November 2025

To God’s beloved children at St. John’s of every age,

It feels (at least for me) that it has been a time for feasting recently at St. John the Divine, Squamish, both literally and metaphorically.

I have been filled-up by our delicious potlucks, a new youth group, bursting family feasts, vibrant worship, study and prayer, beautiful music, and people living out generous hospitality and sacrificial service to those who need help. Along with that I have been so delighted by our wonderful building that we have been able to care for and even improve recently so that it may continue to be a tool for ministry, serving the church and wider community in Squamish. For me, there has been an energy and excitement to our life and ministry together that has been deeply nourishing.

God is doing something wonderful at and through St. John’s. Thanks be to God!

However, this fullness, this feasting has not come about by accident. Along with God’s help, it has taken years, generations even of faithfulness, prayer, and people continuing to show up, making the choice to give of themselves – their resources, their time, their energy and passion – for the upbuilding of the Kingdom of God in this place.

Any relationship, any church, any community takes hard work. It doesn’t just happen. It takes choosing and investing again and again, when things are easy and when things are hard. However, it is well worth it for the fruits that that faithfulness and dedication bears.

Every November, I invite you, friends, members and supporters, both old and new, of St. John the Divine, Squamish, to join me in making a pledge of your money, time, talent, energy and prayer towards our common life for the coming year.

So, faithfully, joyfully, prayerfully join me in supporting the good things that God is growing here.

May God transform all that we sow now into the soil of St. John’s into a great harvest. May the fruit of that harvest become a banquet for the blessing and nourishing of this church, of the world, and those who come after us.

Yours in Christ,


The Reverend Cameron Gutjahr, Rector

 

A SHORT EXPLAINER

Every year, when we invite people to make a financial pledge during stewardship month, we give four possible areas to designate your pledge. This is a brief introduction to each of these four categories.

PARISH MINISTRY – This is for all the regular, daily, monthly and yearly expenses of St. John’s operations. This includes staff, regular building upkeep and maintenance, programs, administrative expenses and more. We hope that if nothing else, you can contribute to this area.  

BUILDLING CONTINGENCY FUND – Sometimes, extra, surprising maintenance is required (as it did this last year when a pipe burst in our in-floor heating). Some members of the parish choose to give a small amount in addition to their contribution to parish ministry to this fund for when emergencies like this pop up, so that we can continue to be good stewards of our building. 

CARE + SHARE – This is a Diocesan program that allows us to, as the name suggests, care and share. Funds received are given directly to a ministry (or ministries) in the Diocese of New Westminster. The recipients change every few years. At the moment, funds support food ministries at several churches throughout the Diocese. Giving even a small amount here acknowledges that we are part of a church that is bigger than just ourselves, and that contributing collectively, alongside other parishes, is a powerful gospel witness.

ALONGSIDE HOPE – Alongside Hope (formerly PWRDF) is the Anglican Church of Canada’s development and disaster relief organization, working with partners in Canada and around the world. We make this option available to remember that an important part of stewardship is to respond to human need through generous, loving service, both locally and around the world.