Ralph Connor Memorial
United Church
Weekly
Kindly submit your Newsletter items to office@ralphconnor.ca by Thursday at 11:00 AM
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Friday, April 24, 2020
FOR THIS WEEK'S WORSHIP
Join us - online - for worship on the Ralph Connor YouTube Channel, always posted at the same link
Scripture Lesson for Sunday, April 26 is
Acts 2: 14, 32-33, 36-47
click here~
Since mid-March, Ralph Connor Memorial United Church has discontinued all public worship gatherings and all Church-organized in-person gatherings and meetings. We are, however, learning how to worship “together” without leaving our own homes!
Many thanks to our online worship team. If you would like to assist with our online worship services - including musical offerings (solos, duets 2m apart, etc) please contact Greg. For musical offerings we'll need to double-check that we have the proper copyright permissions (see
https://onelicense.net/publishers for a list of music publishers covered by our license).
Wednesday night Evensong at 7:15 pm,
is being done as a live “Zoom” event – watc
h for your Monday/Tuesday Evensong email for details. (And if you don’t receive the Evensong email, contact
jan.tissandier@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list!)
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STAYING CONNECTED -
A MESSAGE FROM RCMUC COUNCIL CHAIR
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A big thank you to Council and committees...Council Chair delivers a special message following Worship Service on Sunday, April 19, 2020.
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STAYING CONNECTED -
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
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The United Church of Canada is actively responding to the needs of congregations and communities as we find our way through these times of pandemic. Some key pages are:
UC National COVID-19 page:
UC "EDGE" Network COVID-19 page:
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Remembering our Eastern Nova Scotian friends from Western Canada
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A notice from Ralph Connor Memorial United Church
In honour of the lives lost in Nova Scotia, our flags will fly at half-mast until Friday, April 24. Prayer shawls from Canmore have been sent to Nova Scotia.
Both Canmore Churches are doing 7:00 PM bell-ringing agreed that a slow tolling of the bell was in order this past Tuesday night, and Heather Jordan, the Carillon player at St. George in the Pines Anglican Church in Banff shared this musical tribute on Monday:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d29Q3_4axfM&feature=emb_logo
There will be an online vigil entitled “Nova Scotia Remembers”on Friday April 24 at 4:00 pm MDT (7:00 pm Atlantic), hosted on the Colchester - Supporting Our Communities Facebook page. Our hearts are heavy with this tragic and senseless loss of human life.
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JOIN US ON TUESDAYS FOR MORNING PRAYER
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Each Tuesday morning at 9:00 AM, we will be holding a virtual 'Morning Prayer' service via Zoom. This will loosely follow the Morning Prayer outline in the back of Voices United, including a time when we will pray together for specific prayer requests. Please submit prayer requests to Rev. Greg,
minister@ralphconnor.ca
. As noted in the "healing Pathway Prayer Circle" message below, if we are praying for someone by name, we do need their permission to do so.
If you would like to join this service next Tuesday morning, please email Rev. Greg ,
minister@ralphconnor.ca
and he will send you the Zoom meeting ID and password. (If you would like to be part of this prayer ministry but cannot make Tuesday mornings, please contact Rev. Greg to determine "next steps".)
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CHURCH BELLS ARE RINGING!
The bells of RCMUC and St. Michael’s Anglican are ringing every night at 7:00 PM. This joins in with the chorus of singers, drummers, and generally noisy locals saying thank you to all front-line personnel, for their dedication and service to our community.
If
you’re at home at 7:00 PM, please open your door and make some appreciative noise!
Thank you to the RCMUC volunteers who quickly signed up for 7 evenings of ringing.
As noted in the RCMUC Newsletter a couple of weeks ago, there is a global project called "Stay at home sounds" where people submit sound recordings from their community during the COVID pandemic. Rev Greg recorded a couple of minutes of Saturday night's bell ringing (stood by the Tin Box so I could get both Churches loud and clear) and have submitted it to the website!
Thanks for your efforts on this project, as we join in our community's THANK YOU to the front-line folks providing essential services in our town.
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COVID UPDATES
For a full listing of links to stay abreast of the most recent COVID news, please
click here to access our March 27, 2020 RCMUC Newsletter. If there are substantial changes to local practice, these will also be published on ralphconnor.ca and circulated electronically (or by alternate means for those without email).
A NOTE OF CAUTION
A time when many people are showing profound generosity is also, unfortunately, a time when that generosity may be vulnerable to abuse.
A number of Canmore Churches have been targeted with the same email scam, utilizing the name of your local Pastor/Priest/Minister, or another person typically understood to be in a position of trust, but with an unfamiliar return email address (in this case, churchonline####@gmail.com). DO NOT open this first email, as this opens the door to the scam! The next email sent by the scammer usually introduces a scheme involving the purchase of hundreds of dollars worth of gift cards, with instructions that will give the scammer full access to the gift cards.
Please know that any legitimate fundraising request affiliated with RCMUC will be publicized in this Newsletter. If an email looks suspicious to you, please do not open it; if you wish, phone the person who supposedly sent it, to check it out. If you wish to contact the RCMP you may do so, though they have already been notified that this scam is in the area. If your email server allows you to flag and email as "spam" or "phishing", do so to avoid further emails from that address - and then delete the email.
In these days of COVID isolation, please stay safe - physically, and financially!
CARE CONNECTIONS
An ongoing thank you to our "Care Contact" phoners and "Care Courier" errand/delivery team, for doing such wonderful outreach in keeping us connected to one another. If you are showing any cold/flu symptoms at all and need something from the store, please do not “pop out” to get it. Let us know what you need (via Greg or the Office or your Care Contact) and we will arrange a Care Courier to bring it to you.
Two notes to our Care Contacts & Couriers: (1) The ecumenical Prayer Shawl Knitters have produced many "woollen hugs" - do not hesitate to ask Jeanette Aishford at
jaishford@yahoo.ca or Mona McIntyre at
mona.mcintyre@shaw.ca if you feel a Prayer Shawl is in order for one of the folks you contact. And (2) if you have expenses to reimburse, the form is at the bottom of this page, scan and email
completed form & receipts to
office@ralphconnor.ca or drop off at RCMUC side entry mailbox. After the expenses have been approved by the Treasurer, you will be mailed a cheque. The process may take 10-14 days. Note: Please submit original receipts once social distancing has been lifted.
If you are not on one of our contact lists and would like to be added, just send a note to Barb Profitt at
bprofitt@shaw.ca and she will add you to a list.
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FUNDING OUR MISSION
a Message from your Stewardship Committee
Even when we are physically distant from one another, the regular expenses of the congregation still need to be paid: salaries, utility bills and the like. In addition, the RCMUC Benevolent Fund helps us to respond to emergency needs and emerging community projects in the Bow Valley (Canmore, Morley, and neighbouring communities).
Thank you to everyone who has signed up for PAR (Pre-Authorized Remittance) - this is a great help in providing predictable income each month for RCMUC. A link to sign up for PAR is found at the bottom of this Newsletter.
We appreciate the additional donations that have been coming in since mid-March; contributions may be made by any of the following methods:
- An eTransfer is the easiest and quickest of all and without fees or nominal fees, sent to office@ralphconnor.ca
- the DONATE NOW button - found on the front page of the ralphconnor.ca website, and linked at the bottom of this page, is an easy way to help our cashflow stay healthy.
- A cheque in the mail will also be warmly received.
Donations will be assumed to be a donation to "general funds" unless otherwise indicated.
Thank you, all, for your continued support of the ministry of Ralph Connor Memorial United Church.
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ONGOING MINISTRIES AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
Although we are not meeting in person, the work of the Committees and Ministries of the Church have been continuing – by phone, by email and, in many cases, by the Zoom internet platform.
If you would like to gather a group and don’t want to be confined by the 40 minute limit of the free version of Zoom, contact Greg – the Church has a paid account with Zoom that is intended to be used! If you have experience with Zoom and would be willing to help us host meetings and (perhaps?) Worship through the Zoom platform, please let Greg know - we do need extra hands to assist with this task. There has been some thought to hosting a book study. If someone has a well-formed idea of what book should be studied & a bit of a process lined up, let us know! We can look after the "tech" side of it but the creative energy is going to have to come from elsewhere.
One additional item of note: in order to take advantage of a Sanctuary that cannot presently be used, the Sanctuary was painted last week.
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HEALING PATHWAY PRAYER CIRCLE
During this time healing pathway members are remaining active by meeting regularly on the Zoom video communication app.
Our thanks go to Val Goodrow for organizing and figuring out the technology involved with help from Greg and Tanya.
If you know of someone that is going through difficult times and would like to be included in our prayers please contact
Sue Nichols 403-678-7025 or email Val Goodrow
v.goodrow@me.com
We request that the person gives consent to have their name mentioned in prayer
as privacy/confidentiality is of utmost importance in our group.
We also would appreciate knowing when the situation changes and we can release them from our prayers or update the prayer to a changing need.
God bless you and hold you all during this time of change in our lives.
CANMORE YOUNG ADULT NETWORK - CYAN
Tara offers community yoga lessons on Wednesday nights via Facebook,
https://www.facebook.com/canmorecyan/
.
CYAN’s Facebook page also has a great collection of information regarding employment, and government support benefit programs.
CHILDREN’S CHURCH
We have some questions for the children of RCMUC, on the theme of:
- Are you there God ? It’s me...
- Questions for God????...
- I am wondering about...
- I want to know…
- Do you have some questions that you would like answers to, or do you have a drawing or a photo that expresses how you are feeling right now?
With your permission we would like to share your questions and drawings with our congregation. We will also welcome "Mother's Day" drawings. All submissions will be published anonymously. Please send you questions, thoughts or drawings (scan & email) to
office@ralphconnor.ca
, you can also mail, or drop directly into church mailbox at side entrance.
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ALPINE VOICES THRESHOLD CHOIR
The singers of Alpine Voices Threshold Choir continue to gather online via Zoom, on the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month at 7:30 PM, singing for those in need of compassion and healing light. If you or someone you know would like to be held in this circle of song, please email Jan at
jan.tissandier@gmail.com
UKULELE PRACTICE
The Ukulele folks have trialed the Zoom app to see how it will work for an instructional setting. All but the host will be muted so guided practice while you see your musical friends. Thank you to Donna and Marsh for giving it a go.
Contact Donna or Marsh Kennedy for more information at
dmkennedy11@gmail.com
ADDITIONAL CIRCLES OF CARE
MONDAY NIGHT FOOD AND FRIENDS
Community Food & Friends has successfully re-launched! To have a meal delivered at suppertime Monday, book through
foodandfriends2020@gmail.com no later than Sunday night, indicating your name, address, contact phone number, number of meals needed, and SPECIFIC instructions on finding your door (or your ability to meet the driver at the car or the door). Many thanks to the Iron Goat restaurant for their generous assistance; a number of other local businesses are also contributing to the cause, as noted on the "Canmore Food and Friends" Facebook page.
If individuals wish to make a donation to help cover the costs of Food and Friends and the Iron Goat, please check the "Canmore Food and Friends" Facebook page for specific details on how to donate; the preference is to give through St. Michael's Anglican Church with a "Food and Friends" notation. If you wish to volunteer as a driver, please contact the email above.
Note: Due to the coronavirus, the monthly dessert-making group at RCMUC is not currently gathering to make desserts for Food and Friends.
CANMORE FOOD RECOVERY BARN
The Canmore Food Recovery Barn, housed at the Lutheran Church (adjacent to Canmore hospital) and will be open to the food recovery community on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 pm.
There is a new system in place. The food will now be pre-bagged. CFRB attendees will need to sign up at
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080F44AFAD22A2F85-food
. There are three 15-minute time slots between 6 and 6:45 pm. Each slot has space for ten people to sign up to recover a bag of food. CFRB asks at this time that each person sign up for no more than one slot per week. It is a suggested donation of $5 per bag.
CANMORE SOUP FOR THE SOUL
The Malcolm Hotel is making soup and bread each day Monday-Friday from 10:00 AM until the soup runs out. The soup and bread is free for those who need it the most. Any donations received will be accepted by cash, debit, or credit, with 100% of the proceeds to the Bow Valley Food Bank.
Please proceed to the Malcolm Hotel's main entrance. They will be operating on a one in, one out basis to be socially responsible, and respect social distancing. Delivery can be arranged for those self-isolating or unable to leave their home, by emailing
Canmoresoup@springcreekmv.com. The soup of the day will be announced the night before on the Malcolm's Facebook and Instagram.
COMMUNITY INITIATIVES
There are many ways that the Canmore community as a whole expresses care for one another in this time of social distancing, including the following:
• "
Stone Soup Canmore" is a Facebook group with 2,300 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”.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/556533621645187/ This is also an excellent source of up to date information of which businesses in town are/aren’t open.
• Numerous government initiatives, FCSS programs, and service club initiatives are being organized – including the Bow Valley Emerging Needs Grant, a collaborative effort of The Banff Canmore Community Foundation, the Canmore Rotary Charitable Foundation and the Wim and Nancy Pauw Foundation, check local media for these.
CYAN Canmore’s Facebook page is also a good source for information.
• 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
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Many thanks to Robin Slater for offering "Robin's Web" as a feature in our Newsletter, as part of our efforts to be a more broadly inclusive Community of Faith.
ROBIN'S WEB
CONNECTING DIVERSITY
The great thing about this time is being able to be a fly on the wall and see inside faith practices to join experiences we might never have had the chance in reality. It can bring us around the world and inform our healing in many traditions. Having hope for the end of this plague and the journey to wholeness can come from being part of a Seder which chronicles the Jewish liberation from Egypt. This one is from the writers of The Louder We Get and is endorsed by my Reform Rabbi friend as “fantastic”.
https://www.saturdaynightseder.com
And for sure surrounding oneself with family, biological or chosen, whatever that looks like, gives comfort.
Laryn Oakes performed the woman’s fancy shawl, a traditional Indigenous dance, at the Traffic Bridge in Saskatoon last weekend for a video which she uploaded to the
Quarantine Dance Specials 2020 Facebook group, where Indigenous people from across North America have been posting videos of themselves performing traditional dance while in isolation.
Oakes’ video had two components — one on the bridge and one in front of a monument to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in front of the RCMP building in Saskatoon. “I thought it was important to also pay recognition to this other major pandemic we also face on a daily basis,” she said in her Facebook post. Tiny Rosales, an Ojibwe woman who started the group, said she finds powwow dancing therapeutic and offers an avenue for prayer. So when she saw powwows and gatherings being cancelled, she thought encouraging people to record videos of themselves dancing in quarantine could help people through this difficult time. And help us heal….
Words of healings from Islam:
What actions are most excellent?
To gladden the heart
of a human being.
To feed the hungry.
To help the afflicted.
To lighten the sorrow
of the sorrowful.
To remove the wrongs
of the injured.
That person is the
most beloved of G-d
who does the most good
to G-d’s creatures.
The Prophet Muhammed
You're invited to the
premiere Online Affirming Leaders Day!
Join us from anywhere in the world on
Saturday May 2
. Visit our Eventbrite page for tickets. AND for a limited time, we are offering a promo code for anyone in the Affirming Network.
Enter code: NETWORK for $5 off your registration!
Affirming Leaders Day is a faith-based development & connection day for allied and LGBTQ2S+ folks. All are welcome to join us online
In closing: on Easter Sunday, the iconic 26 metre statue of Christ above Rio de Janeiro, became a tribute to medics fighting COVID-19. Christ the Redeemer was portrayed in medical garb, and images of front-line medical personnel were projected onto the body of the statue. A beautiful way to combine the message of resurrection, and the key work being done by medical personnel in these days:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc9u-5TeMDc&feature=emb_rel_end
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OFFICE CONTACTS
The Church Offices are closed, but emails and phone messages will be retrieved Tuesday-Friday. Note: You may still use letter mail via Canada Post, or drop mail off at the church side entrance. Mail is picked up and distributed weekly.
Administration: Trish Campney
Minister: Rev. Greg Wooley
To print a
Preauthorized Remittance Form
To print a
Cheque Requisition Form
To make a donation to RCMUC through the
"Canada Helps" organization
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Ralph Connor Memorial United Church
617 Main Street, Canmore, Alberta, T1W 2B1
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