NEWSLETTER. Week Commencing September 18. Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost

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1 NEWSLETTER Week Commencing September 18 Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost

2 From the Rector On September 14 churches around the world celebrated Holy Cross Day. Each year on this day church communities will pause and give thanks for the cross of Christ and for its significance in our lives as Easter and resurrection people. Holy Cross Day is a day set well apart from Easter to acknowledge our thanks for the sign that the cross has become of grace and God s love. Holy Cross Day was established in the year 335 by the emperor Constantine. He had ordered that a grand church be built in Jerusalem at Gol gotha, the very site where Jesus had been crucified and buried. The hill of Gol gotha had been levelled and so there needed to be great excavation to build the new church. In the process of excavation, labourers discovered a large beam. Many were convinced that it had been part of the cross on which Christ was crucified. Portions of this beam were enshrined when the church was dedicated in 355. Ever since then Christians have kept this day as Holy Cross Day. Theodore ( AD) was Abbot of Sudios, a monastery in Constantinople wrote this: How precious the gift of the cross, how splendid to contemplate! In the cross there is no mingling of good and evil, as in the tree of paradise; it is wholly beautiful to behold and good to taste. The fruit of this tree is not death but life, not darkness but light. This tree does not cast us out of paradise, but opens the way for our return. Thomas Traherne (priest of the Church of England and author of The Centuries, who died in 1674) writes: The cross is the abyss of wonders, the centre of desires, the school of virtues, the house of wisdom, the throne of love, the theatre of joys, and the place of sorrows. It is the root of happiness, and the gate of heaven. The hymn, In the Cross of Christ I Glory, written by John Bowring, these are some of the words he offered: In the cross of Christ I glory, towering o er the wrecks of time; all the light of sacred story gathers round its head sublime.

3 The cross of Christ, the empty cross as a sign of resurrection, is core and central to our Christian faith. It grounds us in the love and grace of God. What images of the cross or hymns sung about the cross or artwork associated with the cross have influenced your faith? Blessing of Pets: Sunday Oct 2nd at 3pm Our annual Blessing of Pets will take place on October 2nd. We have invited the VPD to bring their horses again, and also Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue to bring kittens that are up for adoption. Please let people know about this special service as it is a popular liturgy. Archdeacon Douglas Fenton celebrated 35 years of Ordination Last Sunday, September 11, Archdeacon Douglas Fenton celebrated the 35 th Anniversary of his Ordination. Father Douglas celebrated at the Mass at 10:00 and then we all had cake in his honour afterwards. It was a wonderful event for all of us! -photo of Douglas and Karin Fulcher by Fr John

4 Stewardship In the month of October there will be a number of small group gatherings throughout the parish. We want to bring people together to talk about St John s and look to our future. You will be receiving a phone call or in the next little while inviting you one of these gatherings. We hope that you will be able to participate! Throughout October and early November there will be a focus on Stewardship each Sunday. We hope that you will be given much to ponder about your own stewardship of the resources that God has given you. We hope that everyone will want to participate in returning to God a small portion of what they have been received in life. There will also be a lunch served on November 13 as we wrap up the Stewardship Campaign and thank everyone for their participation and pledges for God has given us two hands one to receive with and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for sharing. -- Billy Graham The Lord s Prayer: Monday nights in the Trendell Lounge Have you ever wondered about the words of the Lord s Prayer? Many of us pray them every day and most of us pray them at least once a week. Why are the words so important to us? What might they mean in our lives? What did Jesus want to teach by inviting us to pray them? Are there more modern versions of the Lord s Prayer? All these and other questions will be discussed at our Christian Formation series on the Lord s Prayer, Our Father Who Art in Heaven Monday Nights in November at 7:00pm. November 7, 14, 21, 28. It will be led by the clergy of the parish, and come expecting learning and laughter! From the Curate Greetings to all. I have now been a curate (new priest) at St John s Shaughnessy for 12 weeks, and I want to thank you all for your warm welcome. This community feels like home to me now. Over the next several

5 months, as a way of getting to know you better, and of you getting to know me, I would like to meet will each of you over tea or coffee. We could meet at the church or café or your place. So don t be surprised if you receive an of phone call from me asking when we might get together. Of course, you are welcome to contact me any time liz.hamel@sjs.net, or through the parish office. Wishing you blessings and peace ~ Liz Workshop for Readers and Intercessors Sept 18 th noon-1pm Are you interested in becoming a reader or intercessor? Do you want to learn more? Join us for a workshop in the church, right after coffee hour next Sunday. Everyone is welcome, and all current readers and intercessors are expected to attend as a refresher. Please contact the office to register. September 25 is Vocations Sunday! Bishop Melissa has invited all the parishes of the Diocese to observe September 25th as Vocations Sunday. This is an opportunity for everyone to consider how they are called by God to specific ministries but also in particular ordained ministry. Do you feel called to be ordained in the Church? Do you know someone who might be? God's call is sometimes direct, sometimes forceful, sometimes gentle and always persuasive. To go with this, there will be a Vocations Day Saturday October 22 Exploring God's Call, a diocesan vocations day will be held October 22 from 9:30 to 2:30 at the Synod Office. Is there someone you know who should consider ordained ministry? Encourage them to attend. It s a great opportunity for them to ask questions and get more information. ACW Fellowship Group at SJS Starts Wednesday Sept 28 at 1pm Alberta Rudolf has plenty of ACW (Anglican Church Women) experience, and welcomes everyone to the first of monthly meetings at SJS. Please contact the office if you would like more information from Alberta.

6 St. Philip s Fall Rummage Sale Oct 1st The sale is from 9am to 12pm on Saturday October 1st. There will be lots of great stuff there! 3737 West 27 th Ave, near Dunbar. Volunteers Needed: coffee hour hosts We need a few more coffee hour hosts this winter. Everyone works in pairs to lighten the load and make it more fun, and new volunteers are teamed with experienced ones for their first day. Please talk to Janet in the office for more information. Food Bank Donations We have been collecting items for the Food Bank for some time now, and would like to try something different. We often have people in need come to the church. We would like to collect food, cleaning supplies, toiletries, used small household items, used clean warm clothes, etc. to keep in the back of the church to have available for these people. Please bring in items that you think might be suitable and we will place them on the small bookcase in the back hallway. Please contact the office for more information. Music for two Organs - Saturday, Oct 1st at 7.30 pm ONE church, TWO organs, and FOUR organists: a unique event featuring the 3-manual Viscount Unico Organ and Queens Avenue United Church's 3-manual Casavant-Frères 46-rank Pipe Organ in concert. Organists PJ Janson (assistant organist, St James' Anglican), Michael Murray (St Philip s Anglican), Nicholas Fairbank (Victoria Conservatory), and Suzanne Gibson Coulthard (St Paul's Lutheran, Chilliwack) in concert playing a programme that includes the Lefébure-Wély celebrated Sortie, Dupré's popular Cortège et Litanie, and Eugène Gigout majestic Grand chœur dialogue. Queens Avenue United Church 529 Queens Ave, New Westminster order tickets online at

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10 St John s Shaughnessy Anglican Church 1490 Nanton Ave. Vancouver, B.C. V6H 2E2 Telephone (604) (ex 11 for office) church@sjs.net web: Office Hours: Monday to Thursday 9:00am to 4:00pm Sunday services Wednesday service Rector The Venerable John Stephens john.stephens@sjs.net Curate The Reverend Liz Hamel liz.hamel@sjs.net Rector s Warden Robyn Woodward People s Warden Louise Hadley Treasurer Donald Wood Vestry Clerk Karin Fulcher Music Director Michael Dirk Assistant Choirmaster Ann Chen Children s Ministry Spencer Britten Parish Administrator Janet Hamilton PWRDF Rep Doug Symons Sacristan and MC Paul Bunnell 8:00am Holy Communion (BCP) 10:00am Sung Eucharist 9:30am Holy Communion Baptisms, Funerals, Weddings and Confessions are by appointment with the Rector. Please contact us if you would like to have our weekly newsletter ed to you. St John s has a large group of dedicated volunteers in all areas of church life: readers, greeters, sanctuary guild, chalice administrants, coffee hour hosts, gardeners, and others. Please contact the office if you are interested in participating. We are in need of more volunteers in all areas.