Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’ When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.” Luke 5:10-11
Each of the Gospels has its own way of telling how Jesus called his disciples. In today’s reading from St. Luke’s Gospel we can see how Jesus used a miraculous catch of fish as the opportunity to call the first of those who came to be his disciples.
At some point early in his ministry Jesus established Capernaum as his home, on the NW corner of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Lake of Genneseret.
Jesus had become a familiar sight as he walked along the shore of that inland sea. Because of this Peter and those fishing with him could feel comfortable with him on that day when Jesus got into one of their boats and asked them to put out into deep water and let down their nets.
After having fished all night with no result it must have come as a shock to see the great net full of fish after Jesus had asked them to put down their nets. Suddenly Peter was overcome with a feeling of unworthiness. But Jesus recognized a potential within Peter that would be useful for the ministry that he was about to develop. Jesus challenged Peter and the others with the words, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” And so they did!
When the boats were brought to shore not only Peter, but James and John, partners with Peter, left everything and followed Jesus. Soon after that others began to follow them as disciples of Jesus.
Does hearing stories like this one in today’s Gospel help you to understand Jesus’ call to follow him? (Reflection from SSJE)
Tuesday Evening at St. Mike’s –our parish offers a weekly evening prayer and bible study at 6:00pm in the sanctuary. We invite parishioners, family and friends to come and join us for a spiritual journey as children of God. Just bring your bible.
Annual Vestry Meeting: We are pleased to invite you to St. Michael’s Annual Vestry Meeting (AGM)to be held on Sunday, 24 Feb. 2019 after a Joint Worship Service at 9:30am. Registration will begin at 9:00am. Light lunch will be served.
We respectfully request your early attendance in order that the program may commence on time.
We continue to seek parishioners to serve in the leadership team of St. Michael’s. Please let the rector know if you wish to serve at parish council. Hope to see you all.
Clericus Host:St. Michael’s will host the next clergy deanery meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 13th, after the 11:30am Eucharist.
St. Mike’s 60th Anniversary: We are still seeking your ideas in preparation for St. Michael’s 60th founding anniversary. Our hope is get a few events started which would serve as build-up activities leading to the September 29, 2019 Parish Thanksgiving Day.
Donation for Church Furnace: We would like to inform all parishioners of St. Michael’s that the furnace which supplies heat to the back room of the church building has passed its life. In consultation of a few technicians, the parish leadership has looked at the different options on how to deal with this problem. With the help of a parishioner, parish council has decided to replace it with a new furnace.
We ask for your financial contributions towards this capital expense. Please make your donations payable to St. Michael’s Anglican Church, Surrey, with a memo designated for the “Church Furnace”. A tax receipt would be issued to you by the end of this calendar year. Thank you.
Our Companion Diocese: Archbishop Melissa Skelton and some other people in our Diocese will be making a visit to our Companion Diocese of Northern Philippines departing February 17. Please pray for their safe journey.
2019 Stewardship Day: Saturday, March 16, 2019, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Synod Office in Vancouver. This year’s title of the Stewardship Day is, “Celebrating Generous Communities – Practical tools for Encouraging Giving”.
ANGLICAN JOURNAL AND TOPIC SUBSCRIPTIONS
Following the receipt of the June (Summer) issues of the Anglican Journal and Topic members of parishes will no longer be automatically subscribed to the national and diocesan publications. In order to receive print copies, folks will need to subscribe. Subscribing is very simple and there are four easy to follow options. Everything you need to know about subscribing is available on the diocesan website. The print copies of the two periodicals will also include detailed information on how readers can subscribe.
DIOCESAN STEWARDSHIP DAY, MARCH 16
Celebrating Generous Communities – Practical tools for Encouraging Giving is the title of the Stewardship Day 2019 taking place March 16. You’ll learn about Capital Campaigns (St. Hilda); Annual Campaigns (St. Faith); A Culture of Stewardship (The Rev. Tellison Glover); constructing a Narrative Budget with members of the Parish of St. George, Maple Ridge and treasurer, Dawn Parrott. And, you’ll get to plan your Stewardship Campaign for 2019.
LENTEN RESOURCES 2019 – A Select Menu
This Lent, choose from a number of recommended resources to take the journey from Ash Wednesday to Holy Week (March 6 – April 14, 2019). Whether it’s a small group gathering or an individual study, online or in print, we hope there’s something here for you. Keep an eye on your inbox for emails from the Reverend Jessica Schaap, Missioner for Christian Formation with more information about these Lenten program “menu selections” and how you can order
resources. https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/
Saint Michael's Anglican Church 