Ralph Connor Memorial
United Church
Weekly
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COVID-19 RESPONSE PLAN – March 11, 2020 – Ralph Connor Memorial United Church
On March 11, 2020 Ralph Connor Council carefully considered the Emergency Protocols developed by the United Church of Canada. Given the decision by the World Health Organization to declare a Pandemic, and the local context at this moment, the following practices are being implemented immediately:
First and foremost: if you are feeling unwell, please stay at home. Those who have recently travelled to areas with heightened health concerns are encouraged not to attend Church for 14 days after their arrival home.
Worship services will continue, with the following adaptations:
- no physical contact (hugs, handshakes, etc.).
- greeters with freshly washed hands will hand out bulletins at the door. A hand sanitizer dispenser has been installed in the narthex.
- “passing of the peace” will be observed with a solemn bow, as we have been doing the past two Sundays.
- offering procedures are being revisited (giving online at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/43222 is an option!)
- in order to facilitate the 1m spacing encouraged by the United Church protocols, additional seating will be provided in Gordon Hall, with a video and audio feed of the service.
- There will be no “fellowship time” (coffee & treats)
- Communion will not be served for the duration of the Pandemic.
- There will be no Children’s Church/Toddler Care.
- The choir will decide if they wish to continue rehearsing, with an attempt to honour 1m spacing during rehearsals.
- Additional options (e.g., live-streaming of worship services) are being explored, should the situation deepen.
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Council/committee meetings
will continue to be held for now, but we will try to keep 1 metre between participants at the meetings… or meet electronically.
The Church Office will still be open, Tuesday to Friday, 11-1,
Other Church Activities:
No social gatherings with food will be allowed
. This includes the March 14
th
PIE Day, which has, regretfully, been postponed indefinitely. A space of 1 m. between participants will be encouraged at gatherings.
These decisions will be conveyed to
Church user groups
, and they will be encouraged to have their own discussions regarding these matters. CYAN has informed us that they will be "cancelling their events for the month of March in an effort to promote social distancing."
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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Greetings!
We hope to see you at Church on Sunday, March 15, 2020.
This week is the 3rd Sunday in Lent.
Contributing to Worship:
Greeters: Donna Scott & Barb Profitt
Worship Leader: Ruben Nelson
Second Reader: Julie Fletcher
Children's Church:
cancelled for duration of Pandemic
Fellowship:
cancelled for duration of Pandemic
Pianist: Corina Strim
Choir Leader: Cathy Robinson
Music Director: Tanya Sullivan
Administration: Trish Campney
Minister: Rev. Greg Wooley
~ Scripture:
John 4: 5-42 - from “The Voice” translation
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REMEMBERING CATHIE PRINGLE
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Cathie's father, Rev. George Kettyls,
was minister at this congregation - known then as Canmore Presbyterian Church - from 1928 to 1936.
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The Manse in Canmore was home for the first eight years of Cathie's life, and she returned to Canmore five years ago.
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A new church directory app has gone live. Printed directories will be available after March 31st ~
upon request~
.
Please note that only those who submit information to the directory will have access to it.
If you have not yet submitted your contact information and photo, it is not too late (yet)! To submit these, or if you need instructions on how to access the Instant Church Directory call:
Charlene at (403)609-0548 or Karen at (403) 852-2265.
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Ralph Connor's "GREEN INITIATIVE" is under way!
Our next meeting at RCMUC has been
CANCELLED
for this Sunday, March 15, 2020 @ 1:30 PM. The Green Team will reconvene once the Pandemic has been cleared for business as usual.
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Faye, Trish, Sim & Mona volunteered as Kitchen Crew. All are welcome to join the team.
We need your help:
Does anyone know the history of use of the many carafes stored in the bottom right corner cupboard very lazy susan? Could be space utilized more efficiently!
Contact any one of us directly:
Faye, Trish, Sim, or Mona,
or
the office@ralphconnor.ca
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PIE Day event - cancelled
The "National Affirming Day" PIE Day event (pie for lunch, pie for dessert, and a guest speaker)
originally scheduled for tomorrow,
Saturday March 14, has been postponed indefinitely, due to COVID-19 protocols. We hope to schedule a time to hear Aurora Borin at a later date.
ALPINE VOICES THRESHOLD CHOIR
Rehearses on the 2nd & 4th Mondays of each month in the RCMUC Sanctuary Extra rehearsal Monday, March 30th. The at-the-hospital "sings" have been suspended for now.
CHILDREN'S MINISTRY - cancelled
Children's Church and Toddler care is cancelled for duration of COVID-19 Pandemic.
CHOIR REHEARSAL
Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. in the Church Sanctuary, until further notice (a decision will be made this Sunday)
EVENSONG - WEDNESDAY
Wednesday,
March 18
. The journey through Lent continues. Join us for our weekly time of contemplative worship, 7:15 pm in the Sanctuary. Be bathed in song and beautiful words by Jan L Richardson.
Did you know
... Evensong sends out a weekly email on Mon/Tue, to inform folks of that week's theme? If you would like to be added to this email list, please contact
jan.tissander@gmail.com
HEALING PATHWAY
This gentle healing ministry is available by appointment on Friday afternoons by emailing
healing@ralphconnor.ca
This afternoon, they will be discussing their plans for these days of COVID-19.
PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY
All are welcome. The monthly gathering is typically held in Gordon Hall on the 2nd Friday of each month. The next RCMUC meeting is today
Fri Mar 13 2020 at 1 pm
and then on
April 10.
EASTER VIGIL - cancelled for 2020
Our proposed Easter Vigil will be postponed to 2021.
CYAN: Canmore Young Adult Network
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"
UKULELE CLASSES - cancelled this week
Lessons are cancelled for March 19th
.
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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
The “BOOK” edition! I highly recommend:
Love Lives Here: A Story of Thriving in a Transgender Family by Amanda Jette Knox An incredible memoir about “leading with love” to change attitudes and legislation regarding gender and societal acceptance.
Please note: many organizations are in the process of deciding whether or not to proceed with public gatherings. Web links have been included for each of the events listed below so that you can double-check whether it is still happening.
January 16th–April 24th, 2020 Exhibition Hours: Thursdays: 1:00-4:00pm Saturdays: 10:00-2:00pm Mauro Gallery @ St Mary’s University
Ripe with Possibility: Re-defining the book through an artist’s eyes. Experience Melhorn-Boe’s sculptural “bookworks”, which comment on gender roles, gender stereotypes, and the definition of a ‘book’. These unique multi-media creations will challenge your definition of a book, as they incorporate unconventional structures and materials.
https://www.stmu.ca/event/ripe-with-possibility-exhibition-11/
Calgary Queer Church was hosting two services for Lent this March, and you can still attend the second one! An opportunity for folks to worship and reflect on
Lent from a queer perspective:
March 17, 2020 12:00-2:00pm Vitruvian Space, Dining Centre Room 12 UofCalgary
Cree Grandmothers' Tea Ceremony Honour the women who have come before us through this ceremony, The Writing Symbols Lodge invites you to celebrate our strength as women and our important roles in our community with a traditional Cree Tea Ceremony involving song, smudging, drumming and prayer, and of course drinking tea.
https://events.ucalgary.ca/#!view/event/event_id/12620
March 26, 2020 3:00 – 5:00 p.m Blue Room, Dining Centre UofCalgary Indigenous Knowledge Public Lecture Series:
Harold Johnson~~Changing the Stories we tell Ourselves. A retired lawyer, marine engineer, logger, miner, fisher, tree planter, trapper, and author, now living off the grid on his family's trapline.
Presented in partnership with the Faculty of Law.
https://go.ucalgary.ca/Johnson-Registration.html
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United Church’s Stand on Indigenous Land Claims
The United Church of Canada is committed to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which holds that Indigenous Peoples have the right to free, prior, and informed consent before any development occurs on their territory. We believe this must be fully respected on Wet’suwet’en land, and on all Indigenous territory in Canada.
THINK about the situation.
ACT to encourage governments to embody the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in their relationships with Indigenous Peoples. Contact Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relation saadnc.minister.aandc@canada.ca and Premier of British Columbia premier@gov.bc.ca asking them to honour UNDRIP. Also cc Reconciliation and Indigenous Justice Animator Sara Stratton.
PRAY for resolutions that are achieved peacefully, and are life-affirming. Begin your prayer with this quote from our Moderator’s Prayer for Wet’suwet’en First Nation.
Creator God,
We pray for peace and understanding in the complexity of conversation between the Band Chiefs and the Hereditary Chiefs;
but, even more than that, we pray that our Settler ways would not use their disagreement as a way to impose our wants.
Contact Mary Shearer at shearermary04@gmail.com for more information.
AND... we express our deep thanks to Tony and Gloria Snow, for the wonderful presentation on the Seven Sacred Teachings, this past Tuesday.
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WHYTE MUSEUM, BANFF PRESENTS
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The Land We Are On:
A Presentation about Land Acknowledgement Statements and What They Mean
A free event,
Thursday, March 19 from
3-5 pm at Banff Library (Pioneer Room) or from
7-9 pm at Whyte Museum, Banff
Also scheduled for Canmore on April 29 at ArtsPlace, details TBA.
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A Community Dinner EVERY MONDAY at
St. Michael's Anglican Church, 709-7th St
Volunteers from Our Lady of the Rockies Catholic Church have partnered with our Ralph Connor Memorial United Church team.
Note: Effective this Monday, March 16, 2020, Food & Friends is moving to
take-out only
excluding dessert
and will remain so until the COVID-19 risk is sufficiently diminished.
The next RCMUC turn is presently scheduled for
Monday, April 6, 2020
- stay tuned for details.
To volunteer, contact Judy Vincent
(home) 403-678-6440 or (cell) 403-493-0408
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HAVE YOU VOLUNTEERED AS A SUNDAY HELPER?
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Help us weekly and contribute to our Sunday Service, it is easy!
Just sign up on the clipboard during Sunday Worship or after at Coffee time, then go to our website at
http://ralphconnor.ca/volunteering/ and view or download the duty sheet for the position you have selected for instructions.
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Ralph Connor Memorial United Church
617 Main Street, Canmore, Alberta, T1W 2G2
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