Page 33 - PC_Fall2020

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FALL 2020
Summer in Salmon Arm
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Salmon Arm, B.C.
A virtual paper car rally for Father’s Day.
nection with other voices. It made our worship so much richer. Then we star ted hearing about how peo- ple were utilizing the service, read- ing the different sections in rotation, sharing the scripture readings and adding their own intercessions to the Prayers of the People just as if they were at worship. The par ticipation of the whole people of God was greater through our website than in person. Something to celebrate. Those prayer concerns continued to be met by the Monday Prayer group who shared prayer requests throughout the day via email.
The connectedness of the con- gregation was maintained by regular phone calls to all the members by the elders and minister, as well as a few others who reached out to those they knew. One person sent a weekly chat- ty letter to everyone, which included something to tease our brains for the week to come. That generated a bit of chatter for sure. These letters continue for those who feel unable to join us in
person for worship, as do all of the web worship options.
One weekly letter featured an ac- tivity to make a paper model car and provided a pattern to colour, cut out, put together and photograph for a virtual car rally on Father’s Day. The photos of the assembled paper model cars were put up on our Facebook page. In addition, the Facebook page was updated weekly with a photo of the sanctuary as the pulpit fall was changed each week. The photo was posted along with a link to the service on the website and to videos of the sermon once we started producing those.
The annual spring cleanup was able to take place with the help and par ticipation of nine people who all made sure that they were physically distanced as much as possible while they worked. They got the church in tip-top shape by clearing bushes and repainting the church doors. The HOPE (Helping Other People Eat) Gar- den, a long-time project of the con-
By the Rev. Ena van Zoeren, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Salmon Arm, B.C.
In June, the Board and Session of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Salmon Arm, B.C., gathered to figure out and practice new seating and ushering protocols for worship- ping in person. On Sunday, June 14, we were pleased to be able to gather once again in the building and wor- ship with one another. We do so with gratitude and with joy, knowing that as people created to be together in
a body, we have missed that “in per- son” connection. Yet we also cele- brate that the life of this congregation has been strong during the time the building was closed. The innovation and vision of our members has given us so many ways to connect while in isolation.
We star ted online worship by pro- viding a printed copy of the full ser- vice. The first innovation to our online worship offering was from the web administrator who included links to music videos of the hymns on You- Tube so that we could all sing in con-
Connection
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gregation, spearheaded by members Maye and Don Can to feed the hun- gry, was replanted and tended to by Maye and Don along with a few other members of the congregation who oc- casionally volunteer. The harvest has since begun, and the Second Harvest Food Bank is grateful to receive the produce.
As soon as the church’s thrift store reopened, those among us who vol- unteer there were signing up for shifts, eager to get out and do something for others again.
Although St. Andrew’s is a small congregation, we are mighty and filled with willing servants. We are so grate- ful to God for the dedicated people who have demonstrated their clear love of the church community, for one another and for the communities in which we live. We are indeed blessed to have one another, and we’re incred- ibly grateful to celebrate all that we have done as we meet again in per- son.
Certainly, God has been good.
Pandemic Support for Developing Countries
Clean water for hand washing in Nigeria. PHOTO CREDIT: ACT ALLIANCE.
church has made a donation to the Evangel Hall Mission in Toronto for its food program, and has a fund available to help in Uxbridge.
The congregation is also prepared
to make funds available when the need arises closer to home, when government programs end and housing and food instability become issues in the community.
By Anne Phillips, St. Andrew’s – Chalmers Presbyterian Church in Uxbridge, Ont.
The congregation of St. Andrew’s – Chalmers Presbyterian Church in Uxbridge, Ont., made the unanimous decision to donate $100,000 to Pres- byterian World Service & Develop- ment (PWS&D) in order to come to the aid of developing countries during the COVID-19 crisis. The funds for this large donation were bequeathed by a long-time congregation mem- ber and will go to people in need in Palestine, South Sudan, Somalia and Bangladesh.
The congregation understood that the effects of the pandemic could po- tentially be devastating in developing countries where thousands of people are also dealing with other critical is- sues, such as malnutrition, food in- security, extreme poverty and natural disasters.
In addition to this donation, the
PWS&D supports programs like this one in Afghanistan. PHOTO CREDIT: ACT ALLIANCE.