Author: katieb

Announcements from the Minister’s Messy Desk 

COMMUNION: A reminder that we will be celebrating communion this Sunday. For those attending in person there will be individually prepared elements at your seats upon arrival. For those worshipping with us online please have your elements prepared before the service.

ADVENT BIBLE STUDY: Our study of the songs in Luke continues every Thursday at 7pm over zoom (email revjenng@gmail.com for link) until Dec. 16th. 

IN PERSON WORSHIP:

You are invited to join us for in person worship every Sunday. Please register on line or by calling the office.  A reminder that we also require proof of vaccine and masks at all times. To register on line go to:

https://rsvp.church/r/YBfH0va3 

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE:

We will also be hosting an in person Christmas Eve service at 5pm. It will also be live-streamed. Please register on line or by calling the office. 

https://rsvp.church/r/YBfH0va3 

SUPPORT GROUP FOR CAREGIVERS: 

Anyone who is caring for a loved one, friend or wants to help others is welcome to join our support group for caregivers. The next meeting is Dec. 15th at 10am at the church. 

SOME OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM OUR COMMUNITY:

Comox United  is hosting aWomen’s Advent Service on Dec. 13 at 7pm.

Come and catch your breath in the company of other women. Music, readings, singing, and a time to be blessed by the presence of the Holy.

___________________________________________

DRIVE IN MESSIAH SINGALONG: The public is invited to a Christmas singalong from the safety of your car. Sunday Dec. 19th from 2-4pm at the Comox Mall. 

The Compass Community Radio Choir under the direction of Paul Colthorpe and Master of Ceremonies Jenn Forsland. 

Opening Acts include The Comox Valley Children’s Choir and The Quarantones.

Car and Driver $30, Passengers $20 Tickets available at Blue Heron Books and Colour Your World. 

____________________________________________

OFFICE CLOSURE:

December 25th – January 4th

A Message from the Minister’s Messy Desk 

It is hard for me to believe that Advent begins next week!  I think part of my surprise is due to the balance of working in a “hybrid” world in which half of my meetings and events are on line and the other half are in person with masks. I think  another reason I’ve been caught off guard is because we have been so consumed with concerns for our friends, family and neighbours on the mainland and now the news from the opposite coast is also concerning.  Admittedly I am also grieving losses.  I remember the pfeffernusse my mother-in-law made every year and know that this year will feel different without her.  Sometimes it is hard to celebrate the hope, peace, joy and love that this season is supposed to inspire. This year I have decided that something I need to do to help me “get into the spirit” is to do a daily advent devotional. In fact, I found two online devotionals that I am going to try. You are most welcome to participate in them with me!

The first one comes from the Tori Smit, a Presbyterian Minister in the Synod of Central-Northeastern Ontario and Bermuda. It is a mix of youtube videos and activities. Please note you need a google account to open the calendar.  

https://www.cnob.org/ 

The other comes from Biola Univeristy’s  Centre for Christianity, Culture and the Arts. Each day of the Advent Calendar features a Scripture passage, a devotion written by a member of the Biola community, a work of visual art, a poem, and a piece of music. 

https://ccca.biola.edu/advent/2021/

Another way to get into the Advent Season is to join us for our various services and studies! 

In-Person Worship:

You are invited to join us for in person worship every Sunday. Please register on line or by calling the office.  A reminder that we also require proof of vaccine and masks at all times. To register on line go to:

https://rsvp.church/r/YBfH0va3 

Advent Bible Study:

Join us for a special Advent Bible Study entitled, “Songs of Advent from Luke’s Gospel”.  Week One’s handout is attached.  The study will start Nov. 25 and run every Thursday until Dec. 16 over zoom at 7pm. To connect over zoom click: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83836166197?pwd=QU50ZjlkdHZvZXFzVHVzdmVMOHZ5Zz09

OR call

  +1 778 907 2071 Canada

Meeting ID: 838 3616 6197

Passcode: 053342

FOLLOWING THE SERVICE THIS SUNDAY (Nov. 28th) we have our CONGREGATIONAL BUDGET MEETING.  You are welcome to attend in person or via zoom. To attend via Zoom go to: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81004165479?pwd=b2tvK3hVa0R6SW8zMzIwSGlubWN5UT09

Dial by your location

        +1 647 374 4685 Canada

        +1 647 558 0588 Canada

Meeting ID: 810 0416 5479

Passcode: 024613

Starting Dec. 5th choir practice will be on Sundays at 9am. New singers are most welcome.

You can support flood recovery in BC through Presbyterian World Service and Development. To donate go to: 

https://presbyterian.ca/pwsd/2021/11/19/bc-floods/

Announcements from the Minister’s Messy Desk

IN PERSON WORSHIP:

To register for Nov. 28th and/or all the services in December please go to:

ONLINE REGISTRATION HERE

Or phone the office. 

A reminder that we require proof of vaccine and masks at all times .

CONGREGATIONAL BUDGET MEETING 

Please mark your calendars for Nov. 28th for a congregational budget meeting following the service. It is our hope to hold the meeting both in person and over zoom. 

Please email our administrator, office@cvpc.ca if you did not receive a copy of the budget or pick one up during office hours. 

SUPPORTING THE FELLOWSHIP GROUP

We have created an account for the Express Return-It Recycle depot at 493 Puntledge Rd. You do not need to sort your bottles. Simply pick up a clear bag and sticker from the church. Fill the bag with recyclable beverage containers, place the sticker on the bag and drop it off at the Return-It depot on Puntledge Rd. The refunds will go directly to our Fellowship Account. If you are unable to drop off your bag you can contact Sheelagh McLeod

ADVENT BIBLE STUDY

Join us for a special Advent Bible Study entitled, “Songs of Advent from Luke’s Gospel”. Luke’s Gospel has a series of songs as part of his introduction to the story of Jesus. In this study we will look at four songs sung leading up to and just beyond the birth of Jesus as we sing our own familiar songs  this time of year. The study will start Nov. 25 and run every Thursday until Dec. 16 over zoom at 7pm. To connect over zoom click: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83836166197?pwd=QU50ZjlkdHZvZXFzVHVzdmVMOHZ5Zz09

OR call

  +1 778 907 2071 Canada

Meeting ID: 838 3616 6197

Passcode: 053342

PRAYER SHAWLS 

During covid we have given many people prayer shawls and it has been a great comfort to them. If there is anyone who knit or crochet and would like to help to build up our supply, please contact Sheila McLellan 

$10 A Month Club

It has been over 2 months since the school year started and we encourage everyone to support the $10 A Month Club.  The schools use the funds for meals, activities and clothing for the children and the time is coming for their winter activities.
Please remember this fund in your monthly givings. Thank you. The mission committee 

       HOURS OF OPERATION

A Message from the Minister’s Messy Desk

I have completed my courses and enjoyed my study leave! It was a very enriching time and I look forward to an upcoming preaching series entitled “Faithful Innovation: Conversations for the Post-Covid Church” in which I will use a book of the same name that sparked many interesting discussions in my small groups. I will follow that up with a preaching series entitled “New Insights from the Parables of Jesus” in which we will look at the 1st century interpretations and apply it to our modern times. I also participated in a rather intense course entitled “Job through the Centuries”. I’m looking forward to leading a Bible study in the near future using this class as the foundation. I am grateful for the opportunity to take these courses through VST and for the study leave allowance that helps pay for them! But for now it is “back to work” with a few important announcements:

We have our next in-person worship THIS SUNDAY, July 25 at 10:30am. It will also be live streamed on our YouTube channel.
Please note that due to the recommendation that masks be worn in all indoor public spaces we are going to continue to require that masks be worn at all times inside the church.
Gentle singing is now allowed during the service.

Registration for in-person attendance is required. The deadline to register is Friday at 9am.To register go to:
IN person Worship July 25

Next in-person worship will be Sunday Aug 29 th at 10:30am.

IN person worship AUGUST 29

A reminder to elders that we have a session meeting on Tuesday July 27 th at 7pm over zoom.

Everyone is invited to join us for an evening of Songs and Stories on Aug 5 th at 7pm. This simple OUTDOOR service will involve hearing some favourite parables and singing some classic hymns.

Thank you to Carol Anne who will be providing some live singing!
There are two different ways to attend. You can attend by coming and staying in your car or you can bring your own lawn chair and join us on the lawn. Singing will be permitted for both groups. Registration is required.
Please register for either the lawn or in your car based on what works best for you.

To Register go to:
LAWN registration

CAR registration 

Roof and Furnace Fund-raising Campaign!
Work on the roof and furnace replacement will begin in the coming weeks. A reminder that we are hoping to raise $5000 from the congregation to assist with the cost (totalling $70,000). If we raise more, all those funds will go directly to the roof/furnace and will mean less will be depleted from our GICs. To donate please mark it on the “other line” of your envelopes or by choosing the “Roof/Furnace Fund” on our Canadahelps donation
page: Canada Helps

We are all aware of the devastating fires throughout the province. Please note that we are not able to collect funds directly but you are encouraged to support the Cariboo Presbyterian Church at
Cariboo Presbyterian Church – Wild Fire Donation
or through the Kamloops United Church by choosing “general fund” and marking it “Fire relief” in the notes at Fire Relief Kamloops

A Message from the Minister’s Messy Desk

Dear Friends, this is a lengthy newsletter due to the fact that A LOT has taken place over the last week that requires our prayer and discernment. Please read through all the material and note the updates from session and announcements at the end.

REGARDING THE ATTACK ON A MUSLIM FAMILY in LONDON, ON:

Like many of you my heart breaks at the news of the intentional attack on a Muslim family while they were out walking in London, Ontario.  May we not only mourn alongside all who have been affect, may we not only stand in solidarity with the Muslim community but also may we learn from one another and discover the intricate way in which we are similar and see the ways in which we are all created in the image of God. My graduate thesis focused on the importance of inter-faith dialogue as a way for the church to exist in the future. Even though I wrote it 14 years ago I still feel that way. Interfaith dialogue is central to who we are as Christians and will help us be a better church.

REGARDING RECENT DISCOVERY IN KAMLOOPS:

Speaking of trying to be a better church a few of you asked for a copy of the words I shared on Sunday regarding the recent discovery of 215 unidentified graves of children on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Throughout it’s history the Presbyterian Church in Canada ran 11 residential schools on behalf of the Canadian Government including one in Port Alberni and another in Ahousat until 1925. The last two schools run by the church were transferred to the government in 1969.

Here is the recent statement from the Presbyterian Church in Canada:

We grieve with the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation, who has just released news that the unidentified graves of 215 children have been found on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in Kamloops, B.C. The devastating pain and loss this news triggers are not isolated to Kamloops, but is shared by all who lost family, friends or community members to Indian Residential Schools. So many Indigenous children never came home from the schools where they were forcibly taken, and the weight of the trauma that loss has wreaked in Indigenous communities, in which the church shared a large role, is still causing intense harm today.

In humility, the church calls for a time of prayer and lament to honour the lives of those children whose graves were just found and for all family, friends and communities who have lost loved ones through the Indian Residential School system—for whom this news opens fresh wounds. We also call for a time of reflection and re-commitment to reconciliation. As we approach the month of June, which is National Indigenous History Month, we encourage all church members to reflect on the harmful history in which we have been involved, and from that reflection seek renewed ways to work for healing and reconciliation with Indigenous people.

REGARDING INCLUSION OF LGBTQI+ in the PCC: 

On June 8 the General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church in Canada passed the following motions:

• The Presbyterian Church in Canada holds two parallel definitions of marriage and recognizes that faithful, Holy Spirit filled, Christ centred, God honouring people can understand marriage as a covenant relationship between a man and a woman or as a covenant relationship between two adult persons. That congregations, sessions, ruling and teaching elders be granted liberty of conscience and action on marriage.
• It was also passed that LGBTQI people (whether married or single) can be ordained and are welcome to serve as ministers and ruling elders.

I know that there is a diversity of opinions within our congregation but I celebrate that these motions allow for this diversity. I celebrate that I have family and friends who can feel welcomed in our denomination regardless of orientation or opinion. I am pleased to uphold these recommendations based on my own interpretations of scripture but also find joy in the ability to listen to others in their interpretations. Please don’t hesitate if you would like to have a discussion regarding full inclusion with me.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The All God’s Creatures Bible study continues this Thursday at 7pm over Zoom. Our discussions were so fruitful last week that we didn’t get through all of the first week study and we decided to pick up where we left off. I have attached the Scripture readings and questions handout we will be following on Thursday. Below is the Zoom info:

Comox Valley Presbyterian Church is inviting you

to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: All God’s Creatures Bible Study
Time: Jun 10, 2021 07:00 PM Vancouver
Every week on Thu, 3 occurrence(s)
Jun 10, 2021 07:00 PM
Jun 17, 2021 07:00 PM
Jun 24, 2021 07:00 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
Bible Study June 10

Dial by your location
+1 778 907 2071 Canada

Meeting ID: 846 8291 7159
Passcode: 410979
__________________________________________

UPDATES FROM SESSION:

The Session met on June 8^th to discuss returning to in-person worship. Due to the upcoming pre-recorded shared services and August holidays it was decided that we would hold in-person worship the last three Sundays of the month from June to July (June 27, July 25 and Aug 29). Priority will be given to those without internet. We will follow all covid protocols which at this stage means no group singing, wearing masks at all times (unless you are at the lectern/pulpit speaking) and keeping 2m apart. Registration will also be required. To register go to:

https://rsvp.church/r/YBfH0va3

The Session is excited to support Alison van Schie of Alongside Caregiver Consulting who has offered to provide a support group for caregivers (spouses, children, friends) at and for our church. Further information to come.

A Message from the Minister’s Messy Desk

Mike and I had a nourishing break, camping in and around Sayward. A BIG THANK YOU to Jessica Foy who not only provided the message but also edited the service for this past Sunday. I found her message moving and inspiring. While it did rain a couple of times on our trip we both commented on how the forest seems brighter after a shower. Perhaps, we can liken our current experience of the pandemic to a rain shower…a little dreary, muddy and tough going at times, but we will be brighter people for it. This week’s sermon focuses on Paul’s 2^nd Letter to the Corinthians in which he says, “For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weigh of glory beyond all measure” (2 Corinth 4:17). It is my prayer that we will eventually be able to see this pandemic as a momentary affliction in the near future!

I have received many questions about our return to in-person worship. This is a decision that is made by the session and it will be discussed at our upcoming session meeting on June 8^th. Your elders need to know how you feel. Please let them know what you think about a return to in-person worship. Any variation of an in-person worship will follow all provincial health guidelines.

This week we begin a 4 week Bible Study series entitled All God’s Creatures. Our first session will be June 3rd (TONIGHT) at 7pm over zoom. Below is the Zoom invite. The first week’s handout has also been attached to this email.

ZOOM INVITE FOR BIBLE STUDY:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84682917159?pwd=NC9MSWN6VUxQSGVrUjlkT0hBNGZkdz09

Dial by your location

+1 778 907 2071 Canada

Meeting ID: 846 8291 7159

Passcode: 410979

A reminder that we will be celebrating communion THIS SUNDAY during our regular live-streamed service. You are welcome to participate by having your own elements (bread and juice/wine) prepared.

Everyone is invited to join us in virtual coffee hour on Thursdays at 10:30am over zoom. To find the zoom link go to our website cvpc.ca and click the “Coffee Hour” tab followed by the zoom link.

A Message from the Minister’s Messy Desk

This week’s newsletter will be brief! My role as Moderator has picked up lately given some emergent meetings and upcoming vacancies in the Presbytery. But this is all part of being a connective church! Please pray for those churches throughout our denomination who are experiencing vacancies during this challenging time.

I will be away on holidays May 24-31st. My very best friend and student at Knox College,
Jessica Foy will be providing a pre-recorded service on our YouTube channel for May 30th.
We will celebrate the sacrament of communion on Sunday June 6th during our live-stream.Please have your own elements prepared.

UPCOMING BIBLE STUDY: “ALL GOD’S CREATURES” A four week Bible study
will begin June 3 and will run every Thursday at 7pm over Zoom until June 24 (4 weeks).
We will use Scripture to help us understand our relationship with all of God’s creatures,
great and small.

India is currently in the midst of a dramatic surge in COVID-19 cases, threatening its healthcare system and leaving already vulnerable families in crisis.

For more than a week, over 300,000 cases have been diagnosed daily. So far over 220,000 people have died in India and the crisis is only worsening.

Immediate needs are access to health care, medical supplies, and medicines, particularly oxygen. There is an urgent need to educate people on risk prevention and address vaccine hesitancy. Vaccine supply is insufficient and inaccessible to many, leaving herd immunity out of reach.

A Message from the Minister’s Messy Desk

          All this sunshine and warm weather does me a lot of good! It’s no secret that one of my favourite hymns is In the bulb there is a flower and it always comes to mind at this time of year. In the first verse it says, “In the cold and snow of winter/ there’s a spring that waits to be/ unrevealed until its season/ something God alone can see.”

I feel like a small glimpse of that mystery is being revealed at this time of year. I pray that we all feel a sense of renewal despite the fact that we are still living in the shadow of a pandemic. I know many of you have appointments for your vaccine and I hope to be on the list soon! I hope that this is another sign that the tides are changing. We will, however, continue to follow all health orders which means that for the time being there are no in-person gatherings at the church. However, I am available for outdoor one on one pastoral visits either in backyards or at the church. The second verse of the hymn has the line, “There’s a dawn in every darkness bringing hope to you and me.” May we see dawn on our horizon as spring has sprung!

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM SESSION:

On March 18th the Moderator of the General Assembly, The Rev. Amanda Currie sent out a pastoral letter to all Presbyterian Churches in Canada. The session received this letter at our most recent meeting and wants to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to read it. This letter was written in light of the church’s promise to rebuild broken relationships and to respond pastorally to LGBTQI people who have been harmed in the church. This is a continuation of a letter of repentance written in 2017 by the then moderator the Rev. Peter Bush. To read the letter in its entirety please go to:

https://presbyterian.ca/2021/03/18/keeping-our-promises/

NEW BEGINNINGS BUILDING PROJECT:

There is a congregational meeting on April 22^nd at 7pm over zoom. This is to address the report from the New Beginnings Building Committee with regards to building affordable housing on our property. This report was sent out on April 8^th. Please read and review the report. If you did not receive the report please email or call the office for a copy.

Al  Wedel Gord Johnson

IMPORTANT REMINDER:

 CONGREGATIONAL MEETING TONIGHT

There is a congregational meeting TONIGHT (April 22) at 7pm over Zoom to address the report from the New Beginnings Building Committee with regards to building affordable housing on our property. The report was sent out on April 8^th. Please read and review the report AND attend tonight’s meeting.