NEWSLETTER

Week Commencing June 12th

Fourth Sunday After Pentecost

From your Rector

This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and it presents us with

some very powerful readings. Elijah challenges King Ahab over the murder

of Naboth. Psalm 5 pleads: “Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness,

because of those who lie in wait for me; make your way straight before

me.” In the letter to the Galatians, the author reminds his listeners: “I have

been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ

who lives in me.” And in the gospel we hear of Jesus proclaiming to a

woman, a known sinner, “Your faith has saved you, go in peace.”

There is so much to consider in all these readings this Sunday! But I want

to focus on something else in the gospel. It describes how Jesus went

through various cities and towns, proclaiming and bringing the good news

of the kingdom of God. With him were the twelve disciples but also a

group of women: Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susanna. The Bible tells us

that there were many others presumably women and men who provided

for Jesus out of their resources.

The first point is that this group supported the life and ministry of Jesus,

they offered their thanks to God with their resources, they gave of

themselves not only with time and energy but also with their money and

other resources. We give to God with every aspect of our lives. We give to

God out of thanksgiving for all that we have been given. Faith and

commitment are joined together in how we live in all aspects of life.

The second is that part of that group following Jesus was a number of

women who clearly offered him their love, support, kindness and faith.

Somehow in the life of the Church in the early years following Christ’s

resurrection and ascension, the role of women seems to have been lost or

hidden. We seemed to quickly forget that women were central to the

ministry of Jesus and certainly this continues to be true in this day and age.

I hope we have moved away from worrying about the gender of the

followers of Jesus and are much more interested in how Christ calls us to

life and light. Those women of the early church clearly gave leadership and

support and are an example for us as much as many others have been

down through the centuries. Women in the Church have clearly shown us

many examples of what it means to allow Christ to live through them. It is

good to recognize the role of women in the passage today.

Our faith calls us to response. To respond with our time, talents and

treasure to all that God has given to us throughout our life time. May we

recognize the numerous ways that God has blessed us in the past and is

calling to us in the future as we grow in being disciples and followers of

Jesus.

O God, who has called people in different times, different places, different genders,

different ages to live out a faith grounded in love and compassion, guide us in that

same path. Lead us to live generous and courageous lives that honour your light

within our hearts and live. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Fr John Stephens

Three Baptisms Coming Up!

On June 19 there will be three baptisms at the 10:00 service. Please keep

James, Tristan and Taylor in your prayers for this very special day for them

and for St. John’s.

In July there will be two more baptisms so this is a very special time in the

life of the parish.

Tuesday June 14 Celebration of New Ministry

At St. Mary’s Kerrisdale there will be a Celebration of New Ministry to

mark the start of the ministry of Mother Elizabeth Ruder-Celiz and the Rev.

Christine Rowe. The service will begin at 7:00pm and all are welcome to

support both Elizabeth and Christine.

Saturday June 18 Summer Ordinations Service

Bishop Skelton recently moved Ross Bliss to the status of Ordinand. Ross

has volunteered countless hours at SJS over the past few years, and is well-

loved by our parish. The Reverend Liz Hamel, our new curate, has been

moved to Postulant for the Priesthood and will be moved to the status of

Ordinand. The two-hour service will be held at Christ Church Cathedral,

and begins at 10:30am. All are welcome to support Ross, Mother Liz, and

the other new Ordinands.

Stewardship is about Joyful Acts of Thanksgiving

“Every time I make a step in the direction of generosity, I know that I

am moving from fear to love.” – Henri Nouwen

Have you signed up to give your monthly gift to God and to the work of St.

John’s Shaughnessy through Pre-Authorized Donations? We hope you

will! Currently there are about 25 people who give to St John’s in this way

and we hope that this number will double over the next few months.

Please consider signing up to give monthly Pre-Authorised Donations to

St John’s Shaughnessy. It’s…

Easy

Simple

Helping our parish income to

remain consistent

Allowing us to better predict our

income

Helping each one of us respond to the gifts God constantly gives to

our lives

A way to express our faith in how we spend our money and focus our

time

A great way to support this amazing parish!

Please fill in the form that you will find in the narthex.

Your Stewardship Committee

Atlanta Boy Choir last Sunday

A team of exceptional St John’s volunteers made this wonderful evening

possible. After the concert, the St John’s volunteers served all 70 members

of the choir a delicious turkey dinner. It was a long, late night for all, and

we appreciate their hard work. Even Fr John was working hard loading the

dishwasher late into the evening! The photo above shows our volunteers in

action in the Trendell Lounge kitchen. A big thank you to everyone who

helped, including the people who donated salads and rolls.

And the music was fantastic! Well worth the effort.

-photos by Peter Kidd and Michael Dirk

St John’s servers extraordinaire feeding a great bunch of talented young men

Musical Happenings at SJS

Sunday June 12, 3pm Brock House / Kerrisdale Choir concert

Tickets $10 at the door, children under 12 free.

Monday June 20, 2pm York House School Grade 6 band and Shaughnessy

Elementary grade 6/7 band perform a joint year end concert, free.

Sunday June 26, 2pm Opera at UBC: A Midsummer Night’s Dream - after the

great response to the VSO Last Night of the Proms - let's cheer on our star

tenor Spencer Britten in Benjamin Britten's operatic setting of Shakespeare.

Perhaps a lunch option after church en route to UBC? Group rate ticket just

$20. Email Michael Dirk at organist@sjs.net for more information.

A Picnic of Parishes

We hope to have a good turnout of St John’s parishioners! St Mary's is

providing burgers, buns and condiments. St Augustine's and St Faith's are

providing desserts, salads and sides. Cameron from St Mary’s is handling

games, and Christine from St Faith’s is handling children's crafts. St John’s

will be bringing both desserts and salads. Please contact Louise Hadley or

the office if you are interested in attending, and let us know what you

would like to bring. Because parking might be a challenge at Maple Grove

Park, we encourage carpooling. If you can offer a ride, please let us know

how many passengers you have room for.

Garden Tools Wanted at SJS

If you have some old gardening tools that you don’t use any more and

would like to donate to SJS, please drop them off any time. Our volunteers

will put them to good use.

Volunteers Needed: coffee hour hosts & gardeners

St John’s has a large group of dedicated

volunteers in all areas of church life: readers,

greeters, chalice administrants, coffee hour

hosts, gardeners, and others. We are open to

more volunteers in all areas.

Over the next couple of months we are in

particular need of more coffee hour hosts.

Everyone works in pairs to lighten the load and make it more fun, and new

volunteers are teamed with experienced ones.

Gardeners do a variety of tasks. It’s okay if you don’t want to do any

digging or weeding. We need a team of people to water the flower beds

with the nozzle. Please talk to Peter Kidd or Robyn Woodward, or contact

the office for more information.

Strawberry Tea & Silent Auction at St Jude’s Anglican Home

On June 26th from 2:30 to 4:00, show your support for St Jude’s! There will

be delicious strawberry shortcake with whip cream, and lots of great items

to bid on such as: a weekend getaway to Port Renfrew, home-made

dinners, Lions Game tickets, and lots of themed baskets. 810 West 27th Ave.

Please call for more information: 604 874 3200.

St John’s Shaughnessy Anglican Church

1490 Nanton Ave. Vancouver, B.C. V6H 2E2

Telephone (604) 731-4966 (ex 11 for office)

email: church@sjs.net web: www.sjs.net

Office Hours: Monday to Thursday 9:00am to 4:00pm

Rector Venerable John Stephens

Curate as of July 1st Rev. Liz Hamel

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

Sunday services

8:00am Holy Communion (BCP)

10:00am Sung Eucharist

Wednesday service

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 emailed to you.

St John’s has a large group of dedicated volunteers in all areas of church life:

readers, greeters, chalice administrants, coffee hour hosts, gardeners, and

others. Please contact the office if you are interested in participating.

Cover: Christ at Simon the Pharisee by Peter Paul Rubens, 1618-1620