SASS Weekly Newsletter

May 4 2020

 

May 3 2020 – Sunday Worship

On Sunday Rev. Dr. Ross Lockhart began our 4-week mini-series on “The Church.” Ross’ sermon was entitled “What’s all the fuss about fellowship?” as he offered some reflections from 2 John. Over the next three weeks we will be looking at different New Testament words used to describe God’s people, the church. (May 10 – Service, May 17 – Proclamation, May 24 – Witness) 

We had a small audio glitch right at the beginning of Ross’ sermon which we were able to resolve quickly but want to offer our apologies to Ross and everyone online for the slight disruption. The unabbreviated sermon is available on our YouTube Channel. Simply go to YouTube.com and search for “SASS Presbyterian,” or you can go to our church wedpage, sasspc.bc.ca, where the YouTube link,  has been added to the homepage.

 

 

Video Challenge

 

Submit a video of yourself / your family dancing to the fabulous Rend Co. Kids song “King of Me”

 

Be creative, be energetic, but please be careful. 

 

Send your videos to Pastor Daniel, no later than Monday May 11^th, 9am, and tune in on May 17^th to see the SASS family dance off. Have fun!

 

I have put a YouTube link on our church homepage 

to the video online, so get dancing.

 

Moments with the Master in May

May is upon us already. We have been under a “stayathome” order for almost seven weeks. All of us are probably getting a little stir crazy so why not take some time each day during May to be blessed. Spend 20 mins minimum to have “Moments with the Master in May,” by reading through the Gospel of Luke. I have included the reading plan from last Friday until next weekend for your information.

 

 

*Check out the reading you will be doing next Sunday on the day we focus on “Church in service”

 

Every day read the passage at least once, and after some silent reflection ask the following two questions:-

1. What leaps out at you about this passage?
2. If you could ask God one question about this passage what would you ask?

Journal your thoughts and responses to help you develop a life-giving habit of mediating on these “Moments with the Master in May.”

 

 

Wednesdays, 7-8pm

 

Let’s Get Together, for some community time, conversation, and of course coffee.

Use the usual ZOOM link to logon each Wednesday night, 7-7:45pm

 

Last week I opened with an EMOJI challenge. Do you know your emojis? Do you know your countries? The following 25 sets of emojis represent names of countries. 

 

Example - #3 - Wales

 

Can you name all 25?

 

Submit your answers to me by email. The first email with ALL 25 correct answers will win a prize. pastormbaxter@gmail.com

 

There will be a new competition this Wednesday night, so “let’s get together”.

 

 

Prayer

 

St. Andrew’s & St. Stephen’s is a “community of faith”, a fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ. Let’s continue to uphold our family members who are struggling with their health during these days. I encourage you to uphold each of them every day but let’s focus our hearts and prayers this week as follows :-

 

Monday – Muriel and Gary Dionne. (Muriel’s health is deteriorating and Gary is doing everything he can to bless his mother.)

 

Tuesday – Those with long term difficulties - Jean & Alan Bone, Margaret Williams, and David Ballentine.

 

Wednesday – Those with long term difficulties - Liz Lilley, Lorne Dennis, Joanne Graham, Jim Hall and Dean Scott

 

Thursday – Doug Claydon (who had a fall last week), Don Campbell, Kel Keyser, Penny McDonald, and David Forrest.

 

Friday – The overseas missionaries we support on an ongoing basis – Mo & Wes Blackmon, Servants’ Anonymous, Inner Hope, YUGO Ministries, OMF, Camp Douglas, Cariboo Presbyterian Church, our World Vision children.

 

Saturday - Let’s pray for the health care workers who are on the frontline fighting this pandemic. Let’s uphold the many many people who have had their lives turned upside down because of this virus: those who have been laid off and are applying for EI, those who are anxious about their financial situation, those feeling the stress of home-schooling their children for the foreseeable future, and those gripped by fear.

 

During these strange times we want to pray for you. So we have created a new prayer email account. Send your prayer request to prayer@sasspc.bc.ca

 

 

 

  Worship Service information

We continue to hold our Sunday worship services online, via ZOOM. The link to all SASS meetings and worship services will be as follows:-

Zoom link – https://zoom.us/j/7959307120

Meeting ID – 795 930 7120

Password – “sass” (no quotes)

 

If you DO NOT have access to a computer / internet then you can phone in and listen to any SASS meeting / service using the above meeting ID.

1. Dial 778 907 2071
2. When prompted enter the Meeting ID: 795 930 7120, followed by #.
3. You will be asked for a participant ID - just hit the # key.
4. When prompted enter the password: 676824

 

PLEASE REMEMBER on Sundays to check that your MIC is muted and that your video is disabled / turned off, to limit bandwidth usage and potential on-screen distractions.

If you dial in using your phone please MUTE your phone, if that option is available.

 

 

 

An updated version of ZOOM has been released so please check and update your APP asap.  Please note, ALL participants will be required to run ZOOM v5 after May 30^th.

 

 

If you are having any difficulties connecting on Sundays 

PLEASE let me know what is happening 

so we can help and be certain 

we are getting the service we are paying for.

 

 

If you are unable to join the LIVE service on Sunday mornings, we have recordings :-

• VIDEO recordings of the online services are available on our SASS YOUTUBE channel, or search for “SASS Presbyterian” on YouTube.
• AUDIO recordings are available 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.

To begin each online service we are inviting everyone to place a candle (wax or battery operated) in the worship space where they are meeting. We will light them together as a sign of our community and our acknowledgement that we are all in God’s Presence.

 

 

Don’t forget …

 

I would love to receive your pictures of your current COVID-19 experiences. Perhaps one showing the difference from your before and present daily life experiences. Kids and adults, no matter your age, draw a picture and send it to me. I would love to be able to share your pictures with our church family. If you want it to remain anonymous just let me know. Get drawing everyone.

Final Thoughts – “VIRUS”

This past week someone sent me a poem, written by Lucy Shaw, who is an adjunct professor at Regent College. I’ve never been a lover of poetry. I’m Irish. If you can get me to make up a limerick that’s about my limit. But this poem, entitled “Virus,” is powerful.

 

Virus

by Lucy Shaw

The absurdity of a world
on its knees, behind its doors,
whose fingers, even, may be traitors
and whose breath, created for living,
may breed death. Its instruction:
Split up. Stay apart. This is now
the ultimate act of friendship.

Like the moon of light at the bottom
of the well, hope shines small,
but if we stay, head over edge,
we may watch the deep water shimmer
with small possibilities. At noon,
a pale sun shines, telling us
we may still live in the light.

 

Did you catch what Lucy said in that first verse? The ultimate act of friendship is to be separated from each other. Wow! What an incredible thought, but does it make sense?

 

To be so closely related to people that you would consider them intimate friends and therefore to do your best for them, in fact to be life giving to them, you would become separated from them.

 

Does that make sense?

 

Jesus said, 

 

¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other. ^[1]

 

The only reason any of us has the hope of life beyond COVID-19 is because Jesus looked at all of us, called each and every one of us His friends, and therefore, He separated himself from us, to give us His best, His LIFE! 

 

Wow! Lucy is right, in more ways than one.

 

And as Ross shared on Sunday all Jesus asks of us in return is to be a “fellowship”, to love each other. We can do that, right?

 

We can do our best for each other. We can give life to each other. Let’s do this together.

 

 

Brothers & sisters in Christ

Rise and Go

and may the peace of God,

which passes all understanding,

keep your hearts and minds

in the knowledge and love of God,

and of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord;

and the blessing of God Almighty,

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

remain with you always. Amen

 

 

 

God bless,

Pastor Martin

 

pastormbaxter@gmail.com

Direct Line in Church Office – 604 770 1025

 

www.sasspc.bc.ca