St. John's Vancouver // QPM Nov2019

NOVEMBER 18, 2019

Schedule Welcome Opening Hymn: Crown Him with Many Crowns Bible Teaching: The Fullness of Him (Ephesians 1:15-23) Small Group Prayers for Evangelism Life Explored Interview Large Group Bidding Prayer Closing Hymn: The Day Thou Gavest

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2. C rown him, the Lord of love, behold his hands and side, those wounds yet visible above in beauty glorified: no angel in the sky can fully bear that sight, but downward bends his burning eye at mysteries so bright

4. Crown him, the Lord of peace, whose power a sceptre sways from pole to pole, that wars may cease absorbed in prayer and praise: his reign shall know no end, and round his piercèd feet fair flowers of paradise extend their fragrance ever sweet.

3. Crown him the Lord of life, who triumphed o’er the grave, and rose victorious in the strife for those he came to save: his glories now we sing who died, and rose on high; who died eternal life to bring, and lives that death may die.

5. Crown him the Lord of years, the Potentate of time, Creator of the rolling spheres, ineffably sublime: all hail, Redeemer, hail! for thou hast died for me; thy praise shall never, never fail throughout eternity.

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The Fullness of Him (Ephesians 1) 15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

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Prayers for Life Explored

• That our congregation would grow in boldness and continue to invite friends and acquaintances to the next Life Explored series.

• That volunteers would continue to come forward and support the ministry, so that the Life Explored program becomes part of our congregational culture.

• That the Holy Spirit would warm our hearts to the evangelical mission of God, and that we would see the ways in which Life Explored can assist in this mission.

• That the table leaders for Life Explored who stepped forward to serve this fall would be encouraged and continue to serve with gladness.

• That those who are meeting Jesus for the first time through this course would see his beauty and goodness in this last week and want to continue to grow in knowing him.

• That this tool which we are using to evangelize would be effective and bring God glory.

• Collect for the Mission of the Church: O God, our heavenly Father, you manifested your love by sending your onlybegotten Son into the world, that all might live through him: Pour out your Spirit on your Church, that we may fulfill his command to preach the Gospel to all people. Send forth laborers into your harvest; defend them in all dangers and temptations; and hasten the time when the fullness of the Gentiles shall be gathered in, and faithful Israel shall be saved; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

• Collect for a Spirit of Evangelism: Almighty God our Savior, you desire that none should perish, and you have taught us through your Son that there is great joy in heaven over every sinner who repents: Grant that our hearts may ache for a lost and broken world. May your Holy Spirit work through our words, deeds, and prayers, that the lost may be found and the dead made alive, and that all your redeemed may rejoice around your throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Prayers for St. John’s Ministries PARISH

• That we would continue to welcome newcomers and grow in the ways that we extend the welcome of Christ to others.

• That the Holy Spirit would guide us into deeper fellowship, friendship, and hospitality, so that we might build each other up in Christ.

• That our rector David would be healed and make a full recovery from his concussion.

CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

• For our families as they seek to disciple children and youth in a rapidly changing world. That our children and youth would see the beauty of Jesus Christ above all else and our Heavenly Father would confirm and strengthen our young people in their faith as they grow up in Christ.

• That our Youth Parent Nights and Sunday School Parenting series would encourage and equip parents for their vital role as disciplers.

YOUNG ADULTS (EKKLESIA)

• Pray for continued strong attendance and for God to work in lives as we begin a study of Acts; for a number of new Christians and those in the process of returning to the faith, several of whom are studying or working here short term and will be returning to their home countries in a few months; pray they will find strong Christian communities when they return.

WOMEN

• Pray for the Welcome to Christmas event on December 5 – that Women@10 members would invite, pray, welcome, and serve visitors well and that God would use our imperfect efforts to grow and establish his kingdom.

• Pray that women would be able to reach out and love each other with the love of Christ in counter-cultural ways – across lines of age and stage, Christian maturity, language, culture, and style of worship. May we be united in Christ and know the joy of community with one another in him.

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Prayers for St. John’s Ministries

• Pray for the Womens retreat at the end of January – that women would come who are on the margins or currently not very involved in the church, that they would have a sense of welcome and belonging. That women would deepen their faith, trust, and commitment to our Lord as they learn more of the good news of the big gospel story through Connally’s teaching.

PASTORAL CARE

• That DivorceCare would be a place where people, in the midst of grief, anger, and profound loss, encounter the risen Lord Jesus.

• That more people would come.

• For God to guide us as we lead a diverse group.

MISSIONS

• Please continue to pray for the day-to-day adjustments and health of our sponsored refugee family – Farhad, Homa, Marve, and Arsham as they have now passed their first six months in Vancouver.

• Intercession for Homa’s extended family who are currently living in perilous circumstances in the mideast, and for her younger brother Shueb who is alone and in need of assistance in Germany.

• For consistent employment for Farhad.

ESL

• That language and culture would not be a barrier to people encountering the Gospel in our ministries, and that we would learn to proclaim it wisely and truly in new and unfamiliar contexts.

SUNDAY WORSHIP

• That our worship would be marked by a spirit of repentance and great joy.

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Prayers for St. John’s Ministries

• That we would not lift up the name of the LORD vainly, but rather pray, sing, and receive from Christ in Word and Sacrament with true reverence.

COMMUNITY GROUPS

• Pray that our new groups would continue to be strengthened and encouraged, and that God would draw new members to them.

• Pray that our groups would be excited to contribute to Life Explored.

• Pray that the Holy Spirit would stir our groups up to evangelize boldly.

ARTIZO

• Pray that God would continue to shape the Artizo program as we renew the curriculum for increased efficacy and faithfulness to Gospel ministry.

• Pray that our interns would continue to be formed in Christ and grow as faithful preachers, teachers, and pastors.

CATECHISM

• Please pray for the Lord to strengthen and guide our Catechists who are teaching this term – Jim Tucker, Craig Gay, Ben Roberts, Janet Greenman, Bronwyn Short, Tom Douce (our Artizo intern), Jeremy Graham, and Ben Roberts.

• Please pray for all the people attending classes, for the Lord to deepen their faith and grow them as His disciples.

• Pray that more people would be drawn to attend the classes next term.

• Pray for the writing of curriculum for sharing with other churches.

• Pray that ANiC churches across Canada would grow in equipping their members to understand and live out their Christian faith.

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Prayers of Thanksgiving YOUNG ADULTS (EKKLESIA)

• We are thankful for the strong and steady leadership that God has provided this year; we are thankful for God’s answer to prayer for women leaders to strengthen young women’s attendance. For male and female leaders for each small group.

WOMEN

• The women’s ministry conference in South Africa that Jan, Bron, and Irena were at went really well. The women were hungry to learn and it was and racially mixed, which was an answer to prayer!

SUNDAY WORSHIP

• Give thanks for the many volunteers who faithfully serve each Sunday at our services.

• Thankfulness for the bonds of friendship that have been formed among our community and for love that spreads beyond the communion table.

COMMUNITY GROUPS

• Thanks to God for the faithful leadership in our community groups.

• Thanks to God for the ways in which He has been speaking to our groups in the Gospel of Matthew.

ARTIZO

• Give thanks for strong communication and a good reception of Artizo’s mission at our recent ANiC synod, and for the ongoing faithfulness of our donors.

CATECHISM

• Give thanks to God for our Catechists and ask Him to raise up more Lay Catechists for training.

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2. We thank thee that thy church unsleeping, while earth rolls onward into light, through all the world her watch is keeping, and rests not now by day or night.

3. As o’er each continent and island the dawn leads on another day, the voice of prayer is never silent, nor dies the strain of praise away.

4. S o be it, Lord! Thy throne shall never, like earth’s proud empires, pass away; thy kingdom stands and grows for ever, till all thy creatures own thy sway.

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