St. Paul’s-Eastern United Church’s Response to the COVID-19 Outbreak

April 1, 2020.  Dear friends in Christ.  Although our church building remains closed, our care and concern for one other and our community connections remain strong.  On behalf of all of us, we wanted to acknowledge and share our appreciation for Rev Laurie who, with musical support from Paul, is providing a virtual place for us to continue to share worship services on Sunday mornings.  We also want to thank the members of our Worship Committee and our Pastoral Care team.  They are taking up the challenge of finding ways to keep us connected in our shared community of love and concern.  Our Church Council is also still working diligently, through the magic of teleconferencing software, to provide leadership and to ensure that the necessary business of the church continues uninterrupted.

We would also like to confirm, as noted in our last update message, that the congregational meeting originally scheduled for April 5 is being postponed.  We will continue to keep you posted through email, our FB page, our website and by phone for those who do not have access to email or social media.

Stay strong.  With God’s help, and with the love and support of one other, we will get through this.

Wendy and Sue, Co-Chairs of Council

March 20, 2020
Dear friends in Christ.  It was with heavy hearts that we took the decision last week to temporarily close our church building until future notice but we did so in order to do our best to keep everyone healthy during this unprecedented virus epidemic.  As we all follow the best medical advice to maintain “social distancing” for now, we wanted to confirm that the building will remain closed for now, both to church services and to all other activities that normally take place there.  In addition, please note that the Special Congregational Meeting that had been scheduled for April 5 will likely also be rescheduled.  We will keep everyone posted of developments through every means at our disposal, including our Facebook page, our church website, email and by phone for those who do not have access to email or social media.  Please continue to reach out in love and fellowship to each other.  We will get through this together. 
 
We thought the following March 15 message from the UCC Moderator might provide inspiration and perspective. 

In these times, it’s important to remember:
Church doesn’t close. Ever.
We may need to temporarily stop our face-to-face, full-on-peace-passing, communion-by-intinction, and offering-of-the-plates,
But the church—the body of Christ—Is a 24/7/365 reality.
It is lived, around the world, and in our homes; it acts, when our hearts reach out; it keeps going, wherever there is one disciple of Jesus, or two, or three—living the way we’ve been taught.
And, with Paul, I’d like to remind you there is nothing—there is NOTHING—not a single thing—not in the sky above, or the earth below, not powers, nor principalities, not things seen, or unseen—nothing in all creation that can separate that creation from God’s love in Christ.
We are the church. Always. And all ways.
Richard Bott, Moderator, United Church of Canada

Don’t hesitate to contact us for suggestions to keep in touch and thrive as our SPEU church family in Christ.

Sue and Wendy, Co-chairs of Council