Newsletter #36

Welcome to Newsletter #36 (June 2024) and a special welcome to our new Interim priest, the Reverend Paul Richards (who likes to be called Paul), and his wife, Lenore. We are very pleased to include you in St. John’s family!

This newsletter was intended to be devoted to “Greeters and Sidespersons” as part of our series on transparency of ministries. However, there is so much going on at the church at present that I decided to postpone that article until later to give space to all the other exciting happenings.

UKRAINE

Our interim priest, Paul Richards, is going to the Ukraine the first week in September. Here is his description of what he will be doing there....

"As mentioned, I am traveling to the Ukraine with the Order of St Lazarus, an international charity, for the purpose of delivering medical trauma equipment to volunteer paramedics in the Ukraine. On Sunday the 8th, I will be celebrating with the Church of England congregation in Kyiv, who have been without a priest for at least two years and subjected to repeated bombing, so celebrating the Eucharist is a special occasion for them. With events this past week I will also be making a financial donation while there to rebuilding the children’s hospital that was damaged/destroyed this week.

I have been funded from the Bishop and the Canada Ukraine Foundation, although I am still accepting donations to cover some of the medical equipment and the financial gift to the hospital."

Our Warden, Cathy, mentioned in her latest email that it would be good idea for us to donate to this cause by having all Sunday coffee money going towards it for the first 2 Sundays in August (August 4 and 11), so please keep that in mind!

WOMANCARE BABY BOTTLE CAMPAIGN

We received this from one of the organizers:

Hope you are all enjoying this beautiful summer that we are finally having! I wanted to share some fantastic news about our Baby Bottle Campaign! Thanks to St. John the Divine’s incredible generosity, collectively over $20,000 has been raised so far. This brings us close to our goal of $25,000, which will significantly support the work we do here at WomanCare Pregnancy Centre.

As a church St. John the Divine raised $674.40 with 17 people/couples that gave towards the campaign. We are so grateful for your support of the work we do! We couldn’t do it without you. So, thank you so much! As one of the moms in our new group said this year, ‘Thank you very much to the donors for their big hearts and sharing their blessings.’

Your support is invaluable and deeply appreciated.

This year’s “Wild ride” has begun and this year the slogan is “65 for 65”! PWRDF is 65 years old and hopes to raise $65,000.

As usual, we will do a sponsored walk and cycle ride towards the end of September, and you will hear more about that later.

In addition, we thought of benefitting the Mission to Seafarers by sponsoring people to make toques and “Ditty bags” which would then be donated. They are always glad of more.

I have patterns for toques, mufflers and bags – just let me (Janet) or the office know if you need one. The bags are a specific size. We might also be able to rustle up some fabric.

For the first time ever, we ran out of strawberries! Actually, whipped cream is pretty good alone.

The Tea was a great success, netting $3,341.11, including the Bake sale and other tables. The Tea alone made $1,358. Well done everyone!

You may also have noticed the article in the Maple Ridge news: “Historic Church set for Fundraiser”, which said in part: “It is one of the province’s oldest churches and was originally built in 1859 in Fort Langley. But in 1882, as the CPR was being built and Maple Ridge was growing, the decision was made to move it to the north side of the river, and it was disassembled and floated across.

… (Beth) Scott noted that the Strawberry tea has been a tradition for 45 years.”

Thank you, Beth for contacting the News!

The full article has been posted on the notice board at Church.

Thanks also to everyone who volunteered, donated or just attended. It’s a great day to meet members of the community!

ZAMBIA

Michelle Samuelson sent this inspiring account of her recent visit:

I recently had an incredible opportunity to travel to Africa with a team from  Seeds of Hope, a non-profit Christian Ministry. With God, all things are possible and there are miracles everywhere. 

John and Susan Chalkias, just an ordinary Canadian couple, started Seeds of Hope in 1995 after hearing about the plight of children orphaned because of Aids. Children were dying with no one to hold and care for them. 

Their biggest project is in Ndola, Zambia. They also have services in Thailand and Myanmar. Their aim is to equip children and those in need to love and serve Jesus Christ while becoming healthy, educated and responsible members of society. Zambia is a country devastated by Aids and  poverty. Unemployment is rampant leaving 86% of the population living below the poverty line. The   plight of women and children is especially heartwrenching. The number of orphaned children is staggering, and children are left to raise their siblings. The children that come to Grace Academy in Zambia, have suffered incomprehensible hardships. They are often 'dumped' as babies, because their parents have died, or relatives reject them and  cannot afford to feed or look after them.

Since 2005, antiretroviral therapy has been available, and the children are flourishing. Grace Academy also known as a Place of Grace is where children are given a loving home, medical care and good nutrition, they provide classes from pre-school to grade 12. Since Covid a  farm has been added to the property which includes greenhouses, a piggery, and raising chickens to become more sustainable.

Ndola Zambia is a very poor area. The staff at Grace want to give all the children the best opportunity to succeed in life and the children realize that through opportunity as well as education they will have a future.

Our team consisted of 8 ambitious and enthusiastic members who were delighted to serve Christ in this capacity. We were involved with outreach in the community that included ministering to street youth, widows and other orphanages as well as a Children's Hospital. It was while the children were on their Spring Break, that our team taught Vacation Bible School as well as The Alpha program to the teens.

Such enthusiasm to share The Gospel... and so well received. Music, crafts, stories and dancing!

The children that attend Buseko, meaning House of Joy, are infants to age 5, after they move to the dorms that have 8 multigenerational age children and an Auntie to care for them.

The residents at Grace know that through the opportunity of education they will have a future to be proud of.

The vision of Grace Academy is to raise children to be the future leaders of their country and to impact their nation with the grace and love of Christ.

It was an honour and a privilege to have been part of the children's lives.

My life has forever been blessed and changed by having this incredible experience, and my hope is to return and serve again next year.

Faithful in Christ,

Michelle Samuelson

St. John the Divine

Maple Ridge

PRAYER

This is from John Birch’s website https://www.faithandworship.com

Speak Lord, into the heart
of government, and those
whose decisions today will
affect the lives of millions.
May their incentive be
not pleasing the powerful,
the political influencers,
loudest voices and donors,
but rather to do your will;
seek justice, help the poor,
work for the common good
of all people, not just a few.
It’s a difficult ask, we know,
but in you, Lord, is our hope.

AMEN