AGM on Sunday, May 26th at 12:15

Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) is scheduled for Sunday, May 26th at 12:15pm. Sandwiches will be available for purchase ($5) after the Sunday Service and before the AGM. 

AGM Notice Packets were emailed or mailed to Members on May 14th (with an update distributed on May 15th).  Contact Janni in the Church Office if you have signed the Membership Book but do not receive the Notice Packet. 

Voting:

  • Although anyone may attend our AGM, only Members who meet our Bylaw requirements may vote.

  • All voting will be done in person or by Proxy.  Zoom will be for watching only (not voting).  

  • Contact Janni in the Church Office if you have questions about your voting status.

Questions?

Contact Janni in the Church Office, or the appropriate Board Member.

Our Grocery Receipt Program Continues

Over the years, we've raised thousands of dollars in "free" money for the church through our Grocery Receipt Program.

Here’s how the program works: We've made arrangements with two local grocery stores (West Vancouver IGA and City Market at Park Royal).  For every $5,000 in grocery receipts from their stores, they give us a $25 (or $50) gift card -- which we sell at face value to someone in the church who shops there, and the money from the sale is donated to the church.  In other words: for every $5,000 in receipts, the church gets $25 (or $50) of "free" money.  

Marie Bensley was originally in charge of our Grocery Receipt program -- and then she handed it over to Nora Coates for many years. When Nora retired from this role, she handed it over to our church custodian (Tom), who did it for a short time before Linda Pratt agreed to take it on in 2024. Linda sorts donated receipts for the two stores, add them up (so they are in bundles of roughly $5,000), send the packets to the store manager, and "sell" the donated gift cards.

If you shop at either of these two stores, please save your receipts! Bring them to the church and place them in the folder on the bulletin board in the stairwell. This is a great way to earn “free” money for the church!

Similarly, if you shop at either of these stores — please let Linda know if you’d occasionally be willing to purchase gift cards (at face value) for those stores, to help her convert the gift cards into cash for the church.

May's Outreach Recipient: Wild Bird Trust of BC

Each month, 100% of our offering plate (unless otherwise marked) is donated to a non-profit organization whose mission is in line with our values. We call this “Outreach”.

During the month of May, we collected $1,081.95 for the Wild Bird Trust of BC.

Many of us have enjoyed leisurely walks through Maplewood Flats, bird watching and learning about the many wild birds that call this beautiful part of the North Shore their home. Maplewood Flats is managed by the Wild Bird Trust of BC. The Trust’s mission is to provide wild birds with sanctuary through ecological protection and restoration, as well as to support communities with education, culture, and reconciliation programs.

Thanks to all who contributed to this collection.

Confronting Wildfires in an Era of Climate Emergency

Our Environmental Action Team invites you to a Free Public Panel discussion on wildfires and the climate crisis. The panel will explore how to balance investments in emergency response and climate preparedness with spending on climate action that drives down emissions, so that we can reduce extreme weather events, ensure our communities and workers are safe, and ensure a liveable world for future generations.

Talk over what you learned from the panel at an Environmental Action Team workshop in the Sanctuary, 1pm Monday, May 13th.

Monday, May 6 at 7pm

at UBC Robson Square
(800 Robson Street, Vancouver)
and online

In-person attendance is encouraged, but the event will also be live-streamed. Masks are welcome.  Register: Please register for either in-person or online attendance HERE.

 Speakers:

  • John Vaillant (best-selling writer, journalist, and author of the award-winning book Fire Weather)

  • Joe Gilchrist (Salish Fire Keeper and People of the Land)

  • Byron Cruz (organizer & outreach coordinator for the BC Federation of Labour’s Occupational Health & Safety Centre’s Migrant Worker Program)

  • Dr. Maura Brown (Clinical Assistant Professor in Diagnostic Radiology at UBC & member of Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment)

  • with Seth Klein as moderator (team lead at the Climate Emergency Unit and author of A Good War: Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency)

Butterfly Garden Work Party May 4th

Butterfly Garden Work Party
10am to noon Saturday, May 4th

Our Butterfly Garden at NSUC is regrowing nicely after a long winter! Many of our native plants are looking strong and healthy.  However, some maintenance is needed to give our garden a boost. 

We need helpers to weed, clip, turn soil, replant, rake and bag.  Our table centrepieces (which were used for NSUC’s sandwich lunch on April 21st) will be used in our Butterfly Garden to attract pollinators with their wonderful fragrance, as well as some other plantings.

Please dress for the weather and bring your own coffee mug plus these tools if possible:

  • Trowels

  • Clippers

  • Gloves

  • Knee pads

  • Lawn rakes

  • Spades (pointed shovel)

Please RSVP Jean Prescott at jihana@shaw.ca if you are coming.  (Jasha has offered tea and snacks, but needs a head count).

Annual Reports due April 30th

Annual Reports are due April 30, 2024 from the following people:

  • The Chair, Co-Chair, Leader, or Co-Leader of a group, committee, team, task force or program at the church  

  • The Board Liaison for a group, committee, team or task force that doesn't currently have a Chair or Leader

  • On the Nominating Committee

  • A Staff person responsible for the areas under your direction

If you are in any of those categories, please send your Annual Report to Janni by then as a Word document or in the body of an email (not as a PDF).

The Annual Report covers the time period of May 1, 2023 through April 30, 2024, so your report should include activities that took place in your area(s) during that 12-month period.

Your report should cover these three main things:

  • Who is involved and what are their roles?

  • What happened this year?  (Include accomplishments, challenges, on-going tasks, and anything else you would like to share).

  • Looking forward, what’s high priority?  What else are you thinking about?

If you have questions or would like to see last year’s Annual Report for your area, please reach out to Janni.