Ralph Connor Memorial
United Church
Weekly
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Friday, March 20, 2020
COVID-19 MESSAGE
from Ralph Connor Memorial United Church
As announced on March 18, 2020,
Ralph Connor Memorial United Church is discontinuing all public worship gatherings until further notice
. This affects both our Sunday Morning Worship and Wednesday Night Evensong, effective immediately.
CARE CONNECTIONS
As mentioned in our Wednesday news bulletin, a phone/email system has been set up by our Pastoral Care Committee (thanks, Barb & Marilese & all our "Care Contacts"!) so that the RCMUC family stays connected during this time of social distancing. Everyone in the Instant Church Directory - plus additional folks not in the directory, who have "opted in" to the phone/email loop - is now on the contact list of one of our "Care Contacts." We hope that this will provide a way to help us stay healthy in body, mind and spirit.
Now that we have our "Care Contacts" in place, we may need folks willing and able to pick up and deliver necessary items, or run other crucial errands - while your "Care Contact" can receive your requests for needed things, we do not expect the "Care Contact" to run errands.
If you are willing to do errands and deliveries (let's call this group "Care Couriers"), please contact Greg at
minister@ralphconnor.ca
. Thank you!!
BROADER CIRCLES OF CARE
We also encourage
everyone
to stay in contact with your friends and neighbours and others in your personal "circles of care". - and if you become aware of needs beyond our congregation that we could assist with, please make those known to your "Care Contact" person or to the Church Office, 403-678-5354.
There is also in the community, "Stone Soup Canmore" - a Facebook group with over 1,500 members recently created "so that anyone in Canmore who is desperate for certain things or can't leave their house can place a request here and our community can come together to help! Let's build a support network during the COVID-19 breakout. " That group is willing to receive new members, or requests for assistance, and every day new information is shared from individuals and vendors willing to lend a hand. This is part of a wonderful Canadian trend known as "care mongering."
https://www.facebook.com/groups/556533621645187/
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FUNDING OUR MISSION
The RCMUC Benevolent Fund helps us to respond to emergency needs, year-round, and will be particularly important now as we respond to emergency needs in the Bow Valley (Canmore, Morley, and neighbouring communities). To donate to this fund, please go to
ralphconnor.ca
and use the DONATE NOW button, located about half-way down the front page. For Benevolent donations, pick "2-other" and then note "Benevolent" in the message box.
In addition, we need to continue paying the regular expenses of the congregation: salaries, utility bills and the like. Thank you to everyone who has signed up for PAR (Pre-Authorize Remittance) - this is a great help in providing predictable income each month for RCMUC. We will need additional financial resources, however, and the DONATE NOW button is an easy way to help our cash flow stay healthy. A cheque in the mail will also be warmly received.
Thank you, all, for your continued support of the ministry of Ralph Connor Memorial United Church.
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Additional Notes re: COVID-19 Protocols at RCMUC
- Council/committee meetings will be held electronically, as needed.
- The Church Office is closed, but contact may be made via office@ralphconnor.ca or 403.678.5354. Messages will be checked remotely Tuesday to Friday.
- All Church-related in-person gatherings are cancelled.
- Church user groups are making their own decisions, based on public health guidelines.
- CYAN has "cancelled their events for the month of March in an effort to promote social distancing." (see below)
In this rapidly changing landscape, we will be guided by the decisions of Public Health Officials, and best practices as circulated by The United Church of Canada. If there are substantial changes to local practice, these will be published on ralphconnor.ca and circulated electronically (or by alternate means for those without email).
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RCMUC WORSHIP goes online
Greg and the Worship Committee will be producing a "Virtual Worship Service", to be posted to YouTube on the
new Ralph Connor Canmore Channel
.
This video will be posted prior to 10 AM, Sunday, March 22nd.
Thanks to Roger Katarey for the technical expertise to make this happen!
This week's gospel reading, for the 4th Sunday in Lent, is
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ONGOING MINISTRIES
All of the following are cancelled
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- ALPINE VOICES THRESHOLD CHOIR
Evensong will continue to send out a weekly email of worshipful encouragement on Monday/Tuesday. If you would like to be added to this email list, please contact
jan.tissander@gmail.com
Healing Pathway will not be gathering in person, but requests for distance healing/prayer may be emailed to
healing@ralphconnor.ca
The monthly gathering is typically held in Gordon Hall on the 2nd Friday of each month. The next tentative RCMUC meeting is
Fri April 10, 2020 at 1 pm.
- EASTER VIGIL - cancelled for 2020
Our Easter Vigil will be postponed to 2021.
- CYAN: Canmore Young Adult Network - cancelled
A press release from CYAN: "The Coronavirus (COVID-19) is causing significant concern in our community and around the world. The health and safety of our employees, volunteers, and event participants remains our top priority. We also do not want to contribute to the virus spreading throughout our community to its more vulnerable members. Therefore,
we will be cancelling our [CYAN] events for the remainder of March in an effort to promote social distancing. We will continue to monitor the situation and plan to bring our events back when safe to do so.
Take care of each other, The CYAN Board"
Lessons are cancelled until further notice
. Join your family and friends on video Ukulele jam sing-a-longs, via FaceTime or other free electronic forums. Contact Donna or Marsh Kennedy for more information at
dmkennedy11@gmail.com
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A
s part of our efforts to be a more broadly inclusive Community of Faith, we need to know about special events happening in and around the Bow Valley. Many thanks to Robin Slater for offering "Robin's Web" as a feature in our Newsletter!!
ROBIN'S WEB
CONNECTING DIVERSITY
Robin’s Web is “suspended” until we can safely meet in-person again.
An excerpt from the poem Pandemic --
Know that we are connected
in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.
(You could hardly deny it now.)
Know that our lives
are in one another's hands.
(Surely, that has come clear.)
Do not reach out your hands.
Reach out your heart.
Reach out your words.
Reach out all the tendrils
of compassion that move, invisibly,
where we cannot touch.
-- Lynn Ungar 3/11/20
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BILL MILLAR
CONNECTING INTERCULTURISM
A message from our Winnipeg friend Bill Millar (who made a lasting impact on all of us when he covered for Greg in the winter
Greetings Bill from RCMUC friends who are grateful for the opportunity to have helped you shape this podcast series. Stay safe socially distancing.
Want to reach out to Bill email: mbmillar@gmail.com
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Note: Effective now, Food & Friends has cancelled all Monday community dinner service and will remain so until the COVID-19 risk is sufficiently diminished.
The next RCMUC turn is tentatively scheduled for
Monday, April 6, 2020
- stay tuned for details.
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Administration: Trish Campney
Minister: Rev. Greg Wooley
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Ralph Connor Memorial United Church
617 Main Street, Canmore, Alberta, T1W 2B1
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