEN ROBERTS
The Artizo Institute has been training future ministers in character, conviction, and competency for 22 years. Over this time, St. John’s Vancouver has been our primary training church and has benefited tremendously from the contributions of Artizo apprentices. A particular highlight in the training process is watching our apprentices grow in their gifting and godliness. What sometimes looks like a startling transformation in a person’s ability, is in fact the result of the slow, determined, and intentional training through handson ministry apprenticeship. This growth is evidence of the Spirit’s work of forming our apprentices in Christ and preparing them for works of ministry. It is also a sign that we are fulfilling our mandate to equip the next generation for ministry. The challenges of the last two years have meant finding and training fewer apprentices, but the opportunities for ministry training have continued to abound in our midst, and the mission to equip young leaders for ministry remains as important as ever. The revitalization of our Artizo curriculum is helping us to train more deeply, and as we transition back towards normalcy we are aiming to train more widely as well. Artizo’s goal in the next few years is widening the reach of our training ministry, both at St. John’s and more widely in ANiC.
ARTIZO BEN ROBERTS
I’m grateful for St. John’s willingness as a congregation to foster the work of training, both by patiently making space for our growing ministers, and by giving generously to support their training. Many thanks for your ongoing support of the Artizo Institute. 25
The production crew oversees the technical aspects of all of our events and services. This includes audio, video, and live-streaming. We have been so grateful to see how the Lord has provided for the Production Ministry in 2021. It was amazing to see God establish this ministry and give it a clear vision and mission in 2020. Following its inception, 2021 saw Production double in size to a volunteer team of around 20 people. A big highlight of the past year has been seeing how diverse our volunteer team has become. Our youngest member is 11 years old, and our oldest is in their 80s, and both men and women have joined the movement! We love seeing how Jesus opens opportunities for applied creativity in this ministry, offering folks a safe space to discover and use their spiritual gifts to edify the church. Beyond the incredible impact it has had on our church family to see this ministry develop, it has also been exciting to see the evangelistic nature of live-streaming, which projects the word of God internationally. People from all over the globe tune into our Sunday services, and this means we are connecting through evangelism in a way that we’ve never seen before at St. John’s. We pray God will continue to give us wisdom and discernment to know how to disciple well, evangelize well, and serve well.
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PRODUCTION MERIAL BULL
STAFF LIST 2021 FULL TIME
Merial Bull
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Micah Eaton
ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST
Krista Friebel
DIRECTOR OF CHURCH OPERATIONS
Terry Fullerton
DIRECTOR OF MUSIC
Dan Gifford
VICAR
Jeremy Graham
ASSISTANT MINISTER: FAMILY MINISTRY AND GOSPEL APPLICATION
Chris Ley
DIRECTOR OF EVANGELISM
Steven McDougald
DIRECTOR OF STUDENT MINISTRIES
Aaron Roberts
EVENING SERVICE MINISTER
Ben Roberts
DIRECTOR OF TRAINING
Willie Shain-Ross
CURATE
David Short
RECTOR
Joel Strecker
CURATE
James Wagner
DIRECTOR OF PASTORAL CARE
Isaac Bull
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR FOR PRODUCTION
Will Gray
DIRECTOR OF CHILDREN'S MINISTRIES
Jan Hobbis
DIRECTOR OF WOMEN'S MINISTRIES
Melissa Ley
EARLY CHILDHOOD COORDINATOR
Marion Maxwell
SERVICES COORDINATOR
David Poon
MORNING MUSIC ASSISTANT
Kathy Shain-Ross
WOMEN’S PASTOR OF STUDENT MINISTRIES
Emma Song-Carrillo
EVENING SERVICE MUSIC DIRECTOR
Janelle Stutheit
EVENING SERVICE CHILDREN'S COORDINATOR
Margaret Wilson
PASTORAL CARE ASSISTANT
Julie Boechler
ADMIN SPECIALIST
Andrew Buchanan
EVANGELIST INTERN
Dan Glover
CURATE
Aria Horvath
COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
Heather LaRoy
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
David Lewis
DIRECTOR OF EKKLESIA
PART TIME
FINISHED
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BAPTISMS, WEDDINGS, DEATHS BAPTISMS
Clara-Maellie Britton Mina Yvet Wah Scott-Davies Everett Michael Baylis Maryanne McDougald Andrew Gordon Bagshaw
WEDDINGS
Laura and Karl Petersohn Jessica and Cameron Abram Christine and Edward Clarke Tiffany and Deng Zho Zhou Jiang
DEATHS
Daphne McCormick Doug Hindmarsh Marian Susannah Pocock Alan Burns Karl Heinrich Rose Margaret Agnes McPhee Peter John Gerald Bentley Donald Munro Lewis Joan Ford Melvyn Reed Della Cootes
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First, on behalf of the trustees, I would like to extend much gratitude to the St. John’s staff and volunteers. 2021 was full of uncertainty and change involving, among other things, shifting COVID-19 protocols, changes to facilities availability and a move to hybrid services. It was a very challenging year to plan, schedule and budget for. The staff have done an amazing job overcoming all these challenges, continuing to serve the Lord faithfully through St. John’s various gospel ministries.
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Offerings for 2021 were $2.224 million, about $46,000 short of the offering budget of $2.27 million. We also had some additional equipment purchases that were unbudgeted but required to accommodate the hybrid streaming and in-person gatherings. There were approximately $20,000 in program revenues and cost savings and the result was a deficit from operations of $95,471. We are very blessed to have surpluses in the General Fund from your giving in prior years. We are therefore able to cover this deficit from the General Fund and still maintain a surplus of $477,000.
In 2021, the various fund balances invested with RBC generated unrealized gains of $92,388, and interest and investment income of $102,733. When the General Bequest funds were received the trustees determined that they would be drawn down over ten years to fund ministries supporting the three pillars of Gospel Proclamation, Gospel Formation, and Gospel Application. As we have had significant investment gains over the past two years, we are able to draw an additional $189,000 in 2022, over and above the planned $280,000, in support of the pillars and still maintain the ten‑year timeline.
The trustees have been greatly encouraged by your donations to the Building Fund. We’ve received donations of $1.5 million in 2021, bringing the total building fund balance to $2.7 million. Please continue to pray over this as we seek a new home for the gospel in Vancouver.
The 2022 budget found on page 47 also includes an offering budget of $2.338 million, an increase of 3% over the 2021 and 2020 budgets. There was no increase in 2021. The expense budget is increasing to $2.8 million with the difference funded from the bequest.
TREASURER
ELI SULLIVAN, ON BEHALF OF THE TRUSTEES OF ST. JOHN’S
VANCOUVER ANGLICAN CHURCH
St. John’s Vancouver Anglican Church supports many initiatives through which the gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed around the world. The St. John’s missions committee supports 13 missions and missionaries. Around 100 Artizo graduates are now preaching to thousands of people. There are over 80 children registered for Sunday school and children’s ministry materials developed by St. John’s staff are used at many churches throughout North America. So, thank you for your generous support of St. John’s. Your donations have an impact far beyond just our immediate community. And please join the trustees in praying that God would use these gifts to grow his kingdom and that many would come to know and trust Jesus through these ministries. For, ‘The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.’ Prov. 18:10.
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2021 FINANCIAL REPORT 2021 Budget
2021 Actual Totals
2,270,000
2,224,408
280,000
280,000
Revenue (General Fund Operations) Offerings to the General Fund Bequest Ministry Program Fees
Total Revenue
14,987
2,550,000
2,519,395
1,595,000
1,565,999
66,810
56,216
Expenses (General Fund) Church Operations Program & Outreach Salaries Ministry Programs Recoverable Program Costs
15,221
Building & Facilities
257,600
258,327
Office/Operations/Production
148,590
195,586
2,068,000
2,091,349
207,000
185,539
Outreach support & training
55,000
51,042
Total Outreach Expenses
262,000
236,581
220,000
216,590
2,550,000
2,544,520
–
(25,125)
Total Church Operations Outreach ANiC support (includes Synod)
Missions (local, national, & international)
Total Expenses (General Fund)
Excess (Deficiency) of Revenue Over Expenses from Operations)
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SUMMARY OF FUND ACCOUNTS AS OF DEC 31, 2021
OPENING BALANCE
GENERAL FUND
BEQUEST FUND
MISSION BEQUEST FUND
REFUGEE FUND
TEAM MISSIONS FUND
BUILDING FUND
CAPITAL ASSET FUND
TOTAL ALL FUNDS
590,553
2,972,921
371,755
29,714
20
1,211,370
112,200
5,288,533
Revenue
2,519,394
1,615
58,396
1,504,266
Expenses
(2,544,519)
(4,800)
(16,081)
(25,569)
(30,152)
(2,621,121)
(3,185)
42,315
– 1,478,697
(30,152)
1,462,550
Excess / (Deficit)
(25,125)
–
4,083,671
Interfund Transfers:
-
Bequest Fund Allocated to General Fund Bequest Donations Investment Income
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Purchase of Capital Assets
(87,934)
Unrealized gain on investments
(280,000)
(280,000)
14,534
14,534
97,212
2,701
2,786
102,733 87,934
92,388
92,388
Net Interfund Transfers
(87,900)
(75,866)
2,701
–
CLOSING BALANCE
477,528
2,897,055
371,271
72,029
–
2,786
87,934
(70,345)
20 2,692,853
169,982
6,680,738
The 2021 Financial Management Report is a simplified management version of the general operating receipts and disbursements from our General Fund for the year 2021 and has been summarized based on the Audited Financial Statements of St. John’s Vancouver Church for the year ended December 31, 2021 – copies of which are available under separate cover.
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AND BEYOND
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Over the last year our entire ministry team began grappling with how to develop a more welcoming, clear pathway towards maturity in Christ. This has led us to develop new initiatives to better welcome and connect visitors, to share the gospel more effectively, and to more clearly coordinate our existing ministries to help people grow in Christ. This pathway incorporates all of our ministries within three priorities: • Gospel-proclaiming (Reaching out) • Gospel-forming (Building Up) • Gospel-applying (Sending Out) With respect to reaching out, several new ministries and initiatives will be launched in 2022 that provide a dynamic, well-defined pathway for visitors and newcomers to be introduced to the gospel, invited into our parish life, and encouraged to grow in their faith through connecting with our current gospel-forming ministries Some of these new initiatives are detailed on pages 40-43. The majority of the programmatic ministry in our church is aimed at building up. These ministries give opportunity for all ages, stages and walks of life to grow-up together into mature disciples. Over many years, our staff and volunteers have been wonderfully productive in developing many vibrant, Bible-based ministries. It’s also become clear, however, that the pathway connecting these ministries can be better defined.
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In our age-based ministries (kid’s, youth, Ekklesia), we’ve coordinated the pathway to improve the transitions and handoffs between these ministries and identify people we might be missing. Additionally, the scope and sequence of our teaching will be more tightly aligned, to scaffold age-appropriate growth from childhood into adulthood. Catechism is a thorough and systematic way to ground all our members in the basics of knowing and living their faith. Catechism sets the stage for a life of growth and bearing fruit as a Christian, and in 2022 it will become more central to the pathway of adult formation. Starting in September, our catechism course will begin running yearly so that new members can join at any time. We also encourage longstanding members to join and be re-equipped for ministry. After being grounded in the basics, we hope all catechized members will commit to regular fellowship in a community group and find ways to serve in one of our many ministries as a volunteer or leader.
BEN ROBERTS, DIRECTOR OF TRAINING CHRIS LEY, DIRECTOR OF EVANGELISM JEREMY GRAHAM, ASSISTANT MINISTER: FAMILY MINISTRY AND GOSPEL APPLICATION
In 2022 we are also preparing to be a church that is sending out. The most obvious initiative under this heading is our church plant project, which is detailed on page 41. Additionally, we are looking to form disciples of Jesus who are able to apply their faith in whatever context God places them, to reach out and serve our city for God’s glory.
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HIGHLIGHTS FOR NEWCOMERS
COME
&SEE
Introducing
ST. JOHN’S
Come and See is the first stop for those interested in exploring the Christian faith. Guests will come for a meal and then we will share a dynamic discussion around some of the biggest questions of life. Over three sessions we will discuss our culture’s common answers to questions of purpose, truth, identity and hope and then compare them with what Jesus says. These sessions are a warm, safe, open setting intended for anyone of any faith background.
Introducing St. John’s (formerly “Newcomer Sessions”) is a three-week orientation that will briefly introduce you to our church’s history, vision, staff, and some next steps for getting connected. This course is a great opportunity for meeting others and finding opportunities for community, growth, and service. This course runs several times a year, after both our morning and evening services.
Anglicanism
St. John’s is just one congregation within a global Church that has existed for 2,000 years. Introducing Anglicanism is a four‑week course that presents who we are, what we believe, and how we grow in Christ. This is a helpful way to better understand our Sunday services and our connection to the wider church, and provides a good opportunity to ask questions.
Catechism is how we ground our church members in the basics of knowing and living their faith. It is an essential part of discipleship and a kind of “basic training” for a life of growth and bearing fruit as a Christian. All new members are encouraged to begin their journey of formation with a year of Catechism. This program runs continuously from September to June, and can be joined at any time. It is the ideal preparation for baptism and confirmation, as well as equipping you for potential service and leadership roles in our congregation.
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CHURCH PLANTING
CHURCH PLANT
In January 2022, St. John’s announced a church planting project aimed at sending a new congregation into a location between East Vancouver and New Westminster in 2023. Church planting is an integral part of St. John’s vision to see our church family live out a gospel-proclaiming, gospel-forming, gospel-applying life in Christ. As we develop pathways for our congregation to grow in Christ, the aim is for this church planting project to work alongside all of our ministries in prioritizing evangelism and outreach to our neighbours. We want this project to bear fruit for the entire body of Christ at St. John’s, not just those who will be sent as part of the launch team. It will require us to help one another in sharing the gospel effectively and seek out opportunities for hospitality the Lord is calling each of us to.
What are the practices of a sending church? • Commitment to prayer • Sending a launch team • Financial support • Accountability and oversight for the planting team How can you support this church planting project? • Pray – join our prayer team by emailing joel@sjvan.org • Participate – reach out to jeremy@ sjvan.org and joel@sjvan.org to begin a conversation • Financial partnership – visit stjohnsvancouver.org/churchplant
The work of being sent out into the world as ambassadors for Christ is always risky and costly. In preparing and practicing for bold witness, we are also committing to regular, urgent prayer in our life together. As the sending church, St. John’s serves as a type of “greenhouse” for the church plant “seedling,” encouraging and equipping the planting team until the new congregation is selffunding, self-governing and self-propagating. Our vision is to establish a church planting culture that is repeatable so that St. John’s can become a church which regularly plants churches. We value your engagement, feedback and questions as this new venture begins. For an introduction to the project, visit stjohnsvancouver.org/churchplant.
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FORMATION FLOW
>
Introducing
ST. JOHN’S
newcomer recommended
> AGE-BASED GROUPS
LEAD
SERVE
CARE
>
WHAT YOUR FINANCIAL GIFTS SUPPORT
Growing People
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe. Proverbs 18:10. Let’s start with our foundation: Everything we do at St. John’s is about declaring Jesus as our strong tower, and helping people to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord.
Training Future Church Leaders
Just like some hospitals, St. John’s is a training church and we are committed to raising up both lay leaders and clergy through our Curacy and Artizo programs. In the past five years, we have ordained six curates. In the Artizo program, we estimate that more than 100 graduates are now regularly preaching and teaching to over 10,000 people across North America, and themselves helping train others to follow in their path.
Expanding World Mission
St. John’s has a thriving volunteer missions committee who oversee our support of world-wide missions. In 2021 we financially supported the work of over 13 missionaries and missions organizations and plan the same for 2022.
Teaching Children Well
Did you know that we have over 80 children registered in our Sunday School program? Not only that but God’s Big Story, the children’s ministry curriculum developed and supported by St. John’s, has been used by over 100 churches across North America.
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Spreading the Word of God Across the World
Each week we record, edit, and publish our sermons online. They are freely available through our website, on YouTube, and as audio podcasts, and are accessed by people around the world. In 2021 over 6,000 people listened to St. John’s sermons on Apple podcasts, and we had 33,000 views on our YouTube channel.
The Studying of God’s word
For each new sermon series, we have a dedicated team of staff and volunteers who develop, design and publish Bible study guides. All of this is available in print and online to our congregation – free of charge. In 2021 our Bible studies resource web site page was visited 3,500 times.
Livestreaming Services
While we hope that sometime in 2022 we will finally be able to gather for worship with no restrictions, for now, being online is essential and your gifts make it possible. Going forward we plan to continue livestreaming as it is an effective way to reach out to people who might be unable to attend in person and to those outside the Lower Mainland.
Gathering In Person
Bookkeeping to Bulletins
For most people admin isn’t the most exciting thing to talk about, but good administration is essential to a flourishing church.
It’s been a challenge to gather in person these last two years and we don’t yet have a permanent church home, but God has blessed us with our rental agreements at OAC and our Burrard Street office. In 2021 we were able to secure an agreement to be able to use the church building all day on Sundays. We hope to be able to fully take advantage of this in 2022.
Resourcing and Supporting the Anglican Network in Canada
If you are new to St. John’s you might not know of God’s grace in establishing the Anglican Network in Canada in 2009 in the midst of the Anglican crisis. We support our diocese financially, but also we have staff members and lay volunteers who support the work of ANiC through serving and teaching. And, if you haven’t heard, one of our staff members became its new Bishop.
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2022 BUDGET 2021 Budget
2021 Actual Totals
2022 Budget
2022 Budget vs 2021 Actuals
2,270,000
2,224,408
2,338,100
3%*
Revenue (General Fund Operations) Offerings to the General Fund Bequest Gains
189,347
General fund previous year’s surplus Bequest
280,000
Ministry Program Fees
Total Revenue
280,000
280,000
14,987
2,550,000
2,519,395
2,807,447
1,595,000
1,565,999
1,692,422
66,810
56,216
94,150
Expenses (General Fund) Church Operations Program & Outreach Salaries Ministry Programs Recoverable Program Costs
15,221
Building & Facilities
257,600
258,327
319,100
Office/Operations/Production
148,590
195,586
239,775
2,068,000
2,091,349
2,345,447
207,000
185,539
223,000
Outreach support & training
55,000
51,042
19,000
Total Outreach Expenses
262,000
236,581
242,000
2%
220,000
216,590
220,000
2%
2,550,000
2,544,520
2,807,447
10%
–
(25,125)
–
Total Church Operations
12%
Outreach ANiC support (includes Synod)
Missions (local, national, & international)
Total Expenses (General Fund) Excess (Deficiency) of Revenue Over Expenses from Operations)
* 3% increase to the 2021 budget
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