Page 32 - PC Issue 14 Summer 2020

Connection
NEWS
Resurrection People in a Good Friday World
32
PRESBYTERIAN
SUMMER 2020
presbyterian.ca
Pictures of the Congregational Pen Pals program in action!
Weekly communication
The Rev. Mavis Currie sends out a weekly newsletter to the congrega- tion via email and older members have a hard copy dropped into their mailboxes by elders. These weekly updates include a daily scripture and prayer guide for the congrega- tion. Every day, members have been praying for a different leader and for front-line workers from their own congregation. Knox, St. Thomas, has also been praying through their church directory. The prayer guide includes four or five church members to pray for during the pandemic. The congregational updates and prayer guides are available on the church’s website. Every Sunday night, church members are invited to light a candle in their front window and offer a spe- cial prayer for those who work in the health care system.
Catching faith
Allison Bell, a schoolteacher who of- fers leadership in Christian Education programming at Knox, has created a weekly Sunday School program for our families. This straightforward sheet provides resources for fami- lies based on scripture. A colouring sheet, word search and fun activity are included to help parents nurture faith at home.
Caps and masks
“Sew It Seams,” a talented group of sewers who usually meet weekly at Knox, have quickly mobilized to ad- dress the needs of our local hospital. When concerns were expressed that the St. Thomas Elgin General Hospi- tal was running short on masks, and desperately required surgical caps to help nurses and doctors cope with the skin irritation around their ears
from constantly wearing Personal Protective Equipment, the Sew It Seams members set to work. They quickly delivered almost 150 masks. News spread to neighbours, friends and beyond. Donations of leftover fabric poured in. Other members of the wider community began to sew as well. A drop-off fabric system was established on each other’s door- steps. To date, this community col- lective of sewers has donated over 700 caps and masks.
The Great Toilet
Paper Challenge
Anna Russell, a creative member at Knox with a mind for trivia, decided early on that this was an opportunity for our congregation to have a little bit of fun. Every day, she has been send- ing out half a dozen trivia questions via email. Members are invited to answer the questions without using the Internet for help. When COVID-19 ends, the winner will be awarded... a roll of toilet paper! (An item that’s become an especially valuable com- modity during this time.)
Singing telegrams
Linda Todd, a member of the Knox Choir, started a trend that a number of choir members are continuing. Every week, various congregation members are surprised by a choir member phoning and singing a verse or two of a favourite hymn. One choir member has been calling people on their birthdays. Her granddaughter plays a verse of happy birthday on the piano, followed by a sung version and a short phone visit.
Pastoral connections
Elders have been regularly connect- ing with their districts on the phone.
By the Rev. Mavis Currie, Knox Presbyterian Church in St. Thomas, Ont.
Easter at Knox Presbyterian Church in St. Thomas, Ont., usually means a full church. It usually means spring flowers, lilies and several dozen helium-filled balloons decorating the front of the sanctuary. Easter usually means an egg hunt for the Sunday School, and hot cross buns for the congregation.
This year, Easter looked differ- ent at Knox, as it did for so many churches across Canada, and in- deed the world. The COVID-19 pan- demic meant that Christians could not gather traditionally for celebra- tions. However, thanks to the inge- nuity of a number of members at Knox, the good news of the resur- rection was still celebrated in this southwestern Ontario community, and continues to be celebrated in the weeks that have followed Easter.
After the announcement from the federal and provincial governments that places of worship must be closed to the public, Knox members quickly mobilized to stay connected and to find meaningful oppor tunities
to be an Easter people even in the midst of the Good Friday of COV- ID-19. Here are a few of the ways this congregation has sought to be a people of joy and hope during these months of pandemic.
Online worship
Chelsea Jones, a nurse at the local hos- pital and a member of Knox, St. Thom- as, is sporting one of the surgical caps sewn by the Sew It Seams group.
Those members who live alone have been paired with an additional con- tact from the church’s Pastoral Care team to ensure they have a listening ear during this difficult time.
Congregational pen pals
A number of children in the Sunday School have been matched up with an adult in the congregation to be pen pals. This exercise encourages chil- dren to keep up their writing skills, and creates new bonds across the generations at Knox.
“I miss your face”
photo gallery
A page has been designated on the church website for members of the congregation to send in photos. The challenge is for people to test them- selves—how many faces can they name? When COVID-19 ends, these photos will be used to create a con- gregational collage.
For tunately, Knox was
to live streaming their services and so with just a few tweaks, the Sun- day morning worship schedule con- tinued. Worship is offered on You- Tube and Facebook and can easily be accessed through the church’s website. By the time Easter Sunday had rolled around, our A.V. wizard, Dion Vansevenant, had figured out a way for older members who were not computer savvy to phone a toll-free number to listen to the service. The service includes music recorded by the Music Director, Martin Anderle, in his own home, scripture and re- flections from the Rev. Mavis Currie and music from previous services recorded in our church building. The broadcast also includes photos of our church building and of nature taken in past years by church mem- bers who are gifted at photography.
accustomed
Knit and Natter at West Vancouver Presbyterian Church
By Jean Lawrence, Communications, West Vancouver Presbyterian Church in West Vancouver, B.C.
West Vancouver Presbyterian Church in West Vancouver, B.C., has a Knit and Natter Group that normally meets in the church hall every Monday morning, with coffee, baking, knitting and lots of nattering.
A recent group project was knitting prayer shawls that were to be donat- ed to local charitable organizations, as well as to the Cariboo Ministry.
One of our members, Betty Far-
row (formerly of Calvin Presbyterian Church in Abbotsford, B.C.)—an ex- cellent knitter—was given some beautiful wool by her daughter, Trish Armstrong, for an afghan, which Trish was looking forward to wearing when it was finished. But as Betty’s memory started to slip, knitting even a simple dishcloth became a challenge.
Betty passed away in early Octo- ber 2019. A few weeks later, Trish came to a Knit and Natter session to donate the beautiful off-white wool that she had previously given to her mother. I used some to knit a baby
blanket as a gift, but there was still lots of wool yarn leftover. We decided that it would be a wonderful idea to surprise Trish by presenting her with something knitted with her mother’s wool.
One of our members, Muriel Whit- lock, has a sister who is an amaz- ingly talented and fast knitter. She visited a recent Knit and Natter ses- sion, and we showed her the donated wool. We talked about patterns and away she went. Much to our amaze- ment, a beautiful shawl (which Trish is pictured wearing) was knitted by
Pictured are Knit and Natterers, Anna Brown, May Loudon (group leader), Trish Armstrong, Jean Lawrence and Muriel Whitlock.
Fran Heaney in less than one week! We invited Fran to attend the fol- lowing Monday with the finished shawl, and also invited Trish—a non- knitter—who arrived with cinnamon
buns for all of us to enjoy with our coffee. She was so surprised when Fran presented her with the beautiful shawl, and so grateful to have it as a lasting memory of her mother.