Advent Letter 2020
Dear friends in Christ:
Now, more than ever, we need Advent. Not the Advent of shopping time before Christmas; with potential line ups to go into stores, and yet more on-line purchasing. Not the Advent of Christmas parties; carefully calculating how big our social bubbles can stretch before they break! And not the Advent of holiday vacations; as not too many of us will be travelling under COVID, perhaps not even Santa!
In the midst of the global pandemic we need the Advent of Christ, and the gifts he brings of hope, peace, joy and love. As the COVID-19 virus spreads, in wave after wave, so have fear, anxiety and uncertainty. Necessary public health actions have caused many people to feel isolated, lonely, and stressed. The frail elderly, the poor, people with pre-existing mental health or substance abuse issues, have been hit especially hard.
Our Advent liturgies feature the progressive lighting of candles on the Advent wreath. Who will take the light of Christ from the shelter of the Church, out into the world of need, if not you, the People of God? For we have received the light of Christ in baptism and been marked as Christ’s own forever.
In these challenging times when our fellow Canadians are becoming sick, and dying; losing the businesses or their jobs; juggling the roles of work-at-home parent, teacher and caregiver; struggling with on-line schooling and wondering about the future; the world needs people of hope and compassion; people of faith who are serving as the hands and heart of Christ and offering themselves as instruments of his peace.
As the Church, it is our special ministry to be a visible sign of hope in our communities of the promise of “Emmanuel;” meaning God with us; both in the awe and wonder of the holy birth at Bethlehem, and in the suffering and darkness of the Cross of Calvary.
This Christmas, your clergy and lay leaders face unprecedented challenges in the scheduling of services. How many people will want to come to Church under COVID restrictions (masks, no congregational carol singing, no children’s pageant or gathering around the creche …)? How many services can we register, clean, sanitize, and usher within a short period of time, from Christmas Eve through Christmas Morning? To how many different people do we want to expose the clergy and lay ministers and volunteers? After much soul searching, we concluded that the responsible choice was to offer one in-person Christmas service in each Church, complimented by livestreaming on Facebook. The Church is on the frontlines of Public Health. The medical oath applies to us: “do no harm.” Our Christmas Eve schedule will be 5:00 p.m. at St. John’s; 7:00 p.m. at Christ Church; and 10:00 p.m. at Trinity. On Christmas Day we plan to “broadcast” a recorded service of music, readings and prayers (time TBA).
Unless you are Amazon, Zoom, manufacture personal protective equipment, hand sanitizer, or toilet paper, 2020 has been a tough year! COVID is closing businesses, social agencies, nursery schools, and churches. Our parish income is down sharply as much of our giving is linked to attendance. The collective resources of the Diocese, augmented by Federal Government programs have carried us. PAR (pre authorized remittance) and those who have been able to attend, and give at our in-person worship services, have been life savers for our cash flow. Your financial gift for 2020 is critically needed to sustain our presence in our communities, and to extend our ministries going forward into 2021. We will be honored and grateful to receive your donation by mail, at one of our services, or through “Canada Helps” on the Parish Web Page. If you wish to make a “curb-side” (or “church-side”) drive by, or walk by donation, we can arrange that too. Just ask. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” We can also help you sign up for PAR. Just ask about that also.
Despite the limitations and restrictions under COVID, our services have been reverent and joyful. People are genuinely happy to come to Church. Our ministry has never been closed, even though our church buildings were closed during the lockdown. With your help, our ministry will continue and grow strong into the future, reaching more and more people with the love of God, the friendship of Jesus, and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
Joy to the world,
The Lord is come.
Advent Blessings!
Peter and Colin