A Message from the COVID-19 Response Team

March 20, 2022

The Covid response team held its final meeting on Thursday, March 17 – just over two years after it was first formed by Council. We know that many people in our congregation are in different places with covid. Some are ready for no restrictions, others wish restrictions would ease out more gradually, while others still remain very cautious. As a community of faith we are invited to care for one another, and to make our physical space as welcoming to everyone as possible at the same time that we recognize we are entering a new phase of this pandemic.

NEW SUNDAY MARCH 20TH:
Singing during worship begins
Distancing encouraged but no longer required – we will have a distancing section
Signing in no longer required

Continued guidance:
Vaccination and boosting encouraged
Distancing encouraged
Please worship from home if you feel unwell
We encourage individual responsibility: do what is needed to feel safe

Masking Update:
Masking required in the building until April 4th (2 weeks after March Break ends)
Masking required for worship and singing indoors until April 27th (when all mask requirements are lifted)
Once requirements are lifted, masks are strongly recommended

Church Building Hours:
The church building will be open from 9-11am on Tuesdays and Fridays
Once our internet is more reliable, we will increase the hours

Here is a little more on what it will be like attending worship in-person in the coming weeks:

When you arrive, you will not need to show proof of vaccination or sign in when you enter – but please remember to don your mask before stepping into the building. You can choose to hang up your coat or to keep it with you – we will continue to try to keep some windows open to increase air circulation.

For those who want to continue distancing, you will see a section of the sanctuary has pews with ribbons marking off every other pew. If you sit in this section, you will signal that you would like to continue distancing and will not have to repeat this to anyone. If you have been looking forward to sitting near friends, please sit in pews that do not have ribbons marking off every other pew.

During our worship service, you are invited to stand (as you are able) and sing for our hymns.

Following the service, you are invited to move around and chat with people in the pews while remaining masked, or to exit and chat outside the church, with or without masks.

A note for choir members and those who look forward to hearing our choir in person: our choir is also looking forward to returning to church. At present, choir members are invited to sit with the congregation for hymns, and then after the Easter anthems are recorded, the choir will begin rehearsing for live congregational singing in mid-April.

Thank You for your support!

Any questions? Please ask Emily Gordon if you would like more details about the decisions of the final Covid response team meeting.

Third Sunday of Lent – Nurturing Spirituality March 20, 2022

March 24, 2022

At 9:15am on Sunday, you are invited to In the Wild: a time for spirituality in nature for all ages on the church lawn, as we think about the theme “Rhythms” and mark the Spring Equinox.

At 10:30am join us in-person, on Zoom, or on YouTube for our weekly Sunday morning worship.

This Sunday we explore the theme “Nurturing Spirituality” as we think about how we care for ourselves and others, recognizing the goodness of God in the goodness of life.

Our hymns, readings, and other music are filled with nature. We will hear a scripture passage about a fig tree, listen to the anthem Highland Cathedral with words about the presence of God in nature, and sing the hymns As the Sun with Longer Journey and Tree of Life and Awesome Mystery. Speaking of singing, if you’d like to prepare to sing our Introit this Lent in-person (or online), you can learn it along with Matt and our leads here:

Looking Ahead
On Sunday, March 27 we mark the fourth Sunday during the season of Lent with the next in our Healing Series, as we think about Forgiveness.

Second Sunday of Lent – March 13, 2022

March 20, 2022

For our second Sunday during the season of Lent, our theme is Shared Stories. The service will include parts of the service Black Experiences in Canadian Churches (originally planned for February but postponed due to tech challenges). We will also remember that it is PIE Sunday, light a candle marking two years since the start of the pandemic, and share a prayer “The Burden of War.”

Our music includes If Ye Love Me by Thomas Tallis, with pandemic words written in March 2020, a solo Come to Me by Dan Forrest, and the hymn In Christ, There is No East or West.

If you are worshiping online, join us on Zoom following the service for a time of conversation.

Looking Ahead
On Sunday, March 20, the third Sunday during the season of Lent, we will reflect on the beauty of nature and the simple goodness of life. Our music will include bagpipes, and other choices in memory of Bryan Pyper.

Wilderness Time with Rev. Dr. John Young – March 6, 2022

March 10, 2022

First Sunday of Lent
Wilderness Time

Guest Preacher – the Rev. Dr. John Young,
Interim Principal of Emmanuel College

At 10:30am join us in-person, on Zoom, or on YouTube for our weekly Sunday morning worship.

Today we welcome guest preacher Rev. Dr. John Young, who was ordained in 1978 and served in several congregational ministries before joining the faculty of Queen’s Theological College at Queen’s University in 1991, where he taught in the areas of History of Christianity and Pastoral Studies until 2016. He was then the Executive Minister, Theological Leadership, in the United Church’s General Council Office, until becoming the Interim Principal of Emmanuel College in the fall of 2021.

As we move into the season of Lent, we will explore the theme “Wilderness Time” through word and music. The sermon will focus on Luke 4:1-13, and our hymns continue the theme of Jesus in the desert. Our anthem will be “Be Still, My Heart” by Matthew Emery.

We also invite you to take a few minutes to learn the Introit we will be singing during Lent, Senzeni Na, along with Matt and our leads:

If you would like to mark the beginning of the season of Lent before Sunday, you might be interested in our 12 minute Ash Wednesday worship:

Looking Ahead
On Sunday, March 13 we mark the second Sunday during the season of Lent. The service will draw on a service created sharing Black Experiences in Canadian Churches, while also acknowledging PIE Sunday, and two years since the beginning of the Pandemic.