MARCH 31st 2020
Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,
Worship Services
We held our second online service, via ZOOM, on March 29 2020.
Jen Stokes introduced the service with this:-
We are living in a special time. We are all having to adjust our lives to a temporary “new Normal” I have been wondering if there have been similar situations in the Bible that could be comforting for us.
I found this…
- Noah and his family were approximately 1 year in the ark.
- Rahab and her family were not allowed to leave their house for at least 1 week.
- We read in Daniel about King Darius’ decree creating a prohibition to pray in Babylon for 30 days. They could not meet at that time.
- Christians must flee from Jerusalem to the Mountains and be there for a time.
Also to help put our “stay at home” in perspective in 1942 Anne Frank and 7 other people hid in a 450 sq ft attic for 761 days, quietly trying to remain undiscovered to stay alive. I know it may be different, hard, and confusing times, but we are all doing our part to keep everyone safe by spending a few weeks at home. If you are ever lonely, remember you are not alone. Our Lord God is always with you.
Amen sister! Amen.
During LENT we are continuing our sermon series, The Story We Find Ourselves In, walking through the entire story of the Bible. So far we have focused on 4 of the overall 7 themes; Creation, Crisis, Calling & Conversation. On Palm Sunday, April 5, we will be turning our focus to the New Testament and the final three themes; Christ (April 5 and 10), Church (a 4-week series following Easter), and Consummation (Easter Sunday).
- An AUDIO recording of each sermon is included on our church website, under "sermons", (if you scroll down on the homepage you will see a list of the latest sermon recordings.) These are in MP3 format, and playable directly from the website or downloadable.
- A VIDEO recording of the online services are available on our SASS YOUTUBE channel, viewable at … https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGXMp0WWuxQoTIdt_S7IygA
- or go on to youtube and search for “SASS Presbyterian”
Holy Week / Easter Services
We are planning the following online ZOOM services:-
Palm Sunday, April 5, 10:30am - Theme V “Christ”
Maunday Thursday, April 9, 7-8pm - Prayers & readings
Good Friday, April 10, 7-8pm - Theme V “Christ”
Easter Sunday, April 12, 10:30am - Theme VII “Consummation”
Also watch out for a “SASS Holy Week devotional” emailed to you every day throughout Holy Week, starting on Palm Sunday.
Prayer
I encourage you today to continue to pray for Don Campbell, Muriel Dionne, Jean & Alan Bone, Margaret Williams, Kel Keyser, Penny McDonald, David Forrest, David Ballentine, Liz Lilley, Lorne Dennis, Joanne Graham, Jim Hall and Dean Scott. Alan and Dean are residents in the Manor in Lynn Valley Care Center. About a week ago the COVID-19 outbreak in the Lodge appeared in the Manor. Let’s uphold everyone associated with LVCC.
Let’s pray for the health care workers who are on the frontline fighting to defeat this unseen reality, especially those in our congregation, and those who have friends and/or family members who have tested positive for this virus.
Something Practical
Corlea Smit emailed me with the following opportunity – an ER doctor at LGH is asking for some bouffant caps. A pattern is attached and a video for making them is available https://youtu.be/mb9SnhhdcFM. I think medical clothing is a premium commodity right now so maybe we could make some of these to bless these saints. Drop them off at the office and we’ll pass them on.
Who is my neighbour?
There are so many people “stuck” at home right now with little if any contact with others. If you have online access (Whatsapp, FaceTime, Skype, Zoom etc) why not drop a note to your neighbours that you are going to host a chat to connect with them so that everyone can see how they are all doing. Maybe someone needs some help and a neighbour could be / provide that help. Why not offer to pray for them, and their families. What if you became known as the prayer warrior in that neighbourhood?
Church Finances Update
Some folks have asked about giving their weekly offerings etc to the church.
- Send a cheque to the church office, or you can drop your offering in to the secure letterbox attached to the Chesterfield Ave entrance door. This letterbox is checked and emptied every week day.
- If you have a PAYPAL account - Go to our church homepage and scroll down and click on “DONATE NOW”, in order to donate directly via your PAYPAL account. You will be asked to complete a form with your name and contact details. Select “SASSPC – Online Donations” from the drop down list under CAMPAIGNS. Click on “NEXT STEPS”. You will be asked to fill out your billing address (which for most of us we can simply click the “same as mailing address”). You will then be redirected to your PAYPAL account to authorise your donation.
- Sandi Romain can setup up for PAR (Pre-Authorised Remittance). This is a monthly direct debit from your bank account. Sandi is willing to set this up even for a short period for anyone interested. Go to sasspc.bc.ca for more details. You need to download & complete the PAR authorisation and mail it directly to Sandi with a VOID CHEQUE. Sandi’s contact details are as follows :-
SANDI ROMAIN
2208 Sorrento Drive
Coquitlam, BC V3K 6H5
604-931-6695
romainsandi@hotmail.com
Final Thoughts
Every day our TVs, news, FaceBooks, Email etc are full of CoVid-19 information. There are numerous posts encouraging people but this morning I noticed this one.
It grabbed my attention.
Also highly contagious …
Kindness, Patience, Love, Enthusiasm
and a positive attitude
Don’t wait to catch it from others,
Be the Carrier.
“Be the Carrier.” I love that idea. Obviously I would slightly edit the first part of the post. I’m a Bible Teacher. In Galatians 5 we read that wonderful list we call “the Fruit of the Spirit.”
So … what about this …
DANGER! Highly Contagious …
love, joy, peace,
forbearance, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control
Don’t wait to catch it from others,
Be the Carrier.
Our world needs more of those carriers. Let’s be those carriers, and may God receive the glory.
I leave you with Jen’s prayer from Sunday’s service. Bless you all.
“Heavenly Father Help us to know that
As our borders may be closed….Your arms are open wide
As we may be overwhelmed ...we are in awe of all you do.
As our parks are shut down ...may our eyes be open to your beauty and possibilities
As we distance ourselves from others ….help us to feel your presence and to be closer to you than ever before.
As we wash away our germs and clean our homes….help us to also wash away our sins.
As we seek advice for our concerns... may we hear clearly your words of wisdom.
As sporting, social, jobs and school events are cancelled...may our love faith and trust in you be RENEWED.
Help us to not worry, but to lean on you the ever present everlasting love of you Jesus Christ
Our saviour, You are wonderful.
Help us to leave our concerns at your feet and to bow down before you now. … Help us to be ever together because you are the bond that connects us all.
Loving God, Your desire, we know, is for our wholeness and well being.
Call us today, as every day, to profound trust in your faithful presence.
We may be scattered, tucked away safe in our homes...but we are not abandoned. You are with us.
We may be separated by distance from each other, but we are not lost, for you are with us … be present in each of our homes today and all days.”
Thanks Jen,
AMEN!
Your brother in Christ,
God bless,
Rev. Martin Baxter
